Thanksgiving #italygirlproblems

I bought a Thanksgiving Parmigiana instead of a chicken 

I once again, hit another hurdle: my first holiday away from my family as a working girl.  I was a little apprehensive as I come from a large, loud family.  My dad is one of eight, and they are all very Irish.  Meaning get together's - even something as simple as a first communion is usually 50+ people.  My mom is Italian - and we all know how that goes down.  40+ people, everyone in the kitchen telling everyone what to do.  This would have been the first Thanksgiving since my great grandmother passes, whose house we usually have dinner at.  I am not going to lie- nostalgia was hitting me like roundhouse to the gut - and that is a little tough to swallow and not show your opponent that you are crying like a little girl.

The farewell

Back in Florence it was like I never left(except for that pile of emails) crazy to think after the whirlwind week of travel and week hanging out with my sis that everyone was just going about their business.  Man, that was a solid trip.  ...  There was mystery, intrigue, adventure, some fake crying and a lot of fun.  It had everything!  I had an amazing time with my baby sis.  I really did.  It was a fantastic trip, and I really appreciate the bonding we got to achieve on this trip.  I can't wait until she comes back next year

That night we went on some reconnaissance shopping and finished up the list of things the girls needed to see in Florence before Anna had to leave on Thursday.

Bagpipes! And Kilts! And Haggis! Oh My!

Let me start off with, I LOVED SCOTLAND.  I loved Scotland so much in fact that I was seriously considering not leaving.  I am sure that work would understand, I mean, what isn't to love about Scotland?  Honestly, I fell in love with the country the instant I stepped off the plane, and it was probably the most difficult place to leave.

Secondly, I was slightly stressed because I wanted this to be an amazing trip for my sister and her friend but I am - well - lets say "directionally challenged"  Maps and I have never gotten all that along.  Our First day we settled into our hostel before going out and exploring, because of the strict liquor laws  in the UK most hostels in the center wouldn't allow under 18's stay in their dorms so we were located a little less central than I would have liked but it wasn't that bad.  We arrived pretty late and ironically the only thing that was open as 2am was - a Mcdonalds.  I shame ate a whopper and fries.  Who am I?  I don't eat McD's.  Period.  I am not going to lie, I did some experimentation in college but who doesn't in college.

It Comes in Pints?

 Yes...  Yes it does....  but more on that later.  I had finally arrived in Ireland.  It was around 6pm by the time I had checked in, and settled.  AND THEN I SAW KELLY!  I was so excited. I didn't let go of her....  Literally we had the most wonderful bear hug since when Robin came home from her semester abroad.  Well actually I didn't let go until dinner.  It was great to hang out with her and her Galway roommies.  It is sincerely fantastic to see people who know who I am and just be myself.  I was on top of the moon.  We sat and chitchatted for a while, our gossip quickly lost interest for the little ones and they ran off to get ice cream.  I find it strange that "little" is 17 I don't feel old, but five minutes ago I was 17 and starting the best summer ever, before I left for Italy.

Home Again

Florence - I mean why not.  I had to show Florence to someone new so it was like I was exploring it all over again through the eyes of someone new!  We first got to Florence late at night, we were tired from all the travel and hauling luggage up hills(that was me) so we collapsed in our apartment and didn't move.  Liz had the time to upload all here pictures, and I had time to look back at all the emails I had missed over the weekend.  I am giving in to any preconceived notions about myself- I am addicted to the internet.  Anyway, Monday I had to be at work, and I worked through Wednesday then Liz and I were going to Scotland with her friend Anna! Monday night after work we walked around the city and looked in all the store windows, Liz decided that she wanted everything as a souvenir, so we had to narrow it down a bit.  What was nice was we got amazing leather jackets together, she got shoes and so on.  It was more nice to just walk around with her and talk.  I missed that so much, we used to be together all the time before I went to college and she went to high school.  It was a great catch up.

Re-united at last in Rome!

Rome - a romantic city full of beautiful monument, wonderful sites and amazing food right?  Wrong.  I have now been to Rome three times, and not to be a downer but it tops my list of worst Italian cities I visited just under Pisola (probably the best- worst getting lost story ever) and Naples.  Now I gave it multiple tries, I did a day trip there with school, I went for four days with my mom and now last weekend, and I think I can safely say, Rome is not for me.  Now I am sure that it could be all fine and well for other people, but here is why I would just be really ok with not going back.

