Past couple of weeks!

Just wanted to fill you guys in on the past couple of weeks and what I've been up to!

Last Saturday, September 12th, I woke up super early and got on a train heading towards Pompei. I spent the entire day exploring the ruins with the help of my little guide book. It was so interesting! I'm not a big history person but who could NOT get chills just walking through that city, frozen in time, with Mt. Vesuvius looming in the background!? It was a great adventure but it completely wore me out. Afterwards I had lunch before getting on the train back to Naples and had a great conversation with my server. He was Ukrainian but from Chicago, now lives in Naples and works at a restaurant in Pompei, and is going to the Ukraine in a couple of weeks for university. He was able to speak English, Italian, Ukraine, and Russian. How crazy is that!?

That evening I met up with my friend Lucia for coffee. Lucia is a girl I met through Rosa while on vacation in Gaeta. She is my age and is studying law at the university in Naples. She is such a sweetheart and speaks perfect English and I am so glad to now have a friend like her!

September 14th was Chiara's first day of school. Vittoria had already been going to school for a couple of weeks, but now we are getting settled into a schedule with both of them going. They both start at different times and need to get picked up at different times and for right now only Vittoria is eating lunch at school but eventually they will both stay longer and both eat lunch at school. Anyways, it has been really nice having the mornings to myself. I've been able to take my time with my morning workout and not feel so rushed, I can get a little shopping done, and I've been taking on projects around the house. One day I organized the girls' closet, another day I organized their dresser. Now I am slowly weeding through all of their toys...I've already thrown away a few bag fulls of pure junk - scraps of paper, broken bits, etc. Rosa said we can go to Ikea and buy some nice storage bins or an organizing unit. I love doing stuff like this!

This past Sunday, the 20th, I met up with Lucia and two of her girlfriends. These girls were super nice as well, and one of them spoke absolutely flawless English. When she would talk, she didn't struggle at all and honestly sounded like a native-English speaker. She knew all the abbreviations, idioms, everything. That is my GOAL with the Italian language!

On Monday, Chiara and Vittoria went to the pool for their 'proofing' session - to see if they would be able to take swimming classes. Chiara did a great job but Vittoria cried a lot and needed a lot of hand-holding; at 2 1/2 years old I think she is a bit too young. So the next day, Tuesday, we went back to the pool for Chiara's first lesson and so that Vittoria could proof again. They are so cute together in the pool, and one of their teachers, Giuseppe, is easy on the eyes so I don't mind sitting there for an hour ;) See video below!

Tuesday was also my 4-month mark of being in Italy! I feel like I have been here so much longer, maybe because I have been experiencing so much it doesn't seem possible that it all could have fit into 4 months! Either way, time is flying, so I'm making sure to 'stop and smell the roses' because I'm sure that before I know it, my year in Naples will be over. I can't even begin to imagine!

Today was my onomastico, which means 'name day'. There's really no translation or equivalent for it in English, but basically it means that if you share your name with a saint, then on the day of that saint, you have a little celebration, kind of like a mini-birthday. Today is the day of Santa Elisabetta, so, it's my onomastico. We celebrated with a yummy cake after dinner :)

And last but not least, my parents will be here in 11 days! I could not be more ecstatic! This is the longest I've ever gone without seeing my parents and I am craving a big bear hug from both of them! On top of that, I'm excited to share my love and enthusiasm for Italy with them!

Street Fashion in Naples

I’ve always had a strong interest in fashion and like to think that I'm pretty original with my style, but between a lack of creativity and a lack of money, I know I’m only kidding myself by thinking this way. While my style may not boring, there is definitely not anything special about it. I have the best intentions to be creative with my clothing but my wardrobe still consists of basic jeans, basic tops, and a few cute dresses. After 4 months in Naples I am still trying to figure out the fashion here, and it’s hard to resist temptation to buy items that are staples in every Neapolitan woman’s closet. Which makes me wonder: even for the most independent-minded, do your surroundings really impact who you are? Can you EVER really be an ‘individual’ or have you ‘own style’? I think not. Of course we all have choices as to what we wear or what kind of personality we exude, but I think it all boils down to availability. If you’re a sport-loving comfort-seeking type of person who only ever wears Nike sweatsuits and sneakers, and you move to Italy, you might eventually start wearing nice jeans and designer loafers, simply because your old sweatsuits aren’t available here.

