La Dolce Vita

When you find yourself unemployed in August in Italy - head to Sardegna with the bestest of hosts the Cadonis

The many grottos of Sardegna

The boat crew and also Paola's family's neighbors and lifelong friends. Thank you to Daniele for shepherding us around

The landscape of Sardegna is a bit of California but more rugged and with turquoiser waters

 

I'm on a boat off the coast of Sardegna, eating paninis with old people - am I in heaven???? Just to add to the heaven factor, Gianetto (Paola's dad) was ready for a panini at 10:30am, a man after my own heart. So while everyone else went snorkeling, I stayed on the boat with these dudes and enjoyed a delicious mortadella panini followed by a nap from the boat rocking me to sleep

Yes I am in fact in heaven

Paola's dad Gianetto with "Silvio" his name for the roasting pork

The eating was soooooo good with the Cadonis on Sardegna that I could barely contain myself

Grazie ancora Cadonis!!!!! (Grazia, Paola, e Gianetto)

I was so happy to return to Italy after Sierra Leone and take advantage of the best month of summer, and also have a bit of down time from the constant working in Sierra Leone. I didn't realize quite how well my wishes would be granted until August 1st when my contract ran out and I still didn't have a new one. The short story is that my bosses have filed the paperwork to renew me until December but HR is saying they've now changed the rules and can only offer me 70% of what I was making before - effective retroactively for my pay for June and July. So yes a big thank you present for working every weekend, sacrificing 5 weeks of summer, and risking my health in Sierra Leone. The only thing I could do was laugh. With no time to spare and my contract expiring, I rushed to have some medical treatments taken care of while I still had insurance and then started thinking about what I should do.......The only dilemma I have is there is still work to be done, so I've decided to work part-time (unpaid) and bank vacation days, and use the rest of my 50% to soak up summer.......and the Cadonis nicely agreed to host me, and oh did they host me.

I've been wanting to get to Sardegna since I arrived in Italy but hadn't managed it yet and then I met Paola who just happens to have parents from Sardegna and a house on the beach. In addition to her other awesome traits, this was seriously pushing her over the edge in terms of best Italian I know, and that was even before I met her family and fell in love. They are both adorable and wouldn't stop trying to feed me more. If I can take a few moments for the food on Sardegna, where do I begin, I think I'm still in a food coma - the desserts are mostly made with cheese (heaven again) and when I asked how to make this one ridiculous thing that is like a thin pancake stuffed with pecorino and fried and then topped with honey - you have to make the cheese! But I will figure out a way to at least try to replicate some of these things, otherwise I'm going to have to go back to Sardegna once a month for a fix -or maybe not since Paola's parents stocked me up with a kilo of pane al sardo (Sardinian bread) desserts, sausage, cheese, honey, and Mirto (the liquor of the Gods). Mirto is made from a berry that grows wild on Sardegna and is basically an after dinner liquor, but so much better than limoncello or grappa. I'm also trying to figure out how to make it........if only those wild berries were easier to hunt down in Rome. I basically spent the whole weekend eating, swimming, sunning, napping, chatting, and plotting how I could convince Paola to marry me or at least her parents to adopt me.

So while I've got some time on my hands, I've also now got time to fill you in on some of my latest cultural exploits and plans -

The bidet:  I have a confession. Even though I've lived here a year and a half now, I've never confronted it (other than that unforgettable night where an unnamed American friend confronted it in Venice years agoooo), nor felt comfortable enough (or remembered) to ask an Italian about it. Well, I've finally conducted a bit of research and can now shed a bit of light that maybe you already know but aren't talking about. First, most Italian homes have soap next to the bidet so it's not just a rinse, it's a wash. Second, almost all Italian homes have bidet towels next to the bidet for you to use after you wash. When I think about this now and how many times I've used the 'hand towel' hanging by the bidet cause I didn't see any others, it's no wonder I have a high tolerance for bacteria in Africa.
And now, I'm also left to think about what everyone was using when they came into my house and I only have 'hand towels' hanging..........And just in case you were wondering, I haven't conducted my own experiment yet on the merits of the bidet, but I will keep you posted as I'm sure you're on the edge of your seat

