Jump around!

Cousin time: Brandon and I jumping around in front of one of the old temples to Minerva which is now a church

Whooooa. It's been a while since I last posted. As my brother kindly pointed out in my last post, I'm bad at this. I've been busy the past couple months mostly working, entertaining visitors and just l-i-v-i-n.

The string of visitors began with my darling cousin, Brandon and very good friend Bri. These two are exactly the kind of people you want to visit because they are up for absolutely everything and they get along with everybody. Really I had so much fun with them, I never wanted them to leave....and even still wish they could come back here. To live. Forever. And ever.

Headed to the coolest place in Rome, Circolo degli Artisti, for some dancin' just after finishing up some delicious Ethiopian food in Pigneto

As we were touring around seeing the sites we saw people in random places taking jumping pictures and instantly started to make fun of how stupid they looked jumping around in front of monuments and such. That is, until we decided to try it out. It didn't take long for us to realize that jumping pictures are pretty much the most fun ever, and then we were addicted. From there we jumped all around Rome, with and without pictures.

Not sure if this is how Bernini would picture people enjoying his sculpture in Piazza Navona, or maybe this is EXACTLY what he had in mind

Brandon, center stage in Piazza Minerva. Bernini's elefantino in the background

Another Bernini statue...geez this guy got around. Bri and I got some help jumping from some kind strangers in Piazza Barberini.

This may be my favorite picture ever recorded. I was airborne for a moment and it looks like Bri is trying to stop me from making a huge mistake. Too late.

As always enjoying some delicious pizza and vino in Prati

Still jumpin in Piazza Minerva

Look not jumping! Just... actually I don't actually know what we're doing. The YMCA?

A chilly picnic near Circo Massimo ends in shenanigans 

This one could be termed "falling"

I highly recommend jumping pictures but now I can't find anyone as into it as Brandon and Bri. They're really two of a kind and I can't wait for the next time we get to travel together! I'd pretty much go anywhere with these two. Despite the not-so-great-weather, we had a blast no matter what we did. They just made me laugh, and at a time when I really needed it. Somehow we turned the simple instance of seeing an old lady waddling away from a bus creeping up on her into a two day running joke usually ending in hysterics. And a certain term to describe a certain couple outside the capuchin monastery sparked some interesting laughs as well. And of course there were the really really ridiculously good-looking friends my roommate had visiting which made every daily occurrence with them awkwardly hilarious. Anyway, it was a great time for me and I can't wait to see Brandon and Bri again. Cooooooooooommmmmmmmeeeeee Baaaaaaaaaccccccccckkkkk!

At my place

At ease fellas

Okay so as I was writing the last post I found a job at a new school that had just started up a contract with a Carabinieri school, which would be the American equivalent of a police academy. Let me tell you what, it is a trip! I had all these preconceived notions about what it would be like before I started. I was picturing a sort of compound with squads of police marching to and fro, with people training and doing drills everywhere, with a bunch of dudes in funny hats. I couldn't have had it more right, that is exactly how it is. And maybe I watched  Police Academy too much growing up but I keep waiting for the same kind of practical jokes from a random group of misfits.

Furthermore, I have a class of 25 students, in uniform, all the time (apparently the Carabinieri uniforms were designed by Armani!). And get this, they stand at attention and salute me every morning when I enter and every evening when I leave. I wish someone could have taken a picture of my face (or maybe I'm glad that no one did) on the first day; 30 minutes late because my train was delayed, not even sure that I had the right classroom and once I had a foot in the door they all stood and stomped their feet and presented their company of troops to me. Yikes. My face turned as red as a chili pepper as they stood there staring at me, waiting for me to say something like "at ease" which of course took me several minutes to realize.

This one is just so classic Italian to me. Like I'm not givin' you a break even if you are a priest! Now let's go get a coffee.

