Bitter-Sweet Decisions in Life

I’ll just get right down to it. Due to various circumstances, it looks like I will be returning to the states sooner than I thought. Now before you get too “oh… I’m so sorry”, hear me out.   

I’m not entirely thrilled about leaving here. It has been a dream of mine to live in Italy, and I have now done so twice. I love the culture here. The history fascinates me. The churches and architecture…..the sculptures, frescoes, and paintings…..they are all so wonderfully crafted – and with so much passion. It makes me feel passionate when I look at them… and I love it!  I have really enjoyed my time here and being back, but maybe this just wasn’t the ‘right time’ for me to be here. Maybe I will be offered another opportunity when I go home and it will be better for me in the long run…who knows! BUT I am extremely grateful that against odds, I came here and successfully lived and worked here for a bit. I do not regret coming and having to return, but I know I would have regretted not coming at all.  

I think I posted before that I was offered a pretty sweet teaching job at Kindergarten (obviously… a kindergarten) :) Basically I did not end up with the job because after they had ‘hired’ me they realized they did not have a budget to pay another teacher. So I went a few days without hearing anything and eventually called them, just to have them tell me they couldn’t hire me anymore. With this job I would have been able to get the necessary paperwork to get my permesso and to live and work here. While I do have a job right now (which I REALLY like!), it is not one where I can receive the proper papers to work in the European Union. Now, I could live here illegally, but it might cause problems for returning in the future, and I would much rather have to leave now than to have complications returning to Europe later on! This is why I am making the decision to come home now.  

I haven’t ‘given up’ on living here, and I would like to come back at some point, but I also have to be open to other opportunities that arise. I’m also not completely disregarding my ESL certificate and what I did in Costa Rica. I am looking up different Language Tutoring Centers at home and still going to try and teach ESL private lessons. I will also be getting a “temporary” job (ex: coffee shop, restaurant, etc) so I can start saving up money (and start paying off loans….boo). Plus this way, I will be home for two very important weddings, my sister and brother-in-law getting a foster kid, and other things that are going on - and I can see friends and family. So it will be good. 

I haven’t bought tickets or anything yet, but I am looking at different options. Looks like I will be back in Washington at the end of April. The other day when I was researching flights I had a random thought and typed a search from flights from here to Tennessee (where Rachel and Chris live). I figured I was more than likely to have a layover somewhere on the eastern side of the States, so why not just check. Turns out that with flying from here to Tennessee and then Tennessee to home I save about $100! So if all goes well, this way I get to go visit one of my best friends!!! I am VERY excited about this because I didn’t know when the next time I was going to be able to see here was… and it’s been about a year since I saw her last! So…. Good things come out of unpleasant situations!

Senza Glutine

So I’m trying to not eat gluten for a few weeks to see if things improve. My friend’s sister told me about a year ago that I might be gluten intolerant. Some of the things that can be affected are clarity of skin, weight gain, lethargy and pain with muscles and joints, etc. I thought there was NO WAY I could ever be gluten intolerant! All I eat is pasta and bread (because it’s cheap and it’s good!) Well…..after living here where literally all I was eating was pasta and bread, I’ve noticed that my skin is breaking out, I’ve been unnecessarily tired, and my left knee has been killing me! One evening, after washing and complaining about my face, my roommate asked if I was maybe allergic to any food…..then it hit me. GLUTEN. 

So, technically I’m not diagnosed or anything, but I’m going to try for a few weeks to not eat gluten and see if anything changes. So far I have successfully gone a week without eating anything with gluten! And believe me… I didn’t think I could do it… ESPECIALLY when I’m living in Italy! Thankfully there are a few products (pasta, crackers, and bread) and they really aren’t too bad. I was just thinking pasta and bread…. But really it’s almost everything here…including Tiramisu :( But thanks to those of you who have given me recipes and tips…. I’ve definitely been eating more potatoes :) We have also had sushi, hamburgers (without the bun), and curry with rice :) We’ll see how it goes, and if I do see an improvement then I won’t be eating gluten (with a few exceptions).

Party Time!

Well it has been a month of festivals, birthdays, and celebrations so far. J Recently there were three friend’s birthdays, The International Women’s Festival, the 150th anniversary of Italian Unification, Carnivale and more.

Festa delle Donne

In case some of you weren’t aware, March 8^th is International Women’s Day – a celebration which was set in motion to commemorate women’s achievements throughout history. In Florence you can walk around the streets and markets and find the yellow Mimosa flowers all over - and most people give them out for free! Mimosas are intended to be a sign of respect and love for women and this tradition started in Rome around the 1950s. To help celebrate, all of the National Museums were free for Women for the day! I went with three (out of four) of my flatmates to Palazzo Medici-Riccardi and then we walked around for a bit. My roommate Irene and I went into a store close to Piazza del Duomo and it was full of wine, cheese, meat, sauces and more. We sampled strawberry balsalmic glaze (I almost died – SO GOOD!!!), strawberry jam and a few other things….and the old man working there gave us each a huge bunch of the Mimosa flowers :) I’ll definitely be going back there to get that glaze!

Notte Tricolore 

March 16^th was the 150^th Anniversary celebration of the Unification of Italy. The main piazza’s in Florence (Piazza del Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, Piazza Santa Croce, and Piazza della Repubblica) were illuminated with the “tricolore” of the Italian Flag and were hosting a variety of cultural demonstrations. Most of the state museums in the city were open late (supposed to be until 1am) for free. Irene and I had sushi for dinner and then headed out in hopes of going to the Medici Chapels….which were closed. Then we went to the Bargello….which was closed…then to Palazzo Vecchio….which was closing…then to the Uffizi….which had a RIDICULOUSLY long line…then finally to Santa Croce….where we got in :) We walked around and I gave Irene a “tour” since I used to work there. Eventually we headed home to watch the fireworks from our livingroom window which were in Piazza della Signoria. 

Pisa

 

On Friday Irene and I took an afternoon trip to Pisa – no reason in particular, just to get out of the city for a little bit without too much of an expense. We walked around and looked at stores and shops – found Thai curry paste and coconut milk and soy sauce (and we had Thai Curry for dinner Saturday night!! – Delicious!) There was also a new/used/ancient book market in one of the Loggias. I LOVE old books and have a mini collection on one of my shelves at home. We spent a good amount of time looking through the tables at all of the different books in different languages (predominantly English, Italian, and French). Irene bought Claudio Ciaravolo’s TI Amo – In Tutte le Lingue (I Love You – In Every Language), which is really fun! I found a really old and cool looking book (from 1845!!!!!) and a script from the play La Vita e Bella from October 1949 at Teatro dei Giovani! I also got the complete set of the Grimm Brother’s Tales in Italian. After walking around and going to the piazza, we got gelato from a delicious gelataria (Kristen… you know which one I’m talking about) ;-p and headed back to the city.

I’ve also been busy making tours, which I haven’t really been able to turn in from the lack of internet connection in my apartment (…..still……).  I’ve made a few and my favorites so far have been a “Statues of Florence” tour and a “Medici Trail” tour! Yesterday I sat down and come up with a TON of topic ideas and now I just have to submit them and ‘get ‘em done!’ :)