Did you just eat a napkin?

Saturday and Sunday 27-28

Not much more eventful then the last the previous two days. Crazy storm rolled through on Saturday that blew out one of the fridges in the restaurant. 2000 euro. Sucks. Alice was NOT happy.

With the crappy weather…I just started re-reading the 7th Harry Potter. Read it all in pretty much one long sitting like a nerd the first weekend it came out two summers ago. So I wore my sweats, curled up in bed and read all day Saturday. Very nice.

Sunday was a beautiful day but not crazy packed up here with the bad weather we had the day before. Elia and I just played outside all day. He was pretty good. For dinner we had pasta, crustini (bread with some sort of meaty topping), fresh mozzarella di bufala, oh and Elia ate (bit, chewed, and swallowed) a good portion of his napkin. He thought it was funny. I did not so much. I also did not think the three dirty diapers I changed today were funny. Really? 3 times.

Dirty diapers aren’t that big a deal. I don’t really mind…except he sometimes freaks out when you change him and you have to fight him to get him cleaned up and in a new diaper. So im not much a fan of fighting…but if the person I'm fighting is covered in poop…wtf… I forfeit. Except I can’t forfeit….and let the kid spend the day sitting in his own poop…so I have to enter a battle with an opponent covered in poo. Let’s hope this is the only time in my life I am in such a position.

I plan to counteract my last few lazy days with some much more productive ones. Except not tomorrow. We have now established that Mondays are worthless and I will not waste my energies trying to go anywhere on Mondays. But after that…

maybe redo some shopping time in Arezzo and visit Cortona. Its right around the corner and I have not gone yet.

I also might explore what my scooter trip options are. I really enjoy scooting so maybe there are some easy places to visit by scooter. As long as the directions are simple I wouldn’t mind taking my scooter for a Tuscan countryside trip.

Also I will be working everyday this week and transferring my night off to the following week. Vanessa and the RCs have a ten day break so I'm going to take two nights off to go the Cinque terre with the girls. It’s gorgeous. Five little towns on the coast are linked my walking trails. It’s amazing and I’m super excited!

June 25-26

Very mellow days. Just hung around Lignano and read a lot. Not great weather. A bit chilly and looking threatening rain. Makes for a quiet day with very few visitors. Elia has been really good the last few days. I really enjoy him when he is sweet. Been really tired though. I usually have more energy for Elia in the evenings if I was actually more active during the day. When I just lay around and read and get sun…I'm usually dragging a bit with him. And you can’t really drag with a two year old. He doesn’t allow it!

Galileo and the 6 euro waffle

Wednesday June 24

Went to Florence with Arlene (rc at santa chiara). She is a sweet girl and figured it was good to hang out together in case I do stay as an rc as well. We would be roomies and around each other ALL the time. I think she would be easy to get along with. If the rcs don’t get along it is really a strain. You are around each other so much…no breaks….eat dinner together every night. I don’t think I would have trouble getting along with Anthony and Arlene.

So we went the Galileo exhibit. Really interesting but made me feel just a little insignificant or maybe just dumb. It is amazing what they were figuring out hundreds…even thousands of years ago….and so much was just over my head. The exhibit showed everything that lead up to or formed the basis of Galileo’s discoveries. So it went back to Egyptians etc… very interesting.

Mainly we wondered…and ate. Got gelato from “Grom” (another rec of V) and also had waffles.

So these tourist waffles of Florence are quite tasty but make sure you ask how much FIRST!!!! We ordered and went in to pay. 6 EURO!!!! Holy crap! We thought he was charging us for both together. Oh but no. Atleast the price was for two but still INSANE. They are a little bigger than the palm of your hand! So we made sure we took a seat and enjoyed our waffles that cost more than lunch.

From now on everything will be priced relative to these waffles. A tank of gas for the scooter….2 euro less than Florence waffles….gelato from mondo….3 trips equal one Florence waffle.

Also stopped in the food market and bought dried fruit. Delicious. So I not only enjoy my fruit in gelato form but in dried/sugared form as well. If only I liked the ACTUAL fruit. Baby steps.

Galileo probably would have been smart enough not to spend 6 euro on tourist trap waffles

Haircut Tuesday - and have no pic...Sorry

Woke up and went to get my hair cut at manuel’s family’s salon (manuel is vanessa’s boyfriend and the family I stay with when I sleep in town…love his mom). His brother Ramon cut my hair. Really like him. Very funny and sweet…really makes an effort with his English. He is married to Brit from Colorado and they have two kids. I met them another night that I stayed at v’s.

I said I wanted to keep the length but he could do whatever from there. He said he was going to cut only one or two inches…an hour later and lots of talking and cutting…my hair just got shorter and shorter. He probably took 6 off. Eh. No big deal. Its about what it was the last time I came to Italy. Still nothing drastic. Lighter, some layers. He did really well with the bangs. Really like them…maybe my fav bangs I’ve had.

He spent about 20 minutes styling it…to which I said…I'm about to just put on a scooter helmet…."oh no. you take my car!” Ha ha

Went to lunch at the school before heading back to Lignano.........So I made a decision somewhat about staying. Nothing is at all set and we have no idea that it would work out. V and I have only talked. She has not talked to anyone at the school. But I did say I would stay to work in the fall but I didn’t think it would be good for me to stay till may. So we will see. It might not work out. The job overlaps with my nanny job…and they might need someone that can commit for a whole year and not just a semester. So we will see!

Another reason Siesta is a pain in my ass. Scooter gas. I tried to ask what kind and what I should do about getting gas but Alfonzo said for me just to go when the attendant is there and let him put it in.

BUT THEY ARE GONE FOR A CHUNK OF THE DAY…and this chunk is usually when I need gas.

You can pay a machine and get your own gas but I thought that the minimum might be ten euro and the scooter barely holds five.

Due palle.

Of course V to the rescue. After lunch I really needed gas so she went with me to make sure I figured it out. We called Manuel to make sure what type of gas and the min. was five euro. Didn’t quite get the whole five in. Got a credit back for 25 cents. Already have no clue where I stuck that. Oh well. I got gas though!