I think that Neapolitans, as all Italians in general, take fashion very seriously. Not even necessarily what they are literally wearing, but their makeup, hair, the way they present themselves, and overall the type of ‘air’ that they give off. Without fail, every time I go out in public, I walk past some beautiful Italian woman, gracefully walking down the impossible cobblestone streets in the highest of heels, hair blowing in the breeze, and absolutely radiating confidence. They take so much pride in how they look.

So I’ve decided to take to the streets and do some research. What are the most common styles here in Napoli? What is one thing that almost everyone seems to own? And most amusing – why do I stick out like a sore thumb when I wear ripped up Abercrombie jeans and Rainbow flip flops?

Popular trends I’ve spotted in Naples:

• One-piece outfits and jumpsuits

• Harem pants
• Italian women never wear shorts, especially never jean shorts. Shorts are considered beach-wear only. If you see anything above the knee, it might be something like this:
• Sunglasses are an important accessory…I’ve found that both the ‘aviator’ and ‘way-farer’ style by Ray Ban are still most popular

• Shoes
-Lots of wedges and espadrilles


-Hogan shoes are really popular, especially with men, but I can't bring myself to like them! To me they look like New Balance knock-offs, and I've never been a fan of New Balance...

-Absolutely no flip flops (considered beach wear only) or gym/running sneakers (exercise only). Even stilettos aren’t that popular…I actually feel kind of out-of-place if I wear my Nine West classic black pumps.

-Other shoes that are really popular: Chuck Taylors or other trendy sneakers like Diesel and colorful Nike high-tops

-Possibly the most popular shoes for women in Italy are boots: leather, suede, flat, high heeled, cowboy, platform…any style and with any outfit, dress, skirt, shorts, pants…. However, UGGS are not popular in Italy at all! I don’t think I can live without my UGGS in the winter so I’ll just have to deal with sticking out!

• To me, one of the best accessories EVER is a stylish moped helmet slung on your arm!


• Other accessories: Louis Vuitton purses and belts are still very popular. Alviero Martini is huge right now, especially in Naples, and everyone seems to own a piece from this collection…I’m sure most are knock-offs. Rosa has a really nice Alviero Martini watch. I’ve seen purses, watches, belts, even shoes by him. The purse below runs for about $500.

• Color coordination seems to be very popular. One day I saw a woman wearing dark purple jeans with a light purple top and a purple jacket. Same goes for red, green, any color of the rainbow.

Typical outfits I always see when out and about:

Typical outfit #1: A short-sleeved button up shirt, tucked into skinny jeans, a nice belt, and a pair of wedges or boots.

Typical outfit #2: Knee-length flowy dress or skirt, cute top, saggy belt, and boots or wedges.

Typical outfit #3: T-shirt featuring Hello Kitty or Paul Frank or some other image, tucked into skinny jeans, and Chuck Taylors or some other sneakers.

Now...You sing in heaven

I feel kind of special that in 50 years when people say “Man, remember when Michael Jackson died?”, I can say “Oh yea! I was nannying in Italy then…” It’s one of those things like, where were you when the first man walked on the moon? Or, where were you when you found out JFK was assassinated? Well, I was living and working in Italy when Michael Jackson died, and it was extremely interesting to get the international perspective on it.

