My babies

You never realize how much something or someone changes until you start looking at old photographs and see how far they have come.  I am with the girls everyday so it's hard to notice how big they are getting, but when I look back at pictures from my first few weeks here, it's unbelievable how much they have grown!  I started thinking about all the changes I've witnessed in them and here's what I've come up with:

-We used to put them to sleep in Rosa and Bruno's bed and then move them to their own beds once they were asleep; now they fall asleep in their own beds!

-The girls used to drink warm milk from a baby bottle every morning and every night; they have officially moved on to cereal for breakfast!

-Vittoria couldn't ride her bike when I first got here, and one day, BAM! she got over the hump and was doing it all on her own!

-In the beginning I would push the girls in the stroller if we ever had to go somewhere that was a bit of a far walk...now they can walk anywhere and we have retired the stroller!

-Started swimming lessons!

-Pretty much all the clothes that were Chiara's when I first got here are now Vittoria's

-The girls are speaking more and more English everyday!

-Number and letter recognition, can draw some shapes, letters, stick people

-They used to wear diapers to bed and now they don't need to

-Vittoria doesn't ride in a carseat anymore (there's not much of a carseat law in Italy anyways!)

-The girls used to need help going to the bathroom and used a booster seat on the toilet but now they can go all by themselves!

It's been truly amazing watching these two special little girls grow and learn over the past year!  I am so proud of them and I feel so fortunate to have been (and continue to be!) a part of their lives, and can't wait to watch them develop into beautiful young women :)

The girls one year ago... my very first day in Naples!

The girls a couple of weeks ago!

"Moving On" by Weekend Excursion

Glance out the window

See the lines pass me by on the road
I'm moving onward as another chapter unfolds

Chorus:
And I wonder who will I love?
And who will I see?
Most of all I wonder
Who will I be?

It seems like yesterday I had it all
And nothing was wrong
But the times are changing
And I am moving on
Feel so alone but at the same time
I feel so alive
My time here is over
I'm off to a new place
A new life

Chorus

I was staring at the back of her car
As she drives away
Our time together, it's over now
I can hear myself say
Who will she love?
And who will she see?
Most of all I wonder who will she be?
Yeah

It seems like yesterday we had it all
And nothing was wrong
But the times are changing
Cause I am moving on again
Moving on again, again, and again

Chorus

Moving on (moving on)
Again, again, and again
Everybody, the world, it's moving
Everybody, the world, it's moving
Everybody, the world, it's moving

Hey, hey it's moving

Almost there...

The past few days in Naples have been really great, making it very hard for me to think about leaving.  Why are things always better in the end?  Who knows...

Saturday I joined the family as we went out and around town.  We took a drive through the city center, and then drove up to a bar near Mergellina for a drink and some beautiful views of the sea.  Afterwards, we went to Bruno's parents house and had lunch, the girls took a nap, and we relaxed and talked.  From there we went to Rosa's mom's house for the evening, where we talked and relaxed more and the girls had dinner.

Sunday we had a nice lunch here at the house, and I realized it was my last Sunday here.  We talked a little bit about my year here and had some good laughs, and Bruno told me that I was the best Au Pair they've had.  He made me and Rosa cry!  Bruno is a man of few words, but when he says something, he really means it, and you really listen.  It really meant a lot coming from him.  Sunday evening Lucia and Marco picked me up and we met up with some friends for a drink.  It was a great way to say goodbye to some of the people I've met here!

Monday I took my suitcases out and started organizing my clothes and all of my stuff to be packed.  I've acquired a LOT of stuff during my year here...books, clothes, other random things.  Bruno bought some Limoncello for parents that I needed to wrap up and pack, I needed to do some laundry, etc.  So slowly I've been filling up my suitcases.  I'm pretty much all packed, except for a few basic things that I will need for the rest of the week.  The girls got a little upset when they saw all my stuff packed away but we've been talking to them about the situation and working through it.

Yesterday (Tuesday) was Vittoria's 3rd birthday!  She already seems so much older!  She's still staying home from school because of the chicken pox, but will be going back very soon.  Last night I was invited to Marco's house for dinner and a movie and had an amazing time.  Lucia's parents dropped her and I off, and I got to meet Marco's parents and his twin brother, Francesco.  I had a great time talking with them in a wonderful bilingual conversation!  Marco loves to play host and is really great at that sort of thing, so he had the table beautifully set for eight people.  The other four showed up a little while later and we sat down to a wonderful dinner of pasta, meat, vegetables, fruit, bread, lots of wine, and ice cream to finish it all off!  It was a great dinner with great conversation with great people.  After dinner we all talked and then watched 'The Holiday' (which, thankfully, I've seen before, because we watched it in Italian!).  Marco presented me with a copy of a book his father wrote about the loss of their sister to cancer.  It's a beautiful book and I can't way to work on reading it!  It was such a thoughtful gift.  At the end of the night Marco drove me and Lucia home, and I was very sad to say goodbye to him.  I have him a big hug and thanked him for everything; my experience here in Naples wouldn't have been the same without him.  When I got inside I jumped on the computer (although it was 2am) and saw my mom was online so started chatting with her.  I got very emotional...I was so happy that I had such a nice evening and couldn't believe that it was the last one I would have.

I've been very emotional the past couple of days, thinking about everything I'm going to be leaving behind.  I've talked to my parents and friends about it but nobody seems to understand.  Unless you've traveled the world yourself, you have no idea what it's like.  The experiences you have change you...and when you go home...nothing is the same, yet everything is the same.  I already know it will be a very tough adjustment to me.  I've been reading up on reverse culture shock and ways to handle it.  Some people can adjust easily, others can't.  The minute my brother got home from Iraq he was going through the Bojangles drivethru; I cried the first time I went to our local mall after moving back home from my amazing freshman year of college.  I'm just the type of person that gets really, REALLY, deeply affected by things.  But I guess it's those types of things that make you who you are.  After I graduated high school I thought I was so 'grown'...and then I went off to college, had an amazing first year, and was really changed when I moved home the next summer.  After I graduated college, I thought I was really grown up, and then I came here to Italy and have changed immensely.  My only hope is that I continue to grow and change into the woman I want to become, and not regress back into the girl I was in college.  I think it will help a lot that I will be living with my parents, who support me unconditionally and act as the greatest cushions for me to fall on when times get hard.  I'll be close enough to Wilmington to see all my friends and do all the things I want to do, yet far enough away to where I don't get caught up in the scene I was a part of throughout my four years at UNCW.  Besides the reverse culture shock, I honestly just don't know how I can get by without hugs and kisses from my baby girls everyday.  I've been all over them lately, not wanting to let them go, because I don't want to forget how it feels to hold them in my arms.  Even though I know I will seem them again, it will never be the same...

Deep breaths...

Reflection

I have one week left in Naples, Italy. One week. Seven days. 168 hours. 10,080 minutes. To some people that might seem like a lot of time. For me, it’s not enough. It will never be enough. I will never be able to squeeze enough hugs and kisses from Chiara and Vittoria in that short amount of time to hold me over until the next time I see them.


As the clock is ticking, I’m starting to panic. Did I do everything I wanted to do? Have I seen everything I wanted to see? Did I take advantage of my ideal location and travel enough? Did I get mad or frustrated with the girls too much? Did I hug them enough? Did I play with them enough?

Will I become just another name..another face..another girl in the long line of nannies they will have throughout their lifetime?

Will they remember me?

Here are some quotes and song lyrics that are especially meaningful to me at this time in my life.

“Know someone as much as you can. Hold onto the moments that define them. Then when their body leaves, they won’t.”

“Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain your old pain. The energy it takes to hang onto the past is holding you back from a new life.”

“In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee. In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes. How do you measure a year in the life?”

“Can I sail through the changing ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life? I don’t know…”

“I never dreamed home would end up where I don’t belong…”

“There’s always gonna be another mountain, I’m always gonna wanna make it move. Always gonna be an uphill battle, sometimes I’m gonna have to lose. Ain’t about how fast I get there. Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side. It’s the climb.”

“The struggles I’m facing, the chances I’m taking, sometimes might knock me down but, no I’m not breaking. I may not know it, but these are the moments I’m gonna remember most. Just gotta keep going.”

Venezia!

