What a bittersweet thing change is. I've never been skydiving but I image my Italian life is similar. First the preparation, the actual flight to the designated altitude, the jump; a rush of adrenaline, fear, joy, anticipation, confusion, and relief for a safe landing.
We awoke on Sunday around 8:30 even though I found out later that Pat, Alberto, and I didn't get much sleep. I had butterflies in my stomach and despite going to bed at 4 am I still couldn't fall asleep. After breakfast I finished packing and then we loaded the car-thankfully the baggage fit. We had a thirty minute drive to the airport and fortunately the ski was clear so we had a beautiful view of the Alps. We talked a little but there were some long pauses where you could tell we were collecting our thoughts. Several times Alberto turned around to ask me questions (Pat was driving) and I could see tears in his eyes. I could see Pat's eyes in the rearview mirror and they were a bit misty. I kept looking at the boys and also got teary-eyed. Despite all my problems with Fil over these last six months, I'm still gonna miss the little punk. Ruggie, oh man I love this little guy and couldn't help but tear up as I watched him play with the door handle. When we arrived at the airport I checked my bags-the moment of truth-one weighed 28 kilos (the max is 30 kilos or 50lbs) the other, Charlie, weighted in at a whopping 56 kilos!! Because this is Italy, they were relaxed and didn't make me pay. We had time to sit and drink my last Italian cappucino-che buono. The boys went to the restroom so Pat and I had time to talk. She told me that every night Alberto tells her that he has always wanted a daughter and he considers me the daughter he never had. Well my goodness talk about water works. They came back and we walked to the gate. Goodbyes are hard but we managed to stay dry until Ruggie said in perfect English, "Good luck Lindsey." My heart exploded with joy. We parted with tears flowing. When I passed the security the guards (young tall dark and handsome) looked at my passport and started singing the Simpson's theme song. This made me laugh and feel much better. They asked if I was Lisa and I said no "Sono Maggie", they laughed and I headed for the exit to my Italian life.
Upon further review of my earlier posts, I have noticed I mention food a lot. This has made me realize how important food is-not just for obvious reason's (this is the philosophical part of the blog). Food is an international language in itself. Everyone has to have it, they all have there favorite "comfort foods", the mystery meat you won't eat from the cafeteria, and the Great Aunt Millie's fruitcake you are forced to eat. Food reflects your mood and the amount you eat for that matter. Food expresses love and appreciation. For example, a huge meal like Thanksgiving is made with love for your family and friends and you usually bring food or drink to a party as a gift. I will go even further to say that life is a menu full of dishes that are foreign and unfamiliar. It is up to you to decide what to order. Once the dish (whether a main course or appetizer) arrives it is up to you to enjoy and digest it. My parents and grandparents raised me to eat what was placed in front of me (even an Aunt Millie concoction) and finish everything on my plate. I'm trying to use this same advice in my life. My Italian life has really paved the way for me to execute this plan. It has forced me to "eat" outside my comfort zone and enjoy each dish. Now ask yourself what will you order and once it arrives from God's loving kitchen, how will you react and eat it? Boun Appitito.
I would like to thank everyone for reading my thoughts (no matter how scattered they may be) and for sharing my Italian life with me. Until the next course, Arrivederci and Baci Baci-Lindsey
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
The Final Days
Well the Italy Farewell Tour is about over. This last week has been a blur of activities and little sleep. Kinda reminds me of the last week of college. So busy finishing projects that you forget things like sleep and showering. Don't worry though I took a shower this morning so I won't come back to the states too dirty.
I forgot to post about my pizza lesson on Monday. I went over to my friend, Fabrizio's to have my second lesson in Italian cuisine. Sunday he taught me tiramisu and then on to the main course Monday night. The pizza was very easy to make but didn't quiet turn out like I expected. It was good but I was thinking it would taste like the ones in restaurants. He baked in a pan so it looked more like a cake than a round pizza...despite the apperance it was still good and while it was baking he wrote both recipes down for me. We hung out for several hours after and finally called it a night around 1 am.
Wednesday, Louisa came to pick me up for dinner at 8. We went to a sushi restaurant (it happened to be next to Fabrizio's apartment) but they were all booked so we drove to another place. They were also booked so we called the third and last sushi place Louisa knew of and booked a table. The food was amazing (turns out it was the same place Pat and Alberto took me on my first night back here in August. For dessert we had green tea gelato and I think this is my favorite flavor I've tried.
