God is with me...still...even here. I love the way He works.

Torre Pellice

Tempio Evangelica Waldensian

Thus brings me to the topic on everyone's mind. You have no idea how many times per day I get asked how long I will be here in Italy, if I have made up my mind about staying, where I've decided to go to school, etc. Those of you that know me best know that I hate making decisions...especially big life decisions that shape my entire future. It is very difficult for me and these topics are a source of major stress in my life right now. This is partly why I have not been blogging nearly as much as usual, because every moment of my free time is taken over by online research on various topics and schools, as well as getting some much needed counsel from loved ones. Ironic that I'm the one wanting to go to school to become a counselor. 

I have finally gotten to start experiencing life here in Alba, and already I've had quite a few adventures. However, I have come to realize that life in Alba doesn't really take place in Alba. It seems like even though Alba is considered the 'big city' around here, we are always going out to other towns for various things. The best kebabs are found in Bra. The best shopping is in Torino, Serravalle Scrivia, or Milan. The best discotecas are in Saluzzo or Cavallermaggiore (actually, I should say they are outside of these towns...in the middle of nowhere). Alba, of course, does offer all of these things, but we wanted the best! So I took last weekend off from going to the beach with the family and ended up visiting all of these places instead.

Friday night I ventured out with my other American friend in the Smart Car. We went first to Bra, then continued on for a much needed night of dancing at Evita near the town of Cavallermaggiore. We had a GPS system, but still had to stop and ask for directions to both places. After finally finding the first spot, we were forced to sit in the car for another 30 minutes while trying to figure out how to turn off the overheard light of this little toy car. On the way to our next stop, we mistakenly asked directions from a group of males from Palermo...bad idea for two American girls! Finally we escaped with the knowledge that we had driving about 15 minutes too far. Backtracking, we were both convinced that nothing could exist this far in the middle of absolute darkness. But finally, neon lights appeared out of nowhere. Heather mistook it for a water park. But sure enough, we had found Evita (one of the biggest discotecas in Italy). I am used to our American way of putting the nightspots in the center of town, but here it seems that only the most knowledgeable and determined people receive the prize of good night of dancing. The only dancing spot in Alba is frequented by the swarms of young high school children making an effort to grow up way too quickly. It took even longer for us to get around because Heather was driving like a grandma to avoid any accidents or getting pulled over in a borrowed Smart Car with no Italian documentation.

Saturday night was spent in Torino and I was able to experience a real western American steakhouse (Italian style). They had the peanuts on the floor and everything! Then Sunday I spent the afternoon shopping at the outlet mall in Serravalle Scrivia. The stores were definitely cheaper than in Alba, but it turns out that even on sale Prada and the other Italian designers are still out of my price range.

I guess I should have saved my last post title for this one, because now I really am 'back in business'. Since we have finally returned to Alba and I will have a lot more free time on my hands with the children in school, I started another part time job at a large manufacturing company here. I was unexpectedly offered a very flexible position in my host family's company as a kind of 'English consultant' among other things. So I went in this morning for the first time just to get set up, but we'll see how it goes. At least this way I can earn a little bit of extra spending money. Once again, God is good. :)

Anyway, as mentioned before, we went back to the beach this past weekend for some more time in the sun. Sailing is something that I've been wanting to experience for a very long time and I finally had the opportunity to do so on Saturday. We could not have asked for more perfect weather! Well...yes, we could have asked for a little bit more wind. We were able to use the sails for a little bit and enjoy the serenity of quietly being pushed off into the sea. However, we moved just a bit too slowly to stay on schedule (even with our help of manually blowing into the sail), so we had to also incorporate usage of the motor.

It was an all day adventure in which we embarked early in the morning towards a little private island off the coast of Alassio. We had an aperitif on the way and then enjoyed some swimming/snorkeling around the island along with great people watching from the various other boats anchored there. Afterward, we had a very typical, but nonetheless excellent, Italian lunch with three courses and multiple deserts and wines. Sailing home alongside the dolphins, I couldn't help but think that to do that full time wouldn't be such a bad way to live. Back at the port in Finale Ligure, there was an Inter-European competition of sailing vessels, some dating all the way back to the late 19th century. All in all it was a great day with great company.

Yes, I did learn to love the beach this summer. However, I'm glad that it has come to an end and I can finally get settled in one place for a bit. Alba is now my home for at least the next three and a half months.

So says the slogan of Skydive XDream in Interlaken, Switzerland:

When the urge is bigger than the fear...just jump!

I finally got to check off that box on the bucket list this past weekend. It was an unbelievable experience that went by way too quickly. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I have had no other feeling like that of standing on the runner outside a helicopter soaring over the Alps at 12,000 ft. in the air! I wasn't even able to hold onto the sides of the heli while I was out there, just my harness, and I had to trust that Howie, my tandem master, really was attached to me and would stay that way once he pushed me out and we plummeted back to earth. We rushed past snow and ice covered moutaintops and soared directly over a glacier waterfall so close that I could almost touch it. More pics and video to come! But of course, these could never do the true beauty of Switzerland justice.

But really, I love that quote. There are so many things in life that you can apply it to. Why live with regrets!? Do you feel that desire, urge, tugging to do something that may seem a little crazy or scary? Are you worried, doubtful, scared that it might take you out of your comfort zone? Just jump!

As I mentioned before, I was able to spend a long weekend traveling with my parents and friends to Switzerland. Aside from skydiving, we also were able to explore the really cool towns of Interlaken and Lucerne. I love those places. The architecture is like none other...pure Swiss. There are garderns everywhere you look. It's pristine. The Swiss people are nothing if not clean, organized, and systematic. But you have to pay for it. I can think of very few places I've visited that were more expensive. There's great shopping, but I couldn't afford to buy anything. I was thrilled in Lucerne to find a Starbucks, however promptly depressed to discover my Vanilla Latte cost about $7. Aside from this, it was a great experience. We toured the towns, took a boat cruise up and down the lake of Lucerne to various other towns, and we ate a lot! Swiss cheese fondue, chocolate, bavarian food, etc. It is really a great place to be...even the train rides to and from were full of breathtaking surroundings.

The best part: the weather. For the past few weeks here in Italy (and apparently also in Switzerland) it has been randomly rainy, overcast, and windy. It was even raining while I traveled on the trains on Friday. But Saturday morning I woke up to find it was the most beautiful day they have seen yet. All of the skydiving team kept telling me how lucky I was and that they couldn't believe it. All day Saturday and Sunday were perfect. Then, when I arrived back in Italy, it started raining again. Haha, I love God's little gifts to me! I knew He wanted me to be able to go skydiving. :)