And we’re back! From a waaay over-due but absolutely amazing weekend in Venice! I can’t wait to tell you guys all about it, but I also have to mention that I only have about a week left in Naples and I can’t believe my blogging will be coming to an end! I’m going to try to write a lot this week just to capture all of the emotions and feelings I’m having right now as my wonderful experience is drawing to a close. I don’t want to forget anything :)

So Thursday night I went out with my friend Lucia to our friend Marco’s birthday party. It was a fun time and I got to meet some new people, have a few drinks, and socialize. Although we were leaving early the next morning I wasn’t too worried about staying out late because I knew I could sleep in the car the whole day. I got home around 3:00am and passed out right away!

Happy Birthday Marco!

Friday morning we all woke up, got some last minute things together, and hit the road. We were originally planning on flying to Venice, but ever since that volcano in Iceland erupted, all air traffic in Europe has been at a standstill. We considered taking the train, but they were all pretty much sold out as a result of the ash cloud. So, we hit the road instead! We stopped at a restaurant outside of Florence for a big yummy lunch, and were in a lot of traffic for pretty much the rest of the trip. We finally arrived outside of Venice around 9:00pm, parked the car in a garage, gathered up our luggage and headed for the boats. It was pitch black out and raining a little bit, but thankfully Bruno knew exactly what he was doing so we all just followed him! We made it to the hotel around 10 and got settled. There were two separate rooms; one for Rosa, Bruno, and Vittoria, and the other for me and Chiara. The hotel was absolutely gorgeous (Starhotels Splendid Venice) and I couldn’t wait to dive into my huge fluffy white bed!

We decided to eat dinner at the hotel since it was so late, and it ended up being a great choice. I had spaghetti with zucchini and clams, yum! Although I was exhausted, I didn’t sleep too well that night, partly because I was so excited and partly because Chiara was tossing and turning and hanging on to me all night! It was cute though…I felt like such a mom!

Saturday we woke up early for a full day of sightseeing. Unfortunately, it was raining out, but we picked up some umbrellas and headed out anyways. Venice is such an interesting city! The main area of Venice is basically 117 little islands all on a lagoon, connected by hundreds of little bridges and pathways. There are absolutely no cars, buses, or vespas, and therefore no air pollution. Instead of a public bus there is a public boat ‘bus’ and instead of taxis there are boat ‘taxis’. It’s hard to believe that people actually live there; their way of life is completely different from any other city in the world. Sure, it was packed with tourists, but it was really interesting to see the workers bustling around the city, transporting cargo on their work boats and wheeling carts of goods up and down and across all the bridges and stairways of the city. After walking around for a bit, we took a ‘bus’ down to a garden and let the girls play, then took the ‘bus’ back and walked around San Marco square and by the famous Realto bridge.

We had lunch at the hotel and everyone laid down for a nap, but the sun was starting to come out and I was in no mood to sleep so I wandered around exploring on my own. After a while I headed back to the hotel and met up with the family, and we went out walking again. We made our way to San Marco Square and listened to the live music while watching the crowds. We stopped inside Caffe’ Florian for an afternoon treat. The Caffe’ Florian in San Marco Square in Venice was opened in 1720 and is probably one of the most famous cafes in Venice, if not in Italy. It’s almost like a museum inside; there are several rooms decorated with art and antique decorations and each room is connected by a tiny doorway. The table service is amazing as well! Rosa and Bruno had coffee, the girls had gelato, and I had tea.

Outside of Caffe' Florian

Inside Caffe' Florian

Afterwards we went out into the square to run around with the pigeons. A lady offered me some bird food and I put some in my hand and held it out and was quickly surrounded by tons of pigeons! They were all pecking my hand and eating the food and I was screaming and laughing all at once, it was such a funny moment! The girls were squealing with delight and luckily Rosa caught the moment on camera!

That night Rosa and Bruno went out to the casino and left me to put the girls to bed. We jumped on the bed and had a pillow fight (what hotel stay is complete without one!?) and after a while Chiara easily fell asleep. Vittoria, however, was a completely different story. She had broken out in the chicken pox on our drive up, and this night was probably the climax of her discomfort. She could not stop scratching herself all over, and couldn’t sleep at all. She would fall asleep for a couple of minutes, then right as I started to doze off she would wake up screaming and crying and scratching again. I tried my best to keep her from scratching and to soothe her but I could only imagine the discomfort my poor little baby was in! I paced around the room rocking her, I sat in the sitting chair, I laid next to her in the bed, I spooned with her, I laid her on top of me, nothing seemed to help. Finally I think her exhaustion overcame the urge to scratch and she started to fall asleep, right as Rosa and Bruno returned from the casino. I gratefully passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow, only to be woken up by Chiara, who had wet the bed. I got that situation taken care of and got back in bed to go back to sleep, only to realize that it was already 8:00am! Oh well, time to get up and start the day :) That night was definitely one of my most challenging nights with the girls, but made me grow a lot closer to them and really gave me a new respect for moms!

Sunday we all woke up, had breakfast, and headed out for the best part of the trip: we were going to ride in a gondola! It was sunny and hot as we made our way through San Marco Square to the water. Bruno did all the negotiating and before I knew it we were all stepping down into a beautiful gondola! As our gondolier was getting ready to push off, I got really emotional and just couldn’t believe that here I was, on an actual gondola in actual Venice. This is something that everyone knows about, everyone has seen, in movies, on TV, in books…and I was actually doing it!

The gondola ride was absolutely indescribable. We went along the main canal as well as in and out of little hidden canals all throughout the city.

As we passed other gondolas, our gondolier would talk to the other gondoliers in their Venetian dialect, and none of us could understand a word of what they were saying! It made me realize how much each dialect is really like its own language! In America, you can go to New York or California or Alabama and sure everyone has a different accent but you can still understand each other; in Italy if you go to Naples or Venice or Sicily and listen to the locals speak, it is truly a completely different language. Rosa and Bruno could not understand one word of Venetian, and if they spoke Neapolitan, the Venetians couldn’t understand one word of them. So unique! After our gondola ride we headed out for a big Sunday lunch. The girls were exhausted and fell asleep at the table, so we just let them sleep and took advantage of the quiet and really had a drawn out lunch. We then headed back to the hotel where everyone just wanted to relax, so I went out on my own to explore a bit. I got into a random conversation with a young Italian guy who asked me “do you want to go get a drink and speak together” but because of his broken English and the odd way he phrased the question I thought he said “do you want to go get a drink and sleep together” and we had a good laugh about it!  That night both of the girls slept with Rosa and Bruno so I had my room to myself, and fully took advantage of it, with a long hot bubble bath and enjoying the huge bed to myself!

Monday morning we woke up and headed to Murano, a small island near Venice that is famous for its glass-making factory. We were able to sit in the work room and watch the ‘maestro’ (master) work. It was so interesting and absolutely amazing everything they could make from glass.

Vittoria blowing glass!

There’s a huge store/museum connected to the work space and Rosa and Bruno spent 4,000euro! They bought a beautiful vase, a set of glasses, and a lamp. I tried to keep the girls occupied so that they wouldn’t touch everything – we were surrounded by so much glass and the girls tend to be a bit careless and wild! After spending the morning in Murano, we went back to the hotel to get together our things, have lunch, and check out. We hit the road at 5 and got back to Naples right around midnight.

The weekend in Venice was a beautiful experience and something I will never forget. We had to reschedule the trip three times and I honestly thought it would never happen! I had considered going by myself, but I’m glad to have done with the family so I could be treated to a nice hotel and nice restaurants! There’s no way I would have been able to afford all of that on my own. Venice is truly a fascinating city and something I think everyone should see in their lifetime. It reminded me a lot of Florence, with that ‘old-world’ feel, but the water aspect makes it completely magical.  It was a great weekend, and it was definitely the icing on the cake of this wonderful year I've had in Italy!

J'aime PARIS!

Ciao tutti! Hey everyone! So I’ve been back from my weekend in Paris for about a week now, and wanted to tell you all about the great time I had! Sorry it’s taken me so long to post, things have been hectic around here!
The morning of Friday April 2nd I went about business as usual. Got the girls up, had breakfast, the norm. I mainly relaxed all morning because nobody was here except for me and the housekeeper. Finally I jumped in the shower and got a small weekend bag together, and called a cab to the airport. After boarding the plane, our takeoff was delayed for about 30 minutes because of some luggage mix up. Finally at about 5pm we took off!

