For the longest time I had high expectations that my parents and sisters could come visit me during spring break and celebrate Easter together as a family. Unfortunately, as the semester carried on we realized that it was unlikely to happen and we were right. I was very upset because it was my first Easter without my family. For the first time ever, tradition was broken. It felt extremely weird and left me in a sad mood. That’s why I’m so thankful I had my relatives with me so I didn’t feel alone.
The day started like any other Easter morning. The Easter bunny hid a basket for Gehrig somewhere around the house. Gehrig isn’t much of a looker so Aunt Patti had to direct him to the very obvious blanket shaped basket hiding under the dining table. Naturally I cheered him on while I laughed internally. He was definitely more excited about the chocolate kinder egg (his absolute favorite) than the lovely clothes Aunt Patti picked out for him during our trip to Verona. She even prepared a little goodie bag for me (“Nobody gets left behind or forgotten” echoed in my mind). After our little scavenger hunt I mustered up the motivation to go to church with Uncle David and Gehrig in the spirit of the holiday. Mass was only in Italian, so the three of us sat there without a clue but felt spiritual all the same. Although Uncle David came prepared with a printout of the lyrics to all the hymns and songs. In the end I’m glad I went. The ceremony was very similar to mass back in America and was absolutely beautiful even though I couldn’t understand a word of it.
The main event was a small feast at a friend’s house. I was unsure about going because I wasn’t acquainted with the majority. Uncle David and Aunt Patti were friends with them through the military. Susan and Marcia were the hostesses and Heather and Eric were the last guests. It was a small gathering and everyone brought their own contribution to the meal. While I started off uneasy, I quickly opened up to them. They were all so interesting and friendly and easy to talk to, especially Heather. We really hit it off!
After mingling for about an hour we finally sat down to eat (I skipped lunch to leave room for this meal so my stomach felt hollow). There was lamb with mint jelly (which strangely works), green beans, rosemary potatoes, cucumber salad, and couscous salad. Needless to say everything was delicious and I went for seconds. Then came dessert. I was not prepared for this. There were five different types and I only planned on having one but I was strongly encouraged to try every single one. There was a chocolate cake, an Italian fruit/coffee cake (very traditional and all over Italy), chocolate cinnamon gelato, hazelnut gelato, and, my favorite, a vanilla cheesecake. But it wasn’t like a normal cheesecake. I think it was made with ricotta cheese which is my newest (of many) obsessions.
Since we all ate enough to feed a small family we decided to stretch our limbs and go for a walk in the park. This park fit well with the Easter theme since it is famous for its bunnies. There are hundreds of them and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about taking one, or ten.
While it wasn’t my usual Easter tradition it was still filled with great food and people that love and care about me and that’s all I wanted. So, all in all, it was a success! Buona Pasqua!