On Thursday it was like any other day, went to work, got the boys after school, took them to basketball and then fixed dinner for the three of us. Nonna Deana came over in the afternoon and fixed the main course for dinner, beans with pork ribs. It sounds fantastic but really not that amazing. She said her goodbyes to me and we both cried. It was very sad to say goodbye to my Italian grandmother, a woman I probably won't see again until we meet in heaven. This was the first shedding of many tears. When we got home from basket I prepared the table and then called the boys to eat. They were playing with a new lego truck Ruggie got from Louisa the night before. They were so interested in the toy that they wouldn't come to the table. Finally when they arrived they wouldn't eat because they didn't like it. So I made them hot dogs. What would the last meal with them be like without a fight right? Pat came home around 9 and I met Lucy for a coffee downtown. This was great to get to know her better and relax in the cafe.
Friday, last day of work!! Only three hours at that!! Right before I left for work I got a call from Barbara that she wasn't at home cause her little girl had fallen on the way to school and they were still with the doctor. So I worked at home for an hour and then headed over to the office. Her little girl had tripped and scraped her lip and had a knot on her head but was doing well. I started to work and Mathilde arrived at 12:30. We wrapped things up and decided to meet again at 5 to finish discussing my internship. After I took Ruggie to gym I went back to Mathilde's to talk about how the internship went and all the work I had done. When I left I felt really good about the internship and her despite all that has happened between us these last three months. I went home to change and then met Barbara at her house. Mathilde let Barbara borrow the car so we drove downtown to meet Mathilde and her husband Ayoul for dinner. She told us one piazza and so we parked our car and then couldn't find the restaurant. When I called her for the third time she finally told us she told us the wrong piazza so we walked a mile or so to the actual one. We ate at this very authentic, and wonderful place and had really good conversation. After dinner we went to a bar for after dinner drinks...again remember bar is not like the beer joint bar or something like that, but rather a restaurant or appertivo place. They left us there and we met some people and practiced our Italian a little. Finally we called it a night and walked the 3 miles to our car in the freezing cold.
Saturday was very relaxed and while the guys were at the pool I cleaned my room and packed all my bags. They came home and we had lunch all together. Oh how I'm going to miss these moments. After lunch I met Barbara and Andrea and we went downtown to this store that I had seen some hats in earlier in my stay. I picked out a hat and they bought it for me as a going away gift. We stopped for some foccia (kinda like pizza) and then I had to be back to start getting ready for the appertivo party we were having at our house. Pat planned the party from 6-8 and nineteen people came to say goodbye!! I was amazed of the turn out and also felt very blessed to have met so many wonderful people. It was also very bittersweet to say goodbye to some many great people, I really can't imagine what tomorrow at the airport will be like. We had a great time talking and laughing and one of the highlights of the evening was when Pat asked me to show everyone my suitcase I bought last week cause it was so big and most people had never seen one that big. Umm little embarrassing but funny. After everyone left Lucy, Andrea and Barbara stayed with me and the boys. We sat around and talked and then said our goodbyes. It feels weird to have to say goodbye to people you have spent so much time with but I treated it more like normal I'll see tomorrow kind of thing so it would be less painful. Well that's the summary of the last week in Italy. I have one more blog coming that is a wrap of this amazing experience. Please stay tuned for I hope to post it very shortly.
I forgot to post about my pizza lesson on Monday. I went over to my friend, Fabrizio's to have my second lesson in Italian cuisine. Sunday he taught me tiramisu and then on to the main course Monday night. The pizza was very easy to make but didn't quiet turn out like I expected. It was good but I was thinking it would taste like the ones in restaurants. He baked in a pan so it looked more like a cake than a round pizza...despite the apperance it was still good and while it was baking he wrote both recipes down for me. We hung out for several hours after and finally called it a night around 1 am.
Wednesday, Louisa came to pick me up for dinner at 8. We went to a sushi restaurant (it happened to be next to Fabrizio's apartment) but they were all booked so we drove to another place. They were also booked so we called the third and last sushi place Louisa knew of and booked a table. The food was amazing (turns out it was the same place Pat and Alberto took me on my first night back here in August. For dessert we had green tea gelato and I think this is my favorite flavor I've tried.
On Thursday it was like any other day, went to work, got the boys after school, took them to basketball and then fixed dinner for the three of us. Nonna Deana came over in the afternoon and fixed the main course for dinner, beans with pork ribs. It sounds fantastic but really not that amazing. She said her goodbyes to me and we both cried. It was very sad to say goodbye to my Italian grandmother, a woman I probably won't see again until we meet in heaven. This was the first shedding of many tears. When we got home from basket I prepared the table and then called the boys to eat. They were playing with a new lego truck Ruggie got from Louisa the night before. They were so interested in the toy that they wouldn't come to the table. Finally when they arrived they wouldn't eat because they didn't like it. So I made them hot dogs. What would the last meal with them be like without a fight right? Pat came home around 9 and I met Lucy for a coffee downtown. This was great to get to know her better and relax in the cafe.
