The feet...

Well these feet have been all over and now they are propped up, retaining water. I am getting good European treatment from a hot pharmacist who recommended some brown stuff I put in water and pills I take in the morning.  They tell me they are natural remedies and so I drink and prop. 

Today's agenda:

1. Nothing
2. Anything I want to do. 

I sit here thinking of how this happened that I can do this trip. Here is the story: I was talking to my counselor over a year ago when she told me about her son who was doing a Peace Corp tour. I just got this excited feeling that I wanted to do something like that. I began researching programs and was applying for a program teaching English in Georgia over the summer when I decided not to be married anymore.  Just 2 weeks later, I met Carola- at a NAMI National training. Here is where the adventure begins. I sat one night with the 2 Italians who came to the training and told them I have always had this secret desire to live in Italy for a year or so.  Maybe it sprung from the film Under the Tuscan Sun.  Maybe everyone has this desire?  They both responded, "DO IT!  You can stay with us!"  So on the plane ride home I began to think about how this could really be possible to do. 

My plan was to finish up teaching, license, get divorced, save up money, find someone to rent my house and in January go there for a year. Carola corresponded by email that I could stay with her and and she would help me.  I discovered she was coming over the summer with her family to do a National Parks tour, and I planned to meet up with them in Zions and Moab so I could meet her family and see if it was really ok to stay with them. That is where that fateful mosquito zeroed me out and gave me the gift of the West Nile Virus.

Plan B: recover and save up more money and go for the summer. So here I am...

Here is what I did:

1. Got out of bed at 8:30, ate breakfast on the balcony and felt the earthquake.
2. Looked up tickets for an opera and made reservations to see Da Vinci's Last Supper Fresco.
3. Walked to the castle close by, stopped at a church, went the wrong way and ended up in a park, resting on a bench, eating an apple.
4. A man with a purple shirt, whom I had seen in the church, stopped to talk to me. In his broken English and my very limited Italian, and google translator when needed, we shared his homemade sandwiches and talked for 2 hours.  He walked me to the castle and went back to work. 
5. Sauntered around the gardens and lounged in the shade reading Pride and Prejudice. Dozed some.
6. Walked back home buying a 10 pass metro ticket and buying stuff to make a salad at the grocery store to support Carola's idea of a diet for herself.  Me I am non-committed.
7. Skyped with mom while chopping vegetables.  Tried to get Teri and Thomas to get on, but they were too tired. 
8. 10:10 pm and I am ready for bed.  Must get some rest for my busy schedule :). 

Ciao!

My lunch buddy, David

Creation

The first pictures of my un-named nephew fill my eyes with tears, I love him instantly. I think about how Teri has crossed a threshold with becoming a mommy. How much her capacity to love has changed with this tiny creation.

I am reading about Michaelangelo's creations and the work that he put into them and my eyes fill with tears too. I love to study them and imagine what was in him as he chiseled and worked. But those creations will never have a soul that is eternal like little _____. (Come on, I need a name!)....ok its Thomas!  I just found it on FB. 

A vacation in a vacation

I am back "home" now in Milan from a week adventure with Uncle Jack and Aunt Carol and their friends. They picked me up and we went to Cinque Terra, Tuscany- Florence, Sienna, and San Gimanggano, then on to Rome. They were driving so we got to see the beautiful countryside. My favorite was a farm house bed and breakfast with amazing views, and an early morning bike ride through grape vines and olive trees, and the hike on the mountainside going from one town to the next along the coast, and the time I spent with David...
 

Cinque Terra



Portovenere

(Michelangelo's David) that is... was so inspiring- so emotional to see it in person.  It is so huge and lifelike.  I enjoyed the views of Florence and Sienna. Walking through the forum in Rome, where I finally understood  that history- thanks to Rick Steves podcasts.  Wandering around the streets and churches in Rome, ending with a foot massage from Massimo :-/ a complete stranger who told me he was a podiatrist.  Don't know what his intentions were but it felt too good, I was like putty in his hands.  I enjoyed the Vatican- Sistine Chapel and St. Peters but there were so many people and I ran out of gas in the over stimulation of Rome - the comatoseness of West Nile came back. So I decided to skip Naples and come home early.  I loved being able to see more of Italy I really wanted to see and loved the companionship.  And, I still have 2 months left to explore! 

 bike ride

Colosseum

Sienna

I am just waiting any day now for that new nephew of mine...best wishes to Teri and Mike for the exciting adventure to come. 