I was reading the news online before bed, actually reading about the death of Farrah Fawcett, and right before shutting off my computer I refreshed my homepage to see if there were any new headlines. There was: Michael Jackson was being taken to the hospital for something or the other. I admit I rolled my eyes, thinking, “there’s always something with that guy”…and off I went to sleep. The next morning I logged back online and there it was: MICHAEL JACKSON, DEAD. I went into the living room where Rosa, Bruno, the girls, Bruno’s mom, and the house keeper were all chatting. I asked them if they knew Michael Jackson (stupid question, of course they knew him) and I shared the news. Rosa was completely devastated! She started going on and on about how her and her girlfriends used to listen to MJ so much in high school, his music reminds her of her youth, etc. etc. The housekeeper just kept saying “mamma mia…e’ morto…mamma mia.”

For the next couple of days it was all over the news and that was all anyone talked about. We even got to watch the funeral, streamed live from LA straight into our living room in Naples. For weeks after that, I would see t-shirts in store windows remembering Michael, every car that drove by was blasting Michael, every bar and restaurant was playing Michael. Additionally, the next three books I read mentioned Michael Jackson (even just briefly) and it made me think, he really is synonymous with America, just like baseball and apple pie. His name is one that can be said in any situation and everyone will know exactly what you are talking about – like in the three books I read. When my cousin came to visit me, 2 times in a row we were in a cab and the driver realized we were American and immediately put in a Michael Jackson CD. We would ask everyone what their favorite Michael song was and the answer was always ‘triller’ (Italians have such a hard time making the ‘th’ sound – so it’s just ‘triller’). There was also so much in the news about how people across the globe actually learned to speak English through listening to MJ’s music.

Read more about MJ and Italia here


Look closely! Underneath 'Bye Michael' it says 'now..you sing in heaven.' Shirt in a store window in Piazza Dante.

Learning to Change...

When I brought Chiara to school this morning, I saw something that has provoked a lot of thought as I’ve been doing things around the house today. A classroom down the hall from hers is doing a big project, and they have pictures and drawings hanging on the walls outside of their classroom to show everybody. Guess what the project is? Making wine! Now, you might not think it’s such a big deal, but think again. First of all, these kids are 3, 4, and 5 years old. Second of all, this is a private Catholic school. And the kids are making wine in class! How awesome is that! I think it’s awesome because wine is such a huge part of the Italian culture. People use it in cooking, as a drink to compliment their dinner, as a drink to compliment their dessert, everything. When a teen is offered their first taste of wine at a special occasion, it’s kind of like a right-of-passage. But in America, wine – or any alcohol – is seen completely differently. By religious fanatics it’s viewed as a sin and they don’t understand why Catholics drink wine in church. For teenagers it’s the forbidden fruit that they can't wait to get their hand on. And for college kids and beyond, it’s a vehicle that leads only to drunkenness and bad decisions.

Could you imagine the uproar if the kindergarteners at your local elementary school started making wine as a class project? I mean, if parents and educators were flipping out about the president of our country merely talking to students about the important of education, imagine what they would say about wine. It makes me think a lot about the differences in the Italian versus the American culture and lifestyle. So, I wanted to share with you all some other cultural differences I’ve noticed in the past few months. It’s rather interesting!

The first, and my least favorite, is that air conditioning is virtually non-existent. Buildings and homes in Italy are extremely old; definitely built long before air conditioning was even invented. It would be impossible to install an AC system and vents and all that good stuff. It is possible to get an AC unit that you can attach to a wall, but they are very expensive and cause your electric bill to sky-rocket. Anyways, the buildings being as old as they are, they were built with stone and brick and other materials that give them the ability to stay pretty cool in the hottest of temperatures. However, on the flip side, I’ve never been in a car in Italy that had the air conditioning turned on. You would think since its sweltering hot outside, and it’s not like they have to pay a ‘bill’ for how much AC they use in a car, that they would use it all the time. Right? Nope! If you’re lucky, the window may be cracked a bit. I think this all goes back to an old wives tale of the Colpo d’aria, or the fear that a gust of cool air in the middle of summer will make you sick.

