Sicily
We have been here in Sicily for a while now, and have a couple more weeks to go. It was constantly 40 degrees for the first part, although for the past few days there has been a cold snap, with a bit of wind and temperatures only reaching 30 degrees. With this heat, like most Sicilians we remain indoors most of the day, and around 4.30pm think about going out. We go to the beach two or three times a week (which of course the children enjoy), and often have late nights (as here people usually have dinner no earlier than 9pm) with family and friends. So Stefania and Daniele have been going to bed often in their clothes, going to sleep whilst we are out or in the car going home. At least it means that they sleep in late in the morning, so we are getting some good sleep as well. No more 6am wake up calls, like at home! We have already had family get togethers for the birthdays of two of Pinuccia’s siblings and her parents’ anniversary. Now we are planning for Daniele’s birthday party next week, in which we will recruit a “rent-a-crowd” of some children of Pinuccia’s cousins, so that Daniele can have some “friends” at his party. I’m also looking forward to my niece’s baptism next week. These holidays though are a bit hard on Stefania and Daniele. They enjoy playing with their cousins (even though they are all older), and going to the beach or the park. But the rest of the time they are a bit bored, especially being stuck inside with the heat. Stefania quite regularly tells us that she wants to go home.
I have also been able to get a bit of work done, at least keeping up with my e-mail. But I have also been able to make some progress on some projects I brought with me, updating my personal web site, creating some resources for my Bible study computer program, and doing some preparation for the Bible studies I will be leading in Acts when I return.