First day aside, everyone has really begun to relax and open up and I now consider them to be some of the best students I've had so far. I really feel respected right off the bat. Only this week have they been getting a little rowdy during discussions, and even that has been easily taken care of with my yellow card- red card policy like they have in soccer. If I give them two yellow cards in one lesson they automatically get a red card and have to sit at the back of the class until I decide they can come back. They all get into it and they love soccer anyway so it's a great way to lay down the law.

I do wish there were more women in the class, I only have three in mine and some classes have none. It's a lot of guys. Being one of few women that they see each day out of uniform creates a lot of undue attention, but luckily, nothing inappropriate. Just from walking through the halls at break time I'm starting to get whip lash from turning in all directions to answer all of the "good morning's" thrown my way, and sometimes even the random foot stomp and salute. Oh the power.

I'm always confused by this one. He's so smooth and debonair and she is just really unsure of him and maybe like she's been wronged by him....

So needless to say the best part of my job is the students. The worst part about the job is the commute. I wake up at 5 a.m. every morning, I'm out of the house by 6 a.m. to catch the bus to the train station and then it's an hour train ride, a 15 minute walk up hill and finally by 8:30 a.m., I'm there. But the classes are broken up into 3 week segments with breaks in between which makes the idea of waking up at that ungodly hour a lot more manageable.

I wish I could post pictures of my wonderful class but it's strictly forbidden until they graduate so instead I've posted some of the many hilarious pictures from the building in which I work. They are all carabinieri-themed and most of are intended to be funny, but it's the ones that aren't really intended to be funny are those that make me laugh the most.

I'm back!

I'm finally back in Rome and settled in more or less. It was funny, walking back to the apartment after more than 24 hours of traveling, it felt like we had gone home for a weekend trip only hours away, not at all like we had spent months on the other side of the ocean. Rome is as beautiful as ever and especially when it's sunny it feels like what anyone in Michigan would call a spring day, although everyone is still wearing huge overcoats, boots, and hats. Michiganders would be out in shorts and sandals in this kind of weather. It makes me chuckle everyday.

Although I love being here and being abroad in general, I have to say that living here presents its own challenges. I was just reading an article on how social networks such as Facebook (and I imagine things like blogs) distort the perception we have of people's lives and create a sense of disillusionment. I was just talking about this very thing with friends and family when I was home because many people have this notion that since I am in Italy, my life over here is like a really long vacation. The reality is that the stresses of daily life catch up with you no matter where you are in the world and you have to with the same struggles even if the backdrop is different. You know, a "wherever you go, there you are" kind of thing. The truth is that when we look at someone's Facebook pictures or posts, we are looking into the very best of their lives. The happiest of times. People generally aren't going to show pictures of themselves hyperventilating in the bathroom at work, or writing posts about how hard it was to get out of bed this morning, because that isn't what it's for. It's like watching sound-less home movies from the 1950s or 1960s, everything seems so easy so much simpler but you don't realize that Uncle Joe is drunk again and complaining that the Beatles need to get a haircut and Aunt Mary's on her third pack of cigarettes and its only noon.

Don't get me wrong, when I first moved here I thought everyone was going to think I was crazy and instead I've received such an incredible amount of support from everyone and I can't even express how much I appreciate that people care what I'm doing here. I just mean to say that it's not always sunshine and roses. So, an update:

The good: I had such a wonderful time being home and being constantly around family and friends (and also my cat).  I didn't get pictures with everyone but I got to see my wonderful aunts and uncles and cousins from both sides of the family at anniversaries, housewarmings, and christmas functions. It was great to see those I'd gone so long without seeing. Also, one of the best things about coming back to Rome is that this time around is that I already have some good friends here. When I came last time, it was just me and Erich bumming around day after day. Another great thing as been that we got the same apartment back. These things have made life so much easier.

The fam at Mario's

The best of the best

Spittin' image

The bad: My job. I went into work just a few days after being back and although was told there would be ample work for me when I returned, this turned out not to be the case. So this hiccup has sent me into a tizzy for the past few weeks looking for other jobs and generally questioning all of my life decisions thus far. Now things have started to turn around and I am finding more teaching positions. But it is tough. I'm also still trying to get into one of the NGOs here so that I can use my degree, but I'm finding that to be the most difficult thing. Something else that is difficult is that I miss everyone so much more now that I've been home.