And landed in Paris around 7. I had previously researched online how to get from Paris Orly airport to my hostel, so I knew exactly what to do right away. I bought a ticket for the Orlyval monorail and road that from the airport to Antony. From there, I took a train to Gare du Nord, where I bought a 3-day bus/train/metro pass and took the metro to Anvers, which I was very familiar with because I had explored the area via Google Earth. After exiting the Anvers metro station I found my hostel very easily and checked in. I stayed at Le Village hostel and had a great experience there! It was small, clean, cozy, and had a lot of character. The guy working the desk when I came in, Jean Carlo, spoke perfect English with me, perfect Spanish with the girls behind me, perfect French on the phone, and perfect German with some people returning their key. Wow! I had the hardest time finding my room as it was located on the terrace…and the door to the terrace was hidden to the side of the staircase halfway between the ground floor and the 2nd floor! From the terrace there was a beautiful view of the Sacre Cour. I settled into my room, which was a 4-bed all-girl room that included a bathroom. 

It was about 9:15pm at this time, so after settling into my room I went out to find a bite to eat. I heard music coming from down the street and followed it to find Café Montemarte. It was a small, dim place, and I grabbed a small table by the door. I was greeted by a cute young server, couldn’t be any older than 18, who had curly bed-head hair and dark eyes. He thankfully spoke English, and kept joking around with me, saying that I was a ‘cool American’. Hmmm…not too sure what that was supposed to mean!? Anyways, I had ½ a bottle of white wine, trout with almonds, boiled potatoes, and bread. He talked me into the crème brulee for dessert. Was definitely the best crème brulee I’ve ever had!

After dinner I walked around Montemarte, the neighborhood my hostel was located. It’s a bit of a ‘red-light’ district…lots of sex shops, peep shows, strip clubs, etc. Although I do have to say it was all very classy, not trashy at all. Very Parisian! I walked along Boulevard de Clichy and arrived at the amazing Moulin Rouge!

A show had just finished and there were tons of people streaming out, as well as a long line of people waiting for the next show. I looked around and took some pictures, then headed back to the hostel. I was exhausted from a long day of traveling! I was happy to finally be in Paris, surrounded by new sights and a new language, but I have to admit I started to get the same lonely feeling as I did the weekend I was in Liverpool. I love traveling and it’s a great experience to travel alone, but hopefully one day I can share my travels with a significant other…

Saturday morning I woke up automatically at 7:30 although my alarm was set for 8. I got dressed and ready as quietly as I could, as not to wake the other girls in my room. The hostel offered free breakfast, so I filled up on cereal and juice and coffee and yummy croissants as I jumped on the computer to send mom an email. To my disappointment it was dark and dreary and rainy outside, so as I headed out the door I had to stop at a souvenir shop and buy an umbrella. Yup, 4 euro for the crappiest umbrella I’ve ever encountered in my life! I got back on the metro and switched to line 6, which I knew was heading towards to Eiffel Tower. I was just riding along, listening to my iPod, looking out the window (at pure darkness because we were underground), when all of a sudden BAM we were on a bridge crossing the Seine river with a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower! Wow! It was so gorgeous and I started freaking out and fumbling for my camera and everyone sitting around me was probably like “yea, whoop-de-doo, the Eiffel Tower, I see it every day going to work.” As we pulled into the metro station I followed the touristy-looking people towards the Eiffel Tower. As I walked closer and closer I got more and more excited...

...and finally I was directly underneath it. That thing is MASSIVE from underneath. And did you know it’s actually brown!? I always thought it was some type of grayish color. There were a ton of people queuing up to ride to the top of the Tower, but there was no way I was wasting my time with that! I’m sure it was a great experience, but it just wasn’t on my ‘to-do’ list.

I started to cross the bridge directly in front of the Eiffel Tower to get some more pictures from further back, but it was extremely windy and freezing cold by the water and was starting to rain, so I decided it would be a good time to get on the sightseeing bus tour. It’s the same bus tour that my parents and I did in Florence and Naples and that I did in Liverpool…I used to make fun of those things, but as a solo traveler with limited time, it is by-far the best way to sightsee! The tour started at the Eiffel Tower, on the side facing the Seine, and the next stop was around the other side of the Eiffel Tower, where the gardens are. I got off and snapped a few pictures, then jumped on the next bus that was coming by. We drove past L’Hotel des Invalides, back to the river and across the Pont Alexander III, and along the Seine towards the Musee du Louvre. I got off here to walk around the Louvre and Jardin des Tuileries and take pictures. The rain had stopped but it was still cold and windy and dreary! The courtyard of the Louvre where the pyramids are is absolutely breathtaking, and reminded me of The Da Vinci Code.

After a while I got on the next bus that was coming by, and we crossed the river and headed for Notre Dame. I’ve seen many amazing churches in Europe, most notably the Duomo in Florence, but Notre Dame is definitely right up there with the best of them. The front façade of the church is so well-detailed I could stare at it for hours!

I joined the queue which was swiftly moving in and out of the church. It’s unbelievably huge inside, really dark, and quite haunting. After looking around, I got back on the bus and we headed down the other side of the Seine to the Musee d’Orsay. After that, we crossed the river, drove through the Place de la Concorde, past the Pantheon, and circled around the Opera, through Place Vendome ("to the right you will see the Ritz Hotel, where Princess Diana left one night to meet her fate!" *chills*), back through Place de la Concorde, and up the Avenue des Champs Elysees towards the Arc de Triomphe. I was snapping pictures the whole time.  When the sun peeked through the clouds I rode on top of the bus, and when it started raining or got too cold I went back down underneath the cover. I got off at the Arc de Triomphe with plans to explore and get lunch, but it started raining again so I got back on the bus and rode around, past the Grand Palais, to the last stop, Trocadero. It was definitely time to use the bathroom, eat lunch, and gather my thoughts. I ate lunch at a rather large café, sitting at a small table next to the window with a view of the Eiffel Tower.

I ordered the most delicious salad with shrimp, crab, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, spicy mustard sauce, and a few other things that I weren’t quite sure what they were! I was enticed to order dessert, some type of pudding or crème topped with fresh strawberries. It was absolutely pouring down rain the entire time I was eating, but by the time I had finished and paid, the sun came out. I got back on the bus and rode on top, all the way back around to Champs Elysees. Everything looked so much prettier with the sun shining! 

I spent the next couple of hours walking around and window shopping…and resisting the temptation to buy clothes and shoes and everything else! I stopped for a late afternoon snack of a cappuccino and an almond-topped pastry...

 ...and got back on the bus to ride back around to Trocadero. The sun was beginning to set, and with the rain clouds disappearing, I was able to get the most beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower!

I even ordered a Gran Marnier crepe from one of the crepe stands. After a full day of sightseeing and I was exhausted, so I hopped on the metro and headed back to the hostel. The three girls who were previously staying in my room had already left, and there was a new girl there. After a few awkward minutes of silence, I decided to talk to her, as I had never really talked to any previous roommates in hostels and thought I might be missing out on meeting some cool people. Come to find out, her name was Chelsea, she was from Kentucky, she was a senior in college getting her teaching degree and was currently doing her student-teaching in Ireland, but was on spring break and had just come from London and was now sightseeing in Paris. How cool! She was telling me all about student-teaching in Ireland and I was telling her all about being an Au Pair in Italy. After a while I went out to get some dinner, and have to admit I just settled for pizza because I wasn’t brave enough to try rabbit or duck or some other odd French cuisine! The rest of the evening I just relaxed in my room, writing, listening to my iPod, and talking with Chelsea.

Sunday morning I woke up, got dressed, filled up on breakfast (gotta love free breakfast!), and headed out to see the last thing on my to-do list: the Sacre Cour. This beautiful church was literally one block behind my hostel, and I was actually able to see it from the terrace of my hostel. It was freezing cold and windy and drizzling but I hiked up the stairs anyways.

The view from the top was amazing, it looked right down onto Montemarte and the rest of Paris.  I found refuge inside, where it was warm and quiet, and sat through Easter Sunday mass. The smell of incense and the soft voices of the choir singing in French almost put me to sleep!

After exploring the Sacre Cour, I browsed in a few shops and bought some presents for the girls, and a scarf and a ring for myself.  I checked out of the hostel at about 10:30 and decided to head to the airport.  My flight wasn't leaving until 3:30, but I figured it would take me a couple hours to get to the airport and I wanted to save room in case I got lost or something!  And it's a good thing I did leave early, because getting back to the airport wasn't as easy as I though it would be.  I though I would do everything I did coming from the airport, but in reverse, but with the weird metro system it didn't quite work out that way.  Anyways, I made it to the airport in time to have lunch and catch my flight.  We landed in Naples at 5:30pm and I was home by 6.

