Around the Base

Elliott, Lena, and I have begun taking a walk around the base every evening.  This is our chance to enjoy the setting sun and the peace at the end of another day as well as listen to an Italian audio lesson together.

Asculti e repeta:

“Ana, vorebe cenare da me cuesta sera?”

“Si, Roberto, vore cenare da lei cuesta sera.  A que hora?”

“A le otto?”

“Si, a le otto.  Arrivederci, Roberto.”

Last week we took my camera with us so we could show you some of the base.  Right now we’re staying at the Navy Gateway Hotel on NAS I Sigonella.  The Gateway is one of two temporary lodging units at Sigonella, and we’ve been in it for 4 weeks now.  Home sweet home!

NAS I Sigonella stands for Naval Air Station One; there are also NAS II and Marani.  These 3 small bases—NAS I, NAS II, and Marani—make up the entire complex of NAS Sigonella, which is the US Navy’s base in Sicily, Italy. 

(FYI, “NAS” is pronounced “naz” by those in the know. And you are now in the know!)

NAS I includes all the “fun stuff” of Sigonella.  You’ll see all the pictures of the fun stuff.  Meanwhile, NAS II is the actual naval air station where the jets take off and land, where all the hangers are, and where most of the military business takes place.  Marani is the housing base.  It includes approximately 200 town homes for enlisted soldiers, officers, and their families.  All officers and some enlisted soldiers have the option to live “on the economy” in Sicily, though; they don’t have to live at Marani.  As previously stated on this blog, we decided to live on the economy in the nearby town of Motta.

Anyway, back to the tour of NAS I.  Here’s the CDC, or Child Development Center.  (Not the Center for Disease Control!)  It’s a great daycare/preschool that is staffed by military moms.  If I do end up working here as a nurse, Lena will probably come to the CDC most days of the week.  The tiny Naval Hospital is about a 3-minute walk to the right of this photo.

 

Midtown is at the center of NAS I.  It includes a couple restaurants, gym, video arcade, bowling alley, swimming pool, movie theater, and other attractions that you can see listed on this sign.

This board is updated daily with whatever movies are showing that day.  We haven’t been to the theater yet but we have discovered they have great movie popcorn for $1/bag!

And here’s the swimming pool.  This photo was taken after it closed for the night, so it isn’t full of moms and kids like it normally is every day during the summertime.

 

Continuing our tour, across the street from Midtown is a complex that includes several buildings.  One of them is this gorgeous building which hosts the library (with a coffee shop inside that just opened today after the summer holiday!), post office, thrift store, bank, Navy College/college extension programs, and Elliott’s veterinary clinic!  Swanky, eh?

 

Across the courtyard is the chapel, where we will probably attend church.  Still deciding/praying about that decision.

Behind this courtyard, in a peaceful corner of the base, is the senior officers’ housing.  There are six houses and they are reserved for the Commanding Officer of the base (UVA grad and lived in the Maupin suite next to Elliott’s—but about 10 years before Elliott—and of course lived on the Lawn [West Side, party boy]… Wahoowa!!!), the Executive Officer, the Commander of the Hospital, and so on.  They all like their vet and cute Lena so it’s fun to walk by in the evenings.

Right next to this is the DoDDs School: Department of Defense Dependants’ School.  It’s a gorgeous, large school for only about 1000 kids.  Lucky school-age children!

Next to the DoDDs School is a large complex with the NEX (Naval Exchange, which is basically a Walmart) and the commissary (grocery store).  I grew up overseas but we weren’t military, and thus we were never allowed to go to the commissary.  I am still getting used to the novelty of being allowed to shop at the commissary—Raisin Bran and chocolate chips and fresh milk in a foreign country!

Across from the NEX and Commissary is the firehouse.  This is for you, my EMT sister Julia!

And that’s NAS I, folks!  It’s a peaceful, pretty place to spend a few weeks before our house is ready. 

Coming soon: my trip to Taormina with some friends… and seven children!

Medieval Festival in Motta

Last week I got home from a gym class and found Elliott and Lena playing on the bed.

“Do you want to go out for dinner?” he asked.

Out for an Italian meal?  Yes!  Sure.  Always.

So we strapped Lena’s car seat into the veterinary clinic’s government vehicle and headed for the nearby town of Motta Sant’Anastasia.  It’s about a 10-minute drive from the base and is also where we’ve decided to live.  We signed our lease last week!  Do you see the castle tower on the cliff?  Our house is about 20 yards away from there and is built on the edge of the cliff.

In Motta, we went to a restaurant many of our friends have recommended: Pizzeria Donna Fortunata.  At 7pm, the place was empty.  Italians eat closer to 9pm.  We loved their table wine, which was 2 euro for the little glass jug on our table (0.25L).

