Quiet beginnings

Last night I joined a group of Latin Americans from my «Don Rua Community» for pizza and fellowship to bid farewell to 2005 and welcome 2006. The only problem was that the pizzeria put out a special menu for New Year's Eve with all Rome's traditional plates for the "Cenone di San Silvestro" -- St Sylvester's Supper, as they call the "big feed" on New Year's Eve. So instead of spending 4 euros each, we spent 41 euros… Oh well, that means a few less parties in January…

On the way back to the University it began to drizzle. Interestingly enough, there were no buses. This is the opposite practice of what is done in San Francisco where all the buses and trains are operational and are free to avoid putting people at risk of drunk-drivers of New Year's Eve. Our only option, then, was to walk. The streets were vacant, and our half-hour hike was punctuated by the sounds of fire crackers. Children were on the balconies of the apartments waiting anxiously for the new year -- and invariably they would call out to us and wave, shouting "Buon Anno". We greeted them back. Jorge (from Uruguay) made the comment that the children Rome are still friendly and human (he must be having a rough time with Romans).

We were back at the University at 11:45, and joined a group from the «Don Bosco Community» in the foyer of our two communities. We contributed a bottle of champagne and at midnight we toasted, embraced, said our greetings in Italian, Spanish, English… and Polish… and then sipped our champagne in the doorway as we watched the neighbors shoot off flares and fireworks from their balcony. Before the air could fill with smoke, there was another downpour which continued all the way until morning.

Morning… ah, very mellow, with lots of little conversations, visitings, catching up. After the explosions of fireworks (and probably firearms) all night, the year got off to a quiet beginning… in the rain.