Overall, I had an absolutely amazing weekend in Paris.  You know how you always have an 'idea' of what a place is like, even if you've never been there?  I guess I had this pre-determined 'idea' of what Paris would be like, from what I've seen on TV and in the movies and what I've read about.  Well, Paris was better than anything I could have imagined and definitely exceeded my expecations.  The city itself is absolutely beautiful.  The streets and the buildings, and the layout of the city based around the river, reminded me a lot of London.  The architecture had a very British feel to it.  However, Paris is without-a-doubt extremely 'European'.  When I think of what it means to be 'European', I definitely think of Paris.  Clean, classy, artsy, and welcoming.  It's a very busy city with a NYC-ish hustle and bustle, but without the noise and pollution.  And one of the best things I noticed was that every single person I came into contact with was extremely helpful, very polite, and very much appreciated my attempts to speak French.  The common stereotype that the French are rude was definitely debunked for me.  I have got to say that, although Florence has been my favorite city in the world since the summer of 2008, Paris is now in the running towards becoming my new favorite city.  I just had such a positive experience there, and it was so nice to be around a new language and new culture.  Paris is definitely a place I would love to visit again!

Au plaisir de vous revoir!

Just live...and breathe...

Hey guys! So, I know my last couple of posts were random…but I just needed to put something up to tide you guys over until I was in the mood to update you on things. Well I think I’m finally in the mood! I’ve been really slacking on the blog thing lately, and I apologize for that, it’s just that I feel like it’s starting to get boring and repetitive and my writing is terrible…but I’m gonna keep with it because in 10 or 20 years I will be glad that I documented everything! Either way…I only have 45 days left…so not much more to blog about! Can you believe it!? I know I sure can’t.


Let’s see…I last left you after Rosa’s birthday. The weather has slowly but surely been getting nicer, and on Saturday February 27th we went to Gaeta for the day. It was fun to return to the place where I made so many great memories last summer. Our month in Gaeta in August was truly one of the best times of my life and I loved going back to visit! We walked on the beach for a little bit and then took the girls to the park…it was such a beautiful day and there were a lot of people out but it was so weird seeing all the umbrellas and everything put away! We also went to look at the house that Rosa and Bruno have recently bought there; the entire inside is getting renovated so they had to take some measurements and look over blueprints and things. I couldn’t help but think that this August there will be a new girl staying there with them, sharing the same memories with them that I did! After a while we had a wonderful lunch and strolled along the water. Everywhere I turned I had memories of the time we spent there, the evenings when we would bring the girls to see the Pulcinella show, the bars that Mary and I would go to, the apartment that Mario was staying in, the place I used to go running. I really like Gaeta and it reminds me somewhat of Wilmington…a small beach community that’s packed in the summer but still pleasant in the winter.

Gaeta in August vs. Gaeta in February! Picture taken from pretty much the same spot. Wow!

The next weekend was pretty relaxing. I went with Lucia and some friends to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D! It was so good! It was in Italian of course but thankfully I was already familiar with the story so I knew what was going on, and after almost one year in Italy I was able to understand most of the language.

Monday March 8th was Women’s Day in Italy! ‘La Festa della Donna’. It’s kind of like Mother’s Day or Father’s Day…but for women! What a great holiday! All day long there were people on every street corner handing out these little yellow flowers called Mimosas to the women. When Rosa got home from work that evening she said there was a ton of traffic and every car was full of women who were all dressed up and going out for dinner and to go drinking and dancing to celebrate ‘their’ day! Fun!  Read more about this festival HERE

The week was going by pretty slow, I think because we were so excited to leave Friday morning for our weekend trip to Venice! However, Wednesday evening we were watching the news and found out that terrible weather was hitting Venice and it made us doubt that we would be able to go. The next morning, Rosa informed me that the center of Venice was virtually unreachable due to strong winds, high water, snow, and flooding, so our trip would have to be postponed! I was so disappointed! But, I think it was a blessing in disguise, because even if we went, we would have been miserable because of the terrible weather. So our Venice weekend will now be taking place April 15th. Meanwhile, we tried to think of something else to do to celebrate Rosa and Bruno’s 5-year wedding anniversary, which was the whole reason we were going to Venice in the first place.

So, Friday evening we took a nice drive to Posillipo. We walked along the water, stopped at a bar for aperitivo, and then went to a great restaurant for a lavish dinner. I’ve had gnocchi several times during my stay in Italy, but this restaurant had the best gnocchi I’ve ever eaten in my life. Actually, it was probably the best type of ANY pasta I’ve ever had in my life! Hah, there goes my diet! :) Saturday we relaxed all day and then Sunday we decided to go to Sorrento for the day. I had been to Sorrento before, in my first month here, but hadn’t returned since, and it was really nice to go back! We had an amazing lunch and then walked all around the center of Sorrento and stopped for some gelato before heading back home. It was a fun and relaxing weekend, with a lot of delicious food, and I’m glad we did some fun stuff to take our minds off missing out on Venice!

The next week went by fairly quickly, and I was so excited for Friday! One of my best friends from back home, Whitney, was in Europe that week visiting her boyfriend Chris, who is currently living and working in Rome. We made plans for them to drive down to Naples on Friday so we could meet up for lunch! I was so excited to visit with not only other Americans, but one of my dear friends! Thankfully the weather was beautiful, and after dealing with some parking issues, the 3 of us took a nice stroll along Via Partenope, walked around the Castel dell’Ovo, and then had lunch at Antonio & Antonio. We talked non-stop the whole time! Whitney and I had a lot to catch up on, as I hadn’t seen her or really talked to her in almost a year, and Chris and I were exchanging tons of funny stories about our experiences as Americans living in Italy. When I got home that evening, the family was all at the house and they wanted to go out to eat because it was Father’s Day here in Italy, so off we went to Trattoria Vanvitelli for pizza (my 2nd pizza of the day, mind you!). Saturday we went around all day, visiting Bruno’s parents and Rosa’s mom and running different errands and doing odds and ends. I went with Bruno, Rosa, and Bruno’s brother Massimo to the Port, which is being renovated and Massimo is looking at opening a store there, so we went to check out the renovations. Saturday night we hung out at Rosa’s sister’s house and had pizza (again!?!?) for dinner. (Are you catching on to this food theme?? Haha). Sunday we hosted the priest from the church that the family attends. He came to bless the house and the family and we had a big lunch in honor of him.

And here we are today! Thursday, March 25th. Today is Bruno’s 39th birthday, as well as the onomastico for Rosa’s mom, Nuncia, and Rosa’s niece (the girls’ little cousin) Nuncia. We’re going to have a big party here tomorrow night to celebrate the three of them. Yesterday I had the girls make signs a pictures to hang up outside for decorations.

Time sure is flying by. I go home 45 days from today…that’s only 6 weeks from this Sunday. There were many moments in the past 10 months that I thought I would never make it through this year. But, alas, here I am, almost finished with it. My feelings on the entire thing are so mixed, and when I think about everything I get the oddest feeling inside of me. I miss my family and friends terribly, I’m excited to go back to UNCW, I’m excited to move into the beautiful new house my parents are buying, and I’m excited for a fun summer in North Carolina. But how can I ever say goodbye to the life I have now? How can I ever say goodbye to these people..these strangers..who have become my family? These two little girls, who were once just faces on a computer screen, have become the biggest loves of my life. I can’t bear to think about what it will be like to hold them in my arms for one last time. When I was making the arrangements to come here, and when I finally arrived and had to face some challenges, I never once thought about THIS part of the whole thing. The ‘goodbye’ part. My heart is breaking, but I am so thankful and so lucky to have been with such a wonderful family, and Rosa has expressed to me many times that they honestly want me to come visit them at the sea every August, and I have every intention of doing so!

On that note, I do have a lot to look forward to in my final weeks here. Next weekend I am heading to Paris, which I am absolutely ecstatic about. A couple weekends after that we will finally get to go to Venice. I’m also going to try to squeeze in a trip to Ischia some Saturday. Spring has sprung and life is beautiful; I’m stopping and ‘smelling the roses’ every day, because before I know it, this whole experience will be behind me and I don’t want to miss out on a single thing. I hug the girls more than ever; I catch myself getting impatient with them and try to remind myself I will miss these times once they are gone. Honestly, just the thought of it takes my breath away and brings tears to my eyes....

