Capital Thoughts goes to Africa, aka Vegas

Buona Pasqua!

Trying to practice taking it slower

The park by my house, Villa Doria Pamphili,

where I've become the local creep among the

castles

Becoming a Tunisian bride - almost
Sidi Bou Said's blue doors
Just your average working sunset from the

terrace of my hotel room in La Marsa
Downtown Tunis, the site of the revolution
The only yellow door in all of Sidi Bou Said,

the doors and windows are painted blue to keep out

mosquitos (apparently this house loves bugs - like me!)
Sidi Bou Said - get here while prices

are at rock bottom
The port between Sidi Bou Said and Carthage
Umm yes I would like to come back here

So in my efforts to catch up on this blog I will skip over my trip to America and the Bahamas, even though yes there were capitals involved in my trips. Suffice it to say it was awesome, too short, and while I tried to mentally prepare to avoid the emotional turmoil that I felt on my last visit (June 2010) - I think it's just the way it probably goes when you only go home for two weeks total in 18 months. Thank you to all of you that I got to see for putting up with my mania once again, for hosting me, and setting aside time to make my short stay so fun filled. One day I will come home again and get to see those of you I didn't see and hopefully have more time with all of you. A few highlights I will share - an epic dance party/karaoke session with a few of my all-time favorite ladies, FINALLY going through the stuff I left when I moved to New Zealand and getting organized and laughing at old memories and stuff with my Mom and sis, finally getting to see Bob's bachelor pad, riding on the Current in the Atlantis and yelling I LOVE THE CURRENT at least once a day for five days straight, getting to share in the wonderful wedding weekend of Kaitlyn and Matt and get to know some of their friends better who are now my friends, and one of the all time highlights, when someone asked me where I live and I said Rome, they said, "Oh, Rome, New York - I know someone there".

Rome (Italy) welcomed me back with open arms and warm sunny days. I realized when I walked back into my apartment and went to work the first day that it does actually feel like home now, and that I actually live here. And with that cozy feeling, I immediately had to get busy getting ready for a work trip to Tunisia. Given that Tunisia had a bit of a revolution a few months ago, I had to get an advanced security clearance in order to travel there. What this meant was taking another 3 hour exam (refer back to my Basic Security in the Field exam from December). I now know how to tell directions and find my way based on the old stick in the ground/shadow method; where to build a shelter and with what materials along a river or a desert; how to coordinate with the military in a peacekeeping/military mission; and I'm even better at spotting landmines. Now, even with all that I wasn't too worried about traveling to Tunisia because I was going with two male colleagues and our assistant had arranged a UN car to pick us up at the airport. I ended up finding out late on Friday night that I was actually on a different flight than my colleagues (10 hours earlier) and there would be no airport pick-up for me. So I packed my bag full of scarves and full-coverage clothing to make myself as Muslim looking/respectful as possible, dug deep to resurrect my French, and hoped for the best.

Although I ended up taking a pirated cab from the airport (and scolding myself the whole ride with my hand on the doorhandle in case I needed to quickly expel myself), all was fine other than getting slightly ripped off (which I had expected anyway). The driver and I had a few nice chuckles in French about him ripping me off, and he delivered me safely to my gorgeous hotel where I was greeted by a nice limeade refreshment and a seaside terrace. I only had Sunday afternoon to explore so I headed straight for Sidi Bou Said outside of Tunis. I was slightly worried about walking around as a woman alone as I had been told that it wasn't well accepted. The first shop I walked into, the shop-owner offered me a tour of the ancient building and then a tour of the town, where he became my personal photographer. I kept saying he didn't need to escort me, but he then offered me a tea (one of the best I've ever had) in the oldest teahouse in the town, some sunflower seeds, and bought me a fried donut. I was beginning to wonder how much I was going to end up owing after this treatment, but in the meantime we discussed the revolution, life in Tunisia, the upcoming elections, and the history of Sidi Bou Said. He also showed me the former dictator's house and filled me in on all the gossip surrounding his expulsion/flee. I ended up purchasing a few items from his shop hoping that that would be a good exchange and then tried to sell me a 1,000 Euro coral necklace, then asked me to dinner and said, "Don't worry I won't eat you". Ummm, and that's when I made my exit......

But in general, the parts of Tunisia that I saw are gorgeous, people are really friendly, my scarves and Muslim-wear were unnecessary (although I felt myself becoming more Muslim as I tisked at the Western women wearing short skirts/bare arms), and it feels/seems very calm. There are tanks and barbed wire downtown around the government buildings, but people seem happy. A group of little German kids were even posing in front of one of the tanks (tried to snap a pic, but was too slow). I asked a few Tunisians about the revolution and crime and the lack of a government, and they said that before the revolution there was no crime and that it has increased to the point of pickpocketing - so basically Tunisia is safer than Rome. People are very hopeful about the elections in July, although slightly worried that the more extreme Islamists might win because they are the most organized at this point. Tourism is one of Tunisia's main industries/incomes and obviously the industry has completely tanked (excuse the pun) - so get there and help the economy remain stable - its beautiful, the food is delicious (seafood, olives, harissa, feta, couscous), people are friendly, and the Tunisians are hot.

