Rambling Plans

I'm going to see more old things tomorrow!  Ostia Antica used to be Rome's port town at the mouth of the Tiber.  With time and large deposits of silt from the river, however, it now lies at a distance of three kilometers from the sea.  It's still close to Rome, though, so the plan is to drop the kids off at school, see what we can see in a few hours, and zip back before 3:00.

Psych!!!  In the process of writing this blog post, I decided to do a little research and discovered that along with pretty much all public museums in Italy, the site is closed on Mondays.  We can't go.  :(  On Tuesday and Thursday I have Italian class.  Wednesday, Lea has to work early.  Friday, she leaves. Boo!

Well, I guess it's back to the plan to visit churches.  It's really surprising I haven't visited many of the most famous.  Do you know that I don't even have a proper guide book to Rome?

Le Cose Antiche

Today I did what I came to Italy to do, i.e. to see old things and to speak Italian.  I went with Léa (I'm spending as much time as I can with her because she returns to France next week...and because she's fun to hang out with, of course) to Villa Giulia, which houses the Etruscan Museum.  It's a grand three-story building featuring the art, history, and language of an Italian culture even older than that of the Romans.  And it's literally a five-minute walk from my palazzo.  I've passed it many times on my way to Villa Borghese (which is a little bit like Central Park in NYC) but I've never ventured inside.

The courtyard of Villa Giulia.

Colonnade.  Each panel features some different Greek god.

The visit began auspiciously (to borrow an Etruscan way of thinking) when I got the half-price discount for EU nationals 18-25 years old.  The man asked if we were students, and Lea said no, but (in her French accent) that she was 25.  I said mournfully that I was 26 and he said, boh, it was close enough, and promptly handed over the tickets without even asking to see an EU identity card.  Hooray!

I geeked out at the museum with my Italian dictionary in one hand and my little spiral bound notebook in the other hand.  There were sooooooo many artifacts there it was a little overwhelming, even though we had plenty of time to browse.  Amongst the highlights were original Etruscan and Phoenician inscriptions on gold leaf, many many fascinating Greek vases, beautiful jewelry from almost every era of Italian history, and a typical Etruscan terra cotta sarcophagus.

Famous terra cotta sarcophagus.

Fountain in the gardens of Villa Giulia.

Temple in the gardens of Villa Giulia.

We went home to change and then met up again for a delicious but inexpensive dinner in Trastevere.  Then we climbed the Janiculan Hill, the highest point in Rome, stopping at the top to talk and enjoy the view of the city.  Finally, we returned home by way of Vatican City.  There wasn't actually much to see at that time of night since the gates were closed, but Léa pointed out that the pope makes an address in St. Peter's Square almost every Sunday at noon.  I think I'll try to go one Sunday soon.  I also realized that I hadn't actually been to St. Peters during my three months here.  I'll need to remedy that soon.  Maybe a tour of Roman churches can be my next adventure.

Il Festival di Cioccolato

This morning couldn't have gone better.  I met, by chance, one of the other au pairs whom I haven't really seen in (possibly more than) a month while I was waiting for Léa in Piazzale Flaminio.  We ran to get a coffee together, during which time I told her my plan to go to the university and see if I could find some lectures to audit.  She wants to come, too!  In fact, she's working on her second masters degree right now so she's definitely of the academic mindset.  I'm surprised she isn't too completely exhausted to come.  There's another girl I met through Emmanuelle in our class at language school.  She works for a family whose father is a professor at the university.  He confirmed that you could attend lectures for free.  So now we have a little group to go on Monday and investigate.  I have no idea what we'll find, because the website was a bit confusing.  I think you have to inquire about the schedule with the different department heads, but I'm not sure.  Anyway, even though courses are wrapping up for the end of the semester in the United States, they are just getting started in Italy.  The system is not entirely clear to me yet.  Maybe I'll figure it out after I show up.  And maybe being at a university will inspire me to finish my own university applications.

The main event of the morning, however, was to go with Léa to a chocolate festival I'd read about on one of my Rome blogs.  To get to the festival we had to take the tram near my apartment.  We were both starving and I tempted her with pictures of the pumpkin pie I'd made yesterday.  So as we passed the building I ran upstairs, grabbed some plates, forks, and napkins, and assembled a little take-away platter (complete with whipped cream on top).  We paraded down the street with our pie to a little park across the river, where we enjoyed the first of the Thanksgiving leftovers.  I talked about how today was a big shopping day in the United States, and she already knew about it!  Apparently Black Friday has been featured in several films and TV shows she's seen...who new?  I'm kid of sad that it's such a famous phenomenon.  Thus sustained, we made our way to Piazza Mazzini where we were greeted by a circle of tents full of chocolate and people wanting to give us samples of typical Sicilian desserts.  There was every shape and size of chocolate imaginable -- look at the chocolate shoes below!

After we circled the festival once or twice, sampling all the while, we went around again to make our purchases.  I bought bought some candied ginger and orange peel dipped in dark chocolate, along with some dark chocolate espresso beans.  Léa bought lots of kinds of truffles.  We immediately  sat down to enjoy our treats next to the fountain in the middle of the piazza, all the while being serenaded by a school band (which, it must be noted, included several classical guitars).

I also tried marron glacés for the first time, thanks to Léa!  If you're like me and don't know much about this French-Italian dessert, it's basically a candied chestnut.  It tasted pretty nice, but a little bit mealy.  I've tried it in gelato before and think it goes very well.

I told Léa that the only problem with having a such a nice morning is that the day couldn't possibly get any better.  She pointed said that maybe we'd meet the man of our dreams later, or find a €50 bill on the street.  You never can tell.