Friday, last day of work!! Only three hours at that!! Right before I left for work I got a call from Barbara that she wasn't at home cause her little girl had fallen on the way to school and they were still with the doctor. So I worked at home for an hour and then headed over to the office. Her little girl had tripped and scraped her lip and had a knot on her head but was doing well. I started to work and Mathilde arrived at 12:30. We wrapped things up and decided to meet again at 5 to finish discussing my internship. After I took Ruggie to gym I went back to Mathilde's to talk about how the internship went and all the work I had done. When I left I felt really good about the internship and her despite all that has happened between us these last three months. I went home to change and then met Barbara at her house. Mathilde let Barbara borrow the car so we drove downtown to meet Mathilde and her husband Ayoul for dinner. She told us one piazza and so we parked our car and then couldn't find the restaurant. When I called her for the third time she finally told us she told us the wrong piazza so we walked a mile or so to the actual one. We ate at this very authentic, and wonderful place and had really good conversation. After dinner we went to a bar for after dinner drinks...again remember bar is not like the beer joint bar or something like that, but rather a restaurant or appertivo place. They left us there and we met some people and practiced our Italian a little. Finally we called it a night and walked the 3 miles to our car in the freezing cold.
Saturday was very relaxed and while the guys were at the pool I cleaned my room and packed all my bags. They came home and we had lunch all together. Oh how I'm going to miss these moments. After lunch I met Barbara and Andrea and we went downtown to this store that I had seen some hats in earlier in my stay. I picked out a hat and they bought it for me as a going away gift. We stopped for some foccia (kinda like pizza) and then I had to be back to start getting ready for the appertivo party we were having at our house. Pat planned the party from 6-8 and nineteen people came to say goodbye!! I was amazed of the turn out and also felt very blessed to have met so many wonderful people. It was also very bittersweet to say goodbye to some many great people, I really can't imagine what tomorrow at the airport will be like. We had a great time talking and laughing and one of the highlights of the evening was when Pat asked me to show everyone my suitcase I bought last week cause it was so big and most people had never seen one that big. Umm little embarrassing but funny. After everyone left Lucy, Andrea and Barbara stayed with me and the boys. We sat around and talked and then said our goodbyes. It feels weird to have to say goodbye to people you have spent so much time with but I treated it more like normal I'll see tomorrow kind of thing so it would be less painful. Well that's the summary of the last week in Italy. I have one more blog coming that is a wrap of this amazing experience. Please stay tuned for I hope to post it very shortly.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Saved by the Bell
If today were a sandwich it would be an italian sub; messy and jammed packed.
We all had to get up early today because the parents had to go to Milan and make early trains and I had to report to design land by 8:30. The mess started when I got to work. I have a deadline to finish by tomorrow but I am flying the plane blind, so to speak. The captain is in London and the co-pilot, me, doesn't really know what's going on, but I'm trying to keep to flight plan and keep her straight and steady. After a few heated discussions with the captain over the phone, I called it a day a little early. I had to be at Fil's school before 3:15. The English teacher invited me to speak to the class about my family and my favorite school subjects. Yesterday I prepared a short slide show of my family so the kids could see my grandmothers, parents, brothers and sister. I threw in a few pictures of myself when I was younger than five thinking they might get a kick out of it. The school is a little different than American schools and I couldn't help think about how my mom feels everyday she stands in front of kids. Although I have to say that my mother controls her classes much better than Fil's teacher does. The kids were running around and talking to each other while I was trying to speak to them. But most of the time they listened and asked several questions about the people in my pictures. Fil was very attentive and answered lots of questions, I could tell that he enjoyed having me in the class and I enjoyed having the opportunity. I helped the kids learn a Christmas song after I finished my presentation and we sang along to the tape. Saved by the bell...I hurried down the street to Ruggie's school to pick him up and take him to music school. We caught a ride with another mother and I was glad because I wasn't looking forward to carrying my computer on the bus during rush hour. While Ruggie was in music I went to a store nearby and finished my Christmas shopping for the boys and then stopped for a coffee....tried to relax for a brief moment.
When we got home I put Ruggie in the bath and then called my design boss to get further instructions on what I was suppose to finish tonight. Turns out that she wanted me to reinvent the wheel before calling it a night....nessun problema (no problem). Fil and Pat came home while I was on the phone and then I met them in the kitchen to talk about my day at school. Pat and Alberto went out for the night so I made dinner for the boys, baked some muffins for tomorrow's breakfast, cleaned the kitchen, put the boys to bed and then started to redesign the wheel. Despite not succeeding in the last thing on today's list, I'm headed to bed. I hope tomorrow is like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich; sweet and easy.