I think it’s kind of funny that I can ride a scooter up and down a mountain…catch trains and buses on my own but what was I worried the most about…putting gas in the damn thing!

Well now that’s figured out! Yay!

Mi Cocina Monday

So I took Monday off because Vanessa was having a concert at Santa Chiara tonight. Was going to spend the day shopping in Arezzo…oh wait...

So Monday is worthless! How did I forget this????Most things close down. Tricky Tricky. Fell for it like Mi Cocina on a Monday. Wanted do some shopping but Monday combined with friggin siesta really put a damper on my options.

Due palle
(siesta – Italians shut down and break from 1-3 or 4)

Siesta is a pain in the ass…while I respect is as a lifestyle (taking the afternoon to go home to family)…it makes the afternoon of a day trip super limited! Buh. So my day trips really need to be that I get up early and spend my mornings in town and go back to Lignano for siesta like all the other Italians. I’ll give this a shot with Arezzo again (the bigger city near me). Probably soon. I need more notecards and there were some shops I really wanted to stop in. (but it was mi cocina Monday) Mainly a little vintage shop called Oscar. And I need to pay a visit to Violetta of course…the best gelato in Italy.

So the da was Blah weather. Wondered. Read. Ipod. Another very in my head day. What do I want to do about staying???

Went back to Castiglion and had dinner at the school. Sat with Vanessa and her band at our own little table. Felt very much like a groupie! Concert was really good. Inside because of the weather. Cozy.

Hung out for a while after and counted coins. I gave them all my cash to take their change from the bar off their hands (the rc’s bar in the school) and took it back to Alfonzo. They always need change for the bar and restaurant.


Spent the night at V’s. I mentioned needing a haircut and she suggested I just go in the morning. Sure. Why not?

Sammontana Gelati freezer took my computer outlet

Saturday -Sunday – June 20-21

So the lemon chill on a stick that I have so fondly described in previous blogging is made by Sammontana Gelati. They (alice and alfonzo) had an extra freezer for it laying around and needed a place to keep pasta when they make a whole bunch for the restaurant. So they put It in the office in the house. Pretty funny when I came in to find an icecream freezer in the house.

Alfonzo made a joke that I could fill it with limperli. I told him to order me a box the next time the icecream man comes!

Mellow weekend. Chilly/windy. Not many visitors to Lignano. Played mostly inside.

Took the scooter to the grocery store on Saturday to pick up a few things that I felt like ONLY I was eating…like cereal. Alice was not a fan. Said I could only do that this one time. I probably won’t do that much anyways because I just bought a bunch of snacks I don’t need to eat. I was craving sour candy.

Vanessa and the RC’s came for lunch and to visit the new baby goats. Ate lunch from the bar with them. Had a tasty sausage and cheese piadina from the bar. (hot sandwich in a big tortilla) I really like them. I request them for dinner sometimes.

Still talking myself in circles about staying?????

Talked to trey on the computer. He shrugged me staying off as no big deal. Pointed out that if I came back for 6 weeks that way more time then I come home usually over the course of a year. Hmmmmmm
Tried to catch Ryan on the phone. Getting anxious about not having talked to him.
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY SUNDAY. They do have father’s day in Italy but not this month. Mothers day is in may though.

Fun in the sun

Friday –

just laid out and read. Got a little pink. Almost have “The Birth of Venus” finished. Turned out to be really good…set in 15th century Florence. Very good.

My back got red because it was really hot and I mainly sat up with my back to the sun so I could read.

Ha. Looking at my journal from that day just reads as a series of questions. Will I be ready to go after four months? Would it be a mistake to take a year off from starting my actual career? Is it selfish? ….only time in my life I have such freedom to even consider….what to do?????

ya, im actually journaling...and then look at that to write this blog. The journal is a little easier to keep up with day to day and then I can look back at it every few days to write these posts. Im getting more up for it I guess. the blog will be nice to have as a record and the journal can be more pointless personal ramble.

Sure I’d love to get on the wrong bus and take a trip out to the hospital and back…

Orvieto Thursday - June 18

I was going to try to catch the 7:50 train to try to go to this little town outside Orvieto.

Its an hour to Orvieto…and hour bus to Bagnoregio...thirty minute walk to the town of Civita.

It's only accessible by a little footbridge and there isn’t much there. Roundtrip is five hours to visit this little town. I wouldn’t mind doing it though. But for today…I didn’t catch the early train…I don’t like buses (the schedules confuse the hell out of me) and I need to get back to grab dinner with Vanessa. So Orvieto it is...

It is a walled city set pretty high up on a hill. You take a bus or the funicular from the train station.

I looked up in advance what bus to take…not like me…and got off the train, bought a ticket and went and got on the A1 bus.

So I got a little hour tour of the not interesting surroundings of Orvieto and made a trip to the hospital and back. Buh. So for sure not going to try going to Civita. I was lucky this bus came back to the station!

Orvieto is a beautiful town. We came on a school tour…it has a pretty major cathedral, museums, pretty extensive underground tunnels etc. I did all that last time so I just wondered… Surprise Surprise.

We were lucky as students that we were here in off season from the major tourism times. Orvieto is swamped! After having lunch, gelato, wondering through the tourist and some of the shops…ceramics is big here….I went to a park overlooking the valley and read and journaled. Really pretty day…little warm but still nice.

I spent my siesta time in the park and then went for a walk along the outerwall. It’s pretty much a walking park with amazing panoramas at all times. This was such a relaxing time because there wasn’t a person in site for hours. No tourist wondered away from the main plaza and corso so I had my wall walk ALL to myself. Very peaceful…flowers, benches, plush green grass. And so quite. I kept my ipod on all day ( I usually don’t listen to music when I'm playing tourist) but it made for a very enjoyable day. Maybe a little too much in my head but that’s ok. Va bene. Get a lot of "in my head" time here!

me standing on the wall overlooking the valley

my walk

Caught a 30 minute late train after six…then scootered up to Santa Chiara to meet V.

Went out to eat and sat and talked for a long time. Ordered pasta that was creamy with ham. Very good and a nice change. Pasta is pretty much always tomato sauce…or pesto. While of course tasty, I like a little change!

V and I talked about the possibility of me staying to be an RC at the school.