New Style

Hello, everyone!  I thought I should check in with a quick post and let you know that I'll be writing again soon.  In the meantime, you can read some archives if you like -- now that this blog is actually legible!  I was showing some posts to Emmanuelle and was surprised at just how difficult it was to navigate.  You all are very patient people.  I mean, I knew the background photo made the posts a bit challenging to read; then I realized that it made the side bar almost impossible to read.  I'm surprised there weren't complaints!  I hope this is an improvement for those of you who aren't reading an RSS feed.

I feel like I owe you something of a story, too.  Today was one of the first cold days I can remember here.  Well, it was kind of cold.  I wore a hat while taking the boys to school this morning, partly because it was so cold and partly because I didn't want to fix my hair.  Little did I know what trouble I was causing.  Immediately Pietro demanded a hat like mine, along with gloves and a scarf.  In the end, he had to content himself with the hood and the pockets of his winter coat.  When we picked them up from school, it was almost too warm to wear a coat.  Ah, the weather in Rome.

Sorry, that wasn't a very interesting story.  I would really like to do something new and different this weekend.  We'll see what I can come up with.

Alla prossima!

Happenings in Rome

Sometimes I am so caught up in day-to-day life that I miss certain exceptional events that take place in this city.  In the past few days this has become apparent in a couple of things I've only heard about.

Thing #1: A Gangnam Style Flash Mob in Piazza del Popolo.  While I was probably getting for bed after a busy day at home, this was happening just a ten-minute tram ride away.  It was huge!  I'm surprised I didn't hear it from the apartment.

Thing #2: High water in the Tiber.  The river used to flood regularly and wreak havoc on the city, so now there are high embankments on either side.  I don't think it's in danger of flooding its banks, but it's still pretty spectacular to see (and I did actually seen it, but only from the window).

You can see more pictures of the high water here.

I'm thankful for the Internet so I can keep up with happenings in my own backyard.

Pizza Pizza

Have I done a post yet on Italian pizza?  It's something quite different from American pizza.  Usually thin crust, often without cheese, it's something you could eat for lunch or dinner without guilt.  Sometimes it's even healthy!

Even though Rome has no lack of McDonald's and Burger King, pizza is without a doubt the real Italian fast food.  There are many pizzerias selling pizza al taglio or pizza al trancio (which basically means pizza by the slice).  After you choose the variety from the counter full of wide rectangular trays of pizza, they cut off a piece to your specifications, fold it in half, and hand it to you wrapped in piece of paper.  Here's some pizza margherita that I ate in Sora two years ago:

Pizza margherita is one of the most basic types with tomato sauce or fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil.  (I remember when my cousins made it at a family reunion once.  Aunt Ruth told us the story of how it was first made for Queen Margherita of Italy and how she loved it and how it was named after her.  I always remember that family reunion when I eat pizza margherita.)  There are many other interesting types, however.  You can get your daily dose of vegetables atop your pizza.  You can get fresh mozzarella di buffala.  You can even get french fries on top!

Two or three times, Mariacarla has made pizza for us at home.  She makes her own crust, spreads it with olive oil and tomato sauce, and bakes it until it's deliciously crispy and warm.  SO good.  No cheese.  It's called pizza rossa and it's surprisingly tasty for how simple it is.

After language school today, I went my roommate Emmanuelle and some other girls to a pizzeria in Largo Argentina.  They go there often, and if you come to visit me perhaps we will go there too because it's really delicious and quite reasonable.  I paid € 3,90 for this satisfying meal:

  

The one on the left had fresh cherry tomatoes, and the one on the right had mozzarella and some kind of greens -- not spinach, but I can't remember the name that the lady told me.  Both were super good!  My cousin Anna told me that she was spoiled for pizza after coming to Italy -- and I have to agree.  There's nothing like it!

Fun Fact

Did you know that on Italian computers, Minesweeper is not actually a game of flagging mines?  I couldn't find Minesweeper on the boys' new computers, but I did find some little game called "Prato Fiorito" -- "Flowery Field".  It looks a lot like the Minesweeper that I was used to watch my mom play for hours, but when one makes a mistake the field is covered with little flowers rather than exploded mines.  It was so disorienting!  I did a little Internet research to find out how wide-spread this phenomenon is, and it seems to be just an Italy thing.  Do they have a bad history with land mines?  To learn all you wanted to know (and more) about Windows Minesweeper, you can follow this link.

And if you've just gotten the urge to play a quick game, have fun!

Rest

This weekend has been very, very quiet.  I haven't left the house.  Yesterday after work I wasn't feeling very well, and today it is raining.  But it's refreshing to have a bit of tranquility.  I just washed my hair and put in some laundry.  The rain is falling outside.  The boys have gone to see L'Era Glaciale 4 with their dad (which they've been anticipating for weeks).  My roommate is having an afternoon nap.  Later we will do our Italian homework together.  So yes, just very restful.

One reason I decided to take it easy today (as opposed to waking at dawn and busing off to some new and exciting locale) is that Sunday is now our only day to sleep in.  We've always worked on Saturday morning, but now our responsibilities have expanded to taking the boys to school every morning.  It's not too bad, but just like the last announcement (that we had to take them to school on Monday and Friday mornings) it took some getting used to.  I think the change is due to 1) the arrival of a new girl who has no expectations of what the job is supposed to entail and 2) the escalation of teaching responsibilities, as they just decided to ditch a member of their team who was becoming too demanding.  Anyway, taking the kids to school is not an unusual duty for au pairs.  But no more rest for us in the mornings.

In other news, Pasquale has decided to remove both toy boxes and add the family's two old desktop computers to the boys' room.  (It's to help them focus on their work, he said.  Pasquale loves to tell the story of when Pietro was four years old and had trouble paying attention at school.  They took away all his toys, and put them in the basement for two weeks.  Little Pietro had to stay at home and practice paying attention and focusing on his work, after which he was a much better student.)  At first I thought that computers maybe weren't the best idea, but it hasn't been all bad.  Pietro likes to play "La Gelateria di Papà" and math games (he is very proud that he can do division).  Manu likes to paint and watch films.  It's been a nice variation to our routine and so far it hasn't become addictive.