We all had to get up early today because the parents had to go to Milan and make early trains and I had to report to design land by 8:30. The mess started when I got to work. I have a deadline to finish by tomorrow but I am flying the plane blind, so to speak. The captain is in London and the co-pilot, me, doesn't really know what's going on, but I'm trying to keep to flight plan and keep her straight and steady. After a few heated discussions with the captain over the phone, I called it a day a little early. I had to be at Fil's school before 3:15. The English teacher invited me to speak to the class about my family and my favorite school subjects. Yesterday I prepared a short slide show of my family so the kids could see my grandmothers, parents, brothers and sister. I threw in a few pictures of myself when I was younger than five thinking they might get a kick out of it. The school is a little different than American schools and I couldn't help think about how my mom feels everyday she stands in front of kids. Although I have to say that my mother controls her classes much better than Fil's teacher does. The kids were running around and talking to each other while I was trying to speak to them. But most of the time they listened and asked several questions about the people in my pictures. Fil was very attentive and answered lots of questions, I could tell that he enjoyed having me in the class and I enjoyed having the opportunity. I helped the kids learn a Christmas song after I finished my presentation and we sang along to the tape. Saved by the bell...I hurried down the street to Ruggie's school to pick him up and take him to music school. We caught a ride with another mother and I was glad because I wasn't looking forward to carrying my computer on the bus during rush hour. While Ruggie was in music I went to a store nearby and finished my Christmas shopping for the boys and then stopped for a coffee....tried to relax for a brief moment.
When we got home I put Ruggie in the bath and then called my design boss to get further instructions on what I was suppose to finish tonight. Turns out that she wanted me to reinvent the wheel before calling it a night....nessun problema (no problem). Fil and Pat came home while I was on the phone and then I met them in the kitchen to talk about my day at school. Pat and Alberto went out for the night so I made dinner for the boys, baked some muffins for tomorrow's breakfast, cleaned the kitchen, put the boys to bed and then started to redesign the wheel. Despite not succeeding in the last thing on today's list, I'm headed to bed. I hope tomorrow is like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich; sweet and easy.
Monday, December 10, 2007
GOOOAAALLLL!!
Sunday the day of rest...well not when it's your last Sunday in Italy. It was fast and furious. I went to the open market last week and a lady gave me a flyer for a Christmas church service this Sunday at the international church of Torino. I was excited about going and got up early to get ready. I fixed a big American breakfast because I wasn't sure I would have the chance to eat lunch. I was out the door a little after 10 and got the flyer out to check the address. The paper said that the service started at 10. I was so disappointed, the whole week I thought it was at 10:30. I didn't want to show up 15-20 minutes late so I went to the church I usually go to. It was nice to be back, I talked to the pastor and his wife at the beginning and then the service started. I couldn't stay until the end so snuck out early. I went to Fabrizio's house so he could teach me how to make tiramisu. Yum Yum. The dessert is really easy to make, which is good for this beginner. I will definately be making this in the states. I couldn't stay to taste it, but he was making it for a party that night anyways, because I had to meet up with Andrea and Barbara. We met at the bus station and took the tram to the Olympic Stadium to watch a football (soccer) game!! This was by far one of the best experiences. Barbara is a huge fan of soccer and Andrea likes Juventus. There are two teams in the city, Torino and Juventus. Juve is the much better team by far and four or five of their players played on the world champion team in the last world cup. It reminded me of going to an OU football game, its like you are in a different world cause nothing matters but your team. People were dressed in the official black and white colors, a huge sea of zebras. One of the main players, Pavel Nedved, is from Czech Republic and Barbara really likes him. Yesterday happened to be his 300th game with Juve. The game was interesting for me since I don't know that much about the sport, but it was pretty slow for true fans. With less than 5 minutes to go in the game it was still tied 0-0. Then, as the clocked clicked away the seconds, Nedved came out of nowhere and scored the winning goal!! 1-0 Juve--VIVA JUVE--DOBRY NEDVED (means good Nedved in Czech). We all shouted and high fived people in our section. I felt like a true fan. After the game we took a packed tram back to the center and a short subway ride. The subway opened more stops a few months ago and I hadn't taken it since then so we thought we would give it a try. By far the nicest subway I've ever seen. (well it's only been around since the Olympics) We went for a hot drink because it was so cold outside and then Barbara and I went to her house cause I had to meet with Mathilde about what I'm suppose to do at work for the week cause she will be in London the entire week-yes my last one she will be gone. By the end of Sunday I was worn out and needed to be recharged for my last week in Torino starting Monday.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Beef That's What's For Dinner
This Thursday was a little laid back compared to most. Ruggie went with a friend after school so I was picked Fil up from school. I was going to take him downtown and do something fun before he had to go to basketball. He told me he had homework so I told him we could do it together and then go to the center. There is a huge Nativity scene on display and I thought he would enjoy that. When we got home he said that he was lying and didn't have homework and he just wanted to stay at home. I got really frustrated cause I was trying to be the fun babysitter and he just wanted to be lazy. So I made him do all his homework for the next week. By the time he finished it was time to go to basketball. I dropped him off and then went to Nona Pena's house(the friend of Ruggie's). Ruggie's grandmother, Nona Deana was there so I talked to both of them for awhile. They are so funny and I love spending time with them. They told me that they were my Italian grandmas and that they were going to miss me. This makes me sad and I don't like to think about all the people I will miss. She made homemade sweets and made me taste some...yummy. It was getting late so I packed Ruggie up and we went to pick up Fil. We sang Jingle Bells all the way to the gym...I love these moments with Ruggie cause he is so sweet. When we picked up Fil (we were 5 minutes late) and he started griping me out saying he was waiting for an hour and how I dare I be late. I shrugged these comments off and we went home. After dinner we watched 30 minutes of tv together and then I put them to bed.