So, I've slowly just been trying to build things back up here. Meanwhile Erich, knowing that his work would be slow right now, has left to travel in Turkey. Originally he wanted to go to Egypt and Tunisia, but in lieu of recent events, that is no longer a feasible option. So, he'll be traveling for the next month or so, but I remain here in Rome enjoying a bit more independence and have the opportunity to do the things that Erich normally does, of which cooking is the first. I told him one of three things was going to happen while he was gone: 1.) I would become an amazing cook, 2.) I would lose 10 lbs., or 3.) I would go broke eating out all of the time. So far, I'm somewhere between numbers 2 and 3. Last night, for example, I had a bowl of yogurt and 4 pieces of brocolli for dinner. Yikes. Luckily, a good friend of mine has taken it upon herself to help me cook and to keep me fed. Coming up: stuffed peppers!

Tilly :)

Ciambella

I am happy to say that I have graduated from speaking Italian at the infant-level to at least toddler-level by now. I can get my basic thoughts and ideas across but if pressed for more I just get kind of cranky and want to take a nap. This is mostly thanks to my amazing roommate, Acerina who is unfailingly patient and kind. But, gradually, piano piano, things are coming together.

Erich and the wonderful Acerina dancing in the streets for the Wine Festival in Marino

In front of the "wine fountain" in Marino, why the cowboy hat? No clue. After many glasses of wine it seemed like a good idea

My favorite word in Italian so far is Ciambella. It floats off the tongue in 3 expressive syllables ciam ("Cham" sounds like how Elizabeth Taylor would pronounce "charming") and then the typical Italian word for beautiful bel-la (said often and to everyone ciao bella! che bella! grazie bello!). What does it mean? Well, donut of course! It figures that my favorite word would be a pastry. After sampling many ciambelle I've found that they are all different from region to region. Usually a pastry or cake with a hole in the middle but some are as dense as a bagel, some are crispy and flaky. In Rome they have the more traditional style but always really fresh, and I hear that in the north they make a fancier cake-like pastry (I want to go to there). There is even a neat little saying to go with it. Of course there is! Italian is famous for it's food-related sayings; "Non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco," not all ciambelle have a hole. In a nutshell, nothing's perfect! So, there you have it beautiful, diverse and forgiving.

Ciambelle aren't the only thing in which I've been indulging. I've continued my long-standing relationship with the cannoli while I've been here. I actually went so far as to poll my students for the best cannoli place in town and it came down to two. There was actually a debate, nay, an argument that erupted in one of my 10 classes about which was the best. So, after having my students give me detailed directions through an intricately arranged homework assignment, I honed in on the two cannoli candidates and commenced CANNOLI WARS 2010. It came down to Mizzica, near Piazza Bologna and Dagnino, near Piazza Repubblica. Both are Sicilian, one from Catania and the other from Palermo. My favorite was Mizzica, creamy and sweet--but not too sweet--with the subtle flavor of ricotta coming through and finished off on each end with a sprinkling of crushed pistacchio nuts.

The results were split as Acerina and I went with Mizzica, and Erich and our other roommate, Nauzet, liked Dagnino. It was a draw, no winner, but we may need more testers for the results to be truly fair. I've been looking for a good saying involving cannoli and no such luck. But there is another one I can't get enough of; the equivalent of the English "you can't have your cake and eat it too" is "Non si puo avere la botte piena è la moglie ubriaca": You can’t have a full bottle and a drunken wife. 

Another suggestion from my students: Best tiramisu in the city at Bar Pompi near Re di Roma metro stop
Have your cake and eat it too! And when your finished go get your wife drunk at the Wine Festival.

THE FAM!

