Happy Fourth of July!

I can't believe that my time here at the farm is almost finished; I hit the road for another week tomorrow! Just when I've finally figured out how to tell when a sheep udder is ACTUALLY empty.
Believe it or not, that has actually been the most challenging part of my daily work. Cheesemaking has been straight-forward for me, once I got used to taking directions given in a thick Tuscan accent. Herding the sheep is also suprisingly easy-
Things sheep don't like: being left behind.
Things sheep like: looking at other sheep butts.

Saturday I helped Claudio at the Rosia market, which was really fun. I'm feeling more and more confident with the language and also, I met a group of eight American 'interns' who work at a nearby farm, Spannocchia. Its a HUGE agriturismo opperation, focussed on showing foreigners what Tuscan food and farming is all about. Their main product is an heirloom species of boar, but the farm\hotel is completely self-sustaining.
Anyway, the interns invited me up to Spannocchia for a 4th of July party. Their farm is only about 8km down the road (plus another 3km up a strada bianca - dirt road - even steeper than ours) so I could ride my bike there. It was a wonderful evening. The farm had brought in all sorts of traditional american cuisine. AKA hotdogs, burgers, potato chips, potato salad, sweet baby rays BBQ sauce, rice krispie treats, apple pie, and of course watermellon. The intern coordinator even put together an 'America Mix' which featured every song that mentions the name of an American city. Lastly, we had sparklers and bottle rockets after watching a (Tuscan) sunset.
It was great to be reminded of home, especially on the holliday, and it was nice to be around other young people of my culture for a change. However, the party also made me really greatful for the experience I have had with Maddalena and Claudio. Its so easy to fall into all the tourist traps here: places designed to make Americans feel comfortable. I am definitely spending a fair bit of time outside my comfort zone & while it is often stressful, I am really lucky to have found a rout off the beaten path.