The Torrents of Spring

I typically only fill you in on the more notable moments of my life in Florence; traveling and experiencing extreme highs and lows. Today I find myself sitting lazily on my bed as rain clouds roll in, and I might as well fill in some holes...

This weekend has been very slow and lazy for me. I can partially blame it on being sick (for the fourth time), and partially on the abysmal weather. However, if I am being truthful I will tell you that I really needed a low-key weekend. I have so much on my mind lately, and needed a few days to let my mind percolate. Before coming to Italy I told myself that I needed to tackle one huge life-changing experience at a time or else I would drive myself crazy. Therefore I focused all of my energy on ITALY. Now I've climbed that mountain and it is nearly time to return to base-camp. This means I will need to reevaluate the tools I have acquired and those I will need to set out on my next journey. "The next journey" in this scenario is also known as "What the hell am I going to do when I graduate college next year?"

This looming question, much like the constant April rain here in Florence, has been tormenting me. After living abroad for several months, I find myself reevaluating the details of my postgraduate plans. Isn't going abroad supposed to make you more equipped to make giant life decisions? Of course I have no way of deciding anything yet, but I find myself conjuring up so many questions that past Holly had not considered. For example...graduate school in Scotland? I think it is best that I change the subject before I hyperventilate...

Interesting stories from lately...

1. Dinner with my host-grandparents. This evening occurred several weekends ago, or whenever Easter happened. My host-parents and the kids return from a long weekend at their beach-house, and since it is late, we all go over to Grandma's (Nonna) house for dinner. I adore Nonna and Nonno, and marvel at how perfectly they fulfill my expectations of what Italian grandparents should be. Nonna is warm and welcoming, and loves to spoil her grandsons. Niccò and Luca sit in their "thrones" at the dinner table and Nonna enthusiastically tries to please them with special kid food and kisses. Nonno is pretty absorbed in his soccer game, which plays in the background as we eat dinner. Stephanie and I have a hilarious moment trying to explain what groundhog's day is. Luckily Veronica is there to provide some translation when the struggling is too much.
 
I experience an interesting moment of horror and amazement when Niccò, who is normally quite a picky eater, gladly pops some squishy fish eyeballs into his mouth. This is followed by an equally enthusiastic consumption of the squishy fish brains. I try to pretend it is just ramen noodles...Even though I am sure my face reveals my disgust, I try to remain open. It's okay that some people might enjoy certain fish organs, as long as I don't have to participate. Luckily Nonna brings out a whole different meal for the "adults," and nothing involves fish. The food is delicious of course, but I am forced to MANGIA MANGIA! Even my protests of Grazie, ma sono piena(thanks, but I am full) fall on deaf ears, and I manage to pack everything in. After I finally escape from the table, I join Nonno around the TV to watch a partita di calcio (soccer game), and he offers me some casual Tuesday night whiskey. On my way out the door, ten pounds heavier than I was when I arrived, Nonna shoves a large handful of chocolate eggs in my hands, "for the walk."

Overall it was a very interesting and enjoyable evening, and I felt myself taking mental anthropological field-notes the whole time. This is the reason why I came to Italy in the first place; to expose myself to such a drastically different lifestyle, and develop relationships with people that live in such a different way than I am used to. After experiencing some pretty intense homesickness in recent weeks, this was exactly what I needed. I needed a reminder of why I am here, and what I am getting to experience. Once again I am made aware of how truly lucky I am to be here!

Under the Volcano

This weekend I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel to Naples, Sorrento, Pompeii and Capri. This trip was led by LdM and paid for  by St. Lawrence, for which I am very grateful! Lately it has been extremely rainy and everyone I know(especially me) has been getting homesick. My weekend trip was exactly what I needed to pull me out of my rut.

After a 6AM departure from Florence, we arrived in Naples around midday. First stop: pizza. Naples pizza is legendary, and after a very long bus-ride we were all ravenous. One of the things I love about Italy is that it is more than acceptable to eat an entire pizza on your own. However, Italian pizza is not like anything I have ever tasted in America. The dough is extremely thin, but the perfect combination of soft and crispy. There are NEVER disgusting pools of grease that run down your hands. Everything is fresh and simple, but delicious and amazing!

Saturday afternoon was spent touring the archaeological site at ancient Pompeii. As an anthropologist, you can probably imagine my excitement. I have dreamed of seeing the ruins of Pompeii since I learned about the eruption of Vesuvius in middle school. Now I can add that to the list of lifelong dreams fulfilled! The weather was absolutely terrible, but I was completely okay with it. It was pouring rain for most of the day, but that also meant that there were not very many tourists at the site. I was on an anthropology high that could not be dampened by any amount of rain. My favorite things at pompeii were the remains of the fresco paintings, ancient bathhouses and the disturbing/fascinating plaster-casts of the victims of the 79AD eruption. I learned that it was actually extreme heat from the volcano that killed the people of Pompeii rather than suffocation from volcanic ash. The city was not discovered until the late 1500s, and not properly excavated for several hundred additional years. Archaeologists discovered cavities underneath layers of stone and volcanic ash that contained perfect imprints in the exact position in which people died. Bodies were buried, and after time everything but the bones would decompose and leave a cavity. They poured plaster into these cavities and excavated them to reveal very life-like figures that make Pompeii horrifyingly real. 

At the amphitheater 

ancient frescoes! 