The fam in hanging out in Rome

 I'm finally getting around to reporting on summer stuff. It's only OCTOBER, why not?

Just as I was getting hit with a bout of homesickness, home came to visit me. My Aunt Cec brought her whole crew (Brandon, Ashley, Ryan, Teresa, Kyle, Michelle, and Tom) to visit Italy at the end of August. I was unbelievably happy to see them. I met them in Cassino, right near the village. Turning around to see everyone, my closest family, was such an amazing rush of home.

Catching the train, Cassino to Napoli

Seeing everyone initially was nothing compared to the feeling of catharsis I felt, and I think we all felt, when we arrived in Villa Latina; the place we'd heard so many stories about growing up, the place from where we all began in some form or another (I know it's sappy). From there, we traveled to Napoli, Sorrento, and then back up to Roma before saying ciao.

The cemetery/mausoleum in Villa Latina

There were so many great highlights from their visit, but here's my Top Ten for their visit:

1.) Being in the Old Country. Obviously, just traveling with them to Villa Latina was the biggest highlight. It made the whole experience of our shared heritage that much deeper. We even went to the cemetery to do a little reconnaissance on our family tree. There we found basically the same 5 names over and over again. Two of them were ours: Valente and Rossi. Our roots in the village go pretty deep, and I'm not sure if we can even begin to understand how far it spans.

The whole gang outside of Nonna and Papa's house

Erich, Ashley, Brandon, Teresa, and Kyle in the back yard of the house

2.) Quality Van Time (QVT). While in Villa Latina, 10 of us packed in a mini-van made for 7. This made for a nice reminder of our childhoods for me. Brandon, Ashley, and Ryan were all born around the same time as me and my brothers inevitably tying us together for life. When we were growing up our Mom's both had these big conversion vans that we'd all pile into for family gatherings and road trips. This always included an inappropriate amount of goofing off and fighting over seats. I am proud to say that 20 some years later, it is the same. Piling into that mini-van, for me, was like going back to that time when we were all kids.

One of our less cramped rides in the van

3.) Scooter rides. A major high point was Ryan renting a scooter in one of the most dangerous cities for driving in Italy: Napoli. People joke on a daily basis here about the horrible driving in Napoli, but Ryan was determined to find and rent a moto wherever he could. His girlfriend, Michelle, quickly jumped on board with the idea and with him as they toured around Napoli and later Rome on moto. They even gave rides to select family and friends. The only snag: they did technically get pulled over in Napoli by the police, and maybe even some members of the military, but that's neither here nor there! (Oh yeah, Brandon almost crashed the moto during his 30 second test drive).

Ryan and Michelle in their element, me hopping on for a short ride

4.) Family among family. Meeting more family with the fam. Aunt Cec made everything easier in terms of meeting people. She had been to the village before and after my grandparents, she's had the most contact with people in Villa Latina. Also, she speaks the dialect; Villa Latinese, which helped immensely! 

Cousins! Gabriele and Cecilia

The whole fam-damily: Gabriele and his crew

5.) An unexpected meeting for coffee. We met people that I didn't even know existed! We went to visit Papa's family's old cantina and just happened to strike up a conversation with the people across the street, that it turned out we were related to. Of course we were! Liliana and Umberto invited the whole family to coffee later that day and chatted with us about the family and even showed us a few old pictures. One of which with my Dad as a baby and my Papa looking just like my older brother. Spitting image!

Our cousin Maria's bar in Atina

6.) Villa Fortuna. This is the hotel we stay at every time we go to Villa Latina. It's run by two of the kindest people out there; Marcello and Christine (who is also from the Great Lake State originally). They also have a restaurant inside of the hotel which serves delicious food at a really fair price. We also found that Christine's Fettuccine al Sugo tasted just like Nonna's...pure heaven.

