Prayer letter - settling in

Settling in: We knew before we arrived that travelling with our dog was going to be “a good thing”. In fact, she has helped us talk to people from day 1. Our Italian has slowly improved, but she was quick to learn that “Che bella!” was usually directed at her. It seems the Italians are quick to praise and caress children and pets, so Gabrieli certainly feels right at home. With her, we are distinctive, and our neighbours quickly realized that we are not just tourists, but here to stay. However, without her, it has taken a few more months to reach the stage where we can smile, wave and “ciao” people as we pass by.

Prayer letter (2)

The local neighbourhood: We are sandwiched between the river and Santa Croce, just round the corner from the statue of David. The night-life is lively, with a nightclub and bar next door to the church, and a kebab shop and restaurant on the other. The streets are filled with people, and the area therefore feels very safe, if somewhat noisier than you might like at 2am! However, it was puzzling when we arrived because there appeared to be no shops. Instead great corrugated iron shutters obscured any clues of what lay beneath. Firenze is so hot in the summer (see above!) that anyone who can simply leaves the city, and that includes many local shop-owners. As August wears endlessly on and the heat diminishes into a hot UK summer in September, shops re-appeared, as if we were on Diagon Alley . We are not living in a graffiti inscribed, vacant lots, scruffy area, but instead can enjoy the small businesses – pet shop (Gabrieli’s 2nd favourite place), fruit & veg. shops, butchers and ice-cream parlour (Gabrieli’s favourite place). We are also a short walk from one of the Firenze markets with plentiful selection of meat, greens, clothes, household goods. It is a good place to watch the world go by (as you sip your cappuccino at the market bar): the group of Africans selling dusters, tissues and umbrellas, the stall-holders are Indians, Italians, Filipini, the beggars are Romanians and Italians, the shoppers are from everywhere.

Prayer letter - part 1

[Knowing how my followers are hanging on my every word, I thought I'd send out my prayer letter on my blog over a few days; although you may receive an email as well, sorry!]

I am serving as Mission Partner in Florence, Italy with the Italian Methodist Church. I am very happy to be here with my husband Robin and our standard poodle, Gabrieli (the Italian name is just a coincidence!)

First impressions may be misleading: We arrived into Firenze (Florence) in the middle of the holiday season. It was hot. It had been hot since we’d entered Italy (in our camper-van) on the 6th August. Sun is lovely on holiday, but it has a strange effect when you are living in the city. You selectively open windows and shutters, trying to keep the sun out, but find the breeze (there isn’t one). During the day, the apartment is so shady, you begin to feel nocturnal. No matter what combination of windows and shutters, open and close, morning and afternoon, it doesn’t matter. It is still hot. The apartment has beautiful floor tiles throughout, which we had imagined would be cold to our feet. They are now, in early January, but in August and September, they’re hot. The terrace is too hot. You have to walk the dog before 8:30am, or it is too hot. And you simply have to go round for the corner for gelato at midnight, because it is still…