I hope you all are enjoying a day of rest of some sort.  Buona domenica a tutti!

A Little Italian Music

This morning at breakfast, Emmanuelle asked me what kind of music I liked to listen to.  Phew.  That's one of the most difficult questions for me to answer.  I can safely say that classical music, more specifically piano and choral music, is my favorite...and that's already a pretty broad category.  After that, it's hard for me to put a label on what I like.  I kind of go through phases where I discover one musician or group and listen to lots of it until I get tired of it or find another musician or group.  Added to that is the fact that I don't have a lot of time to listen to music because I really like to listen to it, rather than have it on in the background.

We also talked about whether we liked Italian music.  I think I like some Italian music more than I would if it were in English, simply because it sounds more cool in a different language.  Then there's some Italian music I really, truly like.  Mina is a singer from the 60s and 70s who has a really powerful voice.  She also has a really unique style.  See if you like this song...

I just learned that the song was written by Ennio Morricone, an Italian composer whose music I also really like.  If any of you have seen The Mission, he wrote the soundtrack for that movie.  My roommate Laura had a CD of Yo-Yo Ma playing the music of Morricone, and I used to hear  the most beautiful sounds coming out of her room.  I always asked her about it, and eventually learned it was this...

I know it's an extremely small sample of Italian music, but it's some of my favorite.  Does anyone else have trouble describing their favorite music?

Links

Because of yesterday's link (a website that helps you discover the best times to go to sleep for when you need to wake up) I am not going to write a post, but simply leave you with this link.  It is wonderful and uplifting.  I especially like the part about naps.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/magazine/the-island-where-people-forget-to-die.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

Giapponese

This evening in Italy I went out to dinner with two French girls to a Japanese restaurant.  Now that doesn't happen every day.

Chopsticks really help you slow down and appreciate la dolce vita.

Beautiful sushi.

We finished this interesting combination of cultures:  green tea tiramisù.

In other news, I found a website via Pintrest that helps you find the best bedtime for when you need to wake up in the morning.  Taking into consideration average sleep cycles, it calculates three or four different bedtimes that will allow you to wake up between sleep cycles rather than interrupting one.  I'm going to try it for tomorrow morning.  Even though it means I'll be sleeping a little less, I hope it will help me feel more alert.  Click here if you want to try it, too.  I'll let you know how it goes for me.  I have Italian class tomorrow, so it will be a good day to be alert.

Another Day of "Vacation"

I think we are all about ready for vacation to be over.  Today was especially difficult for Mariacarla to get any work done.  The living room also functions as her law office, so unless she's out teaching a lesson she's at home all day, subject to all the screams of joy or anguish that may emanate from the play rooms (even though we try to keep the doors shut).  We were sent out of the house two or three times.  First, Emmanuelle went out with Manu to get ingredients for crêpes.  Then, we all went to the children's museum for a couple of hours.  Finally, there were the normal Tuesday swimming lessons in the afternoon.  Even so, patience was running thin.  Manu was having an especially rebellious 4-year-old kind of day.  I think he did what we asked him exactly one time today.  The rest of the time he smiled and said no.  Ooooooh.  He didn't eat breakfast, he didn't eat lunch, he didn't eat dinner.  He drank his milk.  He ate his afternoon snack and part of his brother's.  And he ate a lot of his Kinder chocolate egg when we weren't looking.  Oh, he was trying my patience.  It was difficult for me to stay calm at times.  But there was nothing I could do except put on my most somber face, repeat my instructions over and over, and try to ignore the biggest bits of silliness.

On the plus side, this was the penultimate day.  Only tomorrow remains, then it's back to school for the boys.  Also, we ate homemade crêpes with Nutella.  Merci beaucoups, Emmanuelle!!!

P.S. Two great things about my new au pair friend.  1) She speaks only a little English so we get to practice our Italian a lot.  2) She loves to cook.

Work and Play

Long hours, rewarding work.  That's how I'd summarize these days.

After having eaten dinner, having had a nice conversation with Emmanuelle, and having responded to many, many emails (my own fault for letting them pile up) it's now 11:30 and time to sleep to prepare for another day.  Where does the time go?!

I was reminded today that my cousin Emily, a nurse, has to work twelve hour shifts.  I have a new appreciation for how tough that must be.  I worked long hours as a teacher, but I only had to be "on" for five or six of them.  Then I could hunker down and work by myself.

By the end of the day, actually, the boys became absorbed in some of their own projects so I actually did get to "hunker down and work" a little bit.  I organized all their pencils, pens, crayons, and markers in the big yellow box.  I should have taken a before and after picture because the results were impressive, if I do say so myself.  I got an IMMENSE feeling of satisfaction when it was complete.  It had been disorganized since I arrived and was getting worse and worse by the day.

So that was pretty exciting.  The most exciting part of my day, though, was when I confirmed once and for all that I do get a paid vacation at Christmas!  If my family ends up visiting as they plan, I will get to spend uninterrupted time with them...and this makes me very, very, very happy!  Additionally, so many friends are planning visits in December and January that I think the dreary winter is going to be pretty lively.  I can't wait!

Rainy Day

Today I took the bus out to Pescosolido -- which, I am told by a certain resident of that locale, doesn't actually mean "solid fish" but "solid rock" -- to visit Anna for the last time before she leaves for the United States.  After about a month there she'll go back home to Austria for Christmas, so I'll be without her for two months!  It's a real turn of the tables: again we find ourselves separated by the Atlantic Ocean, but this time she's in my country and I'm in hers.  Who would have imagined!