Food....

Things I can't find at the grocery store...and that are probably non-existent in Italy...and it drives me craaaazy!

-applesauce
-blueberries (frozen OR fresh)
-any frozen fruit
-bagels
-english muffins
-broth
-celery
-'non-fat' or 'light' ANYthing
-granola
-hummus
-peanut butter or almond butter
-non stick spray oil
-oatmeal
-anything organic
-anything weight-loss oriented
-lean meat (all meat here has so much fat in it!)

blaaaa its driving me crazy! okay sorry i just wanted to vent because these are some of the staples in my healthy lifestyle!

Cultural Differences

Just a list of more cultural differences between Italy and America that I love!

-Tipping is not required in restaurants, at bars, for taxi drivers....Most of these workers are paid by salary or at least a decent hourly wage.

-Newspapers don’t get delivered...if you want a newspaper, you should buy it at a news stand on your way out in the morning

-Dates are shown in day-month-year format, i.e. today is 22/2/10.  The time is indicated in 24 hour format.  Everything is metric.  Prices are displayed with a comma, not a period, i.e. 5,00 not 5.00.

-You have to pay to use most public restrooms, and most don’t have toilet paper!

-Everything closes from about 1pm until about 4pm for lunch, and everything is closed on Sundays as well as one other day of the week (i.e. my hairdresser is closed on Sundays and Mondays, a store down the street is closed on Sundays and Thursdays)

-You have to wear plastic gloves to pick out produce at the grocery store

-You have to pay for plastic bags and bag your own groceries at the grocery store

-Italians don’t put ice in their drinks, don't have ice-makers in their freezers, don't buy bags of ice for cookouts, etc.

-You cant order food ‘to go’ unless you’re at a pizzeria…and boxing up any food you didn’t finish to bring home and eat later is unheard of!

-APERITIVO! Italians traditionally don’t eat dinner until about 9pm, but if you go to a bar around 5pm and order a cocktail, you can help yourself to the free all-you-can-eat aperitivo buffett which can be anything from a selection of cheeses and crackers and meats to pasta and vegetables.

-Leaving bread upside down on atable is considered bad luck (I didn't realize this until I did it once and Bruno yelled at me!)

-Salad is a side dish, not a starter

-Bread does NOT get dipped in a little plate of oil and balsamic (Olive Garden…Carrabbas…WTF?)

-The only salad dressing is oil and vinegar, or nothing at all.

-Servers in restaurants are paid on salary, so they don’t care about table turnover and don’t mind if you sit there all night. Eating dinner is a sacred experience and they want to make sure you enjoy yourself and aren't rushed.  On that same note, if you don’t ask for your check, you’re never going to get it!

-Alfredo sauce is not Italian and does not exist in Italy. Additionally, there is not a single pasta dish in Italian cuisine that includes chicken.  Put those 2 together = there is no such thing as chicken alfredo!  If you ask for 'alfredo' they might bring you the old dishwasher who's name is Alfredo :)

-Grated parmigiano cheese should only be used on pasta…not pizza or salad!

-Chicken or beef as a topping on pizza is unheard of…but any type of pork is okay (sausage, prosciutto, salame).

-The American version of ‘pepperoni’ is non-existent in Italy. In fact, the Italian word for ‘peppers’ is ‘peperoni’, so if you ask for a pepperoni pizza, you will get a pizza with peppers.

-Speaking of pizza, you should never drink wine with pizza (only beer or soda), and it is not possible to ask for a ‘split-topping’ pizza

-Furthermore, speaking of food modifications, it is unheard of to make modifications to your order in Italian restaurants. You take it as it comes, or don’t take it at all.  A lot of times they don't even give you a menu, they just tell you what they have to offer that day (and it varies from day to day).

-Sunday is a holy day for soccer!

-Girl watching is the favorite past time of men, second only to soccer. Don’t be alarmed when men and boys stare at you!

-In Italy it is not acceptable to be drunk and there is no such thing as beer pong or flip cup or drinking 'games'.

-While driving in the left lane, leave your left blinker on

-If someone flashes their brights or honks behind you, it is because they want you to move to the right so they can pass you

-No right turn on red!

-‘Martini’ is a vermouth, not a drink. If you ask for a martini, you will be served white vermouth.

Hope you enjoyed :) This was adapted from the article "100+ Things To Know If You're Going To Italy"
 
More great reading about Italy (Naples in particular):
How I Fell in Love with Naples
Variety is the Spice of Food
Ashhpet
 

The beginning of the end...

I can’t believe I haven’t written in almost a month and I have so much to tell you all! A lot has been going on and I am finally getting the chance to sit down and concentrate and write about everything. Enjoy!


I’ve fallen into a pretty regular schedule here and it’s making the weeks go by very fast. Every day I wake up, bring the girls to school, go to the gym, run any errands that need to be ran (grocery store, etc.), come home, shower, eat lunch, get the girls from school, play all afternoon or go to swimming lessons, eat dinner with the girls around 6, and pajamas around 7. It’s kind of mundane but it has made the time go by really fast and between working out and eating right and going to bed early every night I feel really great! A few weeks ago I was playing with the girls on the couch at the end of the day and Vittoria fell off the couch and smashed her face in the corner of the coffee table. It was definitely the most dramatic thing that has happened so far with me and the girls. She was screaming and shaking and all I could see was blood all over her face…a scary sight on a 2 ½ year old. I was certain that all of her teeth had been knocked out. Me and Rosa got her cleaned up, put Chiara to bed, and Bruno came home and took Vittoria to the emergency room. They came back about an hour later and miraculously enough, Vittoria was fine! She had a big gash above her upper lip and the entire right side of her face was swollen and bruised…but her teeth were fine, her mouth was fine, her eyes were fine, no concussion, nothing. It’s truly a miracle that her teeth didn’t get knocked out or that she didn’t seriously damage her eyes. Now, a few weeks later, she is all healed up with just the slightest hint of a scar above her mouth. It was a bit of a traumatic experience but I’m glad it’s all over with and she is okay. Other than that big news, everything else is pretty much the same. Once in a while we go out to eat or go around town on a Saturday and visit with family or go shopping. For the past few weeks we’ve been celebrating Carnevale! We bought the girls costumes (Sleeping Beauty for Chiara, Barbie & The 3 Musketeers for Vittoria) and they’ve had several parties to go to. It’s been fun seeing the whole city and the girls’ schools being decorated for the festival. I’ve also got to taste some sweets that are specifically only for Carnevale…the most famous and my personal favorite being Chiacchierre!  Chiacchiere is a type of fried sweet dough that is usually dusted with confectionary sugar...it almost reminds me of the funnel cakes you can find at fairs back home in the States.  It is traditionally paired with a chocolate/cinnamon sauce called sanguinaccio.  Historically, sangunaccio was made with pig's blood (the italian word for 'blood' is 'sangue', hence the name 'sanguinaccio) but in recent days there is absolutely no blood in the sauce! (Of course!)  Still, it's very interesting!  This past weekend I went to a little Carnevale party hosted by Alessia, a girl I know through Lucia.  The theme was Disney and I dressed up as the witch from Snow White :)  Besides Carnevale, a couple of weeks ago was Rosa's 34th birthday and we went out to a wonderful dinner at PepeNero in Caserta.  I had the girls color pictures of cakes and balloons and signs that said 'Happy Birthday' and 'Tanti Auguri' and we hung them around the house to surprise Rosa. 

Other than that, everything is the same around here.  Time sure is flying by and it's making me have a really odd mix of emotions.  I'm excited to get home and be with my friends and family, to move into my parents' new house, to go back to school, to enjoy a wonderful North Carolina summer, and to begin this new chapter of my life...but at the same time, I don't know how I can ever say goodbye to these girls and this family and adjust to such a huge change in my life.  In fact, a few days ago we went ahead and bought my plane ticket for me to come home because the prices have been really good lately.  Obviously I knew all along that I would be going home in May, but now that my flight is purchased, it makes everything 'official.'  I told Rosa I booked my flight and she got very emotional, which made me get very emotional.  She wants me to come visit them every summer and I am determined to make it out here as often as possible.  The one thing that will get me through this difficult transition is knowing that I will always have a family here in Naples, and that there will always be a bed for me here, and I am welcome to come visit whenever I want.  At first I thought that once I said bye I would never see this family again; now I know how silly of an idea that is.  They want me to come visit as often as possible and of course they are always welcome in my home in the States!  With that said, I have done some research and have found out some pretty interesting information regarding my future career as a teacher.  I have found that I can work for the DOD (Dpmt. of Defense) as an elementary school teacher at schools on military bases anywhere around the world!  I can work right there in Jacksonville, North Carolina, on Camp Lejeune or....get this...I can come right back here to Naples and work on the American military base at the elementary school, teaching the children of military families who are stationed here in Naples!  Or I can go to Germany...Spain...the UK...Japan...there are a ton of different options!  Additionally, DOD teachers make almost $10k more per year than public school teachers!  That is something I am definitely going to look into.  It makes me very happy to know that my traveling days are definitely not over once I come home in May, and that I can actually incorporate my love for traveling with my career!