If you don’t know what that is…its former students (usually all recently graduated) and you live at the school doing a wide range of jobs. I guess the major would be helping in the kitchen and serving meals, handling food deliveries, babysitting in general….

They could use someone that would stay in the fall and spring. Which would put me here a whole year. Wow. I would have 6 week break at Christmas which I would for sure come home for. Hmmm. Lots to think about.
For every reason I have to stay there are two reasons/responsibilities to go back home. Buh. I don’t like growing up! So thinking this over takes up much of my next few days! I just talk myself in circles about it…I can talk myself into as easy as out of it. What to do?

In the market for a husband?

June 18

Met an American/Italian couple last night that came up for dinner at Lignano. Elia and I came downstairs to play outside and Alfonzo gestures…says something about Americana and leads us to the side patio. He wanted me to meet the American. Haha

So Megan and Sebastian met 6 years ago when she was a student. She never left! Finished her school here. Crazy! They have been married 3 years. Super cute and so sweet.

I sat with them through their whole dinner because they kept insisting that I stay and talk. They said there are 27 married couples (American/Italian) from the Castiglion Area. YIKES!

It’s not THAT big! So I don’t need to hang around here too long or I might end up with a hubby! Sebastian talked a lot about falling in love, romance, fate…. Most things I just kind of laugh off.

That’s bad.

He asked if I believe in the power of love? I just laughed and said I was pretty anti-love right now. He said I was too young and sweet to not believe in love…he said he could find me love so easy….

I'm good.

Megan warned me that you find it when you aren’t looking so I better watch out how anti-love I am.

I enjoyed talking to them. They have a jewelry store in Cortona called Del Brenna. I will have to visit! Sebastian and his brother design and make silver jewelry. I liked her engagement ring. Just a band of diamonds but unique. The jewelry design did intrigue me...I THEN asked if he had any single friends in the business!

Hello Terrible Two’s!

June15-16

Mon and Tuesday was pretty low key. ITS GETTTING HOT!

I'm beyond grateful that it cools down every night!

Just hung around the house and read a lot. Finished the new book I picked up on Friday and have been watching the HBO series online that is based off the books. It’s interesting and kind of nice to watch some TV. Elia and I never turn it on. They don’t like for him to watch…and can’t understand it anyways! The one thing I have wanted to do lately is just curl up in big comfy blankets and watch a movie with candy and popcorn! I will probably take Thursday off and go to Orvieto. It’s a beautiful town about an hour train ride away. I’ll probably make it back early evening so maybe I will see about having a movie night with myself! I'm sure I can round up some popcorn and candy before I come home!

So I'm glad Elia broke me in slowly…he really was just WAY too well-behaved to be true. He is still not bad at all and I for sure know he could be so so worse! He can be a lot of work though sometimes. He is two so you have to expect that! Last night he decided to keep throwing his sheet out of the crib and then asking for it over and over and over! This kid does not get tired of saying the same word over and over if he wants something. I'm not talking about saying something five times…he can go on for twenty minutes saying the same word. Ex. For a solid thirty minutes when I was giving him a bath and getting ready for bed it was “Loli, loli, loli,…..” Loli is “outside” in Elia language. Aww! There might have been a few gestures made of pulling a trigger or cutting my wrist! I picked up the cutting the wrist gesture from Alice…she does it a lot when Elia is being a handful!

Weekend

Busy at Lignano so I didn’t do much. Finished the book I picked up in Florence. Really need to learn to read a little less obsessively!

Just finished watching Elia all day Sunday and wow he wore me out! He was a little roller coaster today…worst for me at lunch and dinner. Had to just send him off a few times and tell him bye but I was going to eat. Worked a bit. It was the hottest day we have had so maybe that just put him in a weird mood. Hope not seeing as we’ve got a couple of hot months ahead of us. I'm glad it cools down at night though. The evenings are really nice and its not too hot to sleep. I cant handle being hot and trying to sleep!

How was he bad? NO TO EVERYTHING!!!! And he is really starting to understand that you cant MAKE him. He just says NO!

Ha. Luna is laying beside me (the lab) and must be really dreaming…pretty much running in place right now. Pretty amusing!

It was INSANE how many people were here today. Cars parked everywhere, lots full, streets filled, traffic jams…poor Alfonzo and Alice have to be exhausted. I think she said the restaurant served 60 for lunch and 120 for dinner. Its not that big of a kitchen. I bet it is SO HOT! I'm glad its cooler at night but it was sweltering at lunch. Felt bad. Alice looked so flustered and rushed when she dropped lunch off. I feel bad that they always fix everything. I sometimes cook some meat or pasta for elia but usually its done for us.

Firenze Friday

June 12

Made the 8:30 train for Florence, pretty good for me! I did set my alarm for the 6:50 train! Kind of a joke but I thought it might be nice to make it back in time for a nap. Oh well. It’s a little over an hour, just listened to my Ipod and watched out the window! Made it there by ten and commenced to just wonder! There are more tourist than I was use to when I was here but really not too bad. I'm sure it will get much worse. What I love about Florence is how walkable it is. Over the next few hours I just wondered around without a map but happened upon everything I would have wanted to pass by if I had been going around tediously following a map of all the major sites.

I did the tourist thing of course… Took photos with the masses of aisian tourist in their big hats following the tourguides holding up their tour guide batons. I still really just enjoy wondering through the city more. Most cities you get away from all the tourist but Florence is pretty well flocked all over.

I am just a tourist too but my favorite experiences of places is not the major tourist spots but just experiencing the city itself. Florence never feels like that but I still enjoyed it. I had a list of things I wanted to do while I was there…I’ll have to go back again without a list…I DON’T LIKE LISTS! Though this was actually a productive list covering day.

That’s kind of nice after this last semester of grad school. I quit making list…got sick of never getting enough done and it was just depressing to see how behind I was! My favorite list was the one Ellen made one night with one thing everyone up at studio had to get done for that one night. Everyones read with things like…sections, site plan, rendering…Brooke: sleep. I had pulled an all nighter the night before and it was still not quite to the crucial time where sleep was just not possible. That was the one night I actually got my list done! Random tangent

So Florence…
My list of things to do (not exactly all that extraneous)…Gelato (of course Vanessa was able to direct me to the best place), a kebap (also per V’s rec), more sandals (the ones I brought are pretty worn out), the paperback exchange, a journal, and some Clinique for V. Of course she was able to direct me to the paperback exchange and another bookstore like Barnes and Noble that carried moleskins.