Such Great Heights

A question you may ask yourself about my blog is, why are there music videos in all the posts? Well let me tell you. My plan is to include my song I am listening to/is my favorite/is my new jam when I published each post that way when I look back I can create a playlist that can bring me back to that moment. I am a huge fan of music, and while my list of favorites is diverse (Techno, folk, rave, pop, techno, rock, techno, alternative) I am going to try and make a well rounded playlist that can really bring this year together nicely. 

So this weekend I went on a very interesting trip. I got to see three of Italy most famous foods, and how they are created: Parmigiana cheese, Balsamic de Modena and Prosciutto de Parma.  If I do say so myself it was quiet a gastronomical adventure.  The first stop we did was in Parma to a small cheese factory and I got to see exactly what goes into making Parmigiano cheese, which is surprisingly not alot: milk, whey, salt.  It was really cool.  Basically all true Parmigiano factories are open all year long with no days off because the cows never stop needing to be milked.  The cows are milked each morning and the beginnings of the cheese is made by the afternoon.

So Happy Making

I don't even know where to start.... There is just so much I have to say, and there are so many little off shoots on a main story - like an episode of How I Met Your Mother, just bare with me and you can hear an unbelievable story.

Firstly I was so excited to be going on this trip, Cinque Terre was on my list of places that I really wanted to go to. Cinque Terre for those of you who don't know is a set of five small cities interconnected by a foot path and train system. Cinque Terre literally means "five lands", and is a protected historic land mark by the Italian government. Each Town has its own individual flavor to it, although each four towns are located on the cliff's of the Mediterranean and one town is more inward. Chronologically we went through Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia,Vernazza, and finally Monterosso al Mare. Our hostel was in Riomaggiore, and was by far the best choice of towns to stay in. Riomaggiore is on one end of the chain of towns, so we we able to start our hike and go in one direction for the whole day - although I use "one direction" loosely. The hike was unbelievable tough, but now that you have some idea of what Cinque terre is I will start from the beginning.
So I have work on Fridays and the girls I was traveling with didn't have plans on Friday so I was going to join up later in the day after work. I am not going to lie I was a little nervous taking the train alone, I have had a couple disastrous experiences with taking the train alone , and this would be my first time since my return taking the train. Thankfully this was nothing like the first time, using all my knowledge of trains I had acquired and timetables I was fine!

If I Ever Leave This World Alive

There are many things I could say about the majority of September, but travel was not among those words.  I have been trying to decide life plans and what I am doing with myself, I have work(which is PHENOMENAL by the way) but what else.  I am here in this fantastic city with none of my usual vices: my crafts, sewing machines and the nearest AC Moore is 4014 miles.  Yeah I googled it.  So now what?  I need a project.  Its not that I don't have things that I could do, I am an expert time waster, I in fact have whole folders devoted to the most inane and useless websites you could find.  Its not even like I spend hours on TFLN or postsecret, no these website are much worse.  Alas, I need focus or a direction of my personal life that I have yet to find.  I have very little athletic skill(See hand eye coordination) so joining some sports team here is out of the question, I like baking but baking does no favors for me and thus forces me to run jog awkwardly canter around the city.  My attempts at running have been vividly compared to that of a baby dinosaur and a horse stuck in the mud.  So that rules picking up some kind of cross country.  I bought a basil plant, and aptly named him Phillip, but he is already shedding all his leaves.  I hope he will survive the month I have grown quite fond of him.

Iron and Wine

 Let me start off by saying I have been trying - unsuccessfully - to write this post for some time. This is attempt three, starting from scratch, to get my thoughts on paper.. Er... Internet.
This morning was my adult morning. I sat down with my cup of tea and started doing finances, figuring out budgets and all that stuff. It was an interesting feeling

Saturday, we took a trip to Castello di Verrazzano, Verrazzano means the family of the wild boars of the forest. On the way there I saw two girls, they looked in their late twenties in dresses that I wouldn't wear to Hattaz at 2 am. It was such a juxtaposition, the girls dressed up in their club gear, walking down a country road with one house every five miles. They were hitchhiking their way to who knows where. I was shocked, I didn't know a) that people still hitchhiked and b) that hookers came out in the day. I kinda figured it was like the whole vampire thing, they only come out at night, they sparkle (their shoes, bags, dresses shirts everything is sequins and glitter) and their skin is cold (from standing on the corner all night). It kinda blew my mind to see them out in the day light.