That's about it on this side of the world!  I hope everyone is happy and healthy and as ready for SPRING and some warm weather like I am!  The freezing cold and rain everyday is getting really old!  Everyone take care, and I promise to post again sooner!

A brand new me!

Greetings! I hope everyone has had a happy and fresh start to 2010. The first month of the year is winding down and I thought it would be a good time for an update!


I last left you all on New Year’s Day with wishes of a happy and healthy New Year after December dropped me off like the end of a wild roller coaster ride. Even though I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions, it did feel great to know that 2009 was now behind me and I could start fresh. On Saturday the 2nd I went out to lunch with Lucia and our friend Vittoria. We got pizza and walked around Naples a bit, talking and laughing, and having a great time. Tuesday the 5th was Chiara’s 4th birthday and I have never felt more like a mom than that day! I just couldn’t believe ‘my’ baby girl was turning 4! She’s getting so big! We had a wonderful birthday party for her here at the house, complete with a jumpy castle, face painting, music, games, tons of food, and of course a Hello Kitty cake. All of her little friends from school came and we had a great time. That night, ‘Le Befana’ came and left presents for us to wake up to the next morning! Befana is an old witch from Italian folklore who brings candy and small gifts to children on Epiphany Eve. She rides a broomstick and leaves candy in stockings :) The day after Befana came, the girls finally headed back to school after a break of almost four weeks. Once the girls were back in school I had the chance to do a huge cleaning and organizing of all their toys. I produced several bags of trash along with several bags of toys they don’t play with anymore that we’re going to donate to charity. I also organized all their toys in a way that makes everything more ‘playable’…this is a term I’ve come up with, basically meaning that beforehand, all of their toys were just randomly thrown is baskets and boxes and looked like a bunch of ‘junk’. But now that everything is organized, it is more ‘playable’ because the Legos are all together, the Barbies are all together, the dress-up stuff is all together, etc. We’ll see how long this organization lasts :) Along with consolidating and organizing their toys, I have begun implementing some rules with the girls, such as “When you’re done playing with something, put it away before starting a new activity” and “Put everything away where it belongs, don’t just throw it all in one pile.” They are getting the hang of things but sometimes it’s frustrating because Rosa and Bruno aren’t very consistent with me and I also can’t help but wonder about what my replacement will be like. Oh well, I can’t worry about those things too much, I just need to do the best job I can while I’m here. Speaking of my replacement, Rosa has been talking with several girls who are interested in coming here to work for the family. It’s so odd and I get jealous all the time when she tells me about these new girls! But then I remember that it was around this time last year when Rosa and I started communicating. It’s just weird to think that a new girl will be completely taking over for me, sleeping in my bed, going to birthday parties, taking the girls to school and to the pool, riding the R4 bus down to the city center. It makes me think…to me, this is one very special family who I will never forget, but to this family, I am only one girl out of a long-line of nannies that they have had and will have over the years. It is actually a bit of a depressing thought, but I try not to dwell on it so much!

On January 11th, at the start of the new week, I went to the gym and did a huge grocery shopping. After eight months of enjoying Italian food, I think it is finally time to get back to the healthy lifestyle I led at home. That meant a huge change in my routine. However, it has been 2 weeks and I feel really really good. I paid for another three months at the gym and have been going every morning. I’ve been eating super healthy and instead of eating dinner late at night with Rosa and Bruno I eat earlier in the evening with the girls. I’ve been going to bed earlier and sleeping a lot better (anyone who knows me, knows I have sleep problems). I've been drinking tons of water and green tea.  During the day I have more energy, feel refreshed, feel healthier, happier, my skin looks better, my hair looks better, I just overall feel really really good. It’s great to be getting my own lifestyle back, and although it IS a challenge to do while in Italy, I know that it is possible. I’m planning on running a 5K in November and although I haven’t started training for that yet, I know that every little thing I do now will help in the long run. So it’s been 2 weeks and I’m weighing-in tomorrow to see what (if any) my results are. I’m also planning on updating my exercise routine a bit on Monday because everything is starting to get easier. It just feels so good to be going to the gym everyday and eating healthy. I’m so proud of myself! I also have planned to make a weekend trip to Paris the first weekend of April, similar to the weekend trip I made to Liverpool. On top of that, Rosa & Bruno are planning for the five of us to go to Venice from March 12th-15th to celebrate their anniversary. And even further, they are planning a cruise for either the end of April or end of May, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will be the end of April so I can go with them!

Overall, things are great here in Bella Napoli. Actually, as I write this, I’m sitting out on the terrace (which we recently had closed-in), in the warm sunshine, looking out onto the water. We can’t see Capri today, but it’s still a beautiful view. As corny as it may sound, I just feel so happy and content in this moment. The weather is beautiful (which is enough to make anyone giddy), I’m exercising and eating right and finally getting control over my body back, I have many exciting plans for the next few months and even the next couple of years, and I’m just so happy where I am in my life right now. Sometimes I get stressed over things like my love life, but it really helps to just sit back and relax and reflect on my life – where I’ve been, where I’m going, and what I have going for me. I know that everything will fall into place exactly as it’s supposed to, because although I may have faced hardships in the past, things have always worked themselves out. Cheers!

Lucia and I out to dinner with friends!

Vivere ed Imparare

Okay so I’m officially falling off the blog band wagon and I don’t like it at all! I used to post all the time, keep a whole file of documents on my desktop, write notes in my little notebook about things to blog about, etc. And now it’s been over a month since I’ve even thought about my blog! I know I’m not a famous blogger or anything but I know there are SOME people who read my blog, and to those people, I’m sorry for leaving you hanging! Now, grab a glass of wine, or maybe the whole bottle, because this update is going to take a while….

After my weekend in Liverpool, all I could think about was my upcoming trip to visit back home. The girls were going to school and I to the gym every day, and I started going through all my clothes and everything I have here in Italy to try and figure out what I wanted to bring home. I quickly filled up one suitcase of things I don’t need here anymore and things I know I’m not going to use or wear for the remainder of my time here. The week before I went home I was really sick, and convinced myself I caught the Swine Flu while traveling to and from Liverpool! Rosa was also sick so luckily her mom came to the house everyday to take care of us both. She made me do all these weird things and home remedies but by Saturday I was feeling a lot better! My good friend Lucia’s birthday party was that night and although I was just getting over being sick there was no way I could miss her party! Marco picked me up at about 7:30 and we headed over to Lucia’s house. I ended up having a great time at her party and it was so great to interact with people my age. I also have to say that it was really refreshing to be at a party where there was absolutely no alcohol or drugs, just a bunch of kids my age having a good, sober time. I honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve been to a birthday party where the host actually sat down to open her presents, everyone sang ‘Happy Birthday’, and we all shared cake. It was really great. Goes to show that Americans just want to get drunk all the time! For Lucia’s birthday I made her a mix CD of some of my favorite songs. For the next two days I just got everything ready to head back to North Carolina. Finally I was on my way home on Tuesday December 8th. I flew from Naples to Turin to Paris to Boston to Raleigh, and my parents and younger brother Kyle were there to pick me up. Our first stop after the airport was Cracker Barrel because all I wanted was some good southern food but they were closed for a private party! We went to Applebee’s instead. We finally arrived home in Jacksonville close to midnight, and I was so excited to see my little baby Cooper (my cat, who my parents are watching while I’m in Italy). Cooper sometimes thinks she is a dog and when I came home it was definitely one of her ‘dog’ moments – she was all over me! I was so happy that she remembered me! I kept thinking to myself that no matter how much I love to travel, no matter where I’ve been and what I’ve seen, it’s so great to come down that same familiar road and step into my parent’s house, that familiar environment, that same familiar smell…. There truly is no place like home!