I got to watch as she filled out her visa waiver form online.  An entry to the United States is similar to an entry to Europe, in that stays of less than ninety days don't require a visa.  To enter the US, however, you have to fill out this waiver and pay a $14 fee.  They asked her if she had any mental health conditions and whether she was entering the US with any plans of criminal activity.  She answered "no" to both questions, of course.  (But really, I ask of you, does anyone ever answer "yes" to those questions?)  They also asked if she had aided the Nazis in any way between 1937 and 1944.  It was in fascinating view of my country from the outside.

It was a very rainy day, so in between glimpses of the gorgeous mountains and green hills covered in silvery mist and gossamer blankets of clouds, we occupied ourselves inside.  We had our traditional breakfast at the bar (a cappucino for me, a latte macchiato for her, a cornetto for both of us).  We looked up airline tickets and pumpkin pie recipes.  We defined English and Italian and German words.  I did my Italian homework and Anna made delicious hot soup with garden vegetables.  We drank tea made with freshly picked peppermint.  And Neve kept us company.

This is Neve.  She was cold and damp from the rain, so Anna gave her this sweater.

Anna and Neve, I'll miss you both very much!

*EDIT* Goodness I was tired when I wrote this!  If you read my original, I wrote that they asked if she was in good mental health...then she answered "no".  Wrong, Katie.

Babysitting

Tonight, for the first time in the two months that I've been here, Mariacarla and Pasquale have gone out!  Their neighbors downstairs invited them, along with Pasquale's parents, to dinner.  I'm happy they have a night out.  They work very hard -- in fact they were working right up until the minute they walked out the front door.

Tonight, for the first time since my babysitting days in high school, I got to witness some nice attempts at avoiding bedtime.  In fact, as I type (and it is almost 10:15 here) the two young rapscallions have Emmanuelle (the new French au pair) reading them stories.  I am most displeased with them.  They have a night light, they are allowed to have their door open, and STILL they cry and pretend to be scared.  Harumph.  I'm tired and they should be, too.

Sorry, I'm a little cranky.

I apologize for all the typos this week, too.  I blame it on my overtime schedule and I'm looking forward to next week and the return to a school schedule.  It will seem so easy!

Most of the time this week has been wonderful, really.  I'm thankful for the family and the boys and my new fellow au pair.  I'm thankful that tomorrow I get to visit Anna in Pescosolido.  I hope the rest of you have a wonderful weekend, too!

Unforeseeable

During my time in Italy, one thing that's been consistent is that I never know what's going to happen next.  It was that way when I stayed in Pescosolido, it was that way when I stayed in Sicily, and it's still that way now that I'm here with the family in Rome.  For example, I just learned yesterday that the grandparents were visiting again today.  (I don't yet know how long they are staying, but it's always a pleasure to have them.)  Then, this morning after we'd been playing with the boys for a couple of hours, Mariacarla returned home from the store and announced we would be going to the zoo.  Well!  That totally changed my expectations of the day.  Since we usually stay at home -- and always wear the same house pants -- I hadn't bothered to change from the same t-shirt and sweatshirt that I'd slept in the night before.  I quickly changed and then we were loaded up with a backpack full of provisions: food, drink, warm sweatshirts, soccer balls, antibacterial gel, and mosquito spray (even in November!)

The zoo!

We spent several fun hours at Bioparco Roma.  The bliss of being outside on a beautiful day was only interrupted a few times.  First, Pietro managed to kick his soccer ball directly under the carousel by the play area.  No one was riding it at the time, so the poor carousel operator came out to help us retrieve it.  He was such a kind man; he spent at least five minutes trying to reach the ball which was nearly at the center of the platform.  In the end, he had to tie a large stick to the end of a broom in order to reach it.  That put an end to the ball games.

After that incident, we decided to eat lunch.  The picnic area is called "Oasi del Lago" but it wasn't a very relaxing oasis today.  There were peacocks everywhere.  Very, very bold peacocks who didn't run away when I shouted and clapped in their face.  Very, very rude peacocks who jumped up on the picnic table and scared the boys to death.  We had to change locations two or three times, and still Pietro, all of six years old, ended up sitting in my lap for fear that a bird would come and bite him.

Last of all, as you already know if you read my Facebook status, I lost my sunglasses.  I was holding up Pietro (I see theme emerging here) to see some little prairie-dog-type-creatures, when he gave me an enthusiastic hug and knocked my glasses right into the animal habitat.  I looked in dismay at my favorite pair (my only pair, currently) lying in the dirt.  One curious creature actually ran up to inspect.  I begged it to hand me back my sunglasses, but it didn't seem to understand.  I would have asked some zoo employee to help us, but there was none to be found.  There was, however, a convenient and unattended utility truck with a couple of brooms and a dustpan.  I don't even want to think about where those brooms had been, because I grabbed one, stuck over the wall and past the low-lying electric fence, and used it to scoop my sunglasses into the dustpan.  No one said anything, and I calmly returned the borrowed equipment and deposited my sunglasses into the bag of toys (and squinted into the sun for the rest of the day).  I washed them thoroughly later.

Who knows what adventures tomorrow holds!

October 31

Happy Halloween!  Tomorrow will be All Saints' Day, the holiday for which the I'm working so much.  It will also be a very tiring day, because it is 4:27 a.m. and I am still awake!  I went out with Lea tonight, and we had a good time.  We didn't get to eat dinner until 10 p.m. thanks to our various responsibilities at home.  We finished our dinner with special Halloween treats made by Lea -- a fruit cocktail, literally, and a mini muffin filled with Kinder!

Then we scurried off to our favorite bar in Testaccio before the metro closed.  We were on nearly the last train of the night, accompanied by scores of very loud soccer fans. I took a video of them but I'm having trouble uploading it.  While we were waiting for that train, I took a picture of my skull and crossbones fingernails, also compliments of Lea.  She'd gotten these festive nail adhesives especially for tonight, and since they were a little too long, she gave me the remainder of each one to wear as a sort of French tips.  They're really cool because they glow in the dark (but I didn't really get to see that until I got home to the pitch-dark apartment.

We saw several Halloween costumes, which was fun because relatively speaking it's not a very popular holiday here.  At the end of the night we had to take the night bus back, which can take a ridiculously long time...and so we got back very late.  It was so nice to go out and spend time with other people my age.  So nice.  So ni... *zzzzzzz*

Good night!

Busy Week

Well, I'm going strong on day two of All Saints vacation.  The boys are off from school for a week and a half (they return a week from Thursday) which means that I am working twice as much as usual.  Besides the normal 3 - 8 p.m., this week I'm also helping out 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. (and getting paid a little extra as well).  I'm also the only au pair at this point, before the next girl arrives on Thursday, but I'm almost convinced that it's easier to work by myself.  The boys don't have as much room for manipulation... ;)

I admit that this new schedule took some getting used to.  I usually have all morning to gear up for the kids, but this week I have to be up and at 'em immediately.  Yesterday, I was so tired at the end of the day that I fell asleep without turning out the light.  To former roommates of mine, I am certain that this comes as no surprise.  To Mariacarla and Pasquale, however, it came as a bit of concern.  I think Mariacarla, on the way to the boys' room, passed by at some extremely late hour of the night.  Seeing the light still on in my room, she assumed I was still awake, and the next morning she asked me if I'd had trouble sleeping.  After I explained that I fell asleep with the light on, she beseeched me to remember to turn out the light -- I was wasting so much energy!  (I don't actually know what electricity costs in Rome, but it must be pretty high.)  They even offered to buy me a small night light if I had a problem with the dark.  Ha!  But really, they are so sweet.  They said they would give me money and I could go to the light store myself and pick out a style that I preferred.  So sweet.  So I promised to turn it out tonight.

Today was a little bit easier.  For one thing, Mariacarla was at home all day (yesterday she was teaching) so she could keep one boy while I played with the other.  When Pasquale is the only parent at home (as was the case yesterday) the most he does is put the boys "in punishment" which means the naughty one has to sit in the parents' room, without playing, for a period of time.  It does calm things down, but it happens only after things get intolerable.  Today, both boys were on much better behavior because they weren't able to provoke each other in the first place.  The other advantage was that on Tuesdays there are swimming lessons.  An hour at the pool creates a welcome diversion from the humdrum of staying at home all day.

At the end of the day, as I was getting ready for dinner and Mariacarla was getting some grapes for the boys, I noticed that there was a lot of the grape vine still attached.  That led to a discussion about the vocabulary, in which I learned that "vine" is vite in Italian.  Mariacarla brought up Jesus' illustration of how He is the vine and we are the branches (in Italian, of course).  I got so excited that I recognized the verse and started quoting it to her in English.  So I will leave you with John 15:5 in both Italian and English.  It's a good reminder and encouragement for me, this week.

Giovanni 15:5

Io sono la vite, voi siete i tralci. Chi rimane unito a me, ed io a lui, produce molti frutti. Senza di me, invece, non potete far nulla.

(I like the fact that la vite for "vine" is similar to la vita for "life"...)

Grape vines from wine making last month.

John 15:5

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

To Market, To Market

Today could be characterized as a shopping day.  When I woke up this morning, I didn't have any idea of the extent of it.  (I also didn't have any idea that daylight savings had ended, meaning I woke up at 8 instead of at 9.  I got a great start to my free day!)

It was Emi's last full day in Rome and she had made plans with Léa and Elise (two other French au pairs whom we know through the kids' school) to go  to the Porta Portese Market.  It's a typical Italian outdoor market, where you can find everything: from kitchen and gardening supplies to clothes and cosmetics -- and everything in between.  It's held every Sunday morning.  What makes Porta Portese unique is that it's so big.  I went for the first time last summer with my cousin Anna and have returned twice, but I still haven't seen all of it.

The actual gate from which the market gets its name.

One of the prettier avenues of stalls.

 My shopping companions Emi, Léa, and Elise, who were were nice enough to smile even though I surprised them with the camera.

 I took all my pocket money that was left over from the month of October and frittered it away throughout the course of the day.  First, I bought some practical black socks.  I'm supposed to wear them inside the house to set a good example for the boys (who must wear socks at all times to avoid catching a cold or getting a fever).  Anyway, for the first week I wore my white athletic socks but those picked up dust from the hardwood floor like none other.  So black socks it is.

Then, I bought a pendant that I'd been thinking about for a long time.  It's a little silver sphere (they come in different sizes, but mine is about half an inch in diameter) with a tiny bell inside.  If you hold it up to your ear and shake it, you can hear it tinkling.  They say it's calling the angels to come and protect you.  It's a cute idea and (at least I think) it's a pretty necklace.  You can find some version at almost every jewelry stand in every market or street corner.

My next purchase was a pair of really beautiful silver elephant earrings.  The Indian man selling them said they were from Bombay, but I can't really be sure.  He was also flirting with me and asking if I had a boyfriend in Rome, etc. etc. etc.  He said he they cost twelve euro ("special discount for you, because you are bella and speak Italian so well").  I said I could pay eight and he said no, ten euro was the best he could do.  I said I would think about it and come back later.  Then he said okay, just because I was so beautiful he could give it to me for eight.  I hope you are joining me in laughing out loud.  And I hope you are just as excited as I am at the successful haggle!

I also bought some inexpensive trinkets like white scarf with a lacy border and a couple of silver bead bracelets.  Writing about it now, I feel kind of self-indulgent.  Maybe the next time I go to Porta Portese I will buy presents for other people!  It's almost Christmas shopping season, after all.

After shopping for several hours we were all very hungry -- and cold.  It was one of the first cold days I've experienced in Rome so far.  I guess it is almost November, about time.  We got some pizza near the Trevi Fountain (one of Emi's favorite places in Rome) and since it was cheaper to do carry-out rather than sit in the restaurant, we searched for some nice steps to sit on.  We ended up on the Quirinal Hill, right outside the presidential residence, and settled down (more like huddled, it was so cold) to enjoy our meal.

Outisde the Palazzo del Quirinale.

That's when we noticed the Polizia di Stato, black escort cars, and shiny motorcycles.  It was a presidential motorcade!  Unfortunately, when President Napolitano finally emerged, I was fumbling with my camera and ended up with a lousy video and no actual sighting.  Bummer.  But the other girls saw him, and it was cool enough to be in the general vicinity.

After warming ourselves with coffee, we headed back through the center of town, passing directly in front of the Trevi Fountain.  I took this picture to show how crowded it can be, even on a cold afternoon in October.  I remember that the first time I came here, I was so surprised.  The photos you see on calendars and postcards don't really reflect the chaotic setting of this beautiful landmark.

What the fountain looks like in real life.

What the fountain looks like on postcards.

What the fountain looks like with friends. (Photo credit: Elise) 

We finished the day by walking up Via del Corso and makings stops in multiple shops along the way.  I refrained from making any more purchases, but we did get some free Ritter Sport at Tezenis!  The chocolate  sustained us through the cold, dark, wet streets until we were forced to say goodbye and go our separate ways.  I'm so thankful for these girls and the wonderful day we spent together.  I will miss you, Emi!

Pretty Quiet

Not much to report.

Yesterday morning I got a text from my friend Anna who was passing through

Rome.  Her parents have been visiting from Austria and  wanted to visit some obscure literary landmark (I think the hospital where a certain Austrian author had passed away).  While they were otherwise occupied, we had a coffee together.  It is so nice to have a friend that lives nearby.  Yes, I've made several other friends since I arrived in September, but none so dear as Anna.  It's always good to catch up with her and life in the countryside, and she always lets me talk her ear off about my life here.  I'm really happy that for a few months, at least, I can get random texts from her and we can just go out for coffee on a whim.

**I edited the post to add this photo of my caffè macchiato (an espresso that's "stained" with a little bit of milk).  I found it while transferring the latest group of photos from my camera, and it was just too pretty.  Anna had a latte macchiato (milk that's stained with a little bit of espresso) and they made a leaf pattern in hers as well.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Being an Au Pair

Before one becomes an au pair, one should consider carefully the demands of the job and whether one is suited for the lifestyle.  I've been thinking about this in the past week because Emi is about to leave for home and a new French au pair is about to arrive.  I am quite content after almost two months of living here, but both Emi and the other girl I worked with before have said they were quite ready to leave after one month.  I don't know how the next girl will be, but I myself really don't feel that way!  I feel happy and, honestly, lucky to be here.  I've been pondering what the differences could be between those girls and myself, and the following are my thoughts in stream-of-consciousness form.  If anything is confusing, leave a comment and I'd be happy to clarify.

1) Temperament.   I actually enjoy being with kids for moderate periods of time. I think of them as less-mature equals (is that possible?) meaning that I take their games seriously, I try to talk to them as other human beings rather than little angels or little devils, and I seriously try to understand what they are thinking.  Now, this may come as a surprise, but not all au pairs I've encountered like to play with children.  That presents some difficulties, no?  Our particular family is rather protective of the children, meaning we stay at home a lot.  Besides the trip home from school, swimming lessons, and the weekly trip to the children's museum, we don't go out a lot.  That leaves lots of one-on-one time between us and the kids, and as I might have mentioned before, they don't have very long attention spans.  I take this as a fun challenge to create new games and teach them new things.  While it can be exhausting at times, the moments of genuine enjoyment, for me, outweigh any drudgery.

2) Attitude.  I only work five hours every day, so no matter what the kids (and occasionally the parents) throw at me, I have nineteen more hours to eat and play and sleep and forget about all the negatives.  And I do!  Seldom do I truly feel bummed about my situation.  I can think of one or two times it's happened.  Once was when we took the kids to school in the morning.  I was a little down in the first place, because I had just learned that we would be doing this once or twice a week.  That wasn't in my original work agreement, so the idea took some getting used to.  Adding insult (literally) to injury, the boys were very, very, very naughty on the tram.  They talked in loud voices, they nearly jostled other passengers out of their seats, and they pointed rudely and laughed at an old man.  They wouldn't listen to Emi and me when we asked them to stop.  I was just depressed over how bad they were!  When we left them at school it was not on good terms, and the situation weighed on me the whole day.  The only other scenario in which I get bad feelings about the job is when someone (either my fellow au pair or another girl who knows the family) brings up the struggles of the job and how difficult it can be.  I just don't like to dwell on it, thank you very much!

3) Expectations.  I've already mentioned this, but I only have to work five hours every day.  Sure, I work Saturdays, but then again Sundays are completely free.  Completely!  And seriously, it's only five hours a day.  As a teacher, I may be in front of my students for five to six hours every day, but then there's one or two hours of prep, at least two hours of grading, plus after-school activities and the time it takes to communicate with parents and students.  Lesson planning and grading seriously encroach on the weekends.  So this job, it's a luxury!  Good hours and low stress.  Well, low stress in my free time (remember that part about forgetting about the problems).    Despite being entrusted with two little lives every day, I feel less of a burden of responsibility as an au pair than as a teacher.  I don't know exactly why, but I do.  When I think about the demands of adult life, I think I've got a pretty sweet deal here.  I'm sacrificing some things, like steady month-to-month savings and an apartment of my own.  But, then again, I don't have to pay rent and I don't have to cook.  For one school year and a chance to live in a foreign country, it's an unbeatable opportunity.

In short, if you have some real life experience which can serve to provide you with accurate expectations, yet still feel able to adapt to different living and work situations, and -- let's not forget the most important thing -- like to be with kids, I highly recommend becoming an au pair!

