07.17.08
Posted in Ancona, church, culture, photography
at 5:46 am
A friend of Marcus recently took us on a guided tour of Ancona. I’ve lived here for over two years and hadn’t ever done any kind of tourist things, and was kind of looking forward to learning some new things.
As we winded our way through some of the historical streets on Ancona, we came upon a building I had driven by, but hadn’t ever noticed. It’s very ornate, and over the years has been the home of many rich merchants. Our tour guide explained a very unique feature of the windows. First, they have rounded arches, which are very typical of Roman architecture. But they are also double windows, which are typical of Venetian architecture. But they also have pointed tops, which are typical of Arabian architecture.
Ancona has been influenced by all kinds of cultures over the centuries. The ruling power of the time left its mark on the economy, the language, the government, or in this case, the architecture.
I immediately thought of the church. Right now, we have Italians, Americans, and Romanians who are all active participants. We’ve had Irish and French visitors. Sometimes the cultures clash a bit, but for the most part they all come together and make a really beautiful thing.
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Posted in Ancona, Uncategorized, church, family, friends, photography
at 4:34 am
We have a group of 15 university students from College Heights Christian Church here in Ancona right now. They’ve been a great group, really ready to dive in and experience the culture and learn about our church.
On Monday, they hosted a day at the beach. They invited people they had met and we also invited the church to come and enjoy hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill (something that few of them had ever experienced).
It rained off and on all day, and after weeks of hot, humid weather, it was cool and windy. Just about dinner time, some church members showed up, and we got the grill going.
That’s when the storm clouds rolled in. The owner of the beach let us use his outdoor seating, which had a roof. We started seeing lightning hitting the ocean near us. And then, all of the sudden, it hailed on us. Ice was bouncing off the roof and into the area where we were seated. We quickly moved the food out of the rain, and took shelter under an awning. One of our church members said he had never seen hail before! And about 10 minutes later, it all stopped. We shook our head and laughed at the horrible weather for beach day.
And then we noticed the rainbow:
I’ve never seen a rainbow so large before! It was a full semi-circle that went into the sea on one side, and up and over the city of Ancona. I tried to stitch two pictures together above to give you an idea of how big it was.
God has the best endings.
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07.12.08
Posted in Ancona, photography
at 10:30 am
Click below for a larger size…
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Posted in Ancona, culture, family
at 10:19 am
We’re in the middle of an apartment search. Unfortunately, our landlord needs her apartment back and has given us six months to get out. It’s not the best timing, but we’re doing our best to stay positive about things.
A realtor called me back today. I had called to inquire about an apartment, and she had a few others that might work. She described several which sounded good, and she said she would contact the landlords for me to set up the appointments.
An hour or so later she called. One of the landlords was nervous renting to a foreigner, and wanted to know what I did for a living and would only make an appointment if I could show proof of income. Neither of these things is illegal, unless she only requires these things from foreigners.
Neither the landlord nor the realtor has ever seen me. My accent on the phone was enough to tip them off. Unfortunately, I’ve seen countless examples of racism here. I’ve been in many a conversation where the subject of “those darn stranieri” gets brought up. I usually listen and then point out that I, too, am a straniero. At which point they quickly point out that I’m not the kind of straniero they’re talking about. They mean those stranieri that don’t have the same color skin as they do.
I know my little confrontration with racism was just that - very minor. And I imagine the landlord will apologize all over himself when they realize that they asked the “good kind of foreigner” for proof of income. But I can see where a bunch of seemingly little examples like this could build up over time and cause a whole lot of tension.
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07.08.08
Posted in Ancona, family
at 10:17 am
Today we were pleasantly suprised to get a note in the mail from the mayor of Ancona, Fabio Sturani. I’m pretty sure that’s his actual signature. “Benevenuto al nuovo cittadino” - Welcome to the new citizen.
I know … you’re probably jealous.
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05.16.08
Posted in Ancona, church, friends, ministry
at 2:51 pm
My heart is heavy and my eyes full of tears. Yesterday, around 9:50 AM, our dear friend Massi went Home.
He had been battling myelofibrosis for nearly a year, and infection finally overcame his weakened immune system. His absence will be a tangible thing in our church for a long time.
As the pastor, it’s my job and my priviledge to stay strong for the family and to be a source of strength in a difficult time. Yesterday I was reminded how thin the facade is. As I was walking Rosa back to the waiting room after one last goodbye with her already-cold fiancée, the facade cracked. I found myself in the hallway with Jason. The door to the waiting room clicked closed, and the tears came. We tried to save ourselves the embarassment of emotion (masculinity is a funny thing) by hiding in separate corners. And just as quickly as it started, the crying stopped and we went back in the room.
I miss him already. His funny Senigalliesi accent that took me months to get used to. His weekly phone call at the exact time Life Group was supposed to start, telling me he had just left and was on his way. His suspicious looks when we served something American, and then watching him take a second and third helping. Our awkward conversations in the hospital towards the end, when we both talked about everything but the obvious. But more than anything, his faithfulness until the very end. He loved God with all his heart, soul, and mind.