Sidenote: now moleskin makes a soft cover. Picked one up. I'm a BIG FAN. Never liked carrying the hardcovers in my purse.

I wanted another pair of Birkenstocks and they are a little cheaper over here so I figured I'd look for another pair. I remembered there being a shop right by the duomo…guess it was meant to be. It was on the same street as the kebap and gelato.



So I ordered a kebap with everything (im working on being a better eater) then up the street for gelato and finished by picking up two pairs of sandals.

me getting gelato

My standard Madrid style I'm so fond of and a pair with more straps that might be better for longer walks.

I was going to get something with ankle straps but they just didn’t feel right. I think the pair I got will work good…besides I'm use to walking a lot in just the one strap too. I got one in a purple (haha almost maroon color). I would not call it maroon but I bet a lot of people would! I really don’t care much for the color but I guess it can be my little part of College Station in Italy!

The double straps are a black background with floral print. Like them both!

Made it to the paperback exchange and picked up two books. Asked the girl if she recommended anything…she asked what I had read last. Named a few, including twilight but said that wasn’t necessarily what I was looking for. Though I do like series. She recommended another vampire series that was more adult…I was hesitant but it had quite a few books in the series. Ill give it a shot. The book is now a show on HBO called True Blood. I started in on the way back. It held my interest and is in pretty sharp contrast to the other one I have going “The Birth of Venus.” I like a little contrast!

I picked up a regular journal, a watercolor journal…being pretty ambitious! I wish I didn’t love to read so much. I need to be studying Italian and maybe sketching but I just get sucked into books. I was pretty into this new one on the train because I had to jump up when I heard them announce Castiglion Fiorentino. Normally I would have noticed the stop at Arezzo and been ready…guess the book is pretty decent.

It was a pretty hot day but I enjoyed getting it. Is it bad how much I enjoy doing things by myself? I do like going places with others too so I guess it would be bad if I only liked doing things alone. But my enjoyment of being alone rather than getting depressed works out pretty well for my living situation. It nice! Alfonzo was concerned. The other day at lunch we had to get out the dictionary because Alfonzo was asking if I was “something” and Alice didn’t know the word. He was asking if I was lonely! Told him no worries. He has no idea how nice it is to actually be ALONE. Told him it was good for me and part of why coming here sounded so perfect! Boys just cause complications and I want a complication free life for a change! Alice said she was glad because it works out great for them too! She constantly asks if I am happy and if I need ANYTHING! I really do just adore her!

You can just borrow a swimsuit from Manuel's Mom

THURSDAY NIGHT OFF

Have the night off so I head to Castiglion and wonder around…taking a few photos. This town really is so adorable. I see why so many Americans move back here after being students. Have I said how many former students have married Italians and live here? Crazy. Looks like if I just stayed here long enough I could snag me a husband! Too bad that’s not what I'm looking for!

After lunch I went to the public pool with Vanessa and another guy John that works at the school. I forgot a swimsuit…to which Vanessa said I could just borrow one from Manuels mom. Haha. Why not? She had a few one piece options…black, blue, and then this crazy one from god knows when with bright colors and “Bahai” written all over it. Of course I had to wear that one! It was pretty skimpy in the back too, low cut and just a few strings! Ha.

I was going to stick out anyway at the pool with all the Italians, might as well not only be the whitest but the loudest dressed! Actually, dressing louder than Italians is quite a feat. Pretty sure I accomplished it!

You have to pay for the pool, kind of expensive but it was really nice. Plush grass with chairs and umbrellas. You can’t go in the pool without a swimming cap! Haha. Italians and their weird hygiene things. (though some are pretty hairy!)

So we just laid around for a couple of hours, of course took a snack break, and I knew better…but didn’t put on any sunscreen! I know! Not wise for me. I got pretty pink. We weren’t out in the worst heat of the day though. It was really nice, there was a good breeze so not many people and it was just enough to keep you comfortable and not all sweaty! I’ll have to go back again! In my own swimsuit! Though my borrowed one was pretty amazing!

haha. swimsuit was too amazing to not be documented so I took a shot before bed! btw the burn looks way worse then it was. didnt even peel!

We had dinner at the school and hung around a bit before going back to sleep at V’s. Met the rest of Manuel’s family. (Vanessa’s bf). His brother is married to a girl from Colorado and they have two kids. The kids sang some songs for us (in Italian and English) and headed out.

Vanessa gave me directions for a few stops in Florence…her and manuel are driving to the beach tomorrow. I cant take weekend days off because its just too hectic at lignano! I'm excited about going to Florence though. Want to just wonder but I have a few shopping needs! And I have not done ANY shopping since I got here! Might be a record for me….

Wednesday June 10

I had such a vivid dream that I bought my first home and it was in the mountains of Colorado. I think it had to do with Ive been talking to Kristen about them closing on their new house and Lignano looks pretty Colorado-ish. Random.

I'm so excited for Kristen and Craig. Really wish I was there to help them get settled! Can’t wait to visit! Staying at their new house is of top priority upon my return. Maybe I’ll just move in seeing as I am jobless and homeless anyways!

Today just hung out till lunch and then took the scooter to Mondo again and sat for about 2 hours going over Italian grammar. Fun fun! Again, nice to be able to go somewhere on my own. I'm really liking the scooter!

BTW I AM IN LOVE WITH VESPAS!

They are the cutest things ever! Can I live somewhere in the states that a scooter would not be a completely ridiculous mode of transportation? Something to think about!
Breezer still needs a more Italian name….

highjack scooter day

Tuesday

So I was planning on catching a bus but got frustrated with trying to figure out the schedule…So I was out driving around Rigutino (small town and the bottom of mountain) and was feeling pretty comfortable and decided to just give going to Castiglion Fiorentino a shot.

The train station is there, the school, good gelato, and it would be so convenient if I could just go back and forth myself. Vanessa wouldn’t have to come pick me up…its nice of her but still a hassle!

