A funny thing happened on the street today

Living La Dolce Vita 4 months, 11 hours.

As I walked down the street this morning, I got stopped by two women. In rapid-fire Italian they started asking me questions and pulled out a brochure from their bag. I thought they were looking for directions so I listened intently, hoping that I'd understand them and be able to help. When they finally stopped talking, I explained that I didn't understand everything they said because they spoke so fast. 

Slightly flustered, they asked what language I spoke. L'Inglese. They struggled with a few English words (none of which I recognized) then mentioned "kingdom". I looked again at the brochure and noticed the word "geova" and realized they were Jehovah's witnesses. I politely said "Non grazie" and walked on laughing to myself at the hilarity of the situation. 

Here I was thinking they were looking for a university building or the library, and THEY were trying to help me find God, or Jehovah, I'm not really sure...I couldn't understand them.

The past four months have flown by. I'm no longer enjoying the lazy, work-free days of the summer. I'm now settled and back to work. I've come to really love Rome - pollution, corruption, crappy transportation, and all. I've also come to love teaching and all the little munchkins I teach. The beginning was quite rough, but I've become a much better, more patient human being spending my days with kids. I've learned more than just patience from i bambini...I've also learned a lot of Italian!

I am no where near fluent, but I am definitely starting to 'get it'. I finally bought a TV two weeks ago, and it has been great for learning. Italian programs are quite horrendous, but I suffer through and try to understand. I watch the Sesame Street equivalent in the mornings, the news in the afternoon and evenings, and a lot of MTV. Every now and again, I find an American program that I know (dubbed in Italian). 

On Sunday evening I caught an episode of the Simpsons. It's really funny to hear Homer Simpson dubbed in Italian. But not nearly as funny as hearing Forrest Gump dubbed in Italian with a southern twang. I've been watching a lot of movies, borrowed from my local library. About two weeks ago I went from listening in Italian but reading subtitles in English to all Italian! The subtitles NEVER match the speech, but I'm learning a ton nonetheless.

Outside of the amazing sites and beautiful language, my life has become very routine...I go grocery shopping, work, and pay bills. I don't work nearly as much as I did in New York, but I do have good and bad days...as with any job. It rained for two weeks straight, which really sucked. Being dependent on mass transit (which is mainly buses in Rome), rain is not good. Especially when you have a cold....an occupational hazard when you're around kids all the time. I'm afraid that I will have one bug or another all through the winter!

Time to go. The library is closing for siesta. I apologize for being such a bad blogger and promise to write more when I get a chance.

Hail to the shower gods!!!

I just returned from a fabulous stay in Paris. What awaited me when I returned to my apartment in Rome was almost as great as the trip itself. I got in late and didn’t notice anything amiss in the bathroom as I brushed my teeth and washed my face before bed. The next morning as I stood over the same sink, I saw something blue in the mirror and turned around ….VOILA…a shower curtain!!!! I took the longest, most enjoyable shower I’ve had in months. Then I went to check my email, undoubtedly over-flowing since I didn’t bother while in Paris. And VOILA!!! My favorite Brit in the world is going to be in Rome next weekend, a canceled business trip reversed. With many pleasurable showers ahead and Suzanne’s visit to look forward to, sono una ragazza contente :)

A trip to Pari-eeeee

Living La Dolce Vita 46 days

After what felt like, and basically was, a whirlwind tour of Paris, I leave with memories of a magical city and a great time spent with an old friend. I arrived in Paris on Monday. Getting into the city was a bit of a nightmare. The gray sky and rainy weather was not so welcoming. Then my shuttle service from Beauvais Airport to my hotel near the Eiffel Tower took longer than the flight from Rome to Paris itself! Fortunately by the time I arrived, the rain had at least stopped, but still no sun in sight. 

We decided it was the perfect day for the Louvre and signed up for a guided tour of the museum’s most significant collections...which is absolutely necessary since the museum is MASSIVE and wickedly overwhelming.

 

Mona Lisa…check.

On day two, we decided to check out the Eiffel Tower. None of us had really considered its height or the intense winds on the ground in walking out the door. So we froze our butts off for three and a half hours. Eiffel was an idiot! There is no elevator that goes directly to the top. You have to go to the middle level first and wait in a long queue for the next elevator to the top (while the winds whirl) in BOTH directions, up and down. While the view is very nice, and I can say “I’ve been to the top of the Eiffel Tower,” I will not do that again unless it is sunny and warm! We spent the rest of the afternoon walking along Avenue des Champs Elysees, ogling at the (mostly atrocious) goods at the three-story Louis Vuitton store and other shops. After dinner, we went to see Moulin Rouge. After the first 30 minutes of the show, I wanted to be at the top of the Eiffel Tower freezing again.