A dopo, amico…
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05.05.08
Posted in Ancona, culture, friends
at 9:27 am
Last week was Italian Labor Day, and we were so happy that a friend of our oldest invited us to spend the day with his family at their country home. It was actually just outside the city, but had the biggest yard that the kids ran and played in the entire day.
Our friends provided the first course (spaghetti al ragù), and everyone else brought the rest. Fava beans and pecorino cheese are a typical dish for Labor Day. There were lots of little pastries and deserts. And then there was the dish we brought, Vegetable Pizza. The kind with a biscuit crust and cream cheese and raw vegetables on top. Your average vegetable pizza.
Which was the strangest thing that our Italian friends had ever seen. Everyone stopped what they were doing to ask what it was, what was in it, how we made it. I was a little embarrassed, but kind of proud that my wife made the dish everyone was raving about. People clamored for seconds, and the compliments were flowing.
I know sometimes on the blog it may sound like I read things into everyday situations. But as I’ve now been here for three years, I’m beginning to learn that I really can’t take anything for granted. Just when I think I’m starting to figure things out, I find a new sub-culture or new area of life. A simple, common vegetable pizza is a wonderful, new creation taken out of its usual American context. One woman asked if it was safe to eat broccoli raw, and was excited to try it that way. Isn’t that something that you just assumed everyone knew? But every culture - even a seemingly-similar, Western European culture - is different in probably every way. And if I am wrong about Italians knowing that you can eat broccoli raw, can I really assume I know anything at all? Can I really assume how they see bigger subjects like church, grace, and truth?
The only thing I’m sure about … three years is only a good start in learning a culture.
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04.21.08
Posted in Ancona
at 5:25 am
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The boys and I headed out to see the Ancona soccer team play yesterday. Ancona is series C, which isn’t so great. But they are in second place and have a good shot at moving up next year. This was my first soccer game, and was looking forward to cheering on the home team.
We sat in curva nord - the cheap seats. It was filled with mostly younger men who used the opportunity to shout and sing for three hours. A few guys down front sort of led the “singing” but it seemed to also be spontaneous. I had a blast trying to decipher what they all meant, and the boys loved to giggle when they heard a cuss word. And there were LOTS.
I was amazed at how quickly the crowd could turn on the players. One minute the fans rush down to pound on the glass after the Anconetani score. The next, they’re screaming insults at the player’s mother. One minute they’re singing “Ancona, we’ll follow you anywhere!” The next, they’re calling for the player to get booted from the team. They’re a fickle bunch!
The game, sadly, ended in a tie. It’s one of the things I really don’t like about soccer. Who wants to leave the stadium without a winner? Nobody’s happy!
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04.18.08
Posted in Ancona, culture, finances
at 5:17 am
In fashion concious Italy, it’s hard to find a place to get a cheap haircut. I’m a “Great Clips” kind of guy in the US. I just want the hair to be shorter, and look somewhat like I didn’t cut it myself. I decided I was tired of paying €20 ($31) for a haircut, and a while back decided to try this barber whose shop is about a block away on my street.
And I met Sergio, an 82 year old Anconetano with a two-chair barber shop (but the second chair only holds the used drape cloths from the day).
He charges €6, moves as fast as an 82 year old can, and entertains me with stories about the war and “kids these days.” He uses an old fashioned straight razor to trim the hairs on your neck. His clippers look almost as old as he is. He’s left me in the chair, hair half cut, so he can go home and take his blood pressure medicine. There is hair from decades ago in every nook and cranny that his broom doesn’t reach. His nervousness about the immigration boom in Italy shows when he asks me in all seriousness “where they bury Chinese people when they die?”.
You can’t beat the price he charges. But for a foreigner like me, I can’t beat the language and cultural lessons I get when I’m in the chair.
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04.16.08
Posted in Ancona, culture, family, kids
at 11:41 am
I ran across a surprising statistic the other day. We’ve long known that our family size of five made us more than a little unusual here in Ancona. Now we have a handy graphic to prove it, published by the city of Ancona. So in a couple of months when the new baby is born, we’ll join the other 420 families with more than five people present in the home. Only 420 in a city of over 100,000! At our kids’ schools, the majority of people have one, two kids at the most. The national average is 1.2 kids per family.
But it’s not just statistics that show how children are viewed by some here. I had a conversation the other day with a woman a bit older than me. She was married with one kid and marveled at how young I am and how many kids we have (we get that a lot). And then she said to me that if she had it to do all over again, she wouldn’t have had any children. She told me her son tries her patience, and “if she knew then what she knows now…”
I was kind of shocked. Granted, there have been days when the kids are grating on my nerves. But to wish that they had never been born?!
I’m trying to figure out where this comes from. Some of it, at least in people I have talked with that “regret” having kids, is just plain selfishness. Some of it comes from an inability to provide every single thing the child could ever want, especially as the family grows. But other than those two things, I’m stumped. I love my kids! I have learned so much about myself, and they bless my socks off! It breaks my heart to hear people (one time, in front of their child) lament ever having kids.
Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift?
the fruit of the womb his generous legacy?
- Psalm 127:3 (MSG)
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