So off I went! It’s a few miles away, went way over the speed limit and still had cars flying by me. You just get over to the side and they pass you. Really wasn’t that scary. Rode up to the school and popped in to say hi! Vanessa, Arlene, Genie, and I went for gelato. They said Mondo was the best and it’s quite a haul from the school (walking). Never went there as a student.

Gelato was delicious…definitely better than Coco Palm!

genie, vanessa, and arlene outside Mondo

Headed back and was a little worried about telling Alice I went to CF...when I told her I was going to the bus stop and back. Told her and she just said “Brava…you are an independent woman now!” and gave me a kiss. LOVE HER!

Alfonzo looked a little more shocked when she said it causally later that night but I just gave him a thumbs up and said it was good!

So now I can take day trips by train and get myself back and forth! Such a relief. This time of rest and getting settled has been nice but now I'm ready to be a bit more mobile! Again it was another one of those cheesy high days…really felt good to be out on my own! I know I'm twenty five and it seems silly to get excited over something so simple but I'm in a foreign country and getting myself around all by myself! Feels good!

Now that my scooter and I have had such a bonding experience I feel like I need to give him a name. Yes, it’s a boy. Why? I think the sound it makes when driving sounds more like a boy than girl or maybe its because I hear Elia make moto, tractor, saw noises all day.

So anyways my scooter needs a name.

My key chain has a Bacardi Breezer key chain on it…came to me that way! So I like the name breezer but think it should be more Italian than that. Bacardi translates but I don’t think your mode of transportation should be named after alcohol. (ya ya, or probably your key chain) So I need a more Italian name to go with breezer.

We will give scooter a full name. "Something Breezer Scooter". I don’t like Italian boy names. Vanessa, Anthony, and I already had a long discussion of how boy names in Italy suck. Way better girl names and seems more variety. All the boys have the same name here.

“io… io…. io”

Monday June 8

Finished “eat, play, love” Pretty good book. Still like the first section and Italy part best but thought the rest was a good read.
Practiced the skooter a lot today since it has been rainy.
I'm enjoying my days around Lignano but am getting pretty anxious to be a little more mobile. Planning on taking the scooter to the bus at the bottom of the mountain. I really don’t like bothering with the bus but I don’t think Alice and Alfonzo are comfortable with me taking off too far yet. I have to get out there sometime with the traffic ! How do you practice for driving out in traffic without actually going out in it? So tomorrow…its time to get out on some main roads! Not that Lignano hasn’t been good practice…winding up the mountain is pretty good practice I think.

"io" is "me" in Italian and EVERYTHING these days is "io, io, io"

I jinxed my sweet little Elia. Not so sweet today. We are definitely getting into the terrible twos stages. I think the terrible twos is basically them not only starting to love the words “ me, me ,me” and “no, no, no” but they start grasping that they don’t HAVE to do what they are told. They fully understand that if they don’t want to do something then you cant MAKE them!

When I first got here, if you slapped Elia on the hand he looked at you in shock and cried. Today he was being really bad…had to slap him on the hand…he just hit me back! I love this kid but I don’t think this experience will much change my outlook on kids. I love to play with them but I love to be able to give them back too! I really am thinking I'm missing the whole “get married and have babies” gene that most girls have. Sorry fam but no grandbabies from this one anytime soon!

Rainy Sunday

Sunday is usually a madhouse at Lignano…SO MANY PEOPLE! I guess people don’t really have big yards to play in so families come up to the park for the day. It rained till around 4pm and then was a beautiful evening! Since the weather had been bad there was nobody around and Elia and I had one of our best times together. He was really sweet. We laid in the grass for a long time watching for airplanes…seems like a lot fly overhead here.

BABY GOATS!!!!

Ok. So Elia is coocoo for coco puffs over tractors. Apparently I am for baby goats! So Ive been checking everyday on this incredibly obese goat that looked just miserable. She looked like she was going to have a litter but we figured they just had one at a time.

SHE HAD TWO!

Black and white and friggin the cutest things I’ve ever seen! They play together and jump around! ADORABLE! So needless to say…expect lots of pics of these baby goats. I'm obsessed!

Why is there a tractor parade?

Saturday June 6

So it’s a crazy day at Lignano and I'm watching Elia during the day too because they were understaffed at the bar. (tons of kids attacking the “icecream truck in a box”)

So apparently the commune di Arezzo (they manage parco di Lignano) is hosting a nature day of some sort. I don’t know what or why it entails the following but there are:

Archeology sites set up for the kids

A display of all the commune work vehicles (four wheelers, trucks, etc)

3 tractors (kids can play on them)

Guys in tights twirling flags to the drums (also wearing tights)… (like the one previously shown and mentioned at the Medieval Festival)

Arts and crafts – given a slab of clay to etch into and paint. Elia wodded his up, rolled it around in the dirt, and stuck it with rocks and sticks. An artistic masterpiece.

So Elia is coocoo for coco puffs over tractors. It is pretty much all we talk about or play with. So my day was spent hoisting him up into the drivers seats of each of the 3 tractors. (tin tins in Elia language) I then stand there while he makes “put put put” noises until he decides he needs to relocate to the next tin tin. This has made his day so I'm happy.

alice and Elia with a tin tin

I did get him to sit and watch the flag twirlers for a bit but it wasn’t long before it was just “tin tin…tin tin….tin tin” Ok. Back to the tractors.

watching grown men run around in tights

Ice cream truck in a box

Friday June 5

So I always get the same icecream from the bar…(not quite the same as going to a gelateria but I work with what I got and I'm not complaining)

It’s comparable to the icecream truck selection…pictures on top of and you slide the door to the side to get what you want

So I actually like the orange and lemon slushy tube things and then discovered what is equivalent to a lemon chill on a stick…delicious. (ya know the lemon chills you get at football games and amusement parks...comes in the little tub) So I get the lemon chill on a stick. I know what you are thinking…if you know me very well...where is the chocolate. Yes chocolate and I have a long established love affair but I am in a fruit phase.