Tangled

On September 7th there is the Festa della Rificolona every year in Piazza Santissima Annunziata which is one of those very Italian festivals and my group was probably most of the only non-native it the square.  The Festa della Rificolona(or festival of lanterns) is a festival created to celebrate the birth of the Virgin Mary although according to my information this festival wasn't a big deal until 1555 when Florence defeated Siena.   It was an amazing site, I wish I had brought my camera (it was tucked neatly in my drawer waiting for me to get it, although to be perfectly honest it doesn't take great night photographs so images wouldn't be as impressive as it actually looked).  This is also known as the Festival of lanterns, there was a woman giving what I expect to be a very moving speech, the whole crowd was mesmerized.  There was families with children, and everyone had lanterns.  Some lanterns had an electronic light in them, some had an actual tea light, some were handmade and some were obviously purchased, but all lanterns were on sticks held above the crowd.  There was one very large replica of the Duomo that obviously took someone a very long time.  They were beautiful, especially all held up on over the heads of the crowd.  There was also children running around with spit ball shooters, trying to hit as many lanterns as they could.  This was a strange event to watch, especially because not only were these spit balls hitting lanterns, they were breaking them by puncturing the cray-paper and in some cases knocking them completely off their support stick.  I did a little research and that tradition has something to do with the schism between the rich and poor.   When this festival was first started the rich patrons were be able to afford lanterns, where as the poor would not, so to try and knock the rich down they would try and destroy their lanterns.  

Everyone gets a day: Mothers, Father's, Bastille's

 I am have so many things to talk about about but very little continuity so I will try and make things interesting but I cannot promise any smooth transitional sentences (*cough* sorry heather).

I am covered in bites, before you your knickers in a twist, no they are not the fun kind.  They are the itchy, hard lumpy kind.  There are these beastly warrior mosquitoes here that give bites the size of quarters and look like raised welts.....  And they are everywhere.  A legitimate question someone asked me was if I had slammed my hand into a door.   I look leprous.  Thankfully my face has been spared, but not much else.

Summer Fires

I am finally moved into my apartment.  It feels like I have been here for forever just because of how crazy things got.  Things are supposed to calm down a lot after the next week, but for now free time is a luxury, when I find it  I do the healthiest thing possible.  Nothing.  My first sight of freedom was last night, my first night in Firenze, I had been running around moving everyone in and had a light lunch and no dinner.  I figured I just would get a light fare and then if there was leftovers I would reheat them for breakfast.  I walked around for a bit just to remind myself of where everything is.  Some stuff I remembered, others looked completely new(although I am sure that 400 year old buildings are put up all the time).  I wandered around for a bit before I ended up in Piazza Signoria and stopped.  The night was dark, it was probably around 9:30, and I decided that I wasn't going any further.  I could have bought a cheap sandwich anywhere, but I just wasn't in the mood to do the whole grab-and-go thing.  So I sat down at the most obvious tourist trap that looked right out at the Palazzo Vecchio with full intentions of ordering dinner.  As soon as I saw the menu I knew that wasn't happening.  It was in Italian with not only English subtitles but pictures.  PICTURES.  Yeah.  I felt ridiculous sitting there, I knew I was better than that.  I felt bad leaving after I sat down, and I was so tired I dont know if I actually had it in me to move anytime soon so I decided to just enjoy a glass of wine.  It was obnoxiously expensive, but that wasn't the point.  I spent two and a half hours drinking my one glass of wine just sitting staring out at the families bustling around, making friends with the waiters, and just decompressing.  It was exactly what I needed.  The view was beautiful, it really reminded me of what I missed about Florence.  My free time and meals are appreciated more when the world is quiet and I just get to sit and enjoy my surroundings.