Workwise the conference in Tunisia was a bit surreal as the entire conference was structured around a tool that I created while at the IDB. So basically it was two days of having presented to me a tool that I created. One of the weirdest professional experiences I've ever had, but I guess such is life as a consultant where you don't own your work. However, it was also one of the best organized/moderated workshops I have ever been to. Everything ran on time, it was super productive, great food and smoothies during coffee breaks, professional photographers, no boring presentations or people falling asleep. So if you're planning a conference - another reason to head to Tunisia.

Back to Italy - The flight from Tunisia is only one hour and on Tunis Air they somehow fit in serving you a meal. Now granted for breakfast this amounted to three servings of bread (croissant, roll, and muffin) but still impressive. Landing in Rome however on a flight from Tunisia = the most ridiculous customs line I have ever seen, definitely longer than the flight and probably due to a small war that Italy is having with France over Tunisian immigrants right now. My colleagues both have diplomatic UN passports, but again as a measly consultant I just have my ol USA passport and an Italian identity card that I've never been sure of the point of. Upon seeing the line they suggested we go in the diplomat line (or no line as the case is) and that they would try to get me through. We presented our documents and they let me and my German boss right through and told my colleague who is ITALIAN (with a diplomatic passport) that he had to go in the normal line. Oh the hilarity and lack of logic of Italy - welcome home.

It's Easter weekend which means four days off for me. Thanks first to Jesus and second to Italy for being so Catholic. With my travel to the states and then Tunisia I have decided to stay close to home this weekend and practice my passegiata before I head off to the Royal Wedding next weekend and a dance party with the LJs.

In Italian language learning news, I've decided enough is enough and I need to shake things up a bit if I'm ever going to feel comfortable speaking. I posted a listing on a consultants listserve for a language exchange and got 6 responses - all men. Their names are Guido, Claudio, Marco, Stefano, Lorenzo, and Mario (no, I'm not kidding). I've decided that I'm going to meet them all for humor's and learning's sake, and maybe at the same time Juliet will finally check her email

Celebrating with Spumante

Lidia and Nick, cooking lasagna for our

lunches for the week and a cake for the

peeps who work in the coffee bar

Oh Happy Unification Italy!!

The fireworks from my apartment

Rome Marathon

Yes I know it looks like I just got punched in the face

and may as well have run the marathon, although I did not

That's just the look of a month long diet of prosciutto

As you know, I'm very far behind in this blog, so I will post this that I had started before I returned to America to try to catch up.

Italy anniversary - Happy Anniversary Italia!!!! A little info about what this is actually an anniversary of: "1861 is the year recognized as the beginning of an independent and unified Italy, when the first Italian Parliament was assembled and the first King of Italy was declared – which is why 2011 is going to be such a big deal in Italy." Apparently this is the first year that people have actually had off work for this day (except me of course). In honor of the celebration all museums and a lot of buildings not normally open to the public at all were open the night before the big day until midnight. I celebrated my anniversary with Italy by partaking in some of the same activities I enjoyed two years ago, by strolling around with some other FAOers sipping prosecco and wandering in and out of piazzas, palazzos, and museums.

Rome Marathon - I've discussed how it's a bit more difficult to be fit in Italy and when I first arrived I thought maybe I would try to run the Rome Marathon. Clearly I have been too busy eating (and working) to make that happen, so I settled for donning my running clothes and my huge camera (thanks family!!) and running alongside the course snapping pics. When someone then asked for my press pass I realized how ridiculous I looked. Even though I wasn't running it, it was still so exciting and if I am here next year, definitely going to try to power through the prosciutto haze and do it. Although one item of note that I might not enjoy while running is that everyone on the sidelines of the course is yelling - "Dai, Dai, Dai!!" which sounds like Die Die Die, and really means go, go go (or so I'm told although it doesn't translate). That might not motivate me when I feel like I want to die

Italian - Still struggling along and definitely not practicing speaking enough. I try to speak Italian whenever I can (in shops, at the coffee bar at work, to myself while I'm cooking, etc.) but it's not enough. Most recent example - 10am in the coffee bar and I decide to order a juice (which they make fresh squeezed from blood oranges and it is AMAZING). So I say - "Io vorrei un spumante". And my good pal Carol laughs and just looks at me, then Lidia orders a coffee, and Carol says and what would you like to me. And I say "Un spumante". At which point she's like - "So would I dear". Well, what I wanted to say was Spremuta (juice) and what I asked for was champagne (spumante). So now my Italian (or lack thereof) is making me known as an alcoholic at work

