Attend what you can afford!

Updated title from Never turn down an invitation in Italia to Attend what you can afford!

I have to remember that I'm not on vacation everyday and eating out every day isn't something I'd do in the states so i definitely can't do it here while living off of my savings. Although I can't attend everything I'm invited to, I can politely turn down and try to make the next one. 


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I feel like I'm falling behind but wanted to update everyone on my wonderful day at the beach.  I've decided that while I'm here, if I can, I must try to accept every invitation I receive.  So when Gina invited me to go to the beach in Gaeta for the day, I didn't think twice about it.

We met early at Termini train station to find out our train was sold out as it's the same train that goes to Napoli and apparently it's busy on a Sunday morning.  No problem!  That gave us time to enjoy a bomba di cioccolato (basically a chocolate-filled doughnut) and a cappuccino while waiting for the next train.

Bomba di cioccolato e cappuccino.

We finally boarded our train only to move just a little bit and then stop again.  Everyone is used to train delays so we all sat there for a while but after 10 minutes, everyone began to get up and get off the train looking around for someone with information.  And usually that "someone" is nowhere to be seen in train stations here.  After an ambulance and many polizia came running by, we all had a sinking feeling that the train had hit someone... or worse yet, someone had let the train hit them.  The group from the crowded train waited in anticipation either to see what was going on or which terminal our new train would leave from.  When the new number popped up on the board, we began heading quickly to the new train as there would surely be a shortage of seats.  Apparently some people really needed to board that train because you would have thought a monster was running after them.  Seriously - a woman walking her baby in a stroller had to jump out of the way of these men running to get on the train!  Luckily most of us weren't as ridiculous.  We found our new seats, I said a quick prayer and hoped the person whom the ambulance was for was okay, and we were off for our hour and a half ride to Gaeta.  

Italy Map - Gaeta

Formia-Gaeta Train Station

View from Formia-Gaeta Train Station

A few of Gina's Italian friends live in Rome but are from Gaeta.  Once we got to the beach, the salty smell of the sea immediately made me realize how much I miss the beach.  We got ourselves some chairs and enjoyed the warm sun, cool breeze, and amazing people watching.  You will see some of the most fabulous bodies and some of the most not so fabulous bodies all on the same beach.  I'm not sure if Italians have a different mindset about body image than Americans, but it's almost as if they don't have the shame issue that we seem to have.  I love how they all seem to think, "Screw everyone else, I'm at the beach and I look amazing!"  Very refreshing and made me feel better about the five pounds I've already gained.  Dang!  There's that shame thing again.

Anyway, the beach was such a great time and her Italian friends were incredibly sweet and hilarious.  It was great for me to hear her speak with them but I definitely could not yet join in the conversation.  It's much easier to speak one on one when you are at my skill level (FYI, my skill level = maybe 2 out of 10).  Once again I was reminded of how fortunate I am to not only have this opportunity to live in Rome, but to have the beach such a short distance away.

Having been in Rome for almost six months, Gina has spent some time searching out restaurants other than Italian and has found some true gems.  One of which is El Norteno, a Peruvian restaurant close to Termini station.  I don't think it's possible for me to get sick of pizza and pasta, but if that happens I will definitely be back.  The spices and flavors were so unique and authentic.  I had a tamale and the seafood ceviche.  Yum!

I came home to the lovely sound of my roommate, Cho, practicing her violin.  She would say she's not very good, but I think it's lovely.  They way it echoes through the old walls of the apartment and out onto the terrace makes me feel like I'm in a movie.  She paused to let me know she had just baked a fresh apple cake out of the oven and to help myself.  Okay, now I really was in a movie.  And since I can't pass up an invitation, I helped myself... What a pretty amazing Sunday.  Truly indimenticabile (unforgettable).

Cho's Apple Cake