Another odd difference is that all of the refrigerators in Italy are really small. Most food products in Italy, including wine, have no preservatives in them, so there is literally no such thing as ‘stocking the fridge for the week.’ Most Italians go out every morning, or at least every other morning, to buy fresh milk, fresh bread, fresh meat and other things that they will need for just that day. Doing a huge grocery shopping every couple of weeks is literally unheard of. I kind of like it better this way, because the products we get are fresh. For example, mozzarella di bufala, is actually controlled by a law and cannot be stored for any longer than 48 hours. So to be sure that the mozzarella you’re buying is fresh, you can look for the ‘DOP’ stamp of approval. How great! To go along with this, all of the supermarkets are really small. This is because you only go to the supermarket for your basic items; then you go to the bakery for your bread, the market for your fruits and veggies, the butcher for your meat, etc.

Something else that I couldn’t help but notice is the dynamics of the Italian family. Most profound is the fact that children live with their parents until they get married. Rosa lived with her mom until literally the day of her wedding, when she was 28. Rosa has a younger sister, Mary, who is 26 years old, finished with school, has a career as a dentist, has bought herself a beautiful car, and she still lives at home with her mom! Her mom still packs her lunch every day! This concept is just so hard for me to grasp because I’ve been on my own for the past 4 years and I’m only 22. I love my parents to death but if I had to live with them until I got married, I might marry the next guy I see just to get the hell out of their house! Same for Mario, the guy I met in Gaeta. He’s even older than Mary, has a career as well, and lives at home with his parents. He keeps asking me when I’m going to come visit him in Caserta, and all I can think is “And, what? Sleep on your parent’s couch and have un caffé with them in the morning?!”

The lists of differences can go on and on forever. No screens on the windows, no ice in drinks, a bidet in every bathroom, washing machines but no dryers, month-long vacations, folk dances and songs, and more. Most have a long explanation behind them, as do all things in Italy. Italy is a country full of culture and tradition that dates back years and years and years.

Read more about Italian traditions and customs here!

Pondering...

I was talking to an old high school friend the other day, and congratulated him on his recent marriage. We talked about married life for a bit, and then, came the inevitable: the question I am almost always asked. “Aren’t you married or engaged yet? Why not?”

It baffles me that, first of all, people feel so comfortable as to pry into your private life like that. I could be gay and unable to get married for all they know. Or I could have plans to join a convent, dedicate my life to God, and never get married. Maybe I just went through a horrible break up and I am anti-men for the time being. Or maaaaaybe, possibly, perhaps, perchance, I dare say.…I am way too YOUNG and don’t WANT to be married! I just turned 22 years old, and I just graduated college. I’m not done doing all the fun things that people in their 20’s do! I want to sleep in late and party all night and maybe kiss a cute guy I meet at a bar! Or do whatever I want without having to fill someone in on my whereabouts! Why, at my age, do I want to ‘play house’ and have dinner on the table at 6 for when my husband walks through the door, briefcase in hand? Yes, of course, I would like to do that SOMEday…but today is not the day. Yes of course I want a beautiful house and a few children and a good 9-5 job and a nice big SUV for soccer games on the weekends….just not yet. It’s so odd to think that the two girls I nanny for are actually younger than the children of some of my old classmates. Vittoria and Chiara could, theoretically, be MY daughters. That thought freaks me out and that’s why I’m not ready for marriage and children yet!

In addition to that, I always wonder about married couples who were 'high-school sweethearts'. Couples who dated all through high school (or even before), all through college and after, and eventually got married. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this, as this is the situation with my own brother and his wife. But couples like this, who say they are with their 'soul-mate'....how do they know this person is their soulmate, if this is the only person they've ever been with? They've never left the town that they grew up in, never got the chance to meet other people, and now they are married to their 'soulmate'...as if they have searched the world twice over to find them. I just don't get it.