On a lighter note, one of the best things about this trip was Sheila's umbrella. She found this little black umbrella abandoned by its previous owner in her bedroom at her host-house. As the trip progressed, the pathetic and broken umbrella become more and more destroyed. I cannot describe to you the amount of laughs that resulted from that abysmal excuse for an umbrella. By the time we got to Capri, the wind and rain had just about finished the poor thing. The handle even broke off, and Sheila considered fashioning it into a hat. We joked about tying it to a stick, and then the perfect stick-specimen fell out of the sky, as if fate was also laughing at us. For one last laugh we did actually mount the remains of the umbrella onto that stick, and Sheila confidently walked through the main streets of Capri. I cannot remember ever laughing harder at anything in my life. SO STUPID but SO AMUSING!

This was me during the entire trip-Sheila in the background with her...um-brella?

Me and Riley cuddling under my umbrella!

thanks to my host dad for lending me a rain-coat that was big enough to house me, my bag and my camera!

Another highlight of the adventure was the ferry ride from Sorrento to the island of Capri. The weather was becoming more and more temperamental as we set sail. Half of the sky was a menacing black and the other was a beautiful blue. It was beginning to rain as we boarded the ship, so everyone sat below-deck for shelter. Sheila, Riley and I(because we weren't scared) sat up on top of the deck. We weren't going to let some rain stop us from enjoying the view of the coast. Once we got out onto the open sea, the waves grew in size and force. I have NEVER seen waves so large or terrifying. I was quite literally holding on for dear life. It was hilarious and exhilarating to be thrown about on the sea, and I admit I was thinking about what happened to that other cruise ship off the coast of Italy...

A menacing sky

Windblown!

I think Sorrento and Capri are coming in first on my list of beautiful places I have seen during my travels (even with mostly terrible weather). I did get some fantastic shots when the sky cleared a bit! 

During the boat-tour around the island!

Such a wonderful weekend! I am so grateful I got to see so many beautiful places! My last trip is to Switzerland and Como Lake in northern Italy on April 28-29! I am so lucky!

I will bring back chocolate.

Of Mosquitos and Men

Mosquitos and men; two vastly different creatures. Yet I find there are more than a few commonalities between them. I came to this realization one night last week when I made the mistake of neglecting my earplugs. I have grown accustomed to wearing them to bed so I do not wake up to the sound of cranky children. Also, when sleeping in such small quarters it is beneficial to create a soundless bubble for oneself.

Anyways, on this particular night I found myself alone in a quiet house, so the soundless bubble was already in place. I am slowly drifting off to sleep when suddenly the unmistakable sound of a hungry mosquito jolts me back to consciousness...

Now this is not the first time my roommate and I have been tormented by sneaky Italian mosquitos. I often wake up with welts on my arms, hands or legs. I am of the opinion that they have a club house somewhere above our closet, and only come out at night when the coast is clear. Much like the typical Italian man, these mosquitos attack you only at the most inconvenient times.

These Italian Super-bugs, like men, are hungry for exposed flesh, and if you look them in the eye it is an open invitation to be violated. Also, they strive to find you at your most vulnerable moment. In this case, sleeping with exposed legs and arms. To make matters worse, nights can be very hot sometimes. One has to make the choice between being uncomfortably hot, covered in blankets and protected, or cool and conformable but very exposed to an attack. I also believe that because I am not Italian, my blood must be a novelty for them. Blonde-haired, blue-eyed girls are a delicacy not just for the male population, but also the Super-bug.

On this particular night, I was not about to let myself be feasted upon, because sometimes you are just NOT in the mood! I quickly turned on my bedside light and threw on my glasses to try and detect the invader. For several minutes I surveyed the room and found nothing, because the Super-bug is shrewd and skilled. I then thought I saw a bug-like speck on the ceiling, which of course I could not reach because Italians like to build upward. I used my pillow and started wildly throwing it at the ceiling, trying to displace the Super-bug. Eventually I realized it actually was just a harmless speck of unknown origin, and gave up. Meanwhile, the Super-bug was formulating a counter-attack...

At this point it was growing late, and I decided to just go to sleep and hope for the best. Of course, as soon as I turned out the light, the Super-bug launched his attack. I sprang out of bed again and by the time the lights were back on, he had disappeared. This time I decided to use myself as bait and waited for him to come to me. I tried all of the usual strategies...I flirted with other bugs and pretended I didn't care if he came back or not. I seductively rubbed my neck, flipped my hair and threw my pheromones around a bit. As predicted, the Super-bug couldn't stand it and came out of hiding. This time I was ready and pinned him to the wall. I had some difficulty finding his body and wasn't sure if my hit was successful. The problem was...I could not get the buzzing out of my head! I was for sure going crazy at this point, because I do not like to play games with men or mosquitos. I am frantically trying to detect the source of the noise, and eventually open the bedroom door and realize the humming is coming from some appliance...

By now it was very late, and I waved my white flag at the enemy and climbed back into bed. This time I put in my earplugs to drown out the sound of any attackers. This is much like the strategy I employ on my way to school in the morning. I put in my headphones and drown out the sound of the larger version of the Italian Super-man-bug that can be found at all hours of the day and night. If I don't hear you then you do not exist.

In the end I realized that I have to accept that I will take hits everyday. Whether it is in the streets or in my infested room, I will end up with either damaged skin or a damaged ego. By this point I can deal with some wounds, and it always feels good when I get to kill a bug every once in awhile.