Beechers Abroad

Several weeks ago we were in the grocery store when an American-looking (Yes, we Americans stand out like sore thumbs here in Italy!) woman and her daughter passed by us several times.  After passing us for the fourth or fifth time she asked if we were Americans too.  In talking, we found out that her husband is a law professor in Pittsburgh, PA who is here on a Fulbright Scholarship for almost the exact period we are.   The Dimino's are a blended family, and they have four children with them (two 18-year-olds [son and daughter], a 16-year-old son, and a 12-year-old daughter).  We decided it might be fun for Hannah and their 12-year-old daughter, Charlotte, to get together some time, so we exchanged numbers.  Hannah and Charlotte hit it off smashingly from the start, and they have been doing things together ever since.   We found out that the Dimino's not only live nearby but right outside our back window!  The picture below show...

We had the opportunity to take a five-night, six-day trip to Sicily (Stay tuned for an upcoming post on the amazing things we were able to see and experience as tourists in Sicily!).  For two and half days of the trip I (Mark) spent most of my time with the workers of MEDU's Ragusa, Sicily office. During the summer, MEDU has traditionally had a presence in Pozzallo, a city on the southern coast of Sicily where most of the landings of refugees occur (it is actually further south than parts of Tunisia in Africa), so that they can help those who seem particularly traumatized at the time of landing.  They also meet with refugees in therapy in their office in Ragusa.  On Fridays they spend the whole day until about 7pm in Mineo, a small town in central Sicily where the largest refugee camp in Europe is located.  In Mineo they provide therapy to refugees who struggle with PTSD and trauma. MEDU has a staff that consists of a Coordinator of the projects in Sicily; ...

This is Heather again. I sprained my ankle yesterday. It is swollen and turning some beautiful colors, so I might as well sit here and blog some more! Mark also had a really bad sprain about a month ago. He quit his running to let it heal and it is still bothering him some. I hope mine does not take that long. I don't think it is quite as bad as his. It is easy to do with all of the cracks and holes and roots in the roads and sidewalks here. One of the first interesting things we noticed when we got to Rome, was a very loud kind of bird in the city parks. We saw some up close and they look like parrots! We found out that they are Rose-collared Parakeets. They are really beautiful but are an invasive species that found the climate just right for them when they were somehow released into the wild here. They have found a niche and will not be leaving any time soon! There are many, and they fly around in big flocks. I really like watching them; they are cleary intelligent birds, and ...