Oh that Dave...

"The future is no place to place your better days."

Perugia: After

(1/11/09)

From that evening:

Ok, LOVE Perugia. It is so much what I think of as typically Italian. My heart absolutely melted in this place. Traveling in Italy does something to me mentally, emotionally, spiritually that I cannot even come close to putting into words. I feel more like me exploring these ancient alleys in new cities than I do almost anywhere else. (Psychology/therapy/counseling settings are one of the places that will always trump...obvs.) I had the same feelings in Venice. I want to melt into the surroundings and just be. Yes that sounds bizarre I know.

I got off of the train with a little pep in my step. "God I love exploring new places." Breezed out of the train station and was immediately lost. I could not find a map beforehand- well, I didn't look very hard. I figured I would wing it...except that the outside of the station is super sketch and THERE ARE NO MAPS TO BE FOUND. I finally decided to look at the bus list and go where the majority of the buses were ending up. I assumed this would be the center. And I was correct -winner winner.

The bus meandered back and forth up the gorgeous mountain road. The leaves were perfectly golden. Love. For the rest of the day I wandered around the many piazzas at the top. The town is built up the side of a mountain with most of the life surrounded by a perimeter of breathtaking views. They are absolutely beyond description. There was some kind cultural festival going on. White tents filled the walking spaces, each offering some kind of dessert/pastry selection from whatever country they were representing. I decided that it would be terrible of me to not experience these different ways of life as much as possible, after all, isn't that what travelling is all about? (This is how I justified only eating desserts the entire day. Swear to god. No breakfast, lunch or dinner- just sweets. And yes I regretted this later.) Random explorings filled in the remainder of my day. Gorgeous churches, marching jazz bands, little hidden shops, random magicians (wtf?), moments of reading in the sunshine on the steps of another ornate building, amateur art exhibits, italian chatter, people watching during mass, seeing the sunset into the countryside and so on and so on....these days are beautiful and they are mine.

(PS- I'm writing this while listening to Dave Matthews which is quite the feat. His lyrics and perspectives send my brain in a philosophical whirlwind. Yes, some of his music is fun but listen closely, there's so much more there. It has taken me three times as long to write than it normally would. However, when you live in, ahem...Italy and it's 65 degrees and a perfect breeze is swirling and you can't help but smile and be and enjoy life, you DONT turn Dave off.)

Perugia: Before

(1/11/09)

From that morning:

I hit my alarm for 50 minutes this morning. I knew that I would which is why I set the first one so early. In the mornings I never want to get up but I'll get to this moment where I'm suddenly very awake and aware of the fact that I have to get up now. The thing is, I don't know when it comes so I have to give myself ample snooze room.

When I finally drug my hungover ass out of bed it was 6:47.

"My train leaves in an hour and 8 minutes. Fuck!"

I then proceed to look up the weather, do my hair, get ready, pack my purse for the day, take the metro to Termini, but a one way ticket to Perugia and hop on a train. I decided to worry about my return ticket when I got there. I'm not sure how late I want to stay because I don't know how much I will like "the sexiest city in the world." (I mean, I know I'll like it but will I love it so much that I want every last minute I can get or will until sundown suffice?) Also I just like the thought of buying one way tickets. It makes me feel a little cavalier to catch the train with no guaranteed return in hand...even though I'm only going 2 and 1/2 hours away.

So here I sit zipping through the Tuscan countryside...and this is all before most of you (Italy included) got out of bed this morning. What's up jump start? This train is cleaner and much roomier than the others I've taken I assume it's because it's only a day train. Nonetheless, I like them all. Catching the train is my favorite.

I cannot imagine how I'll ever leave this.

Random thoughts at Vittorio Emanuele

From 30/10/09

Found the Chinese district today-THAT was entertaining. Yes Roma has a Chinatown. I was just a surprised as you are. I think it's hilarious that the windows on the ground floors of these gorgeous Italian style buildings are covered in Chinese script. The air actually smells faintly of Chinese food. I realized that while sitting in a large open park. It's made me hungry. The stores in this area all look the same and I don't want to shop in any of them. They all look like the cheap nasty stores at the cheap nasty malls in little cheap nasty towns. Everything is white with florescent lighting. The signs are hand written. The products are shit and are being sold next door as well. I don't get it. Moving on.