Think about it. Most people live to be about 85, 90, even 100 years old these days. That means if you get married even as late as 35, you still have 50 PLUS years with this person! What is the rush!? So many people I went to high school with have started having children, or have gotten married, or both! If that’s what they truly want and they are truly happy with their life, well, I am happy for them. I just can’t do it yet. There are so many things I want to do…so many things I want to see. There are too many opportunities in the world for me to push them aside for a walk down the aisle and a baby registry at Target. I know this may sound preachy, or cliché, but the world is literally at everyone’s fingertips…so why not grab it! I know it’s expensive to travel, and I don’t come from the wealthiest of families, but I’ve been able to manage. And now that I’ve spent some time in Europe, I’ve realized just how easy it is to travel. And it’s so addicting!

Take author Elizabeth Gilbert, for example. You may have heard of a little book she wrote: “Eat, Pray, Love”, that is being turned into a major-motion picture starring Julia Roberts and part of it is being filmed in Naples, right now, as I type this. On Gilbert’s website, she talks of the days when she would literally travel the world on a waitress’s paycheck. She would work her ass off, picking up every single shift she could, and in 6 months time she would have enough money to travel wherever she wanted for a couple of weeks. Yea, she gave up having things like nice clothes and a nice car, but it’s all about what’s more important to you. My point is this: traveling is not such a far-fetched idea. Anyone can get a passport, anyone can save up and buy a plane ticket, anyone can book a hotel room. A week in Rome is not just a dream – it’s a reality. It can be anybody’s reality.

I know all of this has nothing to do with me sharing my life as a nanny with you. But, in a roundabout way, it has absolutely everything to do with it. If I had done what most girls I graduated with did...who knows where I'd be. I probably would have had a baby right out of highschool (or even while in highschool.) I might be married. I would have never gone to a University, thus never getting the chance to study abroad, thus never finding out about the chances of being an Au Pair in Europe. It scares me to think I may have never gotten these oppurtunities! Without rambling too much I just want to conclude by saying a few things. First of all, if you have started having children or have gotten married at a young age, I’m not dissing you. I’m truly happy for you if you are happy for yourself. That’s just not the life for me – not right now, anyways. So when people say to me, “But you’re such a pretty girl, how could you be single!?” I just let them know that it is my CHOICE to be like this, that this is the lifestyle I have chosen, and that being a free spirit and being independent and traveling and writing and meeting people from all over the world and learning a new language is the most important thing in my life right now. The house with the picket fence and the babies and the mortgage and all that fun stuff can come later. Much, much later.

Buona Giornata!

Filling you all in on the past 3 months!

The morning of Wednesday, May 20th, I said goodbye to everything I know and got on a plane, heading to Naples, Italy, to live for one year. It was one of the most exciting and exhilarating feelings I’ve ever experienced, but at the same time, very nerve-racking. I was absolutely thrilled to be returning to the country I fell in love with exactly one year earlier, when I spent a month studying in Florence. But I was second-guessing myself for giving up so much. First and foremost, I had to say goodbye to my family, friends, and (then) boyfriend for a year. That might be easy for a lot of people, but I am extremely family-oriented, and thrive off of my friends, so it was really difficult for me to do. Secondly, I gave up my cute little apartment that I adored so much, I gave up my fun job at a sports bar (and possible promotion to bartender), and we put my beloved “Goldie” (my car) up for sale. I had to kiss goodbye my dear cat, Cooper, who had been a great companion for the past 2 years and, to me, symbolized me gaining independence. But hardest of all, I was giving up a year of my youth. I had just graduated college, and just turned 22 two days beforehand. No more lying on the couch and watching TV all day. No more all-night bar hopping and after-parties at my apartment. No more wasted days at the beach, sleeping in, road trips, lunches out, dinners out. No more irresponsibility. I was literally about to become the mother of two precious little Italian girls, and I knew my life would never be the same.