Laughter:  When I mentioned earlier that the only thing I could do was laugh after being offered 30% than I currently make, while you make think laughter is universal in all languages, it is not.  For example, in English what do we say - ha ha ha. Well in Italian it's ah ah ah, and in Spanish it's je je je, and in French it's hi hi hi. Sooooo ha ah, je hi and repeat

Mind games: As you know, I've now been gone 2.5 years and always been straddling two worlds between where I am and the U.S., because I've always thought the move was temporary.  Living in a constant state of temporary is not only exhausting but a bit limiting. While I'm keeping one foot in the U.S. and one foot here, it's no wonder I'm off balance. And of course as soon as I start to think one way or the other (staying or coming home), I think the other way.......so after saying this many times, I am going to use this extra time off to really think about these things - while on the beach or even better, conducting further research at a dangerous lake

Get busy living or get busy dying

Switched my Colosseum commute for a beach walk to the office from my hotel in Freetown, SL. Maybe equally sweaty and equal stares/catcalls, but far more friendliness on my commute in Salone

Baby I got your money - just half of the stash that I had to carry in my backpack into the rural areas of Salone to distribute for our community consultations. The donor society post-war has created an expectation and culture that for any meeting you have with local people you need to pay them a transport fee (about 5 dollars per person) and a food fee for their time at the meeting (about 2 dollars per person) for a 3 hour meeting in a location within 1-5km of their house. In total I had to carry 18 million Leones (or about 4,500 dollars) in the equivalent of 50 cent piece and 2 dollar bills to distribute to approximately 300 angry community members/giggly kids circled around me.  Let me tell you doing math and counting money under pressure is not my forte = don't hire me as a banker

Listening to rural communities affected by large scale private sector land acquisition. The goal - to hear their complaints and identify solutions

And needless to say it got heated.....most people in these communities are living on less than 2 dollars a day and have had to move or sold their land for 12 dollars a hectare = I would be angry too

Trying to calm things down and focus on solutions......while who knows what the translator was actually saying that I was saying in the local dialect Timney. Maybe creating more heat

At least I had these kids on my side (literally on my back) observing and giggling (even though they might act like they're serious in this photo)

Community consultation team - Dr. Bangura, Director of the Environmental Protection Agency; Lidia; Mr. Cham, Advisor Ministry of Lands and Country Planning; Mr. McFoy, FAO driver; and ME. These guys are my heros (one had malaria and one's brother died while with us) and lifelong buddies. You may wonder why I have a backpack on in a restaurant - did I mention those 18 million Leones? Not safe to keep them in a hotel room which meant I had to carry them everywhere, at least I had a flashlight as a weapon

Deforestation station - without electricity in 90% of the country they are devastating their forests for firewood

Found this gem in a tiny town 7 hours from the capital city, making America proud or at least 12 of the states

United we do Stand - I took a rare moment away from work to celebrate freedom and the good ol USofA with some fellow American expats in red, white, and blue. While we didn't have fireworks or hot dogs or berries, we had mac n cheese, deviled eggs, fresh caught fish cooked by Lebanese, and plenty of American pride

When I was talking to my Dad before I left (who loves Hiltons), he jokingly asked if there were any Hilton's in Sierra Leone, to which I scoffed and informed him there was barely running water. Well low and behold upon my arrival they are building a Hilton in Sierra Leone - book your visit now

A small snapshot of ex-pat life in SL. In this photo, 2 Spanish, 2 Italian, 1 French, 1 Lebanese - all trying to get the last Pringle or Italian sausage/prosciutto or French brie brought by the last ex-pat who went home the most recently. And of course discussing really intellectual stuff (like bug spray) in four languages intermixed

Yes this photo looks boring, but I got chased by a local Sierra Leonean for not asking permission to take it. Now you know why I don't have more pictures of me with actual Africans, since even goats require permission

One thing Salone is never short of, even in the rainy season, is beautiful sunsets

Commute home from work, a little beach time soccer match

This trip was hard, much harder than the last one, but one thing that renewed me everyday, even when I was ready to just call it all in and get on the next flight, was the people. For the level of poverty and hardship that they have been through and continue to face, their continual happy spirit and friendliness are really invigorating

Who could refuse a pineapple from these vendors?