One of many meals at Villa Fortuna

Villa Fortuna balcony

7,) Ryan breaking his chair at the pizzeria. While at dinner one night Ryan totally fell through his chair. This is strange because Ryan is the most fit (fittest?) person I know. Really, fitness is his life, and that's why it was so hilarious to see the chair give out underneath him. Quick note: the entire extended family LOVED Ryan. They remember him as the "wild child" from when he was a kid, running all over the place, and getting into everything. They were cracking up at his jokes and swooning over his effort in speaking Italian. I don't think he's ever gotten so many laughs, not even when he was a stand-up comedian, but this crowd was loving him. What's not to love.

8,)  Visita di Roma. Getting to show the family around Roma awesome. We saw all the major stuff and made sure to walk the 5 minutes from our apartment to St. Peter's. There, I also got to spend some quality time with Ashley, just the two of us like when we were kids. We used to live together too, so wherever we are we always have to find some "alone time" to chat about what's going on with us.

9.) Brandon-isms. In Sorrento Brandon witnessed a large bird taking a sandwich right out of some one's hand. The story itself is not nearly as funny as the enthusiasm Brandon put forth to tell it. When not getting the desired response he just kept repeating "right out of his hand!" This quickly became a running joke. This is also when I learned that Brandon continues to repeat things until he gets the desired response. Brandon was cracking me up in general while he was here. In the photo below we see Brandon unexpectedly poking his head through a gladiator costume unexpectedly thus freaking out his mother, while I am reacting to her reaction. I really love the triangle of strange looks we have here. Then we have a photo of the following ten minutes when we were talking about what happened 15 minutes before.

10.) Quality Pizza Time (QPT): Pizzeria in Napoli and quality bonding time with Brandon, Ryan, Michelle, Erich and me. In general I was all about the bonding time.

Pizza at the famous Da Michele in Napoli

Out in Napoli

Mini dance party in Erich and my apartment

I can't wait to see everyone again for the holidays. Family is without a doubt what I miss most about home.  Once the rest of the family left, Aunt Cec and Tom stayed on for an extra week to travel around the village, more on that soon!

Embarrassing Moment #558

Today, while walking home on Via Cola di Rienzo, I fell. Normally this is something I have to worry about in Michigan in the winter, not so much on a 70 degree sunny day in Italy. It wasn't a small fall either, it was a big over-the-top, Olympic figure skater style fall. It also just happened to be on the corner where a street performer was loudly playing the trumpet. So, naturally, every one's attention was already turned in that direction when I slipped on the marble slant of the side walk and tumbled into this trumpeteer's open suitcase in which he was collecting money. People from all four corners of the surrounding streets stopped to gape at the spectacle I created. I fell right in front of the line of cars waiting for the green light and I heard someone exclaim the much- used mamma mia! The trumpeteer stopped playing his music after I went down (the sudden silence thus bringing more attention to the spectacle) in order to help me up. To top things off, I was also carrying two bags and my purse, so my stuff went everywhere. Another older gentleman quickly came over and started cursing about how old and dangerous the streets are, reassuring me that this was the fault of the street, not me. Of course it was! Damn street, it's not that I'm a chronically clumsy person--no, no--I'm gonna go with the street on this one. I've got some gnarly bruises and scrapes on  my knees and forearms and a cut on my hand, but otherwise I'm good. Once I collected my bags dusted off my clothes and FINALLY made the walk of shame across the street I noticed my hand was dripping with blood that started spilling onto my bags (one of which being a birthday present for a friend), I was one hot mess!

The moment before you fall is always a funny one, like your brain hasn't caught up with your body's failure yet and everything is in slow motion.  Although I am ALWAYS slipping on the streets, this was my first fall here, but I'm willing to bet it's not the last. It's funny, I think I should have been more embarrassed for myself but I just wasn't. I've had a rough couple of weeks lately so I'm glad I kind of let myself off the hook. By the time I got home haggard as I was, I was freely and genuinely cracking up at myself.

Southward Bound!

The sunset in Soverato, Calabria

So then! After by good friend Brooke left Roma, I spent two days in my new apartment and then I was off again. My friend Amy and I were heading south to the region of Calabria and then to Sicily.