Didier Rouiller Patissiere - YUMMY!!

The show, a terrible review of unrecognizable French music and even a few terrible American songs from the 70’s and 80’s, was not what we expected. No Nicole Kidman on a swing belting it out, interacting with the crowd…nope…they lip sync to recorded tracks, not one live instrument in the over-crowded theatre. I’ve seen better productions in high school theatre! The only saving grace was the bottle of champagne that was included in the price of the ticket, and being so squished in that my friends and I could debate French (natural) boobs versus American (fake) boobs without being overheard…yes, this was the highlight of the very expensive show.

Eiffel Tower…check.

Moulin Rouge…check.

Being suckered into paying an absorbent amount of money to visit a tourist trap..check check.

On day three…a beautiful, sunny and warm day, we first visited Notre Dame. Well, actually, first I visited my favorite patissiere around the corner from our hotel, Didier Rouiller. This place is heaven on earth! I must have stopped there at least twice each day. I wish I could transplant it around the corner from my house in Rome, though my waistline would hate me for it. Notre Dame is large and impressive, but having spent the past month in Rome seeing a gazillion churches…it failed to thoroughly excite me. We visited the crypt below, and that was pretty cool. We could see the foundations of ancient Roman civilization and early Parisian buildings that the church was built on top of. 

The afternoon was spent strolling around the Marais district and relaxing with a bottle of wine and a plate of French cheeses. We had dinner at Le Coude Fou, a restaurant recommended by locals. Though the waiter spoke suspiciously good English, the atmosphere was definitely “local” and the meal delicious. Duck salad followed by filet with roasted potatoes and finished off with a pear tart. With big plans to hit the town after, we hopped on the metro and made our way to another locally recommended spot, La Suites. 

Unfortunately it was closed. A nice, older gentleman (rich too, he managed to tell us) standing outside of the Four Seasons recommended Pershing Hall. Pershing Hall is New York trendy-cool, with menu prices to match the swanky décor. The 18euro cocktails were tasty, but the place was empty so it was time to move on. What happened next made me feel right at home in NYC.  We went to the “it” club in Paris, Le Baron, and got denied access. "Sorry, by invitation only".

Having a local experience...check.

Practicing french cuss words..check check.

 

I started day four (my last day) visiting the patissiere as usual. Then as we entered the metro station, a pigeon decided to use me as target practice…leaving me to carry around a jean jacket with bird doo on it all day. I’ve always been told that bird doo is supposed to bring good luck. I could’ve used such luck a day earlier...I could’ve spent the night dancing away instead of being snubbed by the big, burly French bouncer. But, I admit that my last day in Paris was my favorite.  Bird doo luck?!?

The first stop was the Musee d’Orsay. By far one the greatest museums I’ve ever been to. I liked it even more than the Louvre. The permanent collection was enough to excite me, but it was the Cezanne to Picasso exhibit that blew me away. Never have I seen so many works by the masters of impressionism (my fav) in one place. After the museum, we went to Montemarte. What I have decided is my favorite area of Paris. Kind of like the West Village with a seedy main street of nude reviews and sex shops but also lots of little streets with boutique shops and restaurants – a small village, yet down and dirty, feel. We climbed the hill to Sacre Couer, another church, but with amazing views of the city below. After our descent, it was time to embark on the journey back to the airport (fortunately not as brutal as the trip in).

Tulleries Garden with Eiffel Tower in background

Aurevoir Paris!

Fiera del Vino

This past weekend, I went to Andrea’s friend’s villa in Montefiascone for Fiera del Vino (festival of wine). Montefiascone found its way on the map hundreds of years ago went Cardinal Defuk’s assistant traveled to Rome, stopping in villages along the way to test wine for his boss’ journey. When finding wine worthy of the cardinal (who enjoyed libations like all clergy of the time), he wrote “Est” on the doors of the wine cellars. 

“Est” in Latin means “Here”. The assistant was so impressed with the wine of Montefiascone that many cellar doors were emblazoned with “Est! Est! Est!” When the Cardinal finally made his journey down from the north, he ended up staying in Montefiascone, until his death. He is buried in the church in town and requested that a bottle of his beloved wine be poured over his tomb every year. And that is how wine from this small mountain town has become so famous.