Eating - Working at the Food and Agriculture organization in Italy, you'd think that they would have a good cafeteria. Now it's not terrible, but it got old real fast. Partly because everything is laden in grease, and partly because it's always a mob scene of disorganization. I decided instead to institute a little tradition of cooking with my colleagues on Sunday for the week, not only to avoid the cafeteria but also expand my Italian repertoire of recipes. Lidia, Nik, and I cooked up some vegetarian lasagna with alfredo sauce, and decided while we were at it to bake a chocolate espresso cake for our favourite workers in the coffee bar (and maybe make them forget about my alcoholism). While we felt awesome about it, bringing your lunch is not de rigueur to say the least. People frequently say, "Oh I knew you were American cause I've seen you walking around with your water bottle and tupperware".

Should I have some more ham??

It may not be Lago di Como but enjoying

Lago di Albana none the less
The Pope's summer residence
One of the many amazing villas in Frascati
Me and the Latins on a Piazza in Castelli di Romani
Lago di Albana, cliffside town/summer residence

of the Pope
Just another anti-Berlusconi protest with armed guards and tear gas at the ready
The sunset view from the roof of FAO, the Forum in the background
Making Ribollita, soup for lunches for the week,

I'm cheating and have ventured into Tuscany again

One of my new best buddies

Anniversary week - It is both the two year anniversary of when I first touched my toes to this sacred soil and the 150 anniversary of the unification of Italy. Thinking back two years ago, I would NEVER have imagined that I would actually live here, even though of course we joked about it - that Trevi Fountain I tell you, now if only Juliet would get her act together. For Italy anniversary day which is March 17th, most of Italy's offices/businesses are closed, but of course not the UN. You'd think maybe as a trade off for not celebrating Italian holidays that we could maybe celebrate some international ones - haven't seen it yet. On Italy anniversary day it is recommended to wear red, white, and green or one thereof. How convenient that it is also St Patty's Day and I can double up on my green, oh Italy you're so thoughtful

Getting away - When we came here on vacation two years ago, after five days in Rome we were ready for the Amalfi Coast and some strolling (passegiato). The fact remains that while beautiful, exciting, etc. etc. Rome is also exhausting and sometimes you need to just leave it behind for a bit. After reviewing easy day trips from Rome, I decided on Castelli Romani, a region just to the South of Rome, where the Pope has his summer residence. I mean if it's good enough for the Pope....So off I went with three Latins and an Itlalian (more on this in the language section of this post). Castelli Romani is also home to Frascati, a small town known for its villas and white wine - um yes and yes. After a short stop there, some pizza and supli (fried ball of rice with tomato sauce and melted cheese in the center) we headed up to Castel Gandolfo on Lago di Albano, where we enjoyed a nice stroll and some gelato and pretended a) it was summer and b) we were the Pope.

Rome - People keep asking me for directions, and no not tourists - Italians. At first I was really confused by this (and proud) and then my friend Sarah back home told me they were all trying to pick pocket me. Since my first confusion about this, it has continued to happen constantly even with my ipod in people are waving me down to ask directions. So I've decided to take this as 1) I am doing such a good job of dominating the streets AND 2) looking like an Italian that they think this girl knows where she's going (false) and can speak Italian (false).

Language - My first week here I signed up for Italian class for Expats, partly because it was so cheap and partly because I thought it would be a good way to meet new people. It's once a week for one hour and it 25 euro a month, at a different bar in a different neighborhood each time. I have really enjoyed it each time, except that I seem to be the only one who goes every week in my beginner group - which means each time a new person shows up we're back at learning how to say our nationalities again. And for the last three weeks, everyone in my group will say, "wow, how do you know so much?". Umm, because I've been coming for four weeks and we haven't progressed. Yes I can say 'Io sono americana' quite well at this point. Added to that is that I share an office with two spanish speakers so I speak Spanish all day (thank you because I didn't want to lose it) and for work I speak English all day. I've been trying to teach myself on the side, and the grammar books that I have (thank you Ulix!) are great and I can get 100% on the tests, but then as soon as I enter a store or try to speak I'm at a loss. Speaking four words a week at my chance store encounters isn't going to be enough to drive this home. I am still pulling from the small italian I know and then in a pinch inputting some French or Spanish when i can't remember a word. Yes, it gets me my prosciutto, but it doesn't make me feel like I actually live here. Although, maybe this comes back to my favorite lesson - patience. The other day it was raining and I was not happy waiting for the bus and this old cute Italian lady offered for me to share her umbrella. We then chatted in Italian a bit and she asked me how long I had been here and I said, one month. And she said, "Wow, you know heaps" (or translation a sack/big garbage bag - which I assume means heaps?).

