Today is the first really hot day (83 degreegs) we've had in a while-- the last week was actually pretty cold (low seventies). I'm extraordinarily tired as I write this--I've been really fortunate to have made so many friends since I got here and so I've been going out pretty much every night. It keeps me sane; otherwise I would never get to escape Max meltdowns. I've been watching a lot of World Cup games and checking out the student hangout places with my friends and going to concerts (they are cheap here!!!) and eating tons of pizza. Still haven't sat down for the full four course meal because there's so much going on, but that's on the top of my list for next week. Tonight I'm going to meet some friends at the Colosseum and then get the scoop on more Italian nightlife. Hopefully this weekend I'll get a chance to escape the heat/city and go to the beach.
It's fun to learn about politics in Italy-- everyone here wants to know what Americans know/think about Berlusconi. A lot of people draw parallels between Berlusconi and Bush, and mourn the fact that unlike the United States, Italian politicians have no term limits. One person also noted that he's never actually met anyone who has voted for Berlusconi, but somehow he always wins. I live on Vialle di Via Grazioli, which is also the name of Berlusconi's living quarters (but very far away from me), so a lot of people are at first horrified when I reveal where I live. A lot of people are unhappy with socialism here, because the public hospitals are lacking, the buses run on an honor system that everyone takes advantage of, and the whole political sphere is corrupt and yet most Italians appear to remain apathetic. Most of my friends tell me they vote Communist.
There's a really close park on Grazioli that has a lot of other au pairs hanging out, mostly from South American countries, so I've befriended some of them and spoken a lot of Spanish. I didn't realize how much I actually know in Spanish until recently, everything I want to be able to say in Italian comes easily in Spanish. A lot of times if someone doesn't know what I'm saying I can say it in Spanish and they miraculously understand everything. It's kind of silly how similar and yet different Spanish and Italian are-- Amigo versus amiche, fiesta /festa, media/mezza.
I want to hear about everyone's summer, so please e-mail/skype/facebook me when you read this!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
piano piano piano--- slowly slowly slowly
Hello all,
I am slowly getting adjusted to life here. My work schedule is very structured, and my play time is very unstructured. The World Cup started a couple weeks ago and so I've diligently watched all games that Italy plays (in fact there is one in the background as I write this now) because it's a great way to meet people. In Rome, there are not sports bars like there are in the United States-- most people watch the game in their home or while eating dinner at a restaurant. However, the English and Irish have introduced pubs to Rome, so I went to a few of those last week. At the pub, there are no obligations to buy a fancy dinner in order to watch TV, and you get to be boisterous. There was a fun match between US and England and the bar was divided 50/50, so there was good clean competition between the two fan groups. However, I was lucky to discover that a nearby park (the 3rd largest in Rome) has a giant screen TV that thousands gather at for the big Italian games, so here I have met many friendly local people.
Villa Borghese's screen
Many of the Italian friends I have met have been very excited to practice their English, so they are always willing to give me a tour of their favorite haunts in exchange for the opportunity to practice English. It's a fair trade, but I think my Italian is worse now than when I left!
I also discovered a great fancy jazz club in downtown. I saw an Italian swing group play and it was just classic Italian atmosphere; I wish I had taken a picture but I'm trying to avoid advertising myself as an American tourist in local haunts.
My work schedule is roughly like this each day:
Wake up at 7 am, play with Max, feed him (a long, arduous chore because he thinks he can get by without eating!), get him ready for an excursion (also a big task because if you forget his graham crackers, apple juice, safety blanket, or toys you'll hear from him the minute you step out the door), explore the local streets and parks with Max in his stroller), feed him lunch, put him down for a nap, calm him down when he wakes up, and play with him until Nick (his father) comes home from work.
Max on the go!
I am really enjoying the house dynamic and my work schedule, and I thoroughly enjoy getting lost in Rome and stumbling across views like this:
This is blocked by a gate, at the end of a small street, with no explanation or sign as to what historic site it is. Rome is full of these mysteries at every twist and turn!
I'll leave you with this funny Max-ism I discovered today:
Max has many "talking" (noisy, loud, battery-operated toys), but one of them is a color wheel that tells you the colors as you press on each colored button, and you can switch the languages between English, Spanish, and French. Max's favorite color is "rouge." Just a few minutes ago, Max had the biggest meltdown his parents have witnessed, and they couldn't trace what had caused it, until they discovered the language had accidently been switched from French to English, leaving Max with the awful word "red"! Max immediately calmed down once he heard the reassuring sound of rouge. I think Max will have a thing for french girls when he's older!