Steady As She Goes

I passed out.  Between the stress of coordinating three different flights, jet lag, lack of sleep, mild dehydration, lugging about 7 tons of luggage from the airport to the bus.  I was exhausted.  So this morning I set my alarm for six even though I didn’t need to be there to help the kids with breakfast for two hours.  I walked around Tuscania just to orient myself as I was pretty much zoned out when I got to my hotel the first time, fell asleep and was still a little asleep when we walked to dinner.  It was necessary to figure out where everything was.  At 6:30 am the town was quiet, although it is generally a quiet place, it has that feeling of restfulness about it.   The doors are crowned with creeping vines, and the stone is old and worn, the place has a old world feel to it.  A lot of Tuscania’s architecture and buildings are made out of volcanic stone, which were built around the time of the roman empire(over the Etruscan tombs).  Some parts were restored after an earthquake destroyed a good section of Rome and its surrounding areas.    

After these messages we’ll be riiiighht back

Ok.  Remember when I said “so long as I have my credit card, my few important items and my passport everything else can be replaced?”  Yeah.  Don’t ever say that again.  In fact I should know better than to say such blasphemous things aloud – you know my track record with saying stupid, stupid things aloud (and if you don’t, ask me about shooting stars and maybe I will tell you).   Today was a long day and I am not going to go into details (because, well I am exhausted and can’t keep my eyes open) but I will give you small details.  There were missed connections, overweight luggage, bad lightning storms, very invasive TSA security checks, flight cancellations and flight re-booking, but all the madness was dealt with aplomb (until the very end).  Long story short I  am now in Tuscany with only my carry-on.  I have a change of clothes, and my laptop, passport, various sundries and three pairs of shoes.  Go figure, I would put several pairs of shoes in my carry-on, the one thing I can’t actually buy in Italy... Go me!  I would almost say that bad packing saved me.  Almost.   

Silver lining – we are all here in Italy, whole happy and ready to fight the day….  Or eat dinner…..  Whichever comes first.  Probably dinner.  Viva Italia. 

Pop Princess

So I sit here, poised on the edge not yet leaving but still caught in-between.  I packed up my room the best I could (that is to say I shoved everything into the closet), made a lunch for the train and now I sit… and wait.  This is it.  The moment of truth has come.  The last time I was leaving for Italy I didn’t actually get nerves until I saw the JFK terminal off in the distance with hundreds of planes taking off and landing.  When I told my mom and dad I was nervous they said the flight would take less time than the traffic to get home so I should just get on the plane.   So this is it.  I am just going to get on the train.  Nothing will get in the way of Crossing the first threshold………

It's The Final Countdown

And so it begins -  my final hours before take off.  I have my rain boots tucked safely away, piles of individual packets of powdered Snapple and my bear (who I am unashamed to say has been to as many countries as I have) in my carry on.  Now if only my luggage would zip closed I would be golden.  The day has been crazy, I felt like was being stretched into a million different places trying to finish the long list of things I needed to get done.  Somehow I miraculously managed it because here I am sitting in my parents office typing away, as the house sleeps.

I came back yesterday to find all my plants had shot up over the past two weeks.  The morning glories took over - climbing on; the trees, the fence and the porch making a raucous mess.  My brother and sister where off enjoying their summers as kids should be and my mom took me to find shoes, and my dad and I finished the banking.  I deferred my phone, it was the only way to preserve my number but not pay to have a phone I would never use.  What that means is they freeze the number, I cant tell if I am relieved I don't have a phone or going through withdrawl of legitimately not having a phone any more.  I can handle not being on Facebook or my email for long periods of time( I may not like it but I can do it) but my phone is another story.  My mom didn't understand why I made such a fuss about keeping my number - she was voting to just delete it and get a new one when I came back.  Some part of me just couldn't let go, I can still delete it later if I so choose but for now my phone lies dormant surrounded by all the other things that didn't make the cut.  It looks a little like the island of misfit toys- I am sorry Buddha mug and shirt that I bought in the 5th grade its not that I don't love you but there is only so much room in my bag and I can't bring everything. 