Work - A lot of you have asked why I haven't said much about it. Frankly, it's not my dream job, but everyone is really nice and I understand what I'm supposed to do. To give you a flavour - I am the only native English speaker in my department. There are only 6 funded months left of the project/department that I work for, so in essence I was hired as clean-up crew - to turn what they have worked on for 3 years into something polished and to deliver some of the deliverables they have been funded to complete. What this equals is a lot of me reading things that have been prepared/researched in order to put them into something publishable in ENGLISH - aka rewriting a lot of non-native English. So as you can maybe gather from above - being hired to be an English writer/editor on a technical topic while learning Italian and speaking Spanish all day has amounted to me being good at none of them. Add to that my Spanish friend wanting me to teach her phonetics in English. Umm, I don't even remember learning phonetics, all I could think of was Hooked on Phonics. Note English deterioration on this blog and I'm sure it will get worse

Eating - Not a day goes by where I don't think to myself, "Should I have some more ham?". Now while on vacation, my fellow vacationers could cut me off. Living alone, there's no one between me and that ham. This saying, "Should I have some more".....has also translated into - nutella and cheese. I have managed to eat cheese, prosciutto/pancetta, and nutella at least twice a day each since the day I arrived, most times more than that. Now while that's nice on vacation - I'm pretty sure it's not sustainable. I've now been here a month and my body is revolting against this behaviour.. Without going into the nitty gritty of my bodily trauma that has been caused by a month of eating like this - just one example is having two eye infections in one month when I haven't had an eye infection in two years before my arrival, or the fact that I'm constantly exhausted (eating cheese, nutella, and prosicutto all day long is exhausting). Additionally, somehow with all this ham/nutella/cheese eating I'm still constantly hungry. My officemates say at least twice a day - "You're eating AGAIN?" So I've decided two things - 1) I will continue to have as much of these items as I want, I mean gosh darnit I'm in ITALY and this is the home of TI, and 2) I need to figure out how to counterbalance them in order not to keel over from a heart attack/goiter. On that note...

Working out - FAO has two banks, two post offices, a grocery store, a second hand clothes store, 5 cafeterias, a pharmacy, a clinic, a bookstore - but no gym and no daycare (not that I need this second one, unless my food baby needs additional care than what I am giving it). This is somewhat characteristic of Italy - but also a bit ridiculous. So with winter here, and working 50 hours a week, and my Mom mentioning mace on every call we have when I talk about running or strolling - I've been left with few options for expelling my agro-ness from sitting at a desk all day other than counting as exercise watching my food baby grow. Lucky for me I live near a ginormous park - Villa Doria Pamphili. Unlucky for me that winter is here and all non-work hours it is already dark. There are apparently pervs among the bushes so it is not exactly safe to run in the dark, alone. I refuse to run without my Ipod in, so I've taken to entering the park and immediately finding a group of people to stealthily run behind so I that I am always in a group. I usually try to target old people as they're slower and they help pace me so I don't run too fast as I am tend to do. What I realized the other day is now I've become that weird creep in the park that is probably freaking all the old folks out

Weeeeee - that's how I spent my day on Saturday, on a scooter, and I was having so much fun that I forgot to take pictures. More to come - and maybe purchasing one of my own

Lidia, Giuseppe, and Nik - As often as I ask myself if I should have some more ham (and say yes), I think to myself, 'Thank god for Giuseppe, Lidia, and Nik". Going it alone in NZed was one thing when I spoke the language.

Lidia and Nik - both are volunteers at FAO and started on the same day as me so we get to experience the "What?, Really?" UN moments together, but also they are new to Italy so we get to share finding apt stories, and the like. First off, yes I can't believe people come to Rome as volunteers either, I can't imagine living here with no salary. But the majority of people my age at FAO are either volunteers or interns and I've found that I should feel very grateful for my consulting contract...

Lidia is from Spain and has been living in Sierra Leone volunteering for FAO for the last year. She studied in Australia and learned English in the streets and now has spoken Creole English in Africa for the last year. She brightens my day everyday with her hilarious English confusions/sayings (Can you borrow me your headphones?) and on top of that she calls me Ellie, which I've missed from IDB. She also is notoriously lost and refuses to speak Italian as she thinks just combining Catalan/Spanish/French/English is fine (most of the time it is actually). Her perspective from Africa is also refreshing from the largesse that is Rome/FAO

Giuseppe is Italian, from Sicily, but lived in DC for 7 years so he's basically the perfect combo of understanding my American questions, but also Italian so he can answer them. I was introduced to Giuseppe through a mutual friend from DC and I often wonder what he's getting out of our friendship as I usually have a list for him everytime I see him with questions/things I need negotiated/Italian I want to learn, etc.. He has helped me set up internet at my house, review my lease, introduce me to countless people, and is a strict Italian teacher.