I'm baaaack to the world of easier living. I've spent the last three days laying under Roman fountains drinking tap water, stuffing myself with unwashed fruits and veggies from the public markets, finally getting to exercise, and going shopping for some clothes that don't smell like mildew or have mango flies embedded in them - so as you might imagine this trip to SL was a bit tougher than the last, and I barely had time for the dance party I longed to go back for.

Life and death:  As I mentioned from my last post, I felt more alive in Sierra Leone because its back to basics. At the same time I realized this time that part of the reason for feeling more alive is because death is so much closer. On any given day each choice you make from the water you brush your teeth with and accidentally swallow some, or the food you eat, or the bugs that bite you, or your mode of transport could all easily mean the end and mostly because if something happens there's no option but getting on the first plane out (you only go to a hospital in Sierra Leone if you actually WANT to die). So now that I've freaked you out, remember I'm back, but while I was there I'll share a few notes of how death is all around - the day I arrived Lidia was stung by a champion fly on her FACE which basically exploded acid when she swatted it away leaving a nasty burn and infection on her FACE; there was a cholera outbreak where by last count 40 people had died including World Food Program staff (FAO's competitor); 1 in 3 people I met had malaria or had just gotten over it; one of my expat friends there was walking on the same beach I walked home from work on and was attacked by a man who BIT her on the back and she can't even test for rabies till she flies out of SL; the two government officials who came with us on our community visits - one had malaria while with us and the other's brother died while with us. This may all have something to do with why Sierra Leoneans are so happy - when you have to face this much death/danger everyday, life is all the more precious

Eating: Speaking of death and danger.....I knew from my trip before that for some reason I'm automatically starving in Sierra Leone, which isn't even fair to say/write, and I immediately feel guilty upon my first hunger pangs, because people are actually starving. That said, within 48 hours, my privileged life in Italy with all the snacks I want and cravings I have that can be met at any instant are very apparent in their absence. I would say the biggest change is having very little control over what you eat, you just have to eat what is available and when it is available. Not to over exaggerate my hunger pangs, there are places to have decent dinners and grocery shop (if you're willing to pay 10 times the EU/US price, example one liter of milk costs at least 3 euro), but they are few, so in 5 weeks you end up eating the same thing everyday even if you're eating at expensive ex-pat restaurants. Our trip to the communities/rural Salone was truly a test with Gov't officials who were fine with spending 4 days on the road eating nothing but bread with condensed milk dribbled on it. We even searched for bananas (too bad it isn't banana season) but only found pineapples which aren't so easy to eat in the car. I spent 4 straight days eating only bread and condensed milk  with a stomach virus, seeking out a rural prison as the best option around for the bathroom (just imagine), and have never understood hunger/stomach disease as I do today. My appreciation for how spoiled I have become in Italy and how quickly I am hungry without the luxury of snacking has truly shocked me. I knocked off 3 kilos even with scrounging for whatever food I could and eating anything available at every opportunity in SL. A true appreciation for food security has finally been embedded - plenti thenki Salone. I will never take eating well for granted again (or for that matter, access to a decent bathroom).

Social LIFE: Now that we have all that death and danger stuff out of the way, I spoke last time about the active social life in Salone and it was still in full swing for my return this time. However, work was so crazy that I wasn't able to partake as much as I would have liked. I did have the EuroCup to entertain me for the first few weeks, complete with rooting for Italia in blue till the bitter end at house parties, bars, and even at a converted theatre in the stix of Salone. I also managed to track down some Americans to celebrate the 4th with and as we do (or used to) in America we welcomed all others and had our meal cooked by Lebanese, and celebrated with Italians, Norwegians, Irish, and Spaniards in attendance. We even let a British guy come just so we could heckle him. While our party was a small affair, the Canadians threw a rager 3 days before, complete with tent size flags, maple leaf shirts, gravy fries, and fireworks. Seriously Canada showing us up? There was also the plan to go back to my favorite bar in Bo (called After Work) for a dance party with the government officials while visiting communities, but I was so exhausted that I couldn't muster it. The Gov't guys haven't let us live it down and have demanded that we must come back to have at least one dance party together - I love these people. And this time, I finally managed to download/buy some SL top hits (mostly from Nigeria). I would definitely recommend 'Chop my Money' by P Squared featuring Akon.

