Monday, July 26, 2004

X-Files in Italy?

So, we went to beach today to help celebrate the one year arrival date of Marcus Van Dorn, team member.  We are going to all the places that he went one year ago today.  First we went out to the airport and had a cappucino.  Then after lunch, we went out to the beach, where he went with the crew of people that were here last year (Jason, Jacob & Haven Casey, Matt Hodges, Martin & Susan Brooks - We were in the states for Home Assignment and Heather was in the states to be with her sick grandmother).  Later tonight we are going to the same restaurant they went that night, which so happens to be one of our team's favorite restaurants, La Bussola (which means "the compass"). 

The beach is a different world.  It is the one place in the world where men, women and kids walk around half naked (with swimsuits, mostly).  Something to note about beaches in Italy - modesty is sacrificed.  A very small percentage of women go topless.  Young girls (elementary age and younger) do not always wear tops.  And the scariest of all, men wear speedos.

When we were getting ready to leave, Marcus, Angie and I wanted to take a few snapshots to remember the day, when I saw a tall, skinny, elderly man walking by with a cigarette hanging from his mouth and wearing a speedo.  My eyes felt like they were blinded by the flash of an old camera.  After a few seconds went by and the blindness went away, I thought how he looked like "cigarette-smoking man" off the TV show, X-Files.  I immediately wondered what the CIA was up to in Ancona, Italy.

We proceeded to pack things up and leave the beach.  I think we made some great memories today that last a long long time.


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