May 27, 2014

It's Tuesday morning and I'm lying in bed still, savoring my American-sized espresso (decaf – I can't handle the real deal) and and few small biscotti. This will be my first full day off since arriving for the work exchange program at La Preghiera.

My room is large and comfortable and looks, well, actually, is Italian. The ceiling is timber and wood beams, the floor is terra cotta stone tile. The doors are thick and heavy and work with keys that are as long as your hand.  They stick into lock holes that are three inches big and deep. The walls have some of the stonework exposed so that you're sure of what they're made of. Rather than look unfinished or in disrepair, the exposure gives it the look of a house that's mighty and secure.

It's eight in the morning. My windows are open- it's sunny and warm. The sounds coming in are soft and very unlike the daybreak screaming monkeys in Costa Rica or the screeching, bat-sounding morning birds of Madrid. These Italian birds and toads are going about their becoming awake much more easily and civilly. They sound lazy and happy. Or maybe I'm projecting.

I arrived here Wednesday via a flight from Barcelona. Or maybe I should mention there were two flights from Barcelona. About halfway into the first flight the pilot came on the speaker and said, “You've probably noticed we've turned the plane around. We are aware of a mechanical problem and are headed back to Barcelona to have it looked at. We should be landing in about thirty minutes. Please take your seat immediately.”

Uh, okay, I hadn't noticed we turned the plane around. I could have done just as well not to know that we were back in Barcelona when we landed at least until the time we landed. But I felt very calm anyway and used some nice breathing and mindful mediation techniques when my mind began to wander off to places that were not helpful. My life did not flash rapid-fire before my eyes; I did not think of all the things I should have done in life. I thought of my kids, and briefly thought damn it! I really need to write up a will!, and of other family and lots of friends and sometimes practiced more breathing. Mostly, I talked to the young woman across the aisle who had become someone I chatted with for awhile in the line on the way into the airplane, and then turned out to sitting right across the aisle from me. (That was a nice surprise! The universe giggled about that!)

Actually, everyone in the plane was pretty low key and calm until we descended for the landing. It wasn't horribly bouncy or anything but one woman starting wailing and crying out for God. I don't know what she saw or was thinking about but it came over her strongly and apparently all at once and she needed to let it out! Loudly! In Spanish. And then a baby started to wail too. In babe-ish. Then we landed without a problem. 

An hour later, like sheeple, we all got back into what the pilot had promised was a “brand new plane” and took off again. In between, no one discussed that huh, maybe we've changed our minds and will take a train or rent a car or something. And I thought, what are the odds of that happening again on this flight? Pretty slim, right? So I got back on too.

The mood was different on this flight: now with people all chatting and happy and meeting their seat mates. The guy in the window seat bought champagne and insisted on sharing it with the row. When I asked him if he had been frightened earlier he said “No. Not at all. I just felt it wasn't my time.” And I knew that's what I had felt too. Nice!

Sooo, anyway, I've been here for almost a week if you count the Wednesday of the flight(s) and getting here to the country home, which is a three-hour drive from the airport in Rome. The owners, John and Lilliana, had arrived at the airport an hour earlier (on an uneventful flight!) and waited for me and Katherine, the other Helpx volunteer, to give us a lift to the “house”.  We'd be working for them for the next two or three weeks- doing, umm, whatever, in exchange for our rooms and meals.

They call it “the house” but it's more like a mini-resort with a nine-bedroom main house, a smaller four-bedroom house (I'm occupying one in the little house now but sometimes must share it if we're booked up), a chapel (that seats about sixty) , and an in-ground swimming pool (I swam yesterday. Whoa. A little out-of-shape there, Damico!). They have overnight guests here, like a hotel, but specialize in weddings (you can imagine that the chapel helps out with this.)

It's an interesting business, and the history of the place goes back far, and I won't try to rewrite it. You can find out more about LaPreghiera here.

My main job here is to help with the weddings. We had one this past weekend. Sixty-five people attended, thirty-five of them stayed here, the rest at some other resort nearby. The guests came from the U.K., the groom is Irish, the bride, British, or vice-versa, I'm not sure, but the guests were all English speakers. Kathrine and I did all kinds of things to help and worked long days instead of the customary four hours a day for Helpxers, but we'll make up for it with many days off. We did everything from weeding the long gravel driveway and sweeping the walks (both very meditative), getting the chapel clean and chairs set up, setting out and breaking down the breakfast buffet everyday, taxiing people to/ from the train station (again, good to know how to drive the stick!) to actually working the event as bartenders. (I did get 50 Euros for that part and it was my favorite- although – it was a long night and man! Those Brits could drink!!)

And with a shoutout to my friend Mary, who was convinced the hosts would say, “Bell-a! You too beau-ti-ful for-a the laundry, you no iron! Come-a up-a-stairs!” I must say I will be ironing some day soon. After all the rooms are cleaned and stripped (by the staff- thank goodness), and the bedding is washed and line-dried but slightly damp, I will take an ironing board outside and iron away.

But not today. Like I said, it's my first full day off. It's time to explore Umbria a bit. There's a nearby lake to do some hiking, then stop off through a small town to wander around in and get some pizza. The bigger cities can wait for now. I'm in no hurry. 

 Until later-- Ciao!