Correction. An artificial flavored fruit phase. So its lemon chill on a stick for me…

The point of this very pointless rant was:

I branched out and tried something new, only to be wishing I had gotten the lemon chill on a stick. So I am in the common predicament of “do you order your favorite thing off the menu or try something new “…except with “icecream truck in a box” and my love of the lemon chill on a stick. I think I will return to my lemon chill on a stick.

Besides, it’s only tiding me over till I can get my next gelato fix.

As I mentioned the “ice cream truck in a box” is located in the bar. The bar is the café. In Italy “bar” is what we would call a café and bar (like in America) is called a “locale” I think. (I wrote it on a notecard I have not looked at again so don’t quote me). Alice found this very amusing.

Convo:
Me - In America bars only serve alcohol.
Alice - So where do you go for coffee?”
Me - Starbucks.

But I don’t go anywhere for coffee. If you are in architecture grad school you go to McDonalds for coffee (and warm cookies) btw I don’t miss!

Back to the lemon chill on a stick. Yes, Im still talking about it. haha. My days are pretty simple. I love it! If I'm spending my day at lignano…my afternoon usually consist of laying on a blanket with a book or Italian notecards, ipod, cell phone with alarm in case I fall asleep, and lemon chill on a stick! And that’s how I spent my Friday afternoon. I actually put on some tanning lotion and tried to get some sun. Pretty sure it’s a hopeless cause but maybe I can shoot for just a LITTLE less blinding whiteness.

this ladybug joined me for my lazy friday afternoon

Thursday June 4, 2009

Having allergy issues. Look like the hunchback of notre dame…(one eye swollen shut).

Just laying low, reading, writing all these entries. Guess I’m up to date now. You have to really care to read all this. I pretend I’m pretty much writing gran because she is the only one that really cares what I eat for every meal, where I’m going, what time I’m waking up, who I’m hanging out with, etc etc etc. Love you gran! I know everyone else cares too! but nobody can compete with gan's line of questioning!

For everyone else…just skim. Nothing too exciting! XOXOXOX

Oh and btw:
These entries go from most recent to older so actually should be reading from bottom up!

DAY OFF June 2 -3, 2009

Tuesday -Wednesday

NO RAIN!

Its back to being the picturesque Tuscany I arrived to. Today is a holiday so the restaurant is open for lunch. I have Elia starting at 10:30 buts it is also my day off. I'm heading to Castiglion to enjoy the medieval festivities! Of course Vanessa, being the saint that she is, drove up to get me. I WILL VERY SOON BE TAKING THE SKOOTER OUT! I’ve been practicing but we had some days of rain…not enough practice to take it to town just yet. The bus stop is not far but I’m really anxious to just get to drive to the train station in Castiglion. No fussing with buses. If I can get to a train stop I can get pretty much anywhere.

pic: waiting for train to Arezzo

But for today…I will bum yet another ride off the all too nice V! She brought Anthony with her (rc at the school from Tennessee) and we head to Arezzo to for what Vanessa claims is the best gelato in Italy! Though I am a lover of all gelato and think all of the world’s problems could be solved if all affairs were discussed over gelato…and apparently gelato from Arezzo…

The walls of this gelateria are adorned with its awards…the line is out the door (all italians) and you have to take a number! Pretty serious stuff! as it should be...it is the best gelato in italy

AND It is a holiday. Most the customers are buying gelato by the tub and we watch wide-eyed in worry that the flavor of our choice might run out! Again…there is no need for worries here. Our flavors did run out only to be replenished with a fresh creamy batch. I had hazelnut and chocolate upon V’s recommendation. Amazing!

Anthony had a pear flavor that was quite tasty. I really like my fruit flavors in artificial forms…if only I could be a little more excited about the ACTUAL fruit! OH well. I’m trying!

For now…its tasty fruit gelato as a stepping stone! Who can complain about that?!

So it’s on to Castiglion where V heads back into the center (such a devoted little worker) and Anthony and I decide what we should do with out time off (his first night off). To THE GARDEN it is for a much needed drink! Sorry fam but in my defense…the garden is an outside bar with a great view over the valley…so I feel a little less bad about spending my free time there. Also, its owned by Alfonzo’s brother.

They also own the Velvet Underground so for all my fellow ex Santa Chiara buddies…you would remember him. Since we spent so much time there!

As he is making our drinks he claims to remember me now! Haha. We spent a lot of time there but I know Adreano is just being nice. Anthony and I just chat and enjoy the fact that we are sitting here on our time off having a drink IN ITALY! It’s nice to have someone else sharing my cheeseball reaction to this place.

WE ARE IN ITALY! Who cares about anything else!

Vanessa and Manuel (her boy) actually joined us for a bit and she slips off again to meet us later at the festival…to which she beats us there…still drinking at THE GARDEN. Haha. I love people watching. Quite amused! I actually saw a pale red-headed Italian boy…quite the rare site! The festival is packed and consists mainly of stands to get food and wine. My kind of festival! A and I tried for this delicious looking big folded bread sandwiche but end up in a sausage line. A good runner up!

Again...people watching is AMAZING here! They still have the eurotrash style that I love but seem to be going through a bit of a preppy phase! Its guedo meets frat daddy! LOVES IT!

Also munched on V’s cheese plate, wondered around looking for her friends from Austin, and watched flags…drummers…and flame dancers. Called it a night, slept at Vanessa’s, (manuel’s mom is adorable!), woke up early and took the train to Arezzo, wondered and Alfonzo picked me up. Good time off! Now it’s back to lignano!

drummers and flag boys from Sienna (representing their neighborhoods)

I WIL START POSTING MY PICTURES ON FLICKR...click on the link to the side to see more!

MONDAY June 1, 2009

A rainy day, never left the house but still enjoyed it. Woke up with the intent to go for a run, saw out my little third floor window that it was raining and snuggled up with a book. It’s fairly chilly up here when its rainy…hope we don’t have too many of these days. I don’t quite have the wardrobe for it.

The queen of cardigans somehow only packed two…

So I spent the day reading…still on “Eat, Play, Love” thought it would be too cheesy for me but have identified…(maybe too much) with the author. She goes through a terrible drawn out divorce, an up and down disaster of a follow up relationship and takes a year to soul search and heal. Four months in Italy to experience pleasure (the Italians value pleasure and beauty above all else) then four months in an Ashram in India to search for god, devotion, peace…and then four months in Indonesia to learn how to balance the two.