On Friday after lunch I laid down with Ruggie and he slept for over an hour. Pat came home for a short time to bring the groceries and then went out again. I took Ruggie to gym and then came home to get ready for dinner. Pat and Alberto picked us up at 7:30 for dinner. We all dressed up and walked to a nice restaraunt in our quarter. The place was really fancy and served us sparkling rose wine to awaken our palate and fondue for an appetizer. The restaraunt is known for its cut of meats so we all order some kind of meat. The parents had New York steaks and I tried Bison. They brought out a hot stone to cook our meat just in case it wasn't cooked as much as we would like. Since my buffalo was about to walk off my plate I stuck it on the stone. After I cooked it it was really good. Real cuts of meat (Texas or American style of meat-yummy) Dinner was wonderful, not just the food but the company. We had a nice family dinner and since Alberto has been working a lot lately we sat together and caught up. When we finally got home we all went to bed.
Today was a whirl wind on my farewell tour. I awoke early and met Barbara at 9:30 to go to the large open air market to buy a suitcase. In the airport when I arrived in August, one of my suitcases broke so I needed to replace it. I found a good deal on one and bought the biggest case I have ever seen. We tried to take a bus home but there were so many people out that we couldn't fit on the bus with the huge thing. So we walked all the way home with suitcase in tow-thats over 3 miles walking. When I got home no one was home so I started my chores. Pat rang to tell me that she had put some things in the elevator and would send them up. I went outside to pick them up and shut the door. Right then I realized I didn't have a key!! I had locked myself out without a phone or coat. I tried to MaGyver my way inside by putting my headband in the lock but that didn't really work. So I was starting to freak out about the time Alberto and Ruggie came home. whew... I finished my chores and then met Christiana for lunch downtown. We had a nice lunch and for desert our friend Ferdanado and his sister came for coffee. We talked with them for awhile and then I met Barbara in the center for some shopping. This wasn't too successful because there were so many people that it was hard to navigate through the shops. At 5:30 I met Christiana and Ferdanado again to go to our other friend's, Fabrizio, house for miranda. He made us chocolate and we had some cake to go with it. I hadn't seen him since July so it was nice to catch up. I am planning on meeting him tomorrow so he can teach me how to make homemade tirimisu. I'm very excited about this cooking lesson. After miranda and met Andrea and Barbara in the center again for pizza. For desert we met up with Lucy, another au pair from Australia. She wanted to meet my friends so that she will know some more people. We went to a very famous cafe and had coffee and sat around and talked for over an hour. Finally the whirl wind day has come to an end but what a wonderful day hanging out with all these amazing friends.
r
On Friday after lunch I laid down with Ruggie and he slept for over an hour. Pat came home for a short time to bring the groceries and then went out again. I took Ruggie to gym and then came home to get ready for dinner. Pat and Alberto picked us up at 7:30 for dinner. We all dressed up and walked to a nice restaraunt in our quarter. The place was really fancy and served us sparkling rose wine to awaken our palate and fondue for an appetizer. The restaraunt is known for its cut of meats so we all order some kind of meat. The parents had New York steaks and I tried Bison. They brought out a hot stone to cook our meat just in case it wasn't cooked as much as we would like. Since my buffalo was about to walk off my plate I stuck it on the stone. After I cooked it it was really good. Real cuts of meat (Texas or American style of meat-yummy) Dinner was wonderful, not just the food but the company. We had a nice family dinner and since Alberto has been working a lot lately we sat together and caught up. When we finally got home we all went to bed.