Nik - Is German, and learned English studying in San Diego. He is also the social coordinator of the interns/volunteers and always rolls his eyes when Lidia and I say we're too old to hang out with them (he's 28). We take Italian class together and he knows French so we usually translate for each other in French. Lidia, Nik and I start each day with coffee and chocolate croissants and gossip about our latest trials and tribulations. Then I coax them back to the office as the guilt that I'm getting paid and they're not sets in.

A few things that are not going to get old in Italy -

-the guys and Carol(told me her name as Christmas Carol) who work at the coffee bar by my office. They're so friendly and lovely and patient with our terrible Italian.

-people yelling/saying bella

-taking public transport for free (more on this soon)

-going for a run in Circo Massimo and then around the Colloseo during lunch/post work

-strolling down Via del Corso and around the Spanish Steps trying on shoes and clothes

-appertivos (basically free dinner in the form of a buffet during happy hour)

-buying vegetables/fruit at the market and them always throwing something in for free and then wishing me a Buona Domenica (Have a good Sunday) on Saturday morning, and I always think in confusion, "What about Saturday?"

-eating a chocolate croissant everyday

So that's my first month here in a nutshell - it's not all pizza and gelato as I said before, but it is all ham, cheese, and nutella

One coin in the Trevi Fountain means

you will return to Italy (worked), two coins means you

will fall in love (we'll see), three means you will marry

an Italian(haven't thrown the third yet as I know Laurie will

kill me)- wavering on dangerous territory here

on my second coin....

Zuppa a la Toscana, cheating on Rome for a dish

Piazza del Popolo, next to the spa

I went to for my birthday massage and facial

On a night out, bumping into the Colloseum

The Spanish Steps

Living in Rome means trying to take a

shortcut home at night and getting thwarted

by the ol Forum

Nothing like turning 30 in Rome to make a girl feel young again. Something about the 2,000 year old buildings might have something to do with it. A lot of you were worried about me being alone for my 'big' birthday, have no fear that the ol buildings kept me company and made me feel young.

Birthday - Since I was turning a somewhat big birthday by myself, I decided to treat myself with a facial and massage. There's nothing like having someone rub your face for an hour and then your whole body in the opulence of Roman spas to make you feel like turning 30 isn't so bad after all. That coupled with a new SLR camera, 4 bouquets of flowers, a bottle of hot sauce, and 10 cards that you all managed to get to me all amounted to me feeling like one girl shouldn't be so lucky. Thank you - if this is how my thirties are going to be, I can't wait!!!! I also spent my 30th evening at a Spanish dinner party (as the only non-native spanish speaker) followed by clearing out the dinner table to make a dance party, right in Campo di Fiori, ended with a sleepover with my spanish friend Lidia and waking up to making nutella pancakes. Thirty = So Good

Transport - People always complain about how bad the public transport is in Rome - unreliable, random strikes, doesn't run late at night, etc. I've found a very reliable form of private transport, with my own music choice - my feet. I've partly been intimidated by the public transport and partly not wanted to be smashed into a sweaty pickpocketing metro/bus, and partly just enjoyed being outside so I've basically walked everywhere since I got here. People often ask how I'm getting home and when I say walking, they look incredulous - again the largesse. But what all this walking has meant is 1) Total DOMINATION of the streets, mini cars and motorinos, I'm not scared of you, dog poop on the other hand.....2) I've gotten to know Rome really well and actually where things are in relation to other things. I lived in Boston a whole year before I realized how close certain T stops were to each other and realized it was ridiculous to be taking it certain places 3) I've gotten real good at the passegiato or Italian word for strolling....

Eating - A lot of you have asked me about the food, and yes as you know, it is amazing. But I'm also not on vacation here and I have to stop eating like I am or I seriously may balloon to 250. One friend asked me if I thought prosciutto would get old, ummm no. But I could see pasta getting old, so I'm trying to only have the very best. I eat most meals at home and I've decided that I'm going to conquer Italy one region at a time through cooking the quintessiential dishes of each area. This week - Rome - Bucatini alla Amatriciana. I had planned to feature pictures of each dish, but I got so excited about this first one that I ate it all before I remembered to snap a pic. My friend Giuseppe helped me prepare this one and insisted that he buy the pancetta and pecorino because he wasn't confident I would buy the right one. You'll have to just imagine the pancetta/tomato goodness that it was. Next on my list Minestra di Pasta e Lenticchi - Lentil and Pasta Soup. In the meantime, I cheated and made a dish from Tuscany, aka Olive Garden, see above.