I am slowly getting adjusted to life here. My work schedule is very structured, and my play time is very unstructured. The World Cup started a couple weeks ago and so I've diligently watched all games that Italy plays (in fact there is one in the background as I write this now) because it's a great way to meet people. In Rome, there are not sports bars like there are in the United States-- most people watch the game in their home or while eating dinner at a restaurant. However, the English and Irish have introduced pubs to Rome, so I went to a few of those last week. At the pub, there are no obligations to buy a fancy dinner in order to watch TV, and you get to be boisterous. There was a fun match between US and England and the bar was divided 50/50, so there was good clean competition between the two fan groups. However, I was lucky to discover that a nearby park (the 3rd largest in Rome) has a giant screen TV that thousands gather at for the big Italian games, so here I have met many friendly local people.
Villa Borghese's screenMany of the Italian friends I have met have been very excited to practice their English, so they are always willing to give me a tour of their favorite haunts in exchange for the opportunity to practice English. It's a fair trade, but I think my Italian is worse now than when I left!
I also discovered a great fancy jazz club in downtown. I saw an Italian swing group play and it was just classic Italian atmosphere; I wish I had taken a picture but I'm trying to avoid advertising myself as an American tourist in local haunts.
My work schedule is roughly like this each day:
Wake up at 7 am, play with Max, feed him (a long, arduous chore because he thinks he can get by without eating!), get him ready for an excursion (also a big task because if you forget his graham crackers, apple juice, safety blanket, or toys you'll hear from him the minute you step out the door), explore the local streets and parks with Max in his stroller), feed him lunch, put him down for a nap, calm him down when he wakes up, and play with him until Nick (his father) comes home from work.
Max on the go!
I am really enjoying the house dynamic and my work schedule, and I thoroughly enjoy getting lost in Rome and stumbling across views like this:
This is blocked by a gate, at the end of a small street, with no explanation or sign as to what historic site it is. Rome is full of these mysteries at every twist and turn!
I'll leave you with this funny Max-ism I discovered today:
Max has many "talking" (noisy, loud, battery-operated toys), but one of them is a color wheel that tells you the colors as you press on each colored button, and you can switch the languages between English, Spanish, and French. Max's favorite color is "rouge." Just a few minutes ago, Max had the biggest meltdown his parents have witnessed, and they couldn't trace what had caused it, until they discovered the language had accidently been switched from French to English, leaving Max with the awful word "red"! Max immediately calmed down once he heard the reassuring sound of rouge. I think Max will have a thing for french girls when he's older!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Week One
Ciao-- this blog is for family and friends to read about my life in Rome, Italy. A big welcome to more distant facebook friends creeping as well.
I'm here, I'm happy, I'm healthy, I'm hot!
It's been a whirlwind of a week, with lots of faces and places and things to remember-- and unfortunately I can only stumble out Spanish phrases when it's most essential. I love the apartment I am living in-- big and spacious with lots of windows. I am extraordinarily fortunate-- it is a mansion by Italian apartment standards. It is owned by the U.S. Embassy so everyone here is American; however, they are apparently hard at work all day every day because I've really only seen one other face wandering about. Our tax dollars hard at work! And don't worry grandma, nobody has exclaimed the common refrain "Che butta (how hideous)!" to me yet in response to my attire-- but they take what they call la bella figura (cutting a fine figure) very seriously here, and moreso than anyone the men.
I will go into detail about my day-to-day life and family and neighborhood as I get more settled and familiar with it. I will post some pictures of my pad in the next entry.
I'm here, I'm happy, I'm healthy, I'm hot!
It's been a whirlwind of a week, with lots of faces and places and things to remember-- and unfortunately I can only stumble out Spanish phrases when it's most essential. I love the apartment I am living in-- big and spacious with lots of windows. I am extraordinarily fortunate-- it is a mansion by Italian apartment standards. It is owned by the U.S. Embassy so everyone here is American; however, they are apparently hard at work all day every day because I've really only seen one other face wandering about. Our tax dollars hard at work! And don't worry grandma, nobody has exclaimed the common refrain "Che butta (how hideous)!" to me yet in response to my attire-- but they take what they call la bella figura (cutting a fine figure) very seriously here, and moreso than anyone the men.
I will go into detail about my day-to-day life and family and neighborhood as I get more settled and familiar with it. I will post some pictures of my pad in the next entry.
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