Italian and French

I returned to Italian class this morning, after having missed week and a half due to the chicken pox.  It was was great and I got to review pronouns: direct, indirect, and combined.  Now, unfortunately, I will go another week and a half without class because of school holidays.  We actually get a week off from the language school, ourselves, while the boys get a week and a half off from their school.  This is all because of the All Saints holidays (or les vacances de la Toussaint as it says on the French school calendar).  Pfff!  Forget Halloween!  I'll bet many American kids would gladly trade in one night of trick-or-treating for over a week of school vacation.

After class, I went to Ladurée!  It was as beautiful and as tasty as I imagined.  And it wasn't too crowded, either.  I went with Léa, another French au pair, who was just as excited as I was about macarons (and who coached me on my French pronunciation).  Here are some photos of our expedition:

On the corner in a rather posh section of town. 

 Beautiful window displays, full of macarons.

 My beautiful bag and box of eight macarons which, I am a bit embarrassed to say, cost €14.  Think of it as a continuation of yesterday's celebration.  That's how I'm thinking of it.

From left to right: blood orange, licorice, marshmallow almond, hazelnut, coffee, raspberry  and pistachio   You may notice that there are only seven.  That's because I had already eaten the rose petal macaron.  It was so good.  It really smelled like a fresh flower (and might have tasted like one, too, for all I know).  Actually, I ate one bite of it.  Then a gypsy man came up to me asking for money or something for the little girl asleep in his arms (do they drug those children?  They are always sleeping, the poor things...) and I was so taken aback that I shoved the rose petal macaron into his hand.  I have never given anything to people begging on the street.  I don't know what came over me, or if he even appreciated the cookie.  Anyway, that's why it's not in the picture.

Raspberry!  I ate this one next because it had become a bit crushed on the journey home. I think there were crushed raspberries inside.  That's how good it was.

These were the only ones left at the end of my rampage.  To be honest, I ate the coffee macaron after I took the picture.  I reasoned with myself that I could eat four and still have half left.  And technically I'd only eaten three...right?!

The rest of the day, the parts we weren't working, we spent with Emi's mom and her mom's friends.  We had some coffee together around mid-day, then went out for drinks in the evening.  Now I'm off to bed because tomorrow morning we have to take the boys to school.  Good night!

Celebration!

Today was a red-letter day.  I didn't actually write on my calendar in red letters.  (Is that what the saying refers to?  I never completely understood it.)  Nonetheless, today was really special because I left the apartment after a week and a half of being cooped up inside.  Phew.  Never again!

I put on jeans!  I put on makeup!  Then I went to GiNa, a cute restaurant near Piazza di Spagna.  It wasn't really a traditional Roman restaurant, more fresh and trendy.  The ambiance was light, bright, and airy.  Here's how my table looked as I waited for my food:

I read about it in some "insider's guide" as a great place to have lunch with your girlfriends.  My girlfriends weren't available so I took myself.  It wasn't the cheapest place, but for some reason I haven't had occasion to spend money recently -- hmm, whatever could have happened?! -- so I was way under budget for this month.  I had a delicious salad, as pictured below:  

Look at that delicious goat cheese.  It was lightly warmed and soooo good.  I also saw that you can reserve a picnic basket to take with you for an afternoon in Villa Borghese, which is just up the hill from the restaurant.  Cute!  (It costs €40 however.)

As I walked back to meet Emi and pick up the boys at school, I stopped at Ciampini to get gelato.  Mariacarla had recommended it to me when I told her I was making a gelato tour of Rome.  She was right.  My flavors of choice were dark chocolate along with figs and walnuts.  So good!  Not too sweet but full of flavor.  Behold:

Then, after a good afternoon with the boys, I set out once more.  It was a red-letter day, after all, and I wasn't going to let any opportunity slip by.  This time I went for an aperitivo.  This is a nifty custom in which one pays a fixed amount (tonight it was €8.50) for one drink and a buffet of food.  Some places you get one visit to the buffet, other places are all-you-can-eat.  The quality of the food also varies.  I went to Fluid, a bar near Piazza Navona that Emi had told me about.  It's well-known for its aperitivo and features pretty substantial food on its buffet (pasta, vegetables, etc.)  I thought it would make a nice supper.  Here's what I ate:

That's white wine, by the way, even though it says "martini" in huge letters.  Afterwards I got some eggplant and some meatballs.  I wasn't quite sure if it was one of the all-you-can-eat places, but nobody seemed to mind.  It was a good meal!

Now I am tired and happy.  Unfortunately, I can already feel my legs aching.  What a bummer.  I started running again at the beginning of this month (I had to save up my money for running shoes, first) and just before I got the chicken pox I was really getting into it.  In fact, the day before the virus hit I had gone on a nice forty-minute run along the river.  (That was partly because I deviated from my route and got lost.  It took me longer than expected to get back home.  Teehee.)  Now I have to start over.  Oh well, a new challenge.

Oh, and if you didn't get enough food images today, tomorrow is the grand opening of Ladurée (a Parisian tea room famous for its macarons,  light almond meringue cookies filled with ganache or something equally decadent...maybe I will have pictures tomorrow).  I am so excited because I have been longing for some good macarons.  There used to be a bakery in Annapolis that sold them, and from time to time I would drive the half hour downtown just for the special treat.  What luck that a Ladurée should be opening in Rome during my time here!

Out

I do hereby resolve that tomorrow I will go out, even if it's just to walk in the fresh air.  I might have one or two spots that haven't gotten a scab, but they're hidden away on my back under my shirt.  I think everyone's tired of me being sick, anyway.  The family shouldn't protest too much.  If I don't go out, tomorrow will be the tenth day that I haven't left the apartment.  That's just unfathomable.

I get into all sorts of trouble when I'm not allowed to go out.  I haven't been exercising in any way, shape, or form...and consequently have been getting out of shape.  My body is convinced that it needs three hearty (and I do mean hearty) meals a day, but it's really too much food when I am idle.  Speaking of which, everyone knows that idle hands are the devil's workshop.  Do you think I started my grad school applications during the time I was house bound?  No!  Of course not!  Instead, I re-taught myself how to find TV shows and movies online, then watched them for hours and hours and hours  So I've become not only physically but also mentally lazy  It's horrible state of affairs.

The only good thing to come of being stationary is that I restarted this blog.  And I'll continue tomorrow, don't worry.  Maybe I'll even have more interesting things to write about.  Okay...a domani!

Practice Makes Perfect

Tonight I am practicing the art of a short post.  It's 10 p.m. on Monday night, and I don't have time or inspiration for something longer.  If I don't write at all, however, I start down the slippery slope that ends in utter blog silence.

Tonight I told Grandpa Pietro about all the blogs I read.  I was practicing my Italian.  Earlier he'd asked me if I liked to speak Italian, and I said yes, of course!  Then he pointed out that he was around all week and that I could talk to him whenever I wanted.  So I took my little introverted self out to the living room and we had a nice conversation.  It's always a splash of cold water on my happy little parade (mixed metaphors?) when I realize that I don't actually speak Italian very well.  When I read things on the internet, I understand most of it.  When I watch TV, I can get the drift of the story.  When I speak, however, I am slow.  I have to stop and think a lot, and even then I make silly mistakes.  I completely understand my mistake and how to correct it, even as the other person is explaining it to me.  I have to remind myself, when my ego is feeling picked on, that it was still a mistake.  There's a difference between knowing how to do something and being able to do it.  I haven't really mastered word until I can use it easily in a sentence.  And how can I use it in a sentence unless I'm talking?  Oh, language assimilation must be so much easier for extroverts!

Now you can practice using the comment box... ;)

The Grandparents Come for a Visit

Yesterday marked one week since the arrival of the nonni -- the grandparents!  Pasquale's father had to have heart surgery, and the family knew a good doctor in Rome.  So, nonna and nonno drove up from Naples last Saturday to spend a few days with the family before the surgery.  Pietro and Manu were very excited in anticipation.  We heard all sorts of tales like "My nonno holds me on his shoulders!"  We had just met the other set of grandparents, Mariacarla's parents, who are also very nice but perhaps a bit more feeble.  In comparison, these grandparents are young and vigorous (albeit in need of valve repair).  Anyway, they arrived a little after lunch on Saturday, allowing Emi (my current French colleague) and myself to finish work early.  That turned out to be the day I started to get sick, so I happily returned to my room to take a nap before taking the bus out to visit Anna.

The main thought in my head when I sat down to write this post was the scary story I heard in the aftermath of grandfather's surgery.  He went in on Wednesday and came home twenty-four hours later.  The procedure itself seemed fairly routine: they made a small incision near his groin and another in his chest, so it was minimally invasive.  But here's what shocked me:  he was awake for the entire procedure!!!  I don't know if it was some fluke, or if this is standard practice in Italian medicine, but this man had heart surgery without the benefit of general anesthesia.  He told me, shaking his head like someone who had just witnessed the brutalities of a war, "Dura, Katie, dura."  It was rough, Katie.  I believe it, man!  That's like Civil War medicine.  Well, except for the highly sophisticated surgical technique.  But really?  No general anesthesia?!  I almost wouldn't believe it, except for how worn out he looked when he returned home.  Also lending credence to his tale is an blog post I just read, describing the story of a woman and her small child who had to have their orthopedic rods removed without the benefit of pain relief.  Nothing.  I assume that the grandpa at least had local anesthetic; maybe I shouldn't assume.  I shudder to imagine.

Anyway, the grandparents are great.  I was a little uncertain about the grandma's personality at first (she didn't talk to us much the first day, but I think that was just confusion over language) but she is great.  We celebrated her onomastico, or saint's day, on Monday night.  We had cake and ice cream in the living room with the neighbors.  I felt guilty, eating all that sugar when I was sick...but I quickly got over it.  So can any Catholic friends guess her name?  

Speaking of names, the family keeps up the Italian tradition of naming a little boy after his grandpa.  So the grandpa's name is also Pietro (which creates a bit of confusion in the house, at times).  Pietro, the six-year-old whom I babysit, is actually the fourth Pietro in his family.  The grandpa is the third.  And the first Pietro Fava was born in the 1800s.  I can't remember the specific year I was told.  The grandpa tells me all about their family and their home in Naples.  He tells me when all the football matches are on, and who won.  He willingly corrects my Italian.  Both grandparents are always asking me how I'm feeling, checking out my chicken pox, and reminding me not to scratch.

I will be sad when they leave.  Actually, I think the grandmother has gone home for a few days, but the grandfather can't go home until he feels well enough to drive.  It could be another week.  We'll see.  In the meantime, I like having him around.  It never hurts when he cracks his belt to scare the kids.  Or tells Emmanuel to be quiet or a witch will hear him and come to eat him.  :)

Life in the Big City

This morning I didn’t go out.  Tomorrrow morning I won’t go out.  I will be so happy when I recover from these dastardly chicken pox and get to out again.  I should have a coming-out party, in the style of nineteenth century debutantes.

But two weeks ago I went out.  I noticed that day, for the umpteenth time, what a nice place Rome can be.  Although it is Italy's biggest city, its atmosphere is not what I would call chaotic.  It's almost tranquil.  It's no small town, but it still feels like a neighborly community.  

During my first month here, I had taken the tram over the river to visit a potential language school.  In the middle of Piazza del Risorgimento, where I was awaiting Tram 19 to take me home, I watched homeless man plodding along.  Before long he stopped, sat down on the ground, and then lay flat on his back, as if giving up the ghost.  It was a very hot day, but he