Elliott ate Penne alla Norma, the traditional Sicilian dish: penne pasta with tomato sauce, eggplant, and a sprinkling of salty ricotta cheese.  I ordered their Sicilian pizza: tuma cheese topped with olives, onions, and anchovies and baked in a wood-fired pizza oven.  (Sorry I didn’t take any pictures of the food, guys… next time!)

 We left the restaurant just as the sun was setting over Sicily.

That evening, August 11, was the start of the Medieval Festival in Motta.  Every four years this annual festival is especially large and elaborate.  We found ourselves in the midst of the celebrations and merrymaking in the town’s central piazza, about a 5-minute walk from our house.

We walked through the narrow streets to our house.

And then we saw our house!  Can you see the edge of the door at the end of that driveway?  It’s down the stairs (which you can’t see); the castle is just to the right in this picture.  The man and woman are grilling pigeons for part of the Medieval Feast:

We wandered around the town as local residents hurried to and fro in the narrow cobblestone streets dressed in medieval garb.  They had constructed all sorts of structures for the feast, including a catapult (I don’t think they were planning to use it), long tables and benches for the feasting, booths for selling Sicilian baskets and jugs of wine, and entire arches and towers, like the one behind Elliott in the photo.

We walked back near the castle for the start of the parade.  With a flourish of trumpet fanfare, the procession began.  Leading the way were a group of bagpipers, and following them were a crowned king and queen, juggling jesters with a rattling wooden cart full of tricks, bare-waisted dancing ladies, and a group of flag-throwers in green-and-yellow tights.  They marched down the cobblestone streets towards the main piazza, where they met up with another neighborhood's procession in red-and-black tights with wooden swords.  The green-and-yellow entourage represented our neighborhood, and thank goodness because they were cooler anyway.


Lena was so good through it all, despite the festivities going on waaaay past her bedtime.  Lights, colors, music... happy baby!  Can't wait to watch her toddle down these streets in Motta as she grows up.

On the job - guest post by Elliott

Well hello from your friendly local veterinarian! I’ve just finished my first week of real work, and so far it seems as if it will be a pretty good job.  I am the one military veterinarian responsible for Sigonella Naval Air Station and another small naval base at Souda Bay, Crete, in Greece.   Until about six months ago, both of these bases were in the process of shrinking in size and mission.  When the rest of the world decided to get involved in the revolution in Libya, however, it remembered the strategic importance of these locations in the Mediterranean.  Now they are both filled to the bursting with military personnel from all over the world, and plans are underway to build them back up more permanently.  All that said, it looks like my job will definitely be here for the next three years.  

 

I have four soldiers working with me: two veterinary technicians and two food inspectors.  Together, we’re the only Army personnel on the base.  Our mission is pretty typical for us as Army veterinary services: we provide full service medical and surgical care to the military working dogs (MWDs) and pets of those stationed here with us; we ensure the safety of all the (human) food and beverages sold and consumed on the bases; and we provide support to public health programs involving animal health and food safety. 

As you can see from the photos, the clinic is in a beautiful building, with Mt. Etna looming in the distance and visible out my office window.  The whole clinic was built and newly equipped about six years ago, so it is still in great shape and just the right size to handle our mission.  Along with my military help, I also have a civilian vet tech, a receptionist, an Italian secretary/translator, and an Italian vet working for me. 

This week I had two days of pet clinics and one day with the military working dogs.  The pets were mostly dogs, of all shapes and sizes, and most were here simply to get vaccines updated or health certificates for flying back to the U.S.  There were also the standard ear infections, vomiting and diarrhea, itchy skin, and a few lumps and bumps.  It’s been fun getting back into the sleuthing and investigating required to make an accurate diagnosis, and I’ve enjoyed working together with my techs as we take turns looking at slides under the microscope, discussing the fine details of doggie diets and excrement, and holding down crazy cats and yapping toy dogs.

 

Two MWDs came in on Thursday.   Bach is a big German Shepherd, and has a reputation as the meanest dog in the kennel.  He broke a toe during a training exercise a couple months ago, and we wanted to see if it was completely healed up yet.  We had to heavily sedate him in order to take the radiographs; even with a muzzle on he is difficult to control or be safe around in his alert state.  Fortunately the radiographs showed that the main fracture is almost fully healed.  Unfortunately, a small bone ship is still present in the tissue beside the fracture location, so I’m hoping that doesn’t cause him continued pain.  We’ll give him a few more weeks of kennel rest and then do another recheck before clearing him to work. 

Nathan is the only long-haired German Shepherd in the kennel, and he was back for a follow up on some skin irritation I had seen him for the week before.  It was mostly cleared up after a week of shampoos and a clip of his long thick hair, so I’m thinking is was probably related to the heat. 