Krio:  In SL they speak Krio, which is basically a pidgin English influenced heavily by Igbo and Yoruba from Nigeria. I swore that this time I would at least learn basic Krio, and was very much forced into it by our community visits which were translated between local tribal dialects (Timney and Mendi). You as well would find Krio easy to pick up thanks to urban pop/rap including the word for who (udat). But my all time favorite phrase is "Kusheh, Owz da bodi" or "Ow u slep" literally meaning Hello, how are you? How'd you sleep? every morning. Then you answer "da bodi good" or "da bodi gud" or "Plenti fine" or " Tel gowd thenki" (thank God). Whenever you even speak a little Krio, SLs die of giggles, even if you say you're learning "smoll smoll", little by little. Plenti thenki Salone for accepting my smoll smoll Krio!!!!

The Lebanese:  I know that I have talked in the past about how impressed I have been with Germans, but seriously Lebanese people blow everyone out of the water. Salone is basically owned by Lebanese, or at least any functioning, nice establishment is sure to have a Lebanese behind it. And it's not just Salone, they are behind most functioning businesses throughout Africa. I've always liked Lebanese for their hummus and cheese, and you know they're pretty hot, but I never realized how industrious they are. The risk and difficulty of running a functioning business in Sierra Leone is huge - and they're dominating at it. I tried to get to the bottom of what is driving this personality type/diaspora/risk appetite with my Lebanese friends in SL, but I haven't come to an answer that satisfies me yet. Some theories are that 1) they were the original explorers/businessmen trading everything; 2) there is a lot of personal wealth so they are able to take more risk since they don't have shareholders; 3) they're hot.

Independence:  I mentioned last time that one of the most challenging parts for me in Sierra Leone is losing my independence since getting around/doing normal stuff is more difficult/takes navigating.  I was determined this time to learn the lessons of my last visit and I was surprised upon my arrival at how easy/natural it felt to be back (5 weeks later I didn't quite feel the same, but anyway).  I no longer feared okadas and even relished in the bargaining/wind in my hair/sans helmet experience. But this time it was also the rainy season so okadas are no longer a real option most of the time. So I adopted a taxi driver. On my last trip a senior UN staff member told me how he'd been training a taxi driver as his personal taxi for over a year with only mild success in terms of reliability, so I was not sure I could accomplish it in a month. But I happened upon Edward who I quickly named King Edward and he called me Queen Elizabeth and for the rest of my time there he exhibited all the behaviour you want in your taxi driver - 1) he never abused having my number by calling me (this is a real problem in SL where anyone who gets your number just calls you incessantly to 'talk' even at 5am); 2) even if his car was broken down he always found someone to come get me from where I was and he accompanied them; 3) he was never more than 15 min late; 4) did I mention he called me Queen Elizabeth? But even with my success of adopting a taxi driver, not having a car or a home in SL and living in a hotel for a month gets real old. I knew it was time to go when the 2 days before I left the staff started calling my hotel room at 5am just to alert me that they arrived on their shift and say hi, and then I got a love letter from a 20 year old waiter, and then a maid asked me for money for her father's funeral - AND THEN it was time to go. But all in all, for living in a hotel in Sierra Leone I would highly recommend the Barmoi - they became like my family, even if I never want to see eggs for breakfast again in the next six months.

The thing is there's no way I can detail 5 weeks in SL here in this blog, but I hope you got a flavour. Many have asked if I want to go back or if I've finally met my goal of working in Africa. The tough part is I'm so glad to be back in easier living because seriously parts were brutal and I could see the daily impact on my health, on the other hand the people are amazing and so refreshing and I have so much to learn from them. So yes, I would go back, and again strive for more independence - ability to cook my own food, get around by myself, and find a way to exercise - but again this is probably also a little testament to how much of a control freak/loner I've become, more than a testament to Sierra Leone. 