Oh New Zealand, my heart is with you - devastating week with the earthquake in CHCH and I continue to struggle a bit with the adjustment and dreams of the beach and mountains. I couldn't sleep last night so I thought I would try counting sheep, and then THAT just reminded me of NZed again....I had planned to do a post before I moved here comparing NZ to Italy, and potentially that is still forthcoming. It's impossible to compare and yet impossible not to

Lost in Translation - learning Italian is proving more difficult than I wanted, mostly because I work in English all day and the only time I have to speak in Italian is in shops. I am taking a class, and I can understand it, but it still pains me to speak. And even in English there's a bit lost in the difference.....Example A, I decided to tell some Italian friends about my first experience with the Italian mail system since I had heard it was so bad, and I had had a positive experience this last week with Schultz arriving!!! Convo = Me: So I had my first Italian mail experience. Them: Oh no, were they really pushy? I will apologize in advance, I'm sorry I feel like every American has one of these. Me: Oh no it was really easy, and I was quite surprised......Fast forward to them thinking I was talking about my first Italian MALE experience....uh awkward and no. Oh please speed up my Italian speaking ability

Home/Life - In addition to settling into a new country and learning how household things work (aka no water pressure, no dryer (thank you again NZed for preparing me), lighting the stove with a lighter, etc.), this is also the first time I've lived alone and had to figure everything out myself AND be left alone to my own devices. Needless to say, I'm still getting used to it. Landlord is making it easier = complaint about the water pressure and he arranged to come with the plumber before I had to go to work and then gave me a ride to work (he's 80 for those of you that think he's trying to woo me). I have made friends with a homeless guy on my street by giving him my change three days a week = so it's beginning to feel like home. I went to Ikea this weekend for a few odds and ends that my flat was missing and I can confidently tell you that Ikea is the same in every country - very convenient on the one hand, and on the other full of crowds/exhausting/annoying, but you always leave with meatballs

Shopping - I had to leave a few things in NZed including a pair of black boots, so I've been struggling a bit with some outfits that demand them. I swear I've been in every boot store in Rome and have mastered how to ask for them and say my size in Italian and yet NOWHERE seems to have my size in a city that is obsessed with boots. I do love that Italians don't really wear heels because of the cobblestones, added bonus. I went to a big public market the other day to look at bikes, and came home with a pasta/meat/vegatable grinder/maker. I'm not actually sure it does any of those things - again why my shopping needs to wait till I speak better Italian

Living in Rome vs. Vacationing Here - A lot of you love to say to me, "oh you're just like Elizabeth Gilbert", and while I love you, I am not 40 or recovering from a divorce and I am not living here for a month to just parade around Italy. This is my real life (and yes at times it is hard to believe, but it still is). Which means, I have to get up and do laundry and pay bills adnd run errands just like you, and it means getting anything normal done takes me ages cause I don't speak the language and Rome frankly isn't set up for easy living if you're not on vacation. Your other favorite thing to say to me is, "Well at least you live in Italy". Yes, true and don't ever think I don't appreciate it, but life is not all pizza and gelato here. However, it is true that gelato makes everything better. Another thing about living here is that I will be trying to find the easiest route home after a night out, and think I found a shortcut and then get thwarted as I come upon a huge pile of stones - oh right the Forum, guess I have to go around those thousand year old rocks

In short - I love it - I'm getting fat eating so much and enjoying every moment - I'm exhausted, while it's easy to find beauty treatments, impossible to find a house/land phone and other basic items - Italian, I'm trying, but this is going to take more than I thought, But I will not be thwarted - Rome/Italy I will make you my home

Rome Wasn't Built in a Day

Welcome home to my apt in Roma
The mini kitchen with washer
My dressing/getting ready room
Bedroom on raised steps
Living room with fireplace (thats a sofabed guests)
On my walk to work across the Tiber
My grocery store
My church
Just wandering around the Jewish Ghetto
My first meal I made myself in my new place

orrechiette with pancetta, garlic, basil, spinach

I've now been in Rome for one week, and frankly the main thing that has run through my mind all week is - WILL NOT COMPUTE. If living in New Zealand was surreal, I haven't quite been able to come to terms with the fact that I actually live in Rome now. It could also partly be the jetlag, 48 hours of flying time and who knows how many times zones. I still haven't quite managed to stay awake past 10pm and still wake up at 5am (or earlier) everyday, or like last night went to bed at 7pm and woke up at midnight. Anyway, I'm here and in one piece even if I'm not totally together mentally yet.