The air is cool but the sun feels warm. I chose a bench in the sunlight because I refused to wear my boots today. Flipflops were calling my name seeing as how I will be retiring them soon. I'm a little chilly when a cloud passes but that's about it. I'm sticking by my choice.

I also purposefully chose a bench that was broken on one side when I took my place. I don't want anyone sitting next to me - and they will; they always do. Apparently the sleazy Italian men have a radar to track down girls who are alone. They then make it their life goal to...well, I don't know what their goal is but I'm not sticking around to find out. They annoy the hell out of me. I'm at the point that I might punch the next guy that leans in my personal space and delivers some cheap italian line that I don't actually understand but can figure out the gist of by his tone and facial expression. I wear sunglasses alot; that seems to make it better. I mean, don't get me wrong, what girl doesn't like a compliment? It's just different. It's not sweet or genuine or respectful. It's sleazy and the constant presence of it leaves a sense of violation. I don't know, maybe there are girls who enjoy it. (None that I know.) If I was here for something that involved their help then I would probably tolerate it more but honestly I'm here for so many other reasons and, for one of the first times in my life, genuinely just want to be left the hell alone.

It just takes a little planning ahead...today I am safe behind my book and sunglasses on my broken bench. Oh! And I recently learned that Italians thinks that Americans are the easiest girls to get into bed.

Not this time...move along creeper!

Via Merulana

Ok...so I'm a little behind in my posting. I keep this wonderful journal with me that I write in when I'm out but then I don't remember to type them into blog form. (Sidenote: I have formed a crippling addiction to Moleskine, starting with my city guide. It has only progressed from there. I swear by them and always always have at least one in my possession at all times. No even joking.) There have been a lot of fun little happenings from the past month but I'm afraid that if I try to work on those now, I'll just stay behind. Solution-if I think of some things later I'll add them in, but otherwise we'll just keep chugging along with what I have as of late.

From Oct 29th:

Went to my favorite street in Rome today. It's near where I live which is convenient. It's my favorite (so far) because of how beautiful it is. There are no decent shops along this street. I think it's because they know business would be terrible since no one in their right mind would leave to walk inside. Standing at the beginning, Via Merulana stretches out in a careful downhill slope before arching back up. I like the end of the first half and when the road starts creeping uphill the best. The entire walk is lined with trees. They have white trunks and branches. Always a favorite of mine. Green foliage is left where the arms meet each others. The tips are bare. I love this because it means you see more of the white. There are several churches. One has a large concrete staircase leading to its second story entrance. Another always has a small gathering of nuns in the front courtyard. The architecture and colors of the buildings are a beautiful sampling of classic Italy. They are lovely and grand and old. They are also mixed in with a couple of old ruins. It's Rome, what did you expect? All in all, it's a perfect mixture. The little details, like the smattering of graffiti on the street levels of the ruins and the small gardens spilling over from the windows on the higher floors and the same gypsies that prostrate themselves in front of you as you walk by, just push this street over the top.

Merulana is also dotted with several outdoor coffee shops. I make it a point to never go to the same one twice...until they run out, that is.

I finally pick out a cafe. They have red, green, and yellow thick table clothes covering the seating outside. I choose a green one because it's in the sun and green is my favorite. The warmth of the cappuccino combined with the sunshine wraps me up better than any blanket. It's perfect. I pull out my book and take a minute to enjoy the moment. I know I'll be here for a while today because I love it and I can. I also love the book I'm reading right now: The Last Lecture. Most people have heard of it or watched the lecture. It's one of those books you know you'll read more than once.

I had the strangest dream last night. It started after I got the girls up. It was the kind of dream that keeps going even though you wake up over and over. I dreamed that I had gone home for Christmas. One of my friends, I don't remember who, had done something, I have no idea what, and we were arrested. When we were finally able to sneak out a few days later I checked my emails from British Airways. I had missed my flight back to Italy. I tried everything but couldn't get a flight. I just kept thinking that I wouldn't get to finish what I needed to do here. I wouldn't get to learn everything I needed to learn.

I woke myself up crying. Seriously, bawling. I cannot explain my relief when I opened my eyes and I was in my room in Rome. I'm exactly where I want and need to be and I am so happy.

the basics, if you'll still have it...