Amy with our fierce ride....the FIAT PANDA

A word about Amy. She just might be the coolest ever. I met Amy in Berlitz teacher training and we immediately clicked. We both have a mid-western sense of humor (whatever that means) and we spent a lot of the training cracking each other up. It seemed that we were living parallel lives for a little while there with our work experience, travels abroad, and just general interests. Amy's got this awesome energy. She's admiringly honest and truthful and incredibly generous. You can't walk into Amy's house without getting wine, cheese, or a meal. So, when Amy even uttered the words road trip I jumped on board.

The Panda comes with many features such as the spacious back seat, great for  a night's sleep

Amy took the front

We rented a Fiat Panda, a little car that not only got us where we needed to go, but also provided lodging for us one night when we decided not to spend the money on an over-priced hotel room by the sea. We also met up with Amy's friend, Sara, in a little sea side town called Davoli near Soverato, and got a chance to swim in the beautiful Ionian Sea, hang out on the beach for a little while, and do some line dancing with some old folks--you know the usual.

Miz Amy and our awesome guide Sara right before we joined in the dancing

Calabria

From there we were headed along the coast to Locri, another seaside town in Calabria. Some of the towns we drove through seemed like really cool places, but once we got to Locri we found that we weren't all that impressed so we kept right on moving and headed up the mountain until we stumbled upon the medieval village of Gerace. It was like no place I'd ever been before; small, with everything made of stone, and most streets barely big enough to fit even the smallest car. You get the feeling that Gerace in present day isn't all that different than it was hundreds of years ago, that its preserved its most important features in a way that many other towns and villages have lost. Gerace is basically perched up on a rock-hill made of what used to be sea fossils and has a fantastic view of countryside, mountains, and the water. Determined not to spend another night in the Fiat, we found a really awesome, quaint place called Il Giardino di Gerace. The man who runs Il Giardino, Fernando, was a linguist, a historian, and a teacher who told us everything under the sun about Gerace. He was so helpful in fact, that when the internet was down, he sent me to his son-in-laws house (just a few confusing, winding streets away) with his wife as my guide. I would definitely like to spend more time there.

The view from our hotel in Gerace

Gerace

Porta in Gerace

We then followed the coast to the toe of the boot where we dropped off our beloved Panda for the ferry to Sicily and then the train to Palermo to meet our wonderful friend, host, and Sicilian native, Antonino. We also met up with Erich as soon as we got to Palermo since he couldn't sit home and let me have all the fun!

Sicily was such an amazing mix of cultural flavors. It's been invaded by the Greeks, the Normans, and the Arabs among others, and for a long time has felt both pulled to the unified pride of Italy and disenfranchised from it. It still has a large mafia presence (I probably referenced The Godfather about 10 minimum each day we were there) and some of the richest food to be found. I saw a man in Messina eat a piece of lasagna as big as your head in three huge, quick bites and then immediately ask for another with cheeks still full of pasta. That's love.

Dessert night with our great hosts

Erich and Amy in Palermo

As soon as I planned this trip to Sicily, I knew I was going to be in Cannoli Heaven, but I had no idea just how good they were going to be. It was like a little bit of heaven on earth. One night we went out with the sole intention of trying Sicily's best and most typical desserts. It was like my birthday times a thousand. My favorite, however, is still and forever will remain Cannoli. When I think of my "happy place" it always includes a Cannolo. Among my favorite things about Palermo was the diverse architecture, the brilliant sea, and the amazing food (of course). Antonino did such a great job showing us the best of Palermo and even endured a pretty vicious encounter with a jelly fish just to show us the best seaside views.

The Norman Catedral in Palermo

Abandoned, earthquake stricken building

Behold the beauty and wonder of The Cannoli

Took a visit to Monreale outside of Palermo

The clouds slowly crept down on this mountain

Although the trip southward wore me out, I couldn't have asked for more, and can't wait to go back to Sicily for more exploring.