Today was a whirl wind on my farewell tour. I awoke early and met Barbara at 9:30 to go to the large open air market to buy a suitcase. In the airport when I arrived in August, one of my suitcases broke so I needed to replace it. I found a good deal on one and bought the biggest case I have ever seen. We tried to take a bus home but there were so many people out that we couldn't fit on the bus with the huge thing. So we walked all the way home with suitcase in tow-thats over 3 miles walking. When I got home no one was home so I started my chores. Pat rang to tell me that she had put some things in the elevator and would send them up. I went outside to pick them up and shut the door. Right then I realized I didn't have a key!! I had locked myself out without a phone or coat. I tried to MaGyver my way inside by putting my headband in the lock but that didn't really work. So I was starting to freak out about the time Alberto and Ruggie came home. whew... I finished my chores and then met Christiana for lunch downtown. We had a nice lunch and for desert our friend Ferdanado and his sister came for coffee. We talked with them for awhile and then I met Barbara in the center for some shopping. This wasn't too successful because there were so many people that it was hard to navigate through the shops. At 5:30 I met Christiana and Ferdanado again to go to our other friend's, Fabrizio, house for miranda. He made us chocolate and we had some cake to go with it. I hadn't seen him since July so it was nice to catch up. I am planning on meeting him tomorrow so he can teach me how to make homemade tirimisu. I'm very excited about this cooking lesson. After miranda and met Andrea and Barbara in the center again for pizza. For desert we met up with Lucy, another au pair from Australia. She wanted to meet my friends so that she will know some more people. We went to a very famous cafe and had coffee and sat around and talked for over an hour. Finally the whirl wind day has come to an end but what a wonderful day hanging out with all these amazing friends.
r
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
As the last two weeks are quickly aproaching I am finding it harder to write my blogs on a regular basis. For this I am sorry and will try to do better in the coming days. With that said a lot has happened since my last post...
On Saturday I was free at 2 in the afternoon after another great family meal. I met our cleaning lady, Micheala (finally figured out how to spell it) and Barbara. Micheala works so hard that she never has anytime for you herself so on Saturday I talked her into getting her hair cut. Last week she showed me a picture of a cut she liked but told me she never has time for things like that. She has three jobs during the week and works the morning shift an office on Saturday. But I convenced her, and the three of us went to a salon to get her hair cut and colored. She looked really good and her color turned out darker than expected so now we look a little like sisters. Barbara and I met Andrea at the cinema for a final movie of the film festival. We saw "The Dirty Dozen" (yes the orginal with Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin). Andrea had already seen it but Barbara and I both enjoyed it. I liked the fact that we could watch such an old movie (circa 1967) on the big screen. It reminded me of my dad cause he likes those kind of movies too. After the movie we went for an appertivo-happy hour-at this place that also had a buffet to go with your drink. We sat and talked for a couple of hours and then finished the night off with good old gelato-I am aware that it is winter.
On Sunday morning I was a little lazy and tried to get things done in my room and ready for my big trip at the end of two weeks. The night before we had played the world capital game-which I'm horrible at-but was asked a few capitals of the states and didn't know. I was embarrased so on Sunday I spent some time studying my state capitals. After my study session I met the other two amigos and we went to the cinema museum. Barbara had never been but loved it. This is still my favorite museum I have seen while in Italy. We took the elevator to the top of the Mole-the tallest building in the city. Unfortunately it was cloudy but we still could see some of this beautiful city. We spent over three hours in the museum looking at the incredible displays of info about my favorite hobby. (watching not making). After the museum we went to the bowling ally and played three rounds. Not my best bowling score but I managed to win two out of three. We moved onto table soccer, which I have never been good at. Luckily Barbara was on my team so we scored some. After a night of games we went to a Chinese restaurant and then off to bed for the new week.
On Monday after school, I put Ruggie down for his nap and tried to find something to keep Fil busy with. While we were laying down, the washing machine broke and water flooded the kitchen. It was unfortunate that this happened, however it kept Fil occupied and he was really a big help for Micheala. After Ruggie woke up and the lake was contained to one room in the house, we atempted to put up the Christmas tree. I have a presonal tradition that whenever I decorate the tree I have to listen to Christmas music to get me in the mood. I put on a mix of some of my favorites and read the instructions on how to put together the tree. After several tries I surrendered and Micheala came to the rescue. Once it was up the boys decorated it . Well I should say Fil told Ruggie where to put every ornament and make sure everything was perfect before he would leave the room. I took him to basketball and then we had a nice famly dinner while the tree blinked in the background.