Reading her version of Italy…what learning the language…meeting the people…living the lifestyle was to her was kind of inspiring and an appropriate read for my first days here. Got me thinking of what I want to get of my time here and she more eloquently puts my thoughts into words. She poured herself into learning the language (the most beautiful language in the world) and I found that a bit of a motivator for me. It’s quite a challenge to actually be conversational by the end of my time here but it’s a nice little challenge; an enjoyable and productive way to spend my time. We will see how it goes. I’ve only just started making notecards…did not bring enough…bought more in Castiglion but that they were a bit pricey. I’ll have to find some not in a tiny hill town. If I need anything mailed to me…adding notecards would be beneficial.

So my Italian for the beginning has been some studying but more listening and observing…trying to get a grasp on what would be best to learn first. I’ve picked up a lot of basics I need for communicating with Elia by just listening to others and Vanessa was very helpful in giving me some basic phrases:

“are you hungry?...do you want to play?....go outside….and the most used of course…

Non si fa (don’t do that)”

That one is used to sum up..don’t throw rocks…don’t play with your food…don’t kick….and all those lovely don’ts that I have no clue how to say.

I do say them in English and try to include Please with the request…to teach him good manners and he is a sweet kid and does respond well to “basta per favore.”

He still is only good with me when the parents aren’t around so I hope they believe me! When they are near he pretty much wants nothing to do with me…sometimes even to the extent of running from the sight of me! Yikes! I know he just identifies my presence with them leaving and panics when he sees me. Alfonzo says not to worry…he is like that with him about being away from “mama.” Today he was pretty bad…crying so hard when Alfonzo just ran out for 2 minutes to grab something. He was great all evening though…alice slipped out for the night while we were playing with blocks ( I build he destroys…”bam”) and he never cried for her. A bit bratty and whiney after some family stopped in and said hi (they were eating at the restaurant). Bath time ended abruptly when he wouldn’t quit splashing me…he sulked for a while, cried for mama, wiped away my kisses but then wanted to be sweet when he went to sleep.

Have not written all week….quick summary of what Ive been up to. Really not all that eventful. My sleeping habits have been pretty erratic and I figured out that the allergy meds I got were making me crazy drowsy. Didn’t catch it at first because I thought it was just jet lag but quickly realized after popping a couple extract and knocking myself out one morning that it was for sure the pills. I think I grabbed the off brand of Benadryl (which never made me drowsy) but whoa. Ill see how the next few days go…may take too long to have more meds sent to me, might just need to try some from here. Hopefully I will adjust…Not too bad…just got submerged into a lot of nature…and seeing as how Im allergic to trees and grass…

Oh and they have a cat and dog. Allergic to both but again, just mildly and usually adjust.

luna the lab - very sweet - 9 years old

My room was Michi’s (the cat) and she has sense relocated to the stairs and makes for a nice little obstacle in the dark.

So for the most part I have been waking up…going outside with a blanket and reading, ipoding, and studying Italian. I come back for lunch at 1 and usually do the dishes afterwards. Figure going back to our rule growing up “if you cook you don’t clean” which I always hated (I don’t cook) was a good deal. I don’t mind at all seeing as how every meal they provide is amazing and way better than I could have ever imagined eating. They do not keep leftovers (alice acted appalled when I suggested that she could just re-heat lunch for our dinner).

One of my favorite meals was a lunch outside the bar where Alice said she wasn’t going to cook anything for lunch but then comes back with a way more impressive spread than I could throw together for a well thought out endeavor. She grilled round blocks of cheese so that they were kind of crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside…topped with this really smoky ham (from northern Italy). It was heaven…and yes I’m well aware of how much of a fat ass I sound like but it was so amazing!

hehe. I knew Emily would appreciate it. I pictured her in Barcelona eating our dinner…enjoying each bite with her eyes closed and the locals laughing at us (well her)!

Sunday May 31 – Valentina’s 18th bday

So Sunday is my day to watch Elia all day because the restaurant is open for lunch. It is Alfonzo’s brother’s daughters 18th bday. The 18th is a big one here…I don’t think they can drive till 18. So just Elia and I are going…with his American aunt, her new baby, their 3 year old and their nanny. Oh yeah, did I mention there was another nanny my age in the family. We were actually at Santa Chiara (where I did study abroad) together. We didn’t hang out or even know each other’s names. She is nice and its good to have someone else to talk to when you are in a house full of Italians!

So I was beginning to worry a bit when Elia didn’t sleep well and was a crying a lot that morning for his parents. Great.

Alice had already warned me it would be a difficult day and I was to try to stay with Elia even though the family would constantly be taking him from me. She wanted me to make sure they weren’t letting him do whatever he wanted…eat anything…etc. Turned out that for the first half of the time he was clinging to me because he was sleepy and just wanted to be held. I tried to go put his jacket upstairs and he was quickly climbing the stairs behind me in tears. BTW it is amazing how quickly children can burst into tears! So eating took hours. Atleast 3. Everything is always served as courses. Your plate goes away…a new one comes…and the next round of eating commences. I was not eating much because I was feeding Elia and trying to cut everything they gave him into smaller bites before he shoved them in his mouth. He got a few past me…but no worries…he gave them back as half chewed chunks. Delicious.

For the most part he clung to me when anyone came to take him…a first! Im use to taking him from holding on to his parents for dear life. His cousin took him for the rest of the eating…it was her bday and she was good with him. We cleared out as soon as gifts were opened and cake was served. There were at least 30 (mostly all family) there so it was still a bit overwhelming. I got off a bit easy for the night since he went down for a nap a lot later. Alice told me to let him sleep till he woke up…didn’t think it would be long but I passed out on the couch as well and he slept till almost dinner time. (8pm) Neither of us ate much from having gorged at the party. Really went pretty well. The family was all great…none spoke English so we didn’t try to make much conversation besides for them telling me to eat more.