When in Rome - make the most of it

Enjoying Rome's highlights via Segway - yeah a Segway

I'm in a bridesmaid dress on a Segway = making the most of my six weeks in Rome

Exploring Rome via pedicab, complete with ex-con driver

Revisiting the Trevi Fountain, still so much happiness from one fountain

A 30km bike ride through Rome with police escort sponsored by the Dutch government, complete with people cheering cause they thought it was a race

Hiking 16km in Abruzzo, just one hour from Rome but a world away

Greetings from rainy Salone! I meant to post this right before I left Rome, but ran out of time. I finally tracked down a decent internet connection here so I figured I'd update you on what I was doing before I came to Africa.....more on my adventures here soon

So just a quick update on the rest of my life (other than Momo's visit) in Rome over the last six weeks, since I know I've been remiss in blogging. Since returning from SL, I've been just appreciating Rome/Italy especially in spring time and the start of summer.

During my six weeks in Rome between SL stints I managed to go hiking in Abruzzo twice, share marshmallows with Italians who had never been camping before, take a police escorted bike ride through the Rome highlights thanks to the Dutch government, ride a Segway for the first time while shaking my head at myself for doing it, have a weeknight picnic on the beach with my favorite sausages and cheeses, try to hunt down public pools in Rome (fail), and eat countless gelatos. All in all I would say I was trying to pack enough of Italian summer into my six weeks to tide me over while in rainy Africa for over a month. And with 10 days left in Salone - I think my tiding over has run out, I'm craving sun, and gelato, and even Italians.......

When I think of prostitutes and weed.....

That's right - Momo made it to Europe!!! 

And yes, she I and I are both thrilled that she FINALLY made it here - and not just to Italy, but also to Amsterdam!!!!

In the 'a' of I love Amsterdam - and yes I do! Can't wait to go back

Amsterdam loves bikes = part of why I heart Amsterdam. This is a multi-level bike parking garage

Two days in Amsterdam to see it all, so what better way but by bike and boat

Double fisting Heinekens at a clog factory - When in da Nederlands

Spears' long lost cousin serving us up pickled herring, which was surprisingly good, like a mild sushi 

We're on BIKES! (through the Dutch countryside)

We're on a BOAT! (through the Amsterdam canals)

Communing with our gouda maker - happy cows make happy cheese, Laurie doing her part. 

Did I mention I love bikes AND water AND sun? 

Visiting one of the house-boat villages on the canals of Amsterdam - Laurie in dreamland

Benvenuto a Italia! And all the glory and crazy that it has to offer (glory pictured here in Piazza Navona)

Enjoying one of my favorite parts of Rome - free water everywhere!!!!

Laurie regressing to her modeling days unintentionally at the Spanish steps. Italy has a way of bringing out the glamour in all

Embracing appertivo with a spritz

You know what THAT means......

Laurie getting a glimpse of a days work at the UN in Rome

Setting off on her own to explore Venice and Florence, while I toil away solving world hunger

What? I'm a gelato expert now

Oh hey Amalfi Coast, it's been awhile

Laurie forcing me to stop and smell the roses. Please see Pace below

The view from our room in Ravello, sleeping in the clouds, high above the tourism madness

And yes it was so awesome that Laurie had to pinch herself at times

Sorry I should have warned you that this was going to get R rated with a 61 year old gun show

And as we do, we made time for posing like statues (this is the cave of Eve)

I finally absolutely tuckered her out. Please again refer to lessons below. I'm pretty sure I have this same picture of my father on his visit. But where better to have a nap than on a beach in Positano, with Rick Steve open on your lap

The glory that is the Amalfi Coast - Positano

Gelato expert in Positan0

The pool at our hotel looking over the sea. Not a bad place to recoup. While lounging here, Laurie eyed a hiking tour and exclaimed, "Ugh, look at those people hiking, I feel so bad for them". Officially, relaxing

I'm pretty sure reading the Happiness Project while relaxing next to a pool in Ravello, Italy overlooking the Amalfi Coast means you could probably close the book and call it done

And then yes of course we made time for frolicking

Momo! I can't thank you enough for coming all this way. And I can't wait for our next two country (or more! we're crazy as established) adventure!!!!