Bologna Italy
A beautiful COLD day for a walk around a Medieval city. I went as a guest on a tour with about 29 women as a fundraiser for Projecto Itiaca (like NAMI).

We got to have lunch in the house of this rich, rich couple who have turned their place into a modern art gallery.  Everything, I mean everything (even the toilet) was a work of art. Here is a link to a news story with footage - I felt like a pretty big deal:)   http://video.corriere.it/?vxSiteId=404a0ad6-6216-4e10-abfe-f4f6959487fd&vxChannel=Cultura&vxClipId=2524_365ee19e-f3a9-11dd-a8aa-00144f02aabc&vxBitrate=300

 

 

There was a sculpture that captured my attention in a church, done in the 15th century - "The Mourning of Christ" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs5BPUvUUQY.  I found a video of it, it was so emotional to see. I liked how the sculpture captured some of the emotions of losing someone you love. It meant a lot to me thinking about the people I have worked with.
Thanks Gugghi and Emanuala for being my new friends. 

Now today I have spent too much money- bought a new dress and sweater, scarf, and jewelry at a fair that Carola was selling her children's clothes she designs.  It was fun being kind of frivolous.  Maybe I need a daily allowance.

Hi mom and dad...

this was our conversation on Skype on Mother's Day.  Only I could talk because their microphone was not working.  Dad was holding up hand written signs.  It was going fairly well until they tried to fix it and they cut off my sound.  I took the hint that they were done talking.  Then they began laughing hysterically at themselves for trying to be high tech.  We were all crying from laughing so hard.  Can anyone help them? 

I felt grateful for NAMI today. I went with Carola (my Italian friend I am staying with that I met at the National teacher training) to a presentation where she was telling doctors about Family-to-Family. I am trying so hard to learn Italian, and I actually understood a lot of the presentation because I have said those same things before in presentations I have done. I think about where I have travelled and the people I have been fortunate to meet from my first step into that Family-to-Family class 11 years ago till today- living for a few months in Italy with someone I met from NAMI. I love the unity!!!!

They also signed me up to talk to all their FTF teachers and tell them about my story and about NAMI in USA...can I get a stipend for this from National? :)



Duomo in Milano

The luggage made it.  Not many thanks to Delta who couldn't find it.  A neighbor here works for the airport and was able to locate it for me.  I couldn't stop smiling as I wheeled it out to the car.  So I am moved in and adjusted to the 7 hour time difference. I write this at 3:00 pm and back home it is 8 am!  I am keeping a list of all my "firsts", my first cathedral, pizza, medieval walls, gelato (first 2 in one day), first Italian lesson from Teresa as we sorted Jelly Belly's.  I returned the favor by helping her with her English homework.
I confirm that they do eat pasta for every meal.

New residence

Yellow building on the right, 2nd & 3rd floor

For the next 3 months my address will be Milano Italy!  Here I am my first night, feeling dizzy with swollen feet from the airport walking and plane/train sitting.  I left at 8:30 am, went to JFK, and made it through standby to go to Milan, but a seat was broken. So I ended up in Venice and caught a train.  I just kept thinking hmmm...I am in Venice, in Italy.  How did this happen!!!???  It is a different experience travelling alone. You feel pretty efficient when you can find the bus to the train station, and make it on the right train all by your very big girl self.  Now time for some fervent prayers that my luggage can make its way to Milan.

The countdown in on...7 days until I board a plane and fly off in the sunset to Italia!  My summer sabbatical.  I am so excited and nervous about all I have to do to prepare. I am giving my 2nd of three finals tomorrow morning, grading papers, arranging my house to rent, packing, errands, time with friends and family, trying to sleep.  Excited :)