I arrived in Naples the morning of May 21st, after 24 hours of traveling. After retrieving my luggage, I searched for Rosa in the crowd. I knew what she looked like from pictures and from when we would chat on web-cam and spotted her right away. We rushed to each other, and I immediately tried to hug her, but she tried kissing me on both cheeks, and it was kind of an awkward moment (way to go Liz!) but we brushed it off and started heading towards the exit. How relieved I was to be with Rosa! We had spent months corresponding and I was so happy to finally be with her in person. She helped me with my luggage as we stepped out into – brace yourself – the extreme heat, strong sunshine, pollution, and absolute chaos of Napoli. Forget looking both ways before you cross the road – you just have to go! Or else you will never get across. “Don’t worry, they won’t hit you!” reassured Rosa of the oncoming traffic as she led the way to her tiny little Ford. Finally we were in the car and on the way to the house. It was sweltering, and I instantly remembered how anti-AC Italians are. I dared crack the window a bit for some fresh air as I clutched the sides of my seat, feeling like I was on the most intense ride at Kings Dominion. Naples is notorious for its traffic. It’s the one place in Europe, or possibly the whole world, where all social order breaks down and it’s every man for himself. Lights and signs are ignored; people double- and triple-park, there is literally no speed limit, and the carabinieri are a bit preoccupied to care. It’s insane, but kind of fun!

When we arrived to the house, I immediately recognized the area from the hours I spent on Google Earth before I left. I got to meet Rosa’s mom and 2-year-old Vittoria right away; 3-year-old Chiara was at school and the dad, Bruno, was at work. Rosa’s mom fixed me the most delicious plate of spaghetti I’ve probably ever had; I gulfed it down and took the most amazing nap. Hours later I was woken up by both Chiara and Vittoria (probably curious to check out ‘the new nanny!’). Rosa told me that for weeks they had been asking “When is the girl in the computer coming!?” referring to when I would talk to them on web-cam. I took a bit of time to familiarize myself with the apartment, and just couldn’t get over their beautiful terrace and the amazing view they have. They live in Capodimonte, which is a neighborhood of Naples that is up in the hills. From their terrace you can see almost all of Naples, including the sea and even the island of Capri, which is right off the coast. After a while we got in the car to go buy regalia, a present, for Rosa’s baby niece who was getting baptized that Sunday. Later on, we went to the park with the girls. The park also provided a great view of Naples as well as Mount Vesuvius in the distance. That evening I unpacked my belongings and got settled into what would be my new home for the next year. I took a long hot shower and have to admit that I cried myself to sleep that night, thinking, how can I do this? How can I sleep in this tiny bed, in the same bedroom as a 3-year-old? How can I ever overcome the language barrier? How can I survive without all the comforts of home?

The next few weeks were a complete whirlwind. I was getting into a routine with the girls, meeting both Rosa’s and Bruno’s sides of the family, learning to cook for the girls (pasta sauce from a jar? Never! Always fresh tomatoes or beans or other vegetables), adjusting to the food (I told them I love seafood, but I never meant octopus!) and just adjusting to the lifestyle in general. One weekend we went to Sorrento for a little get-away. Sorrento is absolutely charming. Another weekend I worked up some courage and went to Capri on my own. I should have done a little research before I went, because once I got there, I had no clue what to do! I just walked around the main piazza, sat on the beach for a bit, then headed back home. The week of June 13-20 we spent at the Cavallino Bianco, which is a family-oriented resort in the northern-most part of Italy, a small town called Ortisei. The town was beautiful, quiet, and quaint, with a strong Austrian influence, as it was right on the border. The resort itself was perfect – the girls were occupied all day while Rosa and I got to take advantage of the amazing spa, pool, and other amenities. One day that week we took an hour drive to Innsbruck, Austria. I was ecstatic to be going to Austria (as anyone knows I am a closet-nerd about my favorite movie of all time, The Sound of Music!) We walked around and explored all day, had a wonderful lunch, and Bruno and I had a few beers. Another day we drove about 30 minutes away to nearby Bolzano, another quaint little Italian town. Our week at the Cavallino Biano was a great getaway that recharged us for weeks to come. Back in Naples I was getting more and more familiar with the area that the family lives in, although I did get lost on the buses once. I was slowly getting over my homesickness, but was terribly upset to miss the homecoming of my older brother from Iraq. Additionally, things with my (then) boyfriend were starting to fall apart, and we ended up breaking up, something that I denied would ever happen when I left for Italy but maybe deep-down I knew it could never work. After the week in Ortisei I started getting ‘that feeling’ again…the same feeling I had gotten in Florence the summer before. The feeling that I don’t need anything or anyone, that I’m a free spirit and all I want to do is travel the world, and the fact that there is so much more to life than the Wilmington Mall and Wrightsville Beach. Of course I missed my family and friends, but I was beginning to not care at all about Wilmington itself.