Totally Necessary and Important Tangent:
I sometimes wonder how younger generations will deal with power outages without their phones or facebook or constant connection to their networks?  Not to go all Into The Wild or Armageddon on you but I am pretty sure that need be I could survive on my own for a while.  I would get lost as hell and never find my way back to anything and most likely eat something that (while harmless to most people) would end up killing me.  But for that one glorious week - I would survive like a champ. I am not so sure as to how these kids would do without power - because for all their life problems their is an App to solve them.  I digress, this is not a social commentary but the ramblings of a girl who had far too much coffee and went a little overboard on shoes.  I swear I never thought I would be that girl but show me a pair of Carlos Santana's and I melt like a Popsicle in July.  

Annnddd moving on.  Tomorrow should be interesting I am taking the train to DC which should take just over five hours, not the longest train I have ever taken but it is the longest train I am doing by myself.  I am bringing with me the card game Phase Ten and peanut butter.  This will be my go-to solution to any homesick crisis that may confront me.  A kid come crying to me about missing their parents and wanting to go home - I make them a PB&J, play some cards and have just chat with them.  Boom.  Done.
 
I know I am going to forget something so long as I have my passport and my credit card I am not going to worry about anything.  I find that thinking like that helps to have a calm flight and a relax traveling experience.

The Importance Family

My parents raised me knowing the importance of family, they believed that to be a fundamental building block to our character.  Family come first.  Friends come and go but your family comes forever.  If you donate to charities - first makes sure your family is ok - then you share with others (that is if you have a cousin who is homeless you find ways to help that cousin first before you donate to a charity).  Those and many other ways of thinking, are now just second nature to me.  I didn't realize until later in life that other family's don't operate how our family operates.  When our elderly is sick or in need - we hire in home nurses and have family move in or move them in with family.  We don't farm out the old to nursing homes.  Its just not done.  There is a deep respect for the history and life that was lived. 

I had dinner with my aunt my last weekend in Poughkeepsie, and she told me wonderful stories about my dad as a kid, and how she had watched all of us grow up - and how she grew up.  Before dinner was over she made me promise that I would be back for holidays, and to keep everyone updated.  She also gave me a piece of my grandmothers jewelry to remind me that family is always close by and that there will always be someone watching over me. 


So why should I ramble on about family for a paragraph - what does family and respect for family have to do with travel?  Travel and adventure may be about leaving everything you know and love - but its the family who supports who pushes you out of the nest to fly on your own wings for the first time - that makes coming home so sweet.

A Girl of Many Names

Over the years I have had many nicknames and as I changed they have change- or maybe I just grew into different nicknames.

My dad called me Baby Doll because he thought I looked like a doll when I was a born.

As a kid my grandfather called me stretch or green-bean, because I was constantly growing and looked like someone took me and stretched me out.  

In high school I would buy a corn muffin every single morning for breakfast so my friends called me Muffin Queen

In college my one of my BFFL/housemate Heather (fondly known as Eather) saw me across the green and called out for Hoolianne.  This was because she had just watched Romeo and Juliet and the Maid called for Juliet across a field (and pronounced it Hoooliettt).  And thus a legend was born.   

When I hangout with my cousin in New York everyone calls me Connecticut because...  Well because that's where I am from.

Throughout my life I can pinpoint traits that have remained constant, and traits that have changed.  My dad's and my favorite story to recant is when I was two and had just mastered the art of walking.  He used to joke that I went from crawling to running and skipped the walking around phase.  He would take me to the mall where I would full on run around the mall as fast as my little legs would take me, and he could just walk next to me seeing as he was a tall grownup.  He said that I would run, stop,  look to at a widow that caught my eyes then keep running.  My mom used to say it was a miracle that she didn't lose me because I would be standing next to her one second and bolting off the next second without another word.  It wasn't that I would try and ditch her or anyone else - I am just curious and what I wanted to see  might not be there later.  She attempted to use a child leash to keep track of me but I got out of it so fast that it was useless.  Honestly - not much has changed since then(except I am taller now and can talk about what I see).  I am always running off somewhere to see something, those are the times when I am truly happy.  Sometimes what I see are what people categorize as fantastic sights like the Grand Canyon or the canals of Venice, and sometimes they are things like a street light or the way a set of trees look like out my window.  There are so many beautiful things to see in this world, sometimes it feels like people take for granted the natural beauty that is in their surroundings be it urban, suburban or rural.  