And that was my first week, along with lots of e-mailing and paperwork, of course.  Now back to Becca’s more fun adventures…

Giggling Baby Girl

Catania

The last 2 days of INDOC (our orientation to life in Sicily) included a couple trips to the largest city near the base: Catania.   We’d read about the famous Catania fish market before we arrived in Sicily, and it did not disappoint!

 

Fresh swordfish, anyone?  We ate swordfish fillets later that day for lunch during a five-course Italian meal that the INDOC coordinators organized for our group.  One of the Italian group leaders described it as “the chicken of the sea” because it’s a fairly bland fish, excellent with many seasonings.  Italians eat a lot of it after grilling it with olive oil and lemon.

Little Lena seemed indifferent to the sounds, sights, and smells.  We’ll give her a couple years to develop a love for it.  Hopefully she’ll love seafood one day as much as we do.

The next day we took a trip to the beach in Catania.  The INDOC coordinators took us to one of the sandy beach “lidos” where you pay an entrance fee for a couple beach chairs and an umbrella. 

Next time we might try the rocky beaches of Catania.  The volcanic rock of Sicily cleans the water until it’s crystal-clear and irresistible, perfect for swimming and snorkeling.

Snapshots from Motta Sant'Anastasia

A few photos from Motta, the town where we plan to live:

 This is inside the castle, which is 20 feet from our new home.  We were impressed with the historical displays inside.  All high quality and beautifully done.

Our future house!  This photo was taken out one of the windows of the castle looking down on the house.  (Can you see the shadow of the castle?)

We will live on the bottom floor.  There's a large balcony on the other side of the house that overlooks the valley.  The fruit trees look so far away from the house because they are.  This house is built on the edge of a volcanic cliff!  There's a steep drop on the other side of the house.

Beside the dungeon's trap door in the castle.

We walked around Motta with our gelato: strawberry and lemon for Elliott and pistachio and chocolate for me.  They also have mulberry flavor--called gelsi--which Elliott wants to get next time!  I love the cute houses and steep cobblestone streets of this little town.  The neighborhood surrounding our house is called the medieval section of town and is so classic with flowerpots on tiny balconies, narrow and brightly colored houses, and cathedral churches with old fashioned water fountains outside.

And Lena, patiently enduring a car ride in a friend's car, and getting to know Sophie, her giraffe.

Finding a Church... er, a Chapel?

We had rather a nice surprise this morning.  While walking towards the chapel service on base - and meanwhile reminding ourselves to be positive about this experience, we need to do this to consider all our options, we are sure to be disappointed by "just a military chapel service" - we saw large groups of parents and children walking towards the chapel. 

And more.

And more.

We walked into the chapel and there were at least 100 people there, almost all of them families, and almost all of them officers' families.  Perhaps I need not state the obvious: no other church service we've attended in Sicily so far has included these 3 elements. 

And then we saw that Lena's pediatrician was leading music, which was more good news, because he likes to call himself Dr. Josh the Singing Pediatrician (has flyers posted all over his office) and has 3 little kids and a really sweet wife named Becca and we think we're going to be friends with them.  Also, he's a good guitar player.  And the songs we sang were rich songs, and included "How Deep the Father's Love for Us."

And then we liked the sermon, too, which is the first in a series about Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Destiny ("ie. Heaven and Hell"... was it too much to hope that he'd call it "Restoration"?). 

And then they served communion, and four older fathers served that, and also took up the offering. 

And then afterwards everyone was very welcoming.  Another young mom gave me her phone number.  We talked to several young parents.  We also talked to some older parents who all told us eagerly that their kids like to babysit.  We talked to the pastor, too, who will be leaving in December and his replacement has a PCUSA background.  We went to part of a meeting about VBS that they are hosting in 2 weeks and I think I'll volunteer to help out with that.

Well.  What do you know.

Elliott and I talked about it over lunch and were both hesitant to get excited. We've been hesitant to get excited or discouraged about anything thus far, even to each other.  And we haven't visited all our options yet, so the search is not necessarily over.  However, it did encourage us to imagine this as a possibility. 

Wouldn't it be funny if we did end up at a "military chapel" for 3 years?  After all our presuppositions before our arrival about various churches and the right setting for us, the Lord might just surprise us yet.

Saturday in Sicily

Over a week since I last wrote and I don't know where it went so fast!  INDOC has kept us so busy each day, but that finished on Wednesday.  We took two amazing field trips to finish it off: one to the largest nearby city of Catania to wander around the famous fish market and eat a five-course Italian meal and the other to the Catania beach. 