At the end of July, with perfect timing, my cousin Cara flew to Rome and took a train to meet me in Naples. I was so excited to see not only another American, but a member of my own family! And to actually be able to have a conversation with someone! Rosa is the only person that speaks English and therefore the only person I can talk to here. You’d be surprised how lonely it gets in a room full of people when you don’t speak their language. I think Cara and I talked nonstop for the entire time she was in Italy. I showed her around Naples that first day, and then we were off to Rome for a fun-filled week. Cara lived in Rome for 4 months, so she knew her way around perfectly, and was so happy to reunite with old friends there. She introduced me to all of them, and it became a comfort to know that I now had some friends in Rome, only an hour’s train-ride away. We slept in late, shopped all day, and went out every night. We spent way too much money but we laughed a lot and had an amazing time. We even tried to convince her dad (my Uncle Rob) to let her stay a couple of more days, but it was a bit too expensive to switch flights. At the end of the week it was really difficult for me to return to Naples. Being in Rome made me develop a love/hate relationship with ‘Bella Napoli.’ It made me hate Naples for being so disgustingly dirty, for having so many problems with traffic and crime, for not being touristy at all and for nobody speaking English, for not being an international city like Rome, where I met people my age from all over the world. It made me hate Naples for having an impossible public transportation system and for not having an American university and floods of college kids every summer and pub crawls on weekends. But being in Rome for a week made me absolutely love Naples, for all of the same reasons. It made me realize that Naples is the REAL Italy. It’s dirty, its chaotic, it’s in your face, but it is THE lifestyle. There are no bilingual tour guides to sugar-coat everything. There’s no piazza full of pubs attracting college kids from across the globe. But there’s laundry hanging off every balcony, there’s delicious food if you give it a chance, there’s lots of history if you take the time to dig it up. It’s the dirty, gritty, Italy-isn’t-as-it-seems-on-TV part of the country. And I love it for that.

One week after I returned from Rome, I was packing my suitcase again and we were off to Gaeta for the entire month of August. Italians, as pretty much all Europeans, take their vacationing very seriously. Everything closes and everyone goes ‘on holiday to the sea’ for August. Rosa and Bruno rented a great apartment only a couple blocks from the beautiful sea in Gaeta. We spent the whole month laying on the beach all day, eating wonderful meals cooked by Rosa’s mom and in restaurants, and living a relaxing life. In the evening we would bring the girls to an outdoor puppet show featuring ‘Pulcinella’, a traditional Neapolitan character. Rosa has a sister my age, Mary, who stayed with us in Gaeta for a week and was a great friend to me during that time. She is familiar with the area and we went out every night and met a lot of people. One night we met a group of really fun guys, and with one of them I exchanged phone numbers so we could hang out in the weeks to come when Mary wouldn’t be there anymore. I ended up having a great time with him. Mario. He would come pick me up on his little Vespa and we would ride around Gaeta all night. One night he cooked me dinner; one day we met up on the beach. He’s from Caserta, a little town near Naples, and between his bit of English and my bit of Italian we were able to carry along just fine. Sometimes I questioned his sexuality when we were out with his friends, as he would put his arm around one of the guys and play with his earlobe or ruffle his hair, but I had to keep in mind that Italian men are just touchy like that, whether it be with a girl or another guy. Mario and his friends were constantly asking me, “but why, if we go in America, we kiss on both cheeks and they call us gay!? Or 3 men on one Vespa and they call us gay!?” It was hilarious, and sad but true. How do you translate the words ‘shallow’ or ‘lame’ or ‘un-cultured’ to Italian? Our holiday sadly came to an end the last day of August. Although we had a great time, I was ready to get back home and back to ‘my’ bed and ‘my’ shower. I was ready to go to the grocery store every few days and see the same smiling employees, eager to 'help the American girl'. I was excited for Vittoria and Chiara to start school, so I could have the mornings to myself. I was excited to get on a bit of a diet, to work even harder on my Italian, to plan some weekend trips. But even more than that, I was excited for our upcoming Mediterranean Cruise, and 2 weeks after that, a visit from my parents!