Here's a bit of a summary of my first week of life in Roma -

My arrival was made a bit smoother in that my driver was from Ecuador so we could habla en espanol, and the vacation rental that I had reserved was right in Trastevere so I could quickly get some prosciutto in without venturing too far. The next day, my first full day here I had set up an ambitious day of apartment viewing. With map and dictionary in hand, I set off. The day was characterized by me asking questions in Spanish and them answering in Italian - this has become a theme which I am desperately working to break with Italian studying. The second place I saw actually brought a tear to my eye because I couldn't believe the place for the price. Rome apts are very expensive and most don't have full kitchens (meaning no oven, and usually only a mini fridge and two burners), and I had set a high standard wanting a terrace/outdoor space but also within walking distance to work. I went to see another four places, but just reconfirmed that the 2nd place was the one. The other thing to figure out was getting 1100 Euro in cash immediately, from my foreign bank accounts. The end result is I'm all moved in, my landlord is adorable and welcomed me with fresh fruit in the kitchen, champagne in the fridge, and a fire in the fireplace. Um you had me at Buongiorno - so for my 30th birthday I got myself an apartment, first ever time living alone. When in Rome....(ps, how soon do you think Rome cliches are going to get old? In the meantime....)

-Work: While going back to work full-time is not awesome, if I have to be in an office 40 hours a week, this isn't a bad gig. To start off the day, I walk past the Forum and then my office has a window, and I share it with two girls, one from Mexico and one from Spain - more hablaing en espanol which is good cause I've been worried about losing it. Also, the transition into the subject matter has been pretty easy since its what I was doing before NZ and I know a lot of the people already. Not to mention, my office is directly next to one of many coffee bars and the cafeteria which has an outdoor terrace with views of all of Rome. And thankfully the IDB gave me a good understanding of what working in a huge bureaucracy is like with all the infighting and largesse and ten coffees a day. It's also nice to be exposed to a ton of interesting projects/studies/work and have the freedom to explore and make the position somewhat into what I'd like. However, I do get lost about ten times a day just in the building. Another added bonus of working for the UN is they figure all the Visa stuff out for me and even give me a diplomatic card, which makes life in Rome (and the EU) much easier. Extra added bonus - there's a post office, and "commissary" on site which sells American products at discount prices, and a whole Expat group that also offers Italian lessons.

Remember how patience was one of my goals/NYE resolutions for 2010, well its going to get its true test living in Rome. A wise friend who moved to Europe a few years ago, LJ, always talked about the hassles of life in Europe and I while I tried to mentally prepare, living in New Zealand certainly didn't make the transition to Europe's way of doing things any easier. As one example, I bought a SIM card at the airport which I had researched prior to arriving to make sure I would have a phone right away. Well come to find out that SIM card is incompatible with my phone, and after a long convo with customer service the only way I can get a refund is by going back to the airport. So I went to go purchase another SIM card on my lunch break, but alas the Metro was shutdown because of a strike. Just one of many examples this week....

-Learning paso per paso:

-Apparently you can't order a cafe latte or cappuccino in the afternoon unless you want to

look like a total tourist. Only some version of espresso. I've come to favor the macchiato (with milk froth) or the cafe marocchino (with bitter chocolate)

-You also should only take pasta with lunch, not dinner unless you also want to be a tourist

-Dominating the streets: needless to say the craziness of Roman traffic is a bit to adjust

to from tranquil NZed where you often don't see any cars. Coupled with the fact that on

my first day in the office I found out my co-worker was out all week cause she had been

hit by a car walking home from work. In true Roman traffic sense, the pedestrian light will

be green when it is also green for cars to turn, and no they don't stop for you, so you

either wait forever and never cross or you DOMINATE the streets and walk with authority

and pray that no one wants to commit manslaughter. Or you find a local who is crossing

and keep them to the side of traffic so they get hit first

-Grocery shopping - best done at public markets where you can also negotiate prices and

they usually (in my one week here) throw in a few extras, like bits of herbs or a few extra

tangerines. I went shopping for the week and spent 40 Euro for tons of veggies, fruits,

cheeses, prosciutto, pancetta, and fresh pasta. I did end up with quite a few more items than I had been planning on given that I can't really negotiate yet and when they rapid fire me with Italian I usually just give in and say "Si". Soon to be on this blog a before photo of the giant food baby that I am about to give birth to, so you can follow my bump as it grows

-Shopping in general - I had to leave a few things behind in NZed (just replay Dulles and

you'll get the gist but without the tears) and I needed a new bag here in Italy but planned

to take my time finding a bargain, well the canvas conference bag I was using temporarily

broke on my way the other day and after going in a few places, one lady got the better

of me rapid firing me with Italian telling me how it was all made my hand and of very good

quality, needless to say I am now the proud owner of a new Italian leather handbag. Note

to self, if I want to hold onto any Euros, hold off on shopping till I can speak a bit more

Italian.