Elliott and I planned to go hiking in the Mt Etna National Park today, but unfortunately that plan was a flop.  No, it wasn't because Mt Etna was erupting... although it's done that a couple times this past week!  Our hiking plans were foiled because there were no rental cars available.  In the absence of our car, we've come to depend on kindly acquaintances for rides and haven't had to rent yet, and apparently we won't be renting and going for a joyride anytime soon.

So we're in the library instead, keeping Lena happy on some of their playground equipment on the veranda and enjoying the afternoon breezes.

In other news... we decided to go for the house near the castle!  I am a little concerned about parking/driving, but everything else seems to be a good fit.  We've asked for quite a few repairs to be done before we move in, and the landlady (Signora Scardilli) is accommodating thus far.  She's even agreed to get us a new kitchen.  I know, I had said that the kitchen is gorgeous in this house, but it's really the room where the kitchen will be that's beautiful.  There's actually no kitchen equipment - no stove, no oven, no fridge, and only a very small sink - there right now.

Signora Scardilli allowed us to go to IKEA (they just got one in Catania this summer!) and choose which equipment furnishing we'd like.  I went with her last Saturday and then we went again on Wednesday, both times with the help of an Italian-speaking friend with a car.  Signora Scardilli has neither car nor English language skills, and we have neither car nor Italian.  So there you go.  It was quite an adventure both times, but I think we came out of it with our requests quite clear, and now we'll see how the negotiating goes with regards to repairs and rent.  (Our military housing allowance is greater than what Signora Scardilli is asking for rent, so the repairs get calculated into a monthly rent increase and we're all happy in the end.  Or so we hope.)

Elliott starts working regularly in the vet clinic next week, so Lena and I will be left to our own devices.  We'll see how it goes!

Have we found a house?

Maybe.  I think so.  I don't want to commit to it yet... but we're this close.

Yesterday and today have been a whirlwind of house tours, Italian towns and countryside, and trying to keep a howling baby happy in a hot van.  We saw two places yesterday that we had carefully selected after scanning hundreds of listings and thousands of photos on the Housing Department website.  We loved both of them, and one of them will be our home.

They are so different, though.  One is in the heart of town... and that's saying a lot when you're talking about a little Italian town.  The other is in the country... and in Italy that means down a dirt road with the music of distant farm equipment and nearby birdsong.  How does one decide what kind of Italian life one wants?

Both have 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, air conditioning, hookups for washers and dryers, include a working fireplace, and are a 10-minute drive to the base. 

There the similarities end.

House #1 is yellow on the outside, has an incredible view, is in the old historical quarter of Motta (literally right under a castle from the 12th century), boasts a phenomenal kitchen with a view of Mt Etna and a fabulous farmhouse table with long wooden benches, is a 5-minute walk to a fabulous gelateria.

But House #1 has hardly any storage, is somewhat isolated on the end of a cul-de-sac (can you call it that in Italy?) that consists entirely of garages, has no garden, and is pretty difficult to get to up winding streets... and a tough parking situation for friends.

House #2 is on a peaceful half-acre a small orange tree orchard, has a couple of porches for outdoor living 8 months of the year, includes plenty of space to garden and keep chickens and a dog, possesses plenty of storage indoors and outdoors, has larger bedrooms, and is more of the country life in Italy that we envisioned for ourselves.

However, House #2 is also seriously isolated (for me alone with Lena during the day), is a little off the beaten track for people coming to visit, would tie us down from traveling around Europe due to a garden and animals,  and lacks the gorgeous historic touches of House #1.

So how do you decide?

Welcome to Sicily!

Hard to believe we've been here a week!  A whirlwind of:

-flights (Detroit > Paris > Rome > Catania, Sicily, at last)

-INDOC (stands for "indoctrination," a 10-day crash course on life in Sicily as well as a loooong to-do list to start our lives in Italy)

-looking for housing (more house tours today!)

-church (spent a lot of Sunday at Calvary Baptist Church; there will be more church visits in the weeks ahead)

-life in temporary lodging (a sparkling clean little unit with a tiny kitchen; we're very grateful)

-and life in Italy.  We have so much more to see and do.  We've only eaten out once, and it was for Asian food, if you'll believe it!  Elliott's veterinary office staff took us out to eat and they wanted Asian, not Italian, so that's what we ate.  For now the priority is not food or travel, but heart and home.  The former two will become additional priorities as soon as we are settled, we have no doubt.

In the midst of this our baby girl has been an absolute jewel.  Jet lag took a few days for us all to get over, but Lena only had one sleepless hour in one relatively restful night.  We've been able to take her with us each day into a classroom for 5-8 hours a day during INDOC; I've only had to take her out because she's too tired/fussy twice.  She's napping beside me on the couch right now in Midtown on base: