Which Country Are We In Again??

We've been back in Italy for one month now.  How is that possible?  I feel like we just got here yesterday, and yet we've been here for ages!  It's been an awfully busy week, with a few lazy days thrown in here and there for recovery purposes.  The major event which happened last week was the150th anniversary of Italy being an united country.  Before that time, the peninsula was completely divided and it took a lot of work for everyone to join into one nation.  So on March 17th Italy had a national holiday celebrating this occasion!  As if Italy needed yet another holiday to add to the calendar, many businesses were closed, school was out, and everyone seemed to flock to the center of Firenze to have a walk and see all the flags hanging around the city.  In the evening there were fireworks and the buildings were lit in the colors of basil, mozzarella, and tomato!  It certainly was a lovely sight.

Ava painted this flag at her school

On that same day as the 150th celebration I was also fighting a cold, and trying to remember my Irish heritage since it was St. Patty's Day too!  The night before I was able to drag Francesco to see the Irish Fesival that is held annually in Firenze to hear some good ol' celtic music, watch a lil' Irish step-dancing, and of course enjoy a lovely dark stout beer on tap!  The theatre was decorated with huge cardboard cutouts of Irish buildings and castles.  Small booths were set up to sell some things that they tried to pass off as authentically Irish, but I saved my pennies for when I will actually go to Ireland someday!  One couldn't help but crave some fish and chips and carrot cake while tapping our toes.  As an interesting twist to the evening, we ended up going to hear some friends play tango music in a tiny bar, dancing a little tango, and even a bit of salsa.  Such is life in a European city I suppose!  You never know which country you'll find yourself in at the end of the night!



The Irish flag of green, white and orange...funny how similar it is to the Italian flag!

Friday I continued to fight my cold, and prepared for some guests who were coming to visit.  We had our usual family lunch on Saturday, a birthday party to attend in a gorgeous house in the hills of Fiesole, and then we had another large party at our house just for the fun of it at night!  As the musicians were setting up (we always seem to have someone playing music in the house) Ava grabbed the microphone and sang an incredible rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" in front of about 25 people while accompanied by Francesco's guitar.  The house went wild, and everyone had to comment on what a little star she is! 

In the hills of Fiesole, we find a little star statue

Unfortunately the little star woke up with the stomach flu on Sunday, and so we watched kid shows all day long inbetween taking her temperature and dosing out tylenol for the fever...yuck-o.  She's recovering quickly, so that's always a big help.  We have another busy week ahead of us, and I'm totally looking forward to it!  After all the rain the past week, this one is promising to be full of sunshine and rising Spring temperatures!  I'm inspired to go shopping for some flowery dresses and peep-toed heels..and I'm sure I can squeeze that into our schedule at some time...

Firsts: Part C

Our backyard

FIRST visit from a friend:  My friend from college informed me a month ago that she was coming to visit Florence, and I was so happy I could play the hostess here one evening for her and her mother.  We shared a lovely dinner with them and a few of our Italian friends and we were all treated to a little rehearsal by the Frenesi trio before a bit of jet-lag kicked in (and probably a bit of the wine too!) and we took them back to their hotel.  It's a treat to get to share a little bit of what I experience first-hand with other Americans who have never been here before.  Especially when it's an evening that most tourists don't get to really enjoy: actually being in the home of an Italian, surrounded by the authentic language, food, wine, and music that I've become so accustomed to!

Pizza Bliss

FIRST taste of my favorite pizza:  I think it was the second or third trip to Firenze when I found my favorite pizza place to date!  It's a lovely restaurant near Sant'Ambrogio market called Sancho Panza.  They served me the first pizza I ever ate in my life which prompted me to say, "OK, this is seriously the best thing I have ever eatten in my life."  And that's a lot, coming from a girl who isn't that into food!  What also makes this place enjoyable is the atmosphere, lovely modern/old decor and the super friendly wait-staff and owner who makes it a point to come over and chat for a bit.  I like to get the prosciutto and mozzarella on a very, very thin crust.  You can taste the freshness of the ingredients, and there's just a bit of charred edges that crunch perfectly.  I enjoy a good Italian beer on tap to go with my pizza, and that's it...nothing else is necessary!  In the summer you can sit outside on a little patio by the street with umbrellas overhead that shield from the warm Italian sun.     

I think Ava liked her pizza too!

FIRST Milonga in Masquerade: So the past few Wednesdays, Frankie and I have been going taking tango lessons together.  It's a bit tricky since I can't understand everything they are explaining in Italian, but as a dancer, I can usually pick up the gist by observation and practice.  It's certainly tricky changing partners, and having to explain that I'm just beginning, but most of the men are pretty patient and try to give me tips if they're more experienced.  It's a really beautiful group of people who attend in this tiny room in the Oltrarno area (other side of the Arno river, away from the historic center).  We have people of all ages (though I'm pretty sure I'm the only twenty-something in the group), from differing walks of life, and all levels of dance backgrounds.  The whole experience is "really bohemian" as Frankie puts it...and I totally dig it. 

The floor soon was filled with dancers, many in fun costumes!

Saturday they held a Milonga which is the name given when a group of tango dancers get together to dance!  The masquerade was held in beautiful building located at the Limonaia di Villa Strozzi, up in the hills of the Oltrarno.  One of my classmates asked me to dance, but for the most part I was perfectly content watching all the other more advanced "tangueri" work their magic on the floor.  There was even a trio of live musicians who played beautiful tango songs while everyone danced...I was in heaven and can't wait to learn more about this beautiful form of dance while I'm here in Italy!   

Dancing with my classmate, photo by Serena Guerzoni

Firsts: Part II

First SUCCESS as an Ava-toting cyclist!  As I've mentioned many, many times on this blog, we live in a beautiful house outside of the main city center.  The only problems is that the main road to get to Ava's school, our neighborhood Piazza and mercatino (small outside market) and the way into downtown is very, very old...and very, very tiny...with huge, massive trucks...and fast, whirring motorini everywhere!  I knew when we were coming back to Italy this time, that I HAD to find an alternative to walking everywhere, or relying on a cheuffer.  So we've been taking the bus, and still walking, but yesterday I finally got up the guts to ride a bike!

Now, let me just say, I'm really terrified of bikes.  I am petrified of the possibility of falling right over if a gust of wind blew me just right, or I hit a pothole at the perfect angle, or just plain run into a parked car!  Well, last week we took F.'s ancient bikes to get all fixed up and cleaned and they attached a child's seat onto the back of one.  I figured it would be one of those big plastic things that sits on the back, with like 4 seatbelts and slots for little legs to be protected.  Kinda like this:

Even if I happened to fall over, or there was a little accident, at least Ava's body would be mostly protected from hitting the road.  That would have given me more confidence as a mom, being the one responsible for her safety and well-being!  It would have blostered my confidence that I could ride this bike with Ava strapped in, helmet on head, and we'd be all over the city after 2 minutes of practice!  Hmmm..I should have known the Italian's wouldn't be so preoccupied with safety the way my American brain has been programmed since birth.  So this is what my little girl is dealing with by way of protection from all the massive trucks, speeding cars, and noisy motorini:

Now don't get me wrong.  I see tons of these little seats on the backs of bicycles that are parked all over the city!  And I'm thankful that this is a good alternative to taking 20 minutes to walk to school with Ava, since a bike ride would cut it down to maybe 5 minutes tops.  There are just 2 problems:  A, I never see people riding their bikes with actual kids IN the seats and B, I haven't been riding a bike since I was probably 12 so I don't have much experience, let alone the nerve to venture onto these dangerous roads with my precious child barely protected!

But it's just something I gotta do.  And so I did.  Yesterday it wasn't too windy, and the sun was out and happy and bright.  So F. announced it was the day for my bicycle lesson.  I just had to do it, and thankfully he'd be there if any cars came out to bite me.  So while Ava was at school, he and I rode to our mercatino...down that ominous road...thankfully after the main morning traffic had died down.  No problem!  I was doing it, white knuckles and all, but I was doing it!  We stopped in the market to make our usual "rounds" and then decided to pick up Ava on our way back home.  He would ride the bike with the child seat, and I'd take the bike without any gears.  No problem.  Except when he literally asked me "Come va?" how's it going? and I reply "Bene!!"  Good!  And then the chain came off...perfect timing.  Apparently I broke the bike somehow, but I tried not to panic as F. was riding along happily and couldn't hear me screaming behind him "Wait!  Something happened!  It broke!"  

At least we were close to Ava's school, so I walked the bike to where I knew he'd be waiting and tried to explain what happened.  He attempted to reattach that greasy chain while I brought out Ava.  I had to play it up big when I saw her, saying "Hey!  You wanna ride with F. on the big bike back home??  You don't have to walk!!  It'll be like you're flying!!" and she totally bought it, she got really excited.  So she did it!  I strapped a little old helmut on her head, buckled the one little belt around her waist, and told her to hold on to Frankie!  I think the first minute her face must have resembled something like mine did when I first started riding a bike again.  I walked the broken bike half-way home and then we switched in an area that was more quiet and uncongested.  I could tell Ava was more apprehensive when I took over with her on the back. She said "Ok mommy...be very careful!" and I replied with my motherly-yet-somewhat-forced-nonchalance "Ah, don't worry babe...I got ya...I won't let anything happen.  We can do it if we're together!" And we did it, no problem.

Firsts: Part 1

First FAIL as an Italian school mom:  Yesterday (Tuesday the 8th) was a busy day.  It was Fat Tuesday, meaning the last day of Carnivale had arrived.  I think I need a lesson on how/when/why Carnivale exisists because it seemed like it was going on for weeks!  I also needed a good lesson about this tradition because I definitely was clueless about what Italian kids do on Fat Tuesday.  Apparently, you have a half-day of school, and the 3 hours of school you DO have are celebrated as a big costume party with snacks, and popcorn, and candy and lots of playing outside!  Did anyone think to inform me of this???  That would be a big Fat NO. 

So I take Ava to school yesterday, thinking it'll be like any other day, until I see a child entering school wearing a hoop-skirt Princess dress.  No kidding, she even had that big kind of cone hat with the fabric flowing out the top.  Hmmm..that's odd..she must be in a little school play in another class room.  We enter Ava's cubby area and encounter a small boy with a Zorro mask and red and black cape!  Then another girl comes around the corner with a lavish fairy costume complete with gauzy wings!  Ohhhh man, I see Ava's eyes growing bigger with each costume she sees. 

"Mom!  Why are they all wearing costumes???"
I stutter, I try to brush it off.  "Uhm...maybe they're having a party today for some reason?"
"But mom!  I don't have a costume!  What am I gonna do???" 
And her eyes start welling up.  Kill me now.  I'm the worst mother in Italy right now. 
"Eh...don't worry about it.  I'm sure they are in a different classroom than you."

And I walk her into her normal classroom, and FAIL again.  Every kid is dressed to the 9's.  I'm not positive, but since this is a private, Catholic asilo (preschool) it's kinda expensive.  So the parents who send their kids there have the dough to dish out a great Carnivale costume apparently!  Ava walks in clutching my hand, still on the verge of tears, her little lips trembling with each princess and butterfly she sees...but trying to be brave and not cry.  Her teacher comes up and says in Italian, something to the effect of "But Ava!  Where is your costume?  Did you not bring one?" And I decide not to translate that for Ava to understand.  I give her the normal hugs and kisses, and say in her ear before I leave "I'm so sorry baby...no one told me it was a costume party today.  We can have our own party when we get home later, ok?"  Like the amazing little girl she is, she just nods with some confusion and says "bye, mom". 

I know how badly she wants to fit in at school, to be able to talk to the kids, and today didn't help achieve those goals very well.  As I walked home a few minutes later, I had such a sinking feeling of how this is just one of those little things that makes living in a different country difficult.  But I also hope that it can help her see that deep down, we're still American, and still have a lot to learn about Italy and their traditions.  I prayed she would be confident in school, understanding that it's okay if we're different from other people, cause we can only be ourselves in the long run.  Maybe it's too much to expect learning such an important life-lesson at the age of 4...but having self-confidence is a necessary key to trying new things and going new places...something we're continually confronting in this kind of lifestyle!

Later on I picked up Ava from school and the kids were all outside on the playground.  I waited a minute to see how she was interacting with the other kids, or if she was just sitting in the corner feeling sorry about not having a costume.  To my surprise, there she was, hangin around with 4 little boys who all were fixed on her.  She stood before them, smiling coquettishly, and swingin her little scarf around her hand.  Who knows what they were trying to say to her, but it was clear: my little girl doesn't need any costume to get people's attention!  Her smile and sweet demeanor are more beautiful than any outfit she could ever wear! 
 
Coming up next:
First SUCCESS as an Ava-toting bicyclst:
First VISITORS from the States:

Clasping Comfort

As most parents will tell you, there is nothing like having a little child stand beside you and reach up their little hand, searching to find comfort in yours.  Ava and I have been back in Italy 2 weeks now, and I find we are doing so much better than when we first came here together over a year ago.  There is a familiarity, an understanding, a habit of doing things around our house.  This means we feel much more comfortable and at ease in such a short amount of time.

So far she and I have ventured into the Centro two times, just making our way and finding new things to see.  I'm glad when she doesn't mind waiting 15 minutes for the bus, because we just missed it pulling away from our stop!  She finds flowers to pick, or dances to create, or songs to sing.  She carries her own little bookbag on her back, asking for water or snacks when she needs them.  There is usually a game she wants to play with words and she does little half-skips down the sidewalk.  Of course, she's always on the lookout for dogs; she adores seeing them walking all around the city with their owners!  For the most part, she is a happy little companion, forever asking questions about the things we are discovering together hand-in-hand.  It's usually apparent after 2 hours of walking that she will get a little grumpy and tuckered out, but hey...most adults can't walk for 2 hours without needing at least a coffee break!

In a strange way I find it is easier for me to explore new places with Ava by my side, maybe even more so than if I was with another adult.  As a college student after the first few weeks of always walking around with one of my roomates, I started to venture around the city by myself...yet I never felt very safe or certain of straying from the main roads.  Guys would harass me, or workers would stop to stare.  But it's totally different walking around with Ava because no one really bothers me.  If anything we just get a nice smile or a "Ciao"!  Actually, it is rather strange for me to see many other mothers around my age who are out in the city with a child Ava's age.  I'm not sure of actual statistics, but it seems as though the average age of first-time mothers in Italy is somewhere around the mid-30s.  Seeing me and Ava walking down the street, might be a bit of an odd sight for the Italians, but certainly a welcome one from their kinda gazes.  As she and I clasp hands, we find comfort in each other while we explore this special city.

A Little Bit o' Bliss

Here are a few bullets of bliss I've found this Sunday...it's hard to believe these can occur on just one given day, but they are totally recognized and appreciated.

• Stayin in bed with cats, kittens, Ava and lots of cuddles until 11am.
• Opening the windows to find sunshine and a warm breeze.
• Having my first coffee in the garden, all by myself, while hearing the neighborly rooster crow, bells tolling nearby, birds chirping and our waterfall flowing



My favorite garden chair

• Drinking fresh squeezed blood orange juice that reminds me that God was so good to have created many delicious things in their most pure form.
• Wearing a hot pink sweater, bright blue scarf, and green leather jacket because sometimes we need a little more color in Italian fashion!!
• Watching Sissi's belly grow chubby because in about 20 days we might have kittens!
• Going into the center with Ava just for the purpose of riding the carousel two times.



Palazzo Vecchio and a perfectly blue sky

• Buying Ava the smallest gelato (she chose fragola--strawberry) and enjoying the 45 minutes it took her to eat it, without trying to rush her along.
• Listening to street musicians down tiny alleys where there were no tourists, Ava gave them a few coins, and did a little dance for one special guitarist.
• Taking a rest on a bench on the back side of the Duomo where it was strangely quiet and peaceful, and we could point out our favorite pieces of marble architecture.
• All the Italians are saying Spring will really start on Monday...somehow they just seem to know these things!

The first blossoms in our garden today

Waves, Bubbles and Raindrops

Waves of contentment are flowing over me these days.

Bubbles of happiness rise up in my heart and make me giggle.

Raindrops of springtime are fluttering on my eyelashes but I don't bat an eye.

On the steps of the Duomo

Our life in Italy is so unlike our lives in the States.  Not necessarily a far departure from our normal activities, but certainly different.  I think there are amazing kinds of "different" and difficult kinds of "different" and I find Italy holds both together, but not automatically in conflict.  This past week I've been reminded of how flexible one must be in this country.  Plans change, places are inevitably closed at an inconvenient time, but happy surprises appear around unexpected corners.


