Whassup ma ciccia (chee-cha)????

In Roman slang, CICCIA (chee-cha), which I know, is a rather not nice word in the Spanish language, means 'sista'. You can imagine how that was for me the first time I heard THAT word. MUCH more exciting than 'Boh...'.

I have been a little under the weather with the climate change (really pretty drastic... hot one day, really cool the next...) with a cold, but don't you worry, I have about four friends all in line to take care of me. Really incredible how maternal Italian women are! Sylvia, my old roommate (I had to switch rooms because her permanent roommate is coming back on Sunday ... We were both really sad! ) has been taking such good care of me...

'Rocio, cos' hai mangiato oggi?' (What did you eat today?) ... me- 'Ho mangiato un po' di cereale.' (I had some cereal.) ... 'Ma tu sei matta! Tu devi mangiare!!!' (You're nuts! You need to eat more!) ... me- ' Però ho mangiato...' (But I did eat)... ' Ma dai Rocio?!... Tu devi mangiare...' (REALLY, Rocio? ... You should eat...)

And this has been the way it has gone for two days, making me eat, giving me medication, making me wear a sweater, yelling at me because I am next to a window, telling me that I need to stay under my quilt the WHOLE day, etc. etc. Really interesting things. (P.S. Can I just tell you that the medication here is completely different? Maybe different in the sense that it wouldn't be FDA approved in the United States? Seriously, in the US we use saline nose drops. HERE, they use these 'protein drops', which don't get me wrong, work REALLY really well, but they are like black ink... Kid you not. ) AND due to all of this love I am feeling much better. :)

I hope I am feeling even better by tomorrow morning because we are taking a day trip to ASSISI! I am sooooo incredibly excited to go and see the home of one of the most inspirational saints of all time, St. Francis. If I do get to go, I will have so much to tell you.

SO until my later my dears. Please remember that I keep you always, always in my prayers and in my constant thoughts.

And to close:

Signore, fa' di me uno strumento della tua pace.

Dove c'è l'odio, io porti amore.
Dove c'è discordia, io porti l'unione.
Dove c'è errore, io porti la verità.
Dove c'è dubbio, io porti la fede.
Dove c'è disperazione, io porti la speranza.

O Divino Maestro,
che io non cerchi tanto di essere consolato quanto di consolare.
Non di essere compreso quanto di comprendere.
Non di essere amato quanto di amare.

Infatti: donando si riceve.
Dimenticandosi si trova comprensione.
Perdonando si è perdonati.
Morendo si riuscita alla vera VITA.