TODAY
To my great disappointment, the cruise has been cancelled. Apparently the last time the ship went out, four passengers ended up getting the swine flu. The ship is in medical quarantine – can you imagine all the employees, every single morsel of food, needing to be screened? Of course I don’t want to catch this flu, but I was so looking forward to the cruise. I have never been on one before, and this one was supposed to be extra special. We were going to Sicily, Tunisia, Spain, and France. The ship itself is amazing, brand new, unveiled by Sophia Loren herself in a special ceremony in the bay of Naples in December 2008. Rosa says we might look into another cruise for December or March. They don’t like to go too long without leaving town for at least a weekend, so I know we’ll be heading on another trip soon. However….my parents will be here in 3 weeks! I have never been more excited for something in my entire life. They are flying into Rome where I will take the train and meet them and we will spend a couple of days. Then, we are heading to Florence, the city of my dreams, for a few days. Our last stop is Naples, where they will get to see where I live and meet everyone, and they will be here just in time for Rosa’s sister’s birthday, so they will get to experience a true Italian festa!

My love/hate relationship with Naples continues. Some days I wake up and dread facing the day, the language barrier, the garbage, the poverty. As much as I love the girls, sometimes it’s hard to keep them entertained all day. Then I will be in the middle of doing something extremely trivial, like shaving my legs, and all of a sudden I will think... “Am I really in Italy!? Am I really doing this!?” And it’s moments like those that keep me going. Just to think, that no matter how hard it gets, it’s only one year out of my entire life. When I’m 50 I can look back on this time and think of how great an experience it was. In the mornings when I come back from my jog and I’m stretching on the terrace, I have to pinch myself to believe that I’m really looking out onto the bay of Naples and the island of Capri. That I'm really 'a nanny in Italy'. Some days I even surprise myself when my mouth opens and a flow of Italian words naturally comes out. It is an absolutely amazing experience to be having, and through the ups and downs of it all I wouldn’t trade it for anything. As cliché as it may sound, life is truly beautiful. La vita e’ bella!

Buona notte!

Welcome back...

Ciao tutti!

So...I've started and stopped this blog thing a million times. It's always great in the beginning, then I slowly fade away by not keeping up with it, then I'll forget about it altogether, and then I'll remember it a couple of months later and go back and read all of my postings and absolutely hate what I've written and end up deleting everything. Well, THIS time I'm gonna try to stick to it!

I graduated from UNCW on May 9th, 2009, and 10 days later I had a one-way ticket in my hand and was on my way to Naples, Italy, to be an Au Pair for one year. Well, it is now September, and the 'me' that got on that plane over 3 months ago is completely different (in a good way!) than the 'me' sitting here now. This has been an amazing experience so far. Through all of the ups and downs and some unexpected turns, I feel like I've grown in so many ways. I'll stop now before this gets too cliche and corny...

But really, everyone always says to me 'wow, you must be having a blast!' or 'you are so lucky to be getting to live the dream life in Italy!'. Yes, I am having a great time, and yes, I am very very very fortunate. And although I'm getting plenty of chances to travel, this is far from the dream life. More on that to come later...

I just wanted to get this blog back up and running; to clear away the cobwebs of old posts and start fresh. I promise to update regularly (for all my avid readers, right?). Next post will probably be a long one, gotta get you guys up-to-speed on the last three months, so get ready with una bottiglia di vino and maybe put on some Frank Sinatra...

Tanti baci & Arrivederci!