There is so much to see and do, and I just want to do it all.  Realistically, I know that I can't possibly do everything - but that will never stop me from trying.  Every opportunity I find to do something new I try and take.  This weekend I learned how to salsa and it was fantastic.  This type of adventurism helped me to go to Vegas by myself where I made friends with a band from California, talked to a woman with a B.A who turned to stripping because she couldn't pay her bills, and hung out with a new set of people each night.  I had a great time.  I may not have a defined plan of where I want to be in 5 years(or even know what I am doing next month) but I know that I am going to meet good people and see amazing things where ever I am.  I hit the ground running and never stopped.  

A Change of Scenery

Summer:

Its been such a whirlwind I haven't been able to think straight everything happened so fast I can't believe its almost over.  As I suspected at the beginning working 5 days a week with a rotating schedule, having graduation parties to attend, family events, and what ended up being a whole lot less time to sleep than I ever had to deal with (and I was a college student on the crew team) - my travels through CT were put on hold.  although I did visit more places than I blogged about whoops.  I had much less free time than I anticipated.

I did see so many things during my brief travels and definitely learned a lot about myself and Connecticut.  The main point that was really emphasized by not only the people I spoke to but also the culture of many towns was the importance of tradition and family.  When I boil down everything I heard from people around our great state family and tradition was the overwhelming sentiment.  Someday I think it would be a great project to pick up again as it was so interesting, a lot more interesting than I thought it was going to be!  There are so many hidden gems in Connecticut than people give it credit for(myself included) and it can be extremely easy to discount as boring if you don't know where to look.

What: working in retail, visiting friends and living with my family this summer taught me was to have courage in my convictions and to be more confident in my decisions.  I made some friends, had some laughs and learned some new tricks.  Month's ago I used to joke that I wasn't going to leave college without a fight, I was actually at peace after I got settled back at home.  My School is just a bunch of buildings, but the college experience I loved and will miss is college; that is doing Teach-For-America in Newark, that is going to India for a year to study women in Rugby, that is going to Ireland to be a screen writer, that is working in the Manhattan, and the other million and one people doing amazing things.  That is what I will miss, and as I learned this summer- that college wont end just because we aren't living together in that physical place any more.

Fast forward two months of working long hours, seeing people every other weekend, and a sudden realization of my love of Iron and Wine and you arrive at the end of July.    

Thursday July 28th - I get a call offering me the job to be the RD in Florence

Tuesday August 2nd - I move into campus housing 

Sunday August 21st - I will fly out to Florence 

So in the span of four days I packed up my entire room, got my finances in order and went back to school for
training.  I lugged all my suitcases up one flight of stairs which was enough for me reconsider every single item I packed, there is no way I need all of those clothes!  Especially if I am going to not only have to lug them on a 5 hour train ride, through the airport, connecting flight, and up six flights of stairs.  No way Jose.  I tell anyone who asks about traveling is to pack light, you need a lot less than you think you do!  Only, I didn't take my own advise.  Everyone re-wears clothes when they travel and you can always buy clothes there.  However my logic in the extraordinary amount of things I packed (two of the largest suitcases I could find in JCPenny, a rolling carry on, side bag and purse all packed to the brim) is that.... and how do I put this delicately.....  I am not of average size.  I have on occasion (in jest of course) been compared to an Ent (a mystical tree in the book series Lord of the Rings) for my contemplative nature and tall stature.  They don't exactly carry Ent-sized clothing in European stores as the average size woman I overshot by 8 inches before my freshman year of college.  My choices are very limited when I comes to replacing the simple things like shoes, and pants which most people don't think of as difficult items to buy - I may just have to develop a stronger friendship with the mail-room than I ever anticipated.  As for now though I feel like I have everything packed and ready for blast off at the end of August.  

Foods I am packing:

Diet Snapple Peach Ice Tea

Peanut Butter

VitaCraves    

Music I am listening to:

Mika - Kick Ass

Radar Brothers - Horses Warriors 

Labrinth - Let The Sun Shine