When I think of prostitutes and weed.....naturally I think of my Mom. So who better to take a visit to Amsterdam with than LKB herself. But I'm getting ahead of myself.....You avid blog readers may have noticed than with all my visitors over the last 1.5 years in Italy, my Mom had not been one of them, much to her chagrin but very much due to her own new adventure with picking up, selling our house and relocating to Seattle. But she rarely let a phone call go by without mentioning her desire to visit, to which I of course always responded - You're welcome anytime, ahhh except when I'm in Tunisia, Thailand, Tanzania, Peru, New Zealand, or Sierra Leone. And of course with my always uncertain future, Ldog did not want to miss the opportunity to visit Europe while I'm still here.....so in late May she decided it was time and booked her ticket for one week later. Yes, if you had any doubt where I get my crazy, now you know. However, I also get my love for planning from LKB and obviously with a week's notice there was not going to be a spreadsheet or even really a suitcase packed or clean sheets for her arrival - but we both embraced this moment to fly by the seat of our pants and enjoy 10 whirlwind days together.

Europe watch out:  While LKB has been to Costa Rica, New Zealand and Australia - she'd never been to Europe!!! (yeah, EVER) And as you know, she refuses to go to a region without at least taking down two countries (please see December 2010 post if you're unfamiliar). Ldog and I both love tulips, biking, straight talk, and tall men - so we quickly decided the Netherlands would provide the ideal second destination to the visit to my current home in Italy. Within an hour of arriving in Amsterdam and stepping off the train from the airport, we had barely glanced at a map when a stranger stopped to ask us where we needed to go and then pointed us directly to our hotel. I immediately had a flash back to LKB's visit to Aus/NZ where she liked Aus so much more because of the evil weather conspiracy.....I could see immediately how the Dutch were trying to beat out Italy for favorite of the two European destinations, and I warned LKB not to hold it against Italy but there was no way anyone was going to stop and offer her directions, much less in English, but Italy had many other charms to offer.

Curiosity:  You may remember from LKB's visit down under that I was amazed by her curiosity even into the smallest things, and with proper planning time I would have reminded myself of this and prepped with some research, topping up my random knowledge. But alas, there was no way even with years of time that I could prepare for the questions/ideas that come out of Laurie. One example on a boat from Amalfi to Positano - LKB points at a random building in the cliffs and asks me who lives there? Ummm......but then to be more fair, when we were walking through Rome we happened into a piazza with a large church where Laurie asked me what the Piazza was and what the church was, to which I replied "There are more churches in Rome than piazzas, so this is just one more random one". Ok, what I actually said was, "I don't know, some church". Luckily, Super Hero Laura saved the day again when she heard about my Mom's visit she showed up one day after hearing with a full 10 day itinerary, including sites, restaurants and more. She even offered to go with us one evening, and where did we end up? At the same random church Laurie had enquired about, which happens to have an optical illusion of a fake dome, because they didn't have enough money to build an actual dome. And the moral here is two-fold, 1) When Laurie visits, call in reinforcements. I seriously don't know how my Grandma handled all her questions since I can only imagine they were even more abundant as a child; and 2) I still have no idea about this eternal city I call home and discover new things on a daily basis. Laurie was even curious to "try" Amsterdam's finest at a Coffeehouse, which was our biggest FAIL, since all I really wanted was to post a photo here of Laurie giggling with pipe in hand. Please see Pace below for why we failed.....