There were eight of us staying at the villa on Friday night. After a dinner of bruschetta, pasta, grilled meats and vegetables, we went into the town of Montefiascone to sample some of this infamous wine. It was good! On Saturday, only four of us remained for the peak night of the festival…the open wine cellars. Ten euro got us a glass with holder and tickets to nine different wine cellars. We made it to five. My favorite wine of the evening was a merlot from the cellar of Antica Cantina Leonardi.

The town itself was enchanting. Old buildings built into the side of hills, windy cobble stone streets and the best part, a tranquil lake. On Saturday afternoon, we walked around the lake and the town.  On Sunday we closed up the villa and headed back to Rome. A wonderful, intoxicating weekend in la citta di Montefiascone.

Sunset at the Villa

Adaptation

THE SHOWER CONQUEST

Living La Dolce Vita 3 weeks

After more than three weeks in my new home, I would say that I am adapting quite well. I’ve cooked several yummy meals in my kitchen, figured out how to work my foreign washing machine, shopped for necessary household items and purchased a cell phone. The only thing I haven’t quite mastered is showering without leaving a shallow lake on my bathroom floor. 

As you can see in the picture below, there is no shower curtain in the bathroom – just a tub and a shower nozzle. This is typical in Italy and most of Europe (that I’ve seen anyway). It feels strange to splash water everywhere, but it’s hard not to when you have more than a foot of hair to wash! After a few days of guilt over leaving a small lake in the bathroom, I bought a mop. Apparently that is what Italians do in this situation, though my Italian roommates don’t seem to have such difficulty!! I guess the European shower can be conquered. This gives me hope.

As I navigate this strange, but beautiful country I am realizing that there are many things that I already love about being here and also a few things that I really miss about my motherland.


What I love:

-Cheap and delicious wine - we’re talking average 4 euros for a really amazing bottle of wine

-Tomatoes (pomodori) – I can’t get enough of them!

-Having a balcony

-Gelato! I am so spoiled, I don’t know if I can ever eat American ice cream again.

-Breezes, even on the most humid days

-The constant learning curve – whether it be in language, cooking or crossing the street

What I miss:

-Having a clothes dryer – though my clothes dry in a fresh breeze on the balcony, they still dry quite crispy! Hopefully the iron I bought today will help a bit??

-A proper shower – I think I’ve vented my frustrations enough on this subject

-Monthly cell phone plans – having a cell phone is ridiculously expensive in Italy. I won’t bore you with the details, but trust me when I say that I miss paying a monthly fee and having a million minutes and being able to send as many texts as I want.

-Orbit gum – sounds random, but Italian gum SUCKS!! (Anyone planning to visit, please bring me lots of Orbit!!)

-Internet connection at home. The wait list is 6 months to get internet connection. I'm not kidding.

-Confidence when I’m speaking, cooking or crossing the street (see learning curve above)

I am back to civilization!!

The past two weeks were some what of a 21st century experiment. Take the girl out of the city - from the office in Times Square with high speed internet - and send her to the Italian country side for a taste of the simple life in the mountains - where even cell phones barely work.

Allora (so)...I spent two weeks in a little town called Casamaina di Lucoli. Where sheep out-number humans in population, and a fashionable New Yorker is obviously an oddity. One morning as I walked down the street to the one and only store in town, the local folk not only oggled with curiosity but literally came running out of their houses in their pajamas to get a glimpse of the "girl not from here".

I must admit that it didn't take me long to mellow out and embrace the simple life. Most importantly, the afternoon siesta. Why we don't have this in the States is beyond me! I remember (in my old life) coming back from lunch and doing everything possible to stay awake at my desk. Usually a half-hour of ebay browsing was all my mind could handle after my usual salad. 

In Italy, you have the biggest meal of the day at lunch. Hence, the reason for lean Italians...you have all afternoon to burn off the calorie intake. Allora, my usual lunch was a three or four course meal of pasta, meat/fish, vegetables, and fruit. After such an indulgence, you have an hour after lunch to relax! Most days I would take a nap during this time. I would wake up feeling totally refreshed and ready to tackle another class. A much more productive and enjoyable afternoon than I ever remember in New York!

While it was nice to escape to the middle of no where for a bit of silence and solitude, neither of these were absolute...because I was in the middle of no where with 107 teenagers. It was deja vu everyday, and I was constantly reminded how tough it is to be a teenager. Not a time period I would like to re-visit in any way.