I had a really great visit at home. Wednesday night Chris and Shannon (my brother and his wife) came over for dinner – I was so excited to see Chris, because I hadn’t seen him in over a year since he came home from Iraq after I already left for Italy. We had a delicious dinner and spent the night talking and laughing and drinking and playing Guitar Hero and just having a great time. On Thursday I met Mom out in town and we did some shopping, had lunch with her boss, and I went to her work to see everyone. My mom is so proud of me and everyone she works with basically knows my entire life story even if I’ve never met them! It’s cute :) On Friday I slept in (as much as I could…I was still on Italy time) and then got my stuff together and headed down to Wilmington! I had plans to stay the weekend in Wilmington with my younger brother (who lives in my old apartment) and visit with all my closest friends. My first stop when I got in town was Old Chicago, the sports bar I worked at for two years before going to Italy. It was so weird to be back in that environment! Some people were so happy to see me, others were saying ‘hey Liz, were’ve you been!?’ I quickly realized that a lot of people might not know I’ve been living and working in Italy for the past seven months and I tried to come up with a way to approach the subject or answer their questions without sounding like I was bragging. One of my regulars came in while I was there and said ‘hey, do you still work here!?’ it was just too funny! After visiting the OC, I went to my (Kyle’s) apartment and freshened up, and when Kyle got home from work we headed together to the Carolina Ale House where I met up with my good friends Scott, Sarah Beth, Anna, and Leslie. We had a great dinner and it was so good to be back together with my closest friends. After some debating we decided to head downtown for ‘one drink’. I should have known that ‘one drink’ would turn into many drinks and many shots and lots of bar-hopping until 2 AM! Oh, Wilmington…you don’t know what you do to me! Saturday morning I was up bright and early because my mom was coming in from Jacksonville for a day of shopping. I was so excited to go to stores like Target and Forever 21 and stock up on all the stuff that I can’t find in Italy. After a long day I had to get ready to go out for another great night with my friends. Mom was nice enough to pick up Sarah and drive the two of us downtown on her way back to Jacksonville. Sarah (my very best friend since freshman year of college) and I had dinner at Front Street Brewery and then headed over to Rum Runners to ‘wait’ until it was ‘late enough’ to go out. We are silly, I know :) After spending a good amount of time at Rum Runners, we came up with the bright idea to go visit Dan, my ex-boyfriend, at the bar he works at. I debated it because I didn’t know if that was the best circumstance for us to see each other in. After all, last time we were together in person, we were head-over-heels for each other. I slammed back a couple of shots and we headed over to see him anyways. It was good to see him but definitely a bit awkward. I immediately regretted showing up at his work, but, oh well. We then headed to Goodfellas to meet up with everyone I used to work with at Old Chicago. Once again it was great to see everyone and all my drinks were catching up to me and we got a little crazy at Goodfellas! Sarah then left to go to Rhino, and I talked a couple of the girls into coming to The Whiskey with me so I could see some of my friends that I lived with in the dorms. Somehow we lost track of time and I missed a million of Sarah’s calls and never met back up with her as we had planned, but I ended up staying downtown way too late and got a cab ride home with a couple of my guy friends. Sunday morning I was up bright and early again to go to lunch at Old Chicago, which Mama Duck (my friend Jennifer) organized for all us girls. I was so excited to relax at OC and watch football! I’ve missed football so much while being in Italy! Me and Anna ended up staying at Old Chicago long after the other girls were gone, and after a while we were dying for a change of scenery so we went to Buffalo Wild Wings for a couple more drinks and dinner. It was getting late quick and I said my farewells, then stopped by Sarah’s house to give her her presents and relax a bit with her. The next morning I got up and headed back to Jacksonville to relax with my family for the next couple of days. Monday night my mom and I went over to Chris and Shannon’s house for dinner and I got to meet their new dog, Hurley. Tuesday I just relaxed all day, packing and organizing my stuff. I brought a lot of clothes home from Italy that I don’t need there; originally I packed a lot of my really nice clothes but they never get worn because I rarely go out! I usually carry my laptop and laptop charger and makeup and toiletries in my carry-on bag, but this time I decided to pack everything in my suitcases because this was going to be such a quick trip that I didn’t want to deal with a heavy carry-on bag. This seemingly small decision would bring me much regret and heartache in the days to come! Mom drove me to the Raleigh airport where we said our farewells and I had a smooth flight to Philadelphia. In Philly I had a short layover and then boarded my flight to Paris. I occupied myself for the eight-hour flight with movies, my book, my iPod, and sleeping. The nightmare then began: I woke up as we were landing in Paris amongst a huge snow storm! Our plane was a little late arriving and all I was worried about was catching my connecting flight to Naples, which was supposed to leave only about 30 minutes later. As soon as I got off the plane I started sprinting to the monitors to find out which gate I needed to get to for my connecting flight. I arrived at the monitors tired and out-of-breath, only to find: CANCELLED! Every single outbound flight from Paris was cancelled. Are you kidding me!? I was expecting to be back in Naples in only 2 hours, and now who knows how long it will take! I spent an hour at the AirFrance desk, where finally they hooked me up with a flight to Milan at 2:30 (it was only 9am at this time), a connecting flight from Milan to Naples, and free lunch while I waited. I made my way to the gate and passed out for a few hours. When I woke up, I got my free lunch and got in touch with my mom and Rosa to tell them what was going on. I fell asleep again and woke up right at 2:30, the exact time my flight was supposed to be leaving. I started freaking out but noticed that everyone around me was still sleeping, reading, waiting, whatever. I looked around and realized I was at the wrong gate, so I made my way to the correct gate, only to find that our flight was delayed due to the snow. We ended up boarding 2 hours later, at about 4:30. I fell asleep as soon as I got in my seat, and woke up 2 hours later on the runway. I was so happy that I slept through the entire thing, until the guy sitting next to me told me we were STILL in Paris, and hadn’t even taken off yet! This snow storm was really terrible. I looked at my watch and realized that since I was delayed a total of four hours, there was no way I’d be able to make my connecting flight to Naples that evening. When we finally got to Milan, there was a group of about 15 people who were in my same situation (who were supposed to be on the morning flight from Paris to Naples but were re-routed to Milan and now missed their new flight to Naples.) We were informed that all flights to Naples for the rest of the evening were full and that we would all be put into a hotel and have a flight to Naples in the morning. I was so exhausted and frustrated at this point that I just started to cry…everything got even worse when I realized my luggage hadn’t made it to Milan. After two days of traveling, two days of wearing the same clothes, cancellations and delays and sleeping in airports, I was just at my breaking point. But, I got myself together and got on the shuttle with the rest of my group and we headed to the hotel. They gave all of us dinner for free and I had a great conversation with everyone at my table. Besides me, there was an American guy who was in the Navy and stationed at the US Naval Base in Naples; a French couple who lives in Paris who were going to Naples for a week of sightseeing; and a business man from Naples who had been on a work trip in Germany. We enjoyed good conversation in a delightful mix of Italian, English, and French over a couple bottles of wine and dinner. Finally around midnight I headed up to my room, where I was completely satisfied to find a fresh king-sized bed, a huge shower, and huge flat screen TV – the works! This was definitely a perk to my nightmare of an experience. I hated not having any toiletries, but I was able to get shampoo and soap and a toothbrush and toothpaste from reception. I took a long hot shower, watched some TV, and passed out for a couple of hours, only to be woken up at 4:30 because the shuttle was coming to get us a 5am. I put the same old clothes back on and headed downstairs, where we all loaded onto the shuttle and finally were on a plane back to Naples. I was informed that my luggage would be arriving in Naples a couple hours after I got there, so once we landed I decided to wait for it, only to find out that the flight it was supposed to be on had been cancelled. After talking with Baggage Assistance, they told me my luggage would definitely arrive sometime that day, and that they would call me as soon as it got there. I jumped in a taxi to head home and was so thankful to finally be back, 3 days later, luggage or no luggage! I talked with Rosa and Bruno for a bit, and then passed out until 4pm when I woke up and took Chiara to her swimming lesson. Still no news of my luggage, and we had plans to attend Bruno’s brother’s wedding the next day (Saturday the 19th). When we got back to the house I had a huge breakdown; Crying is something I do best when I’m overly exhausted and frustrated. I only had a couple hours of sleep at a time for the past three days, and here I was virtually without any clothes, toiletries, shoes, nothing. Not even my computer. Rosa did a great job of comforting, let me get on her computer, showed me all her makeup, let me borrow an outfit for the wedding, and cooked me dinner. I felt a little better by the time I went to bed, but every time I turned around to get something and realized it wasn’t there, I got super upset again. I started to take out my contacts but realized I didn’t have the contact case so I had to get some plastic cups. Then I went to put on my brand new eyeglasses but realized they were in my suitcase. I started to lay out my clothes and jewelry for the wedding the next day, but realized all my jewelry was in my suitcase, including a ring my grandmother gave me. I just gave up and went to sleep. The next morning I woke up early, planning to get ready and go with the family to the wedding, but as soon as I woke up I felt absolutely terrible and decided to stay in bed. Rosa came in my room to ask if I was coming, and I grumbled a ‘no’, and went back to sleep. At 1:30pm I woke up, finally caught up on sleep, and called my mom. I was absolutely pitiful – had no clothes, no money, my phone was out of credit, everyone was gone at the wedding. My mom talked (or yelled) some sense into me and I finally got my act together. I took a shower and dug out my gym sneakers and some old jeans and borrowed one of Rosa’s jacket; I went to the nearest Tabacchi and put credit on my phone and asked them where the nearest ATM was and had them call me a cab; I went to the ATM and withdrew some money and hopped in the cab and headed to the airport. I was determined to find out what the hell happened to my luggage and refused to leave the airport unless I had my luggage with me. When I finally got there, it was the same scene all over again. All flights from Paris cancelled, everyone without their luggage. Complete chaos. Basically they told me that my luggage was still in Paris and it would get here when it could; everything out of Paris was cancelled so it might take some time. I headed home with my head down. That night, when the family finally got home from the wedding, I could tell Rosa was upset with me. This created a completely awkward environment in the house and I felt like I was walking on eggshells for the next couple of days. I have to admit I reconsidered if I wanted to even stay here for four more months. I didn’t have any of my things, and it would be impossible to find replacements for them in Naples…additionally, my host family now hated me for being such a drama queen and bailing on the wedding, and I was just completely miserable. On Sunday I moped around the house all day, didn’t really talk to anyone, and just tried to stay out of the way. Monday morning I woke up refreshed, and ready to tackle whatever obstacles were in my way. I went to the store and bought a couple of absolute necessities, found an eye doctor and bought a contact lens case, etc. I got on Rosa’s computer and got in touch with AlItalia, AirFrance, Delta. I called the Naples airport continually. My mom was also getting in contact with companies all over the world, emailing and calling and faxing. Me and Rosa sat down and had a talk, and I felt 100% better afterwards. I know they were hurt that I completely blew them off for the wedding, I was just being stubborn and acting once again like it was MY world and everyone else was just living in it. Monday came and went without any news. Tuesday came and went without any news. I was beginning to face the reality of the possibility that my luggage may be lost forever, and made a list with approximate costs of all items in my suitcases. That was a pretty depressing thing to do! Tuesday night my mom called and said a lady she works with has a sister who is a stewardess who got in touch with someone who said my luggage might be in Naples but with different tags on it, and they gave me the new tag numbers. Wednesday evening, exactly one week after I left home, Rosa drove me to the airport so I could really find out what was going on. The employees in the Baggage Assistance area seemed so annoyed with everything that was happening to everyone that they eventually just let us look in all the storage rooms and baggage claim areas to see if our luggage was there. My eyes scanned the room and my heart jumped when I saw it: 2 red suitcases, sitting together in a pile of luggage in a far corner of the room. I started sprinting as if I just spotted my husband coming home from war! I reached the bags and realized that yes, YES, they were MINE! My babies! My luggage! All my clothes and shoes and toiletries and makeup and jewelry and all the new stuff I bought at home and all the Christmas presents I bought for everyone and all the Christmas presents I received and….AH! I was completely ecstatic. The workers had to confirm that the luggage was in fact mine, and I walked out of that chaos with the biggest smile on my face. Definitely the best Christmas present ever. That evening the mood in the house was improved by a million percent. I unpacked all my things, organized my stuff and started getting in the mood for Christmas! I had been so upset about the nightmare I experienced coming back to Italy and losing my luggage that I had completely forgotten Christmas was coming so soon!