On Tuesday I had a good day at design work and trying to finish a deadline before Thursday...I will let you know how that goes. I picked Ruggie up and we took two buses to get to music class. I look back on the first month I was here and was terrified to take the bus by myself just in case I ended up in Rome or completely lost and now I take kids on the bus during rush hour traffic like it was no big deal. :-) When we got home from music, I had to deal with Fil. For some reason he was a little brat and I was counting the minutes until his parents arrived. Pat came home and finished preparing the meal and her sister, Louisa came over for dinner. The meal of fantastic-pork fillet, potatoes, homemade wine, and spinach. But before dessert I left to hang out with Barbara. We watched Pirates of the Caribean (spelling sorry). We both didn't like it very much but had a good time laughing at it and being kid free.
It still hasn't snowed and was actually very warm yesterday. I woke up this morning and noticed the mountains are covered in snow. This makes it feel a little more like December. Well of to work but have a great day and blog to you soon
On Saturday I was free at 2 in the afternoon after another great family meal. I met our cleaning lady, Micheala (finally figured out how to spell it) and Barbara. Micheala works so hard that she never has anytime for you herself so on Saturday I talked her into getting her hair cut. Last week she showed me a picture of a cut she liked but told me she never has time for things like that. She has three jobs during the week and works the morning shift an office on Saturday. But I convenced her, and the three of us went to a salon to get her hair cut and colored. She looked really good and her color turned out darker than expected so now we look a little like sisters. Barbara and I met Andrea at the cinema for a final movie of the film festival. We saw "The Dirty Dozen" (yes the orginal with Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin). Andrea had already seen it but Barbara and I both enjoyed it. I liked the fact that we could watch such an old movie (circa 1967) on the big screen. It reminded me of my dad cause he likes those kind of movies too. After the movie we went for an appertivo-happy hour-at this place that also had a buffet to go with your drink. We sat and talked for a couple of hours and then finished the night off with good old gelato-I am aware that it is winter.
On Sunday morning I was a little lazy and tried to get things done in my room and ready for my big trip at the end of two weeks. The night before we had played the world capital game-which I'm horrible at-but was asked a few capitals of the states and didn't know. I was embarrased so on Sunday I spent some time studying my state capitals. After my study session I met the other two amigos and we went to the cinema museum. Barbara had never been but loved it. This is still my favorite museum I have seen while in Italy. We took the elevator to the top of the Mole-the tallest building in the city. Unfortunately it was cloudy but we still could see some of this beautiful city. We spent over three hours in the museum looking at the incredible displays of info about my favorite hobby. (watching not making). After the museum we went to the bowling ally and played three rounds. Not my best bowling score but I managed to win two out of three. We moved onto table soccer, which I have never been good at. Luckily Barbara was on my team so we scored some. After a night of games we went to a Chinese restaurant and then off to bed for the new week.
On Monday after school, I put Ruggie down for his nap and tried to find something to keep Fil busy with. While we were laying down, the washing machine broke and water flooded the kitchen. It was unfortunate that this happened, however it kept Fil occupied and he was really a big help for Micheala. After Ruggie woke up and the lake was contained to one room in the house, we atempted to put up the Christmas tree. I have a presonal tradition that whenever I decorate the tree I have to listen to Christmas music to get me in the mood. I put on a mix of some of my favorites and read the instructions on how to put together the tree. After several tries I surrendered and Micheala came to the rescue. Once it was up the boys decorated it . Well I should say Fil told Ruggie where to put every ornament and make sure everything was perfect before he would leave the room. I took him to basketball and then we had a nice famly dinner while the tree blinked in the background.
On Tuesday I had a good day at design work and trying to finish a deadline before Thursday...I will let you know how that goes. I picked Ruggie up and we took two buses to get to music class. I look back on the first month I was here and was terrified to take the bus by myself just in case I ended up in Rome or completely lost and now I take kids on the bus during rush hour traffic like it was no big deal. :-) When we got home from music, I had to deal with Fil. For some reason he was a little brat and I was counting the minutes until his parents arrived. Pat came home and finished preparing the meal and her sister, Louisa came over for dinner. The meal of fantastic-pork fillet, potatoes, homemade wine, and spinach. But before dessert I left to hang out with Barbara. We watched Pirates of the Caribean (spelling sorry). We both didn't like it very much but had a good time laughing at it and being kid free.