My First Full Week:

Again, I have not been doing much…sometimes wake up crazy early…sometimes far far too late! My first Sunday and full day with Elia was bit exhausting. He is good with me at times. Really Really does not like the whole "I don’t speak Italian" situation. I can tell already that it frustrates him. Not anticipated but we will figure it out.

So Sunday was a long hard day. He cried when they went to work…cried really hard when I tried to put him down for a nap…and then again when he woke up to “not mama.” He works himself up to that kind of crying where there is almost a rhythm to the weeping…the pause…double gasp for air….and weeping commences. Getting him to stop was kind of hard and I was not going to take him to parents when he cried. Don’t want him thinking that it will resort in that. We kept seeing them throughout the day which made things worse…she wanted to check in and she doesn’t like Sundays…not use to being away from him that long. She goes down to start cooking at 10:30 and doesn’t come back up till he is down for the night.

All in all we survived.

Proof that they are a wonderful fit…after my long day, I go downstairs to which Alice greets me with “want a drink…wine, something stronger…whiskey, vodka, gin…” I don’t think many baby sitting jobs end with a stiff vodka and lemon soda. It was a nice night…took luna (the lab) for a walk and sat and read outside with my drink. I do need to learn more Italian. I really don’t like that people can talk about me right in front of me without me understanding. Walked the dog past a group of guys and did catch one sentence… “My friend would like to....you”

So, it is time to get to studying!

All I really do is wake up and read outside, walk around, feed the goats a lot (I find them completely amusing and could feed them all day) eat lunch, clean up and go back outside or take a nap till 5 pm.

Vanessa (being the AMAZING person she is) brought two of the workers up from the school for lunch. The school keeps students (usually recent grads) that work at the school and act as baby sitters pretty much for all the students.

btw - friggin LOVE the baby goats

Anthony is from Tennessee and is fluent in Italian…majored in that and finance in College.

Arlene is political science from A&M and going to apply for law school.

I like them both. Super easy to talk to! I should be seeing more of them!

DAY OFF - Thursday May 28

Im pretty sure it was pretty much 3 years ago to the day that I was leaving Italy the last time! CRAZY! I remember being so sad because I thought that never again would I have the opportunity to visit another country for months at a time. And here I am. I know I need to post lots of pics so everyone can see how amazing it is. I definitely still have that little buzzed high of “I can’t believe I’m actually here!” Its cheesy but when I take the skooter up the mountain and look out over the valley…

ITS AMAZING!

And Im actually living here with this view that is probably one of the most gorgeous things I will see in my lifetimes. Love the skooter and can’t wait to be more independent. I’m terrified of getting lost so for a while it will be straight to and from the bus stop or train station. I would LOVE to take it through the countryside…though taking it up the mountain is breathtaking alone. Wildflowers grow everywhere, you can see the whole valley, and I love when your view allows you to see the whole shadows cast by clouds. I know its silly but I thinks its so cool. Normally you are just in the middle of the shadow with no hope of seeing the beginning or end but up here….. So needless to say, Im pretty happy here. Alice keeps asking and is very concerned that Im enjoying my time here. I AM! No worries!

I get a day off each week and not really sure what I can do with it this week. They are so so busy and work so hard that I do not want to inconvenience them by having them drive me around. Besides, their schedule is not very open for taking and picking up. Amanda (American married to Alfonzo’s brother) comes up with her two kids and nanny for lunch. I was planning on taking to skooter to the town at the base of the mountain and riding the bus to Castiglion Fiorentino (where I studied abroad). Alice says ok followed by an “oh my god” but Alfonzo says no..I need more practice. True but I figured that was practice right?

Guess I could use more practice that doesn’t involve oncoming traffic.

So Amanda gives me a ride into town and drops me outside the CocoPalm (gelateria). Closed for siesta so I popped into Santa Chiara to say hi to Vanessa. Of course working in the office, and surprised to see me…asking why I didn’t call?! Don’t want to bug her. She has already done so much for me….and setting up my Italian pone is on the list of things to do. Its 3 years old and the number should have expired after 1 year but Vanessa checks the recording to see. Says I have 14 euro…and we give it a try…works just fine. Weird but very convenient for me! No trying to get a new sim card with my zero Italian and no need to put any money on it. Should not use it much so 14 Euro should last for a while. Talk with the rcs a bit and then excuse myself from their hectic schedule. There are like 6 or 7 schools for the summer session with 144 students. CRAZY! Still Vanessa says she will sneak out early and have dinner with me and then take me back to Lignano! So sweet!

I spent the day wondering through Castiglion…again I can’t really explain without sounding like a total cheeseball…but it is just such a wonderful feeling being back here again. It was such a happy place and exciting time of my life and it’s amazing how soothing it is to return. Had a delicious pizza with Vanessa (actually my first one) and just sat and chatted over wine for a while. Very nice evening and good to get out somewhere…though I do love lignano!

SKOOTING LESSONS

Sorry to say there are no pics of skooter lessons or video. I apologize to everyone who asked. It was an early morning lesson, just Alfonzo and I and an English/Italian dictionary. Did not want to add the complications of trying to tell him anything else. We made it through pretty well…he kept saying “deshent”…what the hell is deshent? He gets out the dictionary ..”descent.”

A “c” by itself in Italian is a “sh.”

He was trying to say downhill. Don’t use gas downhill. I’d like to say I would have known that but you never know with me. It’s really not too hard but I need to practice a lot. The controls are on the handles. You twist for gas and the breaks are like that for a bicycle. Squeeze one for back tire, one for front. I did not enjoy that the lessons included quite an audience. Lignano is usually void of any people this early but there were a bunch of workers bringing up these huge planters made from hollowed out logs. I have not explained much about Lignano but it is like a state park so there are workers that come up to feed the animals, mow the grass, clean the restrooms etc etc. Today they were all there at once…and there for my skooter lesson.

BUH!

Im not so good at turning…I keep hitting the break while still having the gas turned…you have to turn the gas back to zero…then break. I just went up and down this big hill with a parking lot at the top. I love the skooter though. Its really fun but I do need to practice a lot before getting out on the roads. Italians aren’t the best drivers…and combined with my skooting talent…

Ok! So all is well and there is nothing to worry about. I really and happy! I love everyone and miss you of course but in the meantime…Im enjoying my checking out of reality!