Christmas in Italy was an amazing experience and something that I will never forget. The morning of Christmas Eve we got up pretty early to run last minute errands and prepare the house for dinner that evening. Our guests for dinner (besides the 5 of us) were Bruno’s brother Massimo and Massimo’s wife AnnaMaria and their 3 kids, Rosa’s mom and aunt, and Rosa’s sister Mary. We had a wonderful dinner and then exchanged presents, and I was so shocked when I opened my gift to find a beautiful watch from Rosa and Bruno. I truly was not expecting something so extravagant from them, but was very pleased and thankful! The girls loved the gifts I bought them in America – a snow globe, a ‘Learn your ABC’s’ book, and some very cute clothes. After everything died down, Mary and I went with her boyfriend and some friends to church for midnight mass and then to a friend’s house to play ‘Mercanta in fiera’, a type of traditional Neapolitan card game that everyone gets together to play during the holidays. It was quite an experience, watching the game being played! We didn’t leave until after 4 in the morning and we were absolutely exhausted! When we finally got home we saw that Babbo Natale (Santa Claus) had already brought presents for the little ones :) Christmas day I woke up to giggles and screams of delight as Chiara and Vittoria saw everything that Santa brought them. It was so great to be around young children on Christmas, it really makes everything seem more magical! After a relaxing Christmas morning, we got ready and went to Bruno’s parents’ house for lunch. We stayed there well into the evening, and after a few more stops to visit other members of the family, we finally came home. This past week resumed as usual but the girls were still on break from school so they stayed here at the house with me every day. New Year’s Eve we were running around town and preparing to have people over once more to celebrate 2010. Our guests this time included Bruno’s parents, his brother Salvatore and Salvatore’s wife Francesca, their daughter and Francesca’s mom, Rosa’s mom, Rosa’s sister Giuliana and her husband Antonio and their two children, and Rosa’s sister Mary. We had another amazing meal and celebrated all night, watched a countdown on TV and toasted champagne at midnight, and then went out on the terrace to watch all the fireworks and set off some of our own. There had been fireworks and bombs going off in Naples all day, but at midnight the sight was absolutely magical. It seems like there were fireworks being set off from every single balcony in the entire city of Naples, and we could see all of them! When I finally got into bed around 3am, I could still hear them.

This past month has been an absolute whirlwind of experiences and wonderful times and I feel so relaxed right now as I write this, knowing that we’ve made it to 2010 and feeling that everything truly does work itself out. Through all the ups and downs I’ve had, I’ve learned to work on solving the problem or take some other route if it was unsolvable. The whole nightmare of losing my luggage helped me learn about myself. I was terribly upset…NOT because of the clothes and shoes…those things can be replaced…but because of the time and effort and money that all of those things represent. I finally snapped out of the drama that Monday morning and realized I should be thankful that I’m alive and healthy. Everyday there are houses that burn down and families that lose everything. Sometimes there are plane crashes. There are children in third world countries that didn’t even get to celebrate Christmas or New Years. Through every struggle we face, we learn something new about ourselves and grow from it. It’s kind of like peeling back the layers of an onion…with everything I go through, I peel back the layers of myself, in search of the REAL me. In search of what makes Elizabeth, Elizabeth. Dealing with ups and downs of traveling and coping without the comforts of home in a foreign country and handling situations with my host family and being homesick on Christmas are all things that are helping me discover who I truly am. When I first got the idea to become an Au Pair, I thought it would be simply to go travel to another country and play with children and then come home after a while. I definitely didn’t think it would involve all this other stuff. But on top of that, it’s not just my experience as an Au Pair that is helping me grow – I think it’s the simple fact that I graduated college and turned 22 years old in May, and this is all me discovering myself as a woman. This is me growing up :)

On this New Year’s Day, at the turn of the decade, I would like to wish my family and dear friends nothing but happiness, health, and success in 2010. The year 2009 was definitely a memorable one – I graduated from UNCW and began my experience in Italy – but I think 2010 has a lot in store and will be even better. I get so excited thinking about everything the future holds. Let’s all think about everything we’ve been through in the past year…for the good things, be thankful and rejoice, and for the hard times, learn and grow. This world and this life can be crazy sometimes, but if you peel back some of the layers (just like that onion), you will discover what a beautiful life it truly is. CHEERS!