Ok. I've been terrible. I know. I accept it and I'm sorry.

There are numerous excuses but none of them matter very much to you do they? We'll just skip that and move right on to the updates. My brain functions well in list form so I'm going for that route.

1. I LOVED Venice. It was amazing. I'll put up a post after this about that little delight of a trip. There's no way I could ever get tired of that place.

2. I've been sick this past week. It was so awful. I didn't go anywhere, hang out with anyone, or get anything done. Being unproductive in Roma is the worst. Found that out the hard way. The weather dropped quite quickly and I was not prepared. I'm half way through some antibiotics so the outlook is much better. The weather has also improved. It's back up in the 60's which is perfect fall weather, in my opinion. The air is crisp. Taking a deep breath is so invigorating.

3. I also had my first batch of homesickness. My family skyped me while they were carving pumpkins together (which by the way is more adorable that any normal person can stand.) It was a little downhill from there. It's funny how clearly you see the things that really matter in your life and the things that don't when you're so far away. I miss things I never thought I would miss. Chattanooga, for example, I miss with the same intensity that I miss some of the people in my life. I cannot look at pictures of that city without aching for it. Weird is what it is. I also miss the energy that evolves from the old friends I used to hang out with. I never realized how much I liked it and what a rarity that group really is/was.

4. Love this new family. They are amazing and so good to me. They have two teenage girls which is so perfect considering I hate children. I thought that would magically go away bc I was living in the glorious Eternal City. However, what I have learned is that I will eternally hate children. I hang out with the girls in the afternoon and basically just chat with them in english about anything and everything. I'm a hired big sister and I love it. The parents are so so kind to me. The father took me on a 2 hour tour of the area when I got here so I would know my way around. He also sends me links of places to order books in english. When the weather dropped to the 30's and 40's I was freezing. I didn't bring my coats with me bc I was planning on having them shipped when the weather started to decline. The mom gave me one of her super cute jackets to use (without my asking!) until my family brings mine over. They called an english speaking doctor in the family for me when I got sick to see what kind of medicine I needed. And these are just a few of the things they've done when they didn't have to. They are caring and wonderful. They are a little weirded out by the fact that I've constantly been eating peanut butter out of the jar and I staying up to watch football games that come on from 2:30am-5:30am. (One of the girls asks about how the sport is played and it brings delight to my soul to bestow such a beautiful blessing of knowledge upon her.) Other than such minor cultural confusions it is smooth sailing.

5. Working on my Italian. It's a slow and not so steady process. I'm using an online course after becoming an official language school dropout. (Every time I say this I always sing the 'beauty school dropout' from Grease in my head.) I like practicing and I progress fairly quickly bc of my Spanish base. It's just hard to be motivated sometimes because I'm pretty sure, after I move away, I will not use this language ever again.

6. The boys here...oh the boys. They are beautiful and they are all dogs. I'm going to stick to observing them at an emotional distance. That's what they seem best for. No bad stories (read: burns) here and I would like to keep it that way. They are fun. Every girl that I've talked to who has been involved with an Italian has subsequently sworn off Italians. I'll follow their advice this time. No need to learn the lesson on my own.

Well, maybe... ;)

7. One of my new favorite things about Italians is that they all have this incredible distrust of technology. To steal ReAnna's description...it is so endearing. When my mom sent me a package I tracked it online. I missed the first attempt at delivery bc no one was here. I know this because the website told me I did. When I told the family, the immediate response from the dad is that he does not believe a package can be tracked to the point of delivery...especially all the way from America. This was the only option in his mind. This man just finished his dissertation for his PhD. He is smart. It's cultural and it's hilarious. The lack of trust pops up daily and I smile.

That's all for now. I'll try to squeeze in a couple more posts this week to make up for my falling off of the face of the earth. There are lots of little adventures and thoughts and perspectives and reflections and observations to fill you in on but the general stuff is good for the first one back. (Again, I'm sorry.)

PS- The girls are watching an Italian musical movie at the moment. Fucking weird.

PPS- The girls use english cuss words and they don't understand that fuck is worse than the others. They use it casually. Girls after my own heart :)

Pictures Pictures Pictures

Pictures from Venice. Nothing fancy. Enjoy.

http://photobucket.com/juliebryan