It still hasn't snowed and was actually very warm yesterday. I woke up this morning and noticed the mountains are covered in snow. This makes it feel a little more like December. Well of to work but have a great day and blog to you soon
Friday, November 30, 2007
10 Items or Less
Last Friday night started the Torino Film Festival. I reported in my last blog that Barbara and I went to a film on Sunday (which I didn't like). I was really excited that I live in a city big enough to command a film festival so i wanted to make the most of it and see more than one film. Barbara also had this idea, so on Tuesday we went to the movie "10 Items or Less". It was about two strangers that meet in the 10 items or less line of a small grocery store (kinda reminded me of Booker grocery). The film follows them through one day and how they get to know each other. We both really enjoyed it and didn't mind that it didn't finish until 12:00 am. On Wednesday night we went to the movies again..come on the movies are in English plus I really wanted to see this movie, "Lars and the Real Girl". This turned out to be my favorite movie of the year!! If you have a chance see this movie. It will make you laugh and cry. I had to work on Thursday night so no movies. On Wednesday before I went to the movies, I made a puppet show for the boys using their stuffed animals. They really enjoyed this and we couldn't stop laughing the show ended in me being burried alive by the animals..boys on top. It's times like this that my job is amazing and then there are times (like after where they started fighting over the animals) that my job is very tiresome. On Thursday when we got home from school, the boys went their seperate ways...Fil went to the sofa and read his book until basketball and Ruggie played with his toys. I was really shocked and thought they must really be tired to just chill...by hey I'm not complaining it was nice. When Fil was getting ready to go to basketball, he showed me there was a hole in his shoe and I broke out in "There's a hole" (a song my dad use to sing to us) which made him smile. After basketball practice we ate dinner just the three of us and then off to bed.
I love Fridays, even if I get the boys at 1 instead of 4. When I went to pick Fil up from school he told me he was eating lunch at a friends house and wouldn't be back until 4:30. So the afternoon was really quiet. Ruggie took a nap and I vegged out on the sofa. I took Ruggie to gymnastics and then Fil helped me write my wish list (in Italian) to Babbo Natale aka Santa Clause. The parents got home and we had a nice family dinner. Pat went to "Lars and the Real Girl" today so we talked mostly about how amazing it was and which parts we cried and laughed at. After dinner Ruggie showed us what he learned at gym and Pat chased the boys around the house until it was time to go to bed. Great family time in the living room while I watched and tried to stay out of the war path.
In the movie "10 Items or Less" they each named 10 items or less that they hated about their lives and what they loved. Since I have two weeks left of my Italian life I thought I would write 10 items or less that i will miss and things I wont miss about Italy (of course I have more than 10 I will miss but the sign says 10 or less so I have to comply with the rules of the lane).
Things I won't miss
1. Getting up at 7:30 everyday (I'm not thinking about future jobs in the states)
2. All movies in Italian
3. Italian driving
4. Boys fighting about EVERYTHING
5. My pillow
6. Radiators
7. Smoking everywhere
8. Paying for water at restaraunts
9. Italian coffee-expresso
Things I will miss
1. My loving family
2. My amazing and funny friends
3. Cappucino
4. Open air markets
5. Italian food-enough said
6. Icecream guy at Crema 42 :-)
7. Telling bed time stories to the boys
8. TV commercials
9. People watching at the park
10. Practicing Italian everyday-especially when Ruggie helps me by speaking really slow
I love Fridays, even if I get the boys at 1 instead of 4. When I went to pick Fil up from school he told me he was eating lunch at a friends house and wouldn't be back until 4:30. So the afternoon was really quiet. Ruggie took a nap and I vegged out on the sofa. I took Ruggie to gymnastics and then Fil helped me write my wish list (in Italian) to Babbo Natale aka Santa Clause. The parents got home and we had a nice family dinner. Pat went to "Lars and the Real Girl" today so we talked mostly about how amazing it was and which parts we cried and laughed at. After dinner Ruggie showed us what he learned at gym and Pat chased the boys around the house until it was time to go to bed. Great family time in the living room while I watched and tried to stay out of the war path.
In the movie "10 Items or Less" they each named 10 items or less that they hated about their lives and what they loved. Since I have two weeks left of my Italian life I thought I would write 10 items or less that i will miss and things I wont miss about Italy (of course I have more than 10 I will miss but the sign says 10 or less so I have to comply with the rules of the lane).
Things I won't miss
1. Getting up at 7:30 everyday (I'm not thinking about future jobs in the states)
2. All movies in Italian
3. Italian driving
4. Boys fighting about EVERYTHING
5. My pillow
6. Radiators
7. Smoking everywhere
8. Paying for water at restaraunts
9. Italian coffee-expresso
Things I will miss
1. My loving family
2. My amazing and funny friends
3. Cappucino
4. Open air markets
5. Italian food-enough said
6. Icecream guy at Crema 42 :-)
7. Telling bed time stories to the boys
8. TV commercials
9. People watching at the park
10. Practicing Italian everyday-especially when Ruggie helps me by speaking really slow
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