I knew coming over to Italy would mean, that for the first time in my life, I would be in another country and quite far from home for my Birthday. 24 will forever be the year that I spent celebrating it with new friend and a new family. This day was full of emotion and mixed feelings about being where I was. The celebration actually started the day before my birthday, when I found out that "Nonna's" (Giova's grandmother) birthday was one the 18th the day before mine. The family was planning on a nice dinner here at the Palazzo with a few friends and close family. I decided that my gift to Nonna and to myself would be homemade bananna pudding! Thanks to Mom back home I had a recipe and thanks to Mavi going with me to the grocery store, I had everything I needed. Pudding ,called "Buddino" here, was a bit tricky to find, and Nilla Waffers would have to be substituted with Lady Fingers, but in the endn fresh cream toped it all off quite nicely. When dessert time came, I quietly and with some hesitation mentioned that I had made this most Southern of desserts, and to my surprise, everyone wanted to try it. Nonna got her's first, and instantly exclaimed "Que fantastico!", "How fantastic!". She loved the lightness and perfect level of sweetness, which I believe was the begining of her love of my cooking. The rest of the family also loved this dessert, and want me to make it again when they are all over. Feeling quite confident and inspired by this reception, we ended the night with more wine and conversation about my home. Speeking of home to these people was emotional, but felt nice to share a little of who I was and reminded myself of the wonderful place and loving people I had left behind in the States.
I woke up the next morning, my birthday, as usual with the task of getting Giova ready for school. Once he was droped of and I returned home, the weight of this day began to dawn on me. I remembered that on my first trip to Italy, I lit a candle in the Duomo or Cathedral in Florence, as a symbolic prayer for my family back home. I decided that for my birthday I would lite one of these prayer candles in celebration for my birthday. Entering the cathedral the silence was moving and made the moment very special. I then decided that this would be my way of celebrating each and every birthday I would be missing of my friends and family back home. These symbolic "Birthday Candles" would burn for the day as opposed to being blown out as is the American tradition. After a day of erands and still adjusting to being in Florence, Giovanni came home and I spent the day playing Legos, my favorite! After dinner and his bed time movie, I was invited to go out with some other Au Pairs for drinks and dinner. When they discovered that it was my birthday, free drinks started flowing and a round of Happy Birthday to You was sang in the middle of the Italian bar. When I returned to the Palazzo to Skype with my family I was met with a birthday cake cooked in my honor back home, candles and all. All in all this birthday was quite special and one I will never forget. I cannot wait to celebrate 25 back in America, but am so gratefull for this opportunity to have one abroad, and to recieve such an outpouring of love from everyone back home via facebook.
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