I have to admit that I did really enjoy teaching. Minus a few tough kids, most were really sweet. We had three days off in which the group made excursion trips to nearby attractions.

The first trip was to the town of L'Aquila. Our first stop was a 15th century castle which is now a museum. It was really cool. The coolest part was seeing a bunch of Roman-era jewelry and coins. Mostly because I found out what "ferro" means. I spent at least 12 years of my life living on "Ferro Drive" in Washington Township, New Jersey. I never gave much thought to the name of the street, or what it meant. I guess I assumed it was some dude's last name. Well, as I found out on this day in L'Aquila, "ferro" means "iron" in Italian. Pretty cool!

Our second stop was a church in L'Aquila where Pope Sistine organized the order of Sistine Monks and also where he is buried. He is the only Pope buried outside of Rome. The church was not that impressive from the outside, but very beautiful inside. There just so happened to be an English tour passing through while we were there. That's the only reason I know anything about Pope Sistine and his monks!

Our third stop was the shopping mall. Yes, I spent another two hours in a shopping mall. It was torture...and you all know how much I love shopping! The other English teacher and I hit the supermarcato and bought some beer. Gotta love Europe. No open container laws here! We sat outside the mall and enjoyed a few beers to kill the time.

Our next excursion was to Grotte di Stiffe. A really cool cave with waterfalls and neat-o rock formations. Since the tour was in Italian, I really can't tell you much about it! It was beautiful though. After that we went to a park and had lunch, then back to the same shopping mall. This time, I did a little shopping. Going to the supermarcato by myself was a little scary, but I survived (and probably gave the cashier a good laugh).

What I'm learning about Italy and Italians:

There is no tolerance of cold - in the form of weather or beverages. On a cool day of about 60-65 degrees everyone was complaining about how cold it was. I thought it was quite comfortable. Granted they don't understand the heat on a New York City subway platform in July, and how much coolness I would gladly take over that experience. Save the Italian who ever has to work in corporate America where the thermostats are kept at a brisk 55 degrees May through September!!!

In the past two weeks, I have drank (at least once) room-temperature water (haven't seen an ice cube since New York), coke, juice and beer. None of which I complained about. Coke is hard to find in the middle of no where, and after one particular rough day, I would have drank boiling beer!

Words I've learned:

Being one of three people who spoke English at the camp, I learned a lot of new words. I'll skip all the boring, practical ones like breakfast, lunch and dinner (colazione, pranzo and cena respectively) and share the more exciting expressions learned. Basta! - Enough; State Zitti - Shut Up (I used this a lot); Stronzini - litle shits (learned this one from the counselors); Silenzio! - Silence; Che palle! - What balls! (this is my favorite)

That's it for now. After two weeks of the simple life, I detest spending the past two and a half hours in this internet cafe.

A wonderful first day in Rome

Living La Dolce Vita 24 hours

My first day in Rome was magical (and productive). Andrea met me at the airport and took me to my new home. It is located between the areas of Marconi and Monteverde (on Via G. Caselli, for you google mapsters). My room is enormous, at least 15' x 10' with a large, private balcony.

Shortly after signing my lease, we received a call from the director of Kid's World (the school I will be teaching at). They had more kids sign up for the language camp than expected and desperately need another teacher. Can I do it? ...Two weeks in the mountains with teenagers from Sardinia and Sicily. All expenses covered, 600euro, tax free. Needless to say, I leave Rome tomorrow for the camp in Casamaina di Lucoli, a tiny town in the Abruzzo region near L'Aquila. Rent covered...financial concern gone...well, for now.

Wanting to get out for a walk, but escape the hot weather, we went to the shopping mall. An air-conditioned mecca of Italian digs and footwear. And we did just that, lap around the mall. Oh, and stop in the grocery for a few necessary items for the house - diet coke, pasta and gelato. I'm only there for one more day!

After all this excitement, we did what all Romans do at 8pm...put on a helmet, zip through the streets of Rome on two wheels, and go to dinner. A wonderful first day!

Funny and interesting things I learned today...

There exists a more organized person in the world than me. I know, hard to believe! Not only did Andrea set me up with a job and an apartment. He arrived prepared with a box of things I may need in the apartment. That's my kind of guy!!

And in language...

I learned quite a few new Italian words today. But I'm slightly jet-lagged and foggy at the moment. What comes to mind is saldo (sale) and soldo (money). I guess that's what happens when you spend an hour lapping a shopping mall!!


Stay tuned...tales from summer camp to come soon...