And it's nine now, so off to bed, more soon hopefully from a more clear mental place, but all in all - yes Rome you and I are going to get along, I'll work on my patience, and you just continue to work on being kind to me while I learn Italian- deal

Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time the NZ gov't and the US gov't arranged a three way call and gave me a ring and said, "We were wondering if you'd like to live in New Zealand for a year on us? Not convinced? We'll throw in a free Masters degree to sweeten the deal. No no, don't worry about taking the GMAT or GRE, we got you. All we ask is that you speak in your hot American accent, learn how to blowdry your hair, learn a bit of Kiwi slang, give up shopping, and most importantly that you put yourself first and get real comfortable spending time alone. You will also never experience February 2, June 21st, or August 1st, 2010, but we will let you do June 10th, July 25th, and February 4th twice. Oh and one more thing, we forbid you to work".

Okay, so that's not exactly how it happened, and I won't lie and say it's always been easy or that the loneliness and homesickness weren't crushing at times - but if you asked me if I would do it all over exactly the same, I think you can tell that my answer would be a resounding yes. Even the not so choice moments (rewind to my flight here or being told to go home and learn about Native Americans) have all been worth it because they have taught me a lot, most importantly perspective.

And obviously I have a lot of people to thank for contributing to the truly outrageous fortune of this year -

-U.S. taxpayers and Fulbright NZ- if I haven't convinced you through this blog (considering my minimal discussion of my research), the Fulbright is an amazing program and it has changed my life. Even if you're not buying into the whole peace and understanding part, if you want your kids to be able to go live in NZ and get a free degree one day, just remember that when it comes time for voting

-My family - thank you for letting me go be selfish for a year and not making me feel bad for missing big events/gatherings/holidays back home. And thank you to my Mom and Allison for using up all your vacation time to come celebrate with me here.

-My friends - thank you for staying in touch so well and learning to use skype or google video, or sending me random links and photos to keep me in the loop and feeling like I'm still a daily/weekly part of your lives.

-Those of you who realized that mail does get delivered to New Zealand - thank you, I was excited and thrilled about every card, thank you note, Xmas photo, Save the Date, care package, flowers, etc.

-The Maori Orgs - thank you for making time for my academic pursuits and for being so frank and open in sharing your perspective. I not only learned a lot about climate change, but even more about values that I'll carry with me the rest of my life. And thank you for letting me crash your conferences and the heaps of kai, waiata, and Tohu wines

-Fellow Fulbrighters - thank you for letting this ol girl hang out with you ivy league youngins. and sharing in the trials and tribulations of adjusting to life and Fulbright and Kiwi randomness

-Matty NZed, Cap'N Steve, Anton and Amy, Jesse, the 505ers - thank you for befriending this American and for inviting me into your Kiwi lives/homes and letting me relax and forget about my research for awhile and making me feel like I really lived here

-The Sciascia Family - thank you for adopting me, feeding me, trying to matchmake for me, and generally making me feel like I had a family here

-Alice and Aaron - I couldn't have asked for a better living situation and frankly made everyone else jealous with what I had found with you two. I could go on forever, but thank you for letting me live in your awesome house with your awesome view and the new habits you've taught me, sharing meals and teaching me to make things from scratch, new music, sharing your friends, and putting up with all my inane questions from cricket to cars. Now get married already so I can come back for the wedding

-New Zealand - thank you for giving me the most gorgeous of padded walls to explore my mind, for being kind to me (through wallet loss and car probs, etc), for teaching me what meat is supposed to taste like, helping me appreciate simplicity, your quirky ridiculous humour and love for superlatives, and so much more

Thank you to all of you for supporting me in my Fulbright Fairy Tale. I hope I can repay the favor somehow/someday, so let me know.

Now I had planned on shutting this thing down, because frankly you must have had enough of the inner workings of my mind (I know I have) and as my friend Meredith says she knows what I eat for breakfast and what time I go to bed. But alas, I am moving to another capital tomorrow, so I'm debating what to do about that.....I had also thought I would be coming "home" and planned to say a few final words to the person who made the largest difference in my year here.....

To ME:

"Oh hey you, been a great year huh? It's been awesome getting to know you better. Thanks for laughing at all my jokes, you're pretty funny yourself too, and thanks for consoling me when things were rough and figuring out how to get through it. I'll never forget this year together....it's just that I think in order to grow that it's time we saw other people. It's not you, it's me"

Oh wait, uh awkward, I guess we're stuck together for a little longer? You better get some new jokes then.....

And as I think about the fact that I'm leaving NZ today I can't help but be sad, because its over, but I'm thrilled that it happened, although it all still feels totally surreal. And in surrealness, onwards to Italy

Italy I hope you're ready for the hot mess that is about to explode on your doorstep.....