Pace:  As you may have my noticed, my life sort of moves on fast-forward right now, and I've gotten quite used to jumping from one thing to the next, maybe too used to it......As you may remember from Laurie's visit down under she requested an action packed trip. On this latest Euro adventure, there was no time for me to overplan our activities, so I will say I wasn't to blame there, at the same time I knew we only had 2 days to see Amsterdam and I know how much there is to see in Italy and even 1.5 years isn't enough time. In Amsterdam we both definitely wanted to ride bikes, but what did we do less than 24 hours after Laurie landed from a 12 hour flight? We decided doing just the 25 km country bike tour OR the 12 km city bike tour wasn't enough, and we should do BOTH in one day back to back (please see crazy above).  And then of course after we finished our bike marathon, we decided it was a good time to hunt down a coffeehop, because of course the wares of the coffeeshop would definitely energize us. Flash forward to Italy, where we land from the Amsterdam and I immediately take Laurie for a full city walk so she can decide what she wants to go back to - yes after flying I took Laurie to Villa Borghese, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Campo di Fiori, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Vittorio Emmanuele - all in 3 hours. And then what did I do? I packed her up to go see Venice and Florence, with only one day in each, only the ability to say please and thank you in Italian, and an Italian SIM card. One smart pace decision I made against all recommendations from Italians on where I should take my Mom for the weekend in Italy, was deciding against Tuscany (pls see Dec 2010 for my Mom's opinion on wine tasting), and driving between towns, in favor of the Amalfi Coast and a cliff top resort in relaxing Ravello. Would I let us just rest though? Nope, Mom we're hiking to Amalfi, then we'll boat to Positano, then back, sound good - great, let's go, hurry!

My 'Real' Life:  One thing that I will forever be grateful and appreciative about my Mom is her unending curiosity (see above) in my life. She would have probably been perfectly happy not seeing one ounce of Europe if it meant meeting my friends, seeing where I live, where I work, seeing what I eat, where I shop, etc. So of course, this extended to meeting my landlord? Luckily, my landlord and my Mom are kindred spirits since my landlord's son (Flavio my boyfriend you may remember) is studying abroad and she misses him terribly and secretly (or not so) has made me her daughter in his absence - so it wasn't super weird for me to ask her to dinner in the end, and luckily she speaks English well (with a bit of my translation help) and it wouldn't have mattered anyway since they were both besties right away since my landlord studied English in Seattle, and of course the fact that they both like MOMing me. My Mom even got to meet my neighbor and use her Italian/Spanish to explain that I was her baby so that my neighbor didn't think she was breaking into my house. And in awesome Momness, when she came to my office and met my colleagues (the ones I don't like) she acted like she'd never heard of them (and that I don't complain about them daily) - best Mom ever. One aspect of my real life that Laurie is not a huge fan of is that I live on the 4th floor (which she insists is the 5th) without an elevator. She's sure my spine is in danger of misalignment from carrying things up these stairs everyday - I would say it helps me keep the marathon pace my life is moving at, but let's just agree to disagree on this one Momo.

-Language/Culture: I knew that Amsterdam would be no problem because Dutch people probably speak the best English of any non-native speaker i know (thanks a lot Dutch!) and the fact that Amsterdam is 60% non-dutch residents. I told my Mom she'd have no problem getting around with English in the major tourist centers of Rome, Venice, and Florence; but that she just needed to learn a few phrases/words - Thank you, please, and hello and goodbye (and who to say them to in which formality). However, I may have a skewed perspective now that I can actually speak Italian and the fact is that yes you can go, but then when a problem happens (which by design in Italy of course it will) there is very little recourse if you don't speak Italian or understand that there will always be 5 stories/directions for the solution you're seeking, probably none of which are actually correct. I tried to prep Laurie with Italian rules/customs - no cheese on pasta with seafood in it; no one respects lines; no olive oil served with your bread; no dinner before 8pm, etc. And she embraced a lot of it and came up with her own cunning strategy of speaking in Spanish when her Italian failed, so that no one would know she was American - like mother like daugther. She was a bit horrified of how rude I've become in lines etc. elbowing people out of the way and then she also showed me to remain open to Italians surprising me. After our first night in Ravello, she wasn't happy with the softness of the pillows and she wanted to ask the desk for new ones. I informed her that this was not something that they were going to do anything about, but as she started to ask at the hotel desk and I translated (to which they looked slightly horrified), they did change the pillows. I did however make her ask for the olive oil with the bread, there's certain rules I won't even let myself break at this point.

So of course it was a whirlwind 10 days of Momo/EAB time, where again I'm just left with amazement and appreciation for this woman of 61 who can take down two countries in 10 days, booked one week prior with a smile and a never-ending sense of wanting to do more (plus a few more nights sleep). I love you Mom - for coming all this way to see me, for embracing all that you saw and experienced, and for always showing me how to be a better person and open my eyes in a different way - you are my ultimate super hero and I can't wait for our next adventure.