Ava started school this week and she is doing fantastically well, considering the challenge that looms over her being surrounded by 20 bambini who speak only Italian and are so curious about her.  Thankfully her teachers remember her, and were so happy to welcome her back into their little herd.  I'm not sure how much she's actually learning in the 4 hours she's at school each day, but I have a feeling it's a great kind of "different" education.  Still, we've been trying to do some "American" school work each day so she doesn't forget how fun it is to read in English!


She certainly has learned this past week what it's like to have a more active lifestyle in Italy. Walking from here, to there, to everywhere, her little legs are learning how to really walk and enjoy the exercise.  I find she is eating more, and trying new things more willingly.  Her ears are learning to decipher beautiful sounds from annoying noise.  She's presently sitting at our dining room table while Francesco and Gianni practice their Cuban music, and she's longing to sing along!  Last night she even accompanied us to a tango lesson where she was able to see me attempting to learn something new in Italian too! 
 
One thing I'm loving more and more is that the Florentines accept her presence in any place, without any problem!  In fact, she is usually the center of attention rather than being placed in the corner and expected to keep quiet.  The Italians coddle and admire her, encouraging her participation no matter the activity!  What a welcome difference!  She still feins shyness for the first 5 minutes of encountering a new face, but after that she is the silly little actress who loves the attention.  
 

 
Spring is just around the corner, and I feel so many fresh and new experiences coming into our surroundings.  Even our little black cat, Sissy, has a belly full of new life and we hope to welcome some baby kittens in April!!!  Waves of contentment, bubbles of happiness, raindrops of newness...

Dreaming of Speaking

Typical view of the table after a dinner party

So this weekend we also had a rather large party at our house, partly as another birthday celebration as well as a sort of "we're baaaaaaack" get-together so I could see many more friends and aquaintences (though in all honesty, we really don't need any excuse to throw a party around here!).  I also met some awesome new friends that Francesco has welcomed into his fold, and I can't wait to get to know them all better!  But while at this party, I suddenly found myself holding REAL conversations with people!  And some of these conversations were actually in ITALIAN!  Well, obviously we weren't delving into politics or metaphysics, but I was able to truly converse without needing a translator.  Jokingly I always say that my Italian speaking abilities improve substantially after several glasses of spumante, but I really don't think this was the case the other night.  My aural comprehension seems to have picked up where it last left off when I was here in October for 10 days.  And although I haven't been studying my Rosetta Stone in the last few months, I seem to just have soaked in a little more understanding of verbs and phrases that are important in daily use.  Maybe I've finally been able to shake off most of my embarrassment for not forming a sentence correctly?  Maybe in the week we've been here, I've conciously made an effort to be responding more in Italian instead of just listening?  Maybe after all the months of loneliness in Alaska inspired me to be more socially open?  Who knows what equasion needed to be sorted out, but at our party, I felt totally at ease walking around, attempting to talk to new people and not feeling one bit of bashfullness when someone else had to help me finish what I was trying to say!  What I found so wonderful were the people who encouraged me to keep going on with my comments in Italian instead of instantly trying to switch back to English.  I've been thinking about this so much, that last night I actually had my first dream in Italian!  People were speaking to me, I was understanding, and then I was translating in my head what I needed to say in Italian...it actually was really fascinating to remember such a dream.

Ava's practicing the all-important hand gestures in Italian!

I know without a doubt that it helps having Ava around because I can try to teach her words in Italian, and it just cements the words deeper in my own brain.  This week she is starting school, so I've been trying to help her with some simple phrases in case she really needs to communicate if something is wrong (ho freddo! il bagno?).  Not many of the teachers or other children in her class will speak much English, if any, and with her being such a vocal little girl, I hope she will adjust quickly without getting frustrated!  When I've been letting her watch a little TV the past few days, most of the time we have the option to watch in either language, and thankfully she's been asking to watch in Italian so she can learn more!  Several times I've asked her a question to which she has responded "Sì!" and I can't help but feel confident that she'll learn faster than I will, and soon she'll be dreaming in Italian too!