La Voga Longa

May 31, 2009

This morning Hillary and I both got ready at the same time.  I needed to go to the bathroom really badly but Hillary was getting ready so I sort of just went while she was in there.  It was good bonding time…J  We found the bus stop and waited for about 10 minutes.  As we were waiting a bunch of other people came and waited at the stop.  They all wore exercise shorts and some carried paddles.  There was this group that was standing near us and they seemed in good spirits.  One of them was this older man with really pretty light green eyes who came between Hillary and I to warm himself.  He was just joking of course.  I asked if there was a race or something.  He said it was La Voga Longa. 

Its this boat race that goes all around Venice and through the inside of it on the grand canal.  He told us what time it would take off from St. Mark’s square and that we should go watch.  He said that today he was rowing with all of his boat students.  St. Mark’s square is the main in the city and its right on the coast.  Hillary and I made our way there as soon as our bus got to Siena.  As we walked through the streets all we saw were the boat race contestants.  As we walked into St. Mark’s square I got that weird sensation of Déjà vu because it’s my second time there and I never thought I’d be seeing it again.  I told Hillary that this time in Venice felt a lot different than last time.  I think it might be because so much time has passed or maybe its because I’m older and have had so may experiences in Italy that I see things differently now.

It was still too early to see the contest off so we wandered into the nearby streets to find breakfast.  The morning was cold and the wind was blowing so I had a warm chocolate.  Warm chocolate here in Italy is heavier and thicker than most of the stuff in America but it’s really good!  After breakfast we went and got front seats to see the boats.  They were all there in the port ready to take off.  There were all sorts of boats.  There were some with serious teams and some with families who looked like they were there to laugh and have a good time.  There were all sorts of flags too, German, French, Spanish, Turkish, etc.  It was quite an experience.  The gun went off at exactly 9 and then everyone cheered and the boats took off.  After that Hillary and I explored the city some more and came back to the St. Marks Cathedral but it didn’t open until much later because it was Sunday and they had mass going all day. 

 We headed back to the train station.  We were both tired from walking so we sat and rested for a while.  Hillary fell asleep and I went to try to buy my ticket for the train from Milano to Siena.  The ticket agent wasn’t too nice and didn’t help me out so I had to stand in line again for another one.  This one was nice this time and helped me get my ticket, which I was glad to have gotten early so I didn’t have to worry about it on Tuesday.  Hillary stayed with me until my train took off and it was kinda hard being separated since we’ve gotten used to having each other around.  

My train ride was long and of course it was late.  When I got to the station Jackeline was there to pick me up.  We ran towards each other assoon as we caught sight of one another and we hugged!  Jackeline was an investigator that I taught on my mission and I was able to see her baptism.  It was really hard for her when my companion and I got transferred and she’s missed us a lot since.  It’s been two years.  When I left she was 19 and now she’s 21.  It’s been so awesome to see her again and see how much she’s grown.  Her dad drove us back to their house.  It was SOOOO weird being at her door again where I used to ring and say, “It’s the Sister Missionaries!”  She’s got two little brothers, two older brothers, and an older sister.  They were so happy to see me again and it was awesome for me to see them.  They seem a lot happier now and a lot more united, which makes me SOOO happy.  Jackeline and I got ready for bed and we just laid in bed and talked for hours about everything that’s been going on in our lives.  It was AWESOME!!  Jackeline wanted to know all the details about my love life so I told her about meeting JR, falling in love with JR, and getting engaged.  Everyone seems so surprised at how I’m getting married at such a young age but I told Jackeline about how happy I am to be starting my own eternal family and be getting married in the temple.  I love girlfriend bonding time…its my favorite ! Man, I love that girl!