Yes, we ate the ravioli tonight and it was marvelous! Lorena reported that I am a natural-born pasta maker (applause applause thank you very much) and I'm so pleased to have the compliment because I don't get the sense the she takes food matters lightly. Two of Lorena's Parisian friends are visiting and they ate dinner with us, and both of them speak English fluently (only one of the two speaks Italian). It was a little bit confusing, although admittedly also a little bit very nice, to once again be speaking just a bit of English at the dinner table.
Oddly, the most surprising thing that's happening during my time here is that I'm developing a real friendship with Emily. I can't explain clearly enough how few words she and I share - probably a handful, and maybe even ten. Our languages truly do not overlap, and the words we're able to communicate with are lavorare, stanca, dove, cuanto, come stai?, ayutare, molto bene, insieme and perhaps a few others. That's to work, tired, where, how much, how are you, to help, very good (because we both say we're good even if we're not --- it's simpler that way), and together. And Emily does not conjugate verbs, and to be fair when i conjugate them I usually accidently make groups singular, males female... the works. Nonetheless we're starting to understand each other based on context and facial expressions. OH. To complicate things, in Bulgaria when they say no, they nod their heads up and down as we do when we say yes in America, and they do the opposite when they say no. It took me a few days to figure that out and I'm sure that Emily wondered why I kept pouring her more water or dishing her more food when she was clearly declining. Not clearly enough! Today, while Emily and I worked together in the vineyards, I was surprised to realize that when I leave here she will be the one who it will be hardest to leave behind. Just about ten minutes after I thought this up, she expressed the same sentiment. She asked how long I would be staying, and when I told her three more weeks she expressed that it's very little time, and she said "Io e lei, insieme, molto bene." That means "you and I, together, very good." So, Emily and I are buds. I've never before had a friend who I really could not manage to talk to.
OK off to do my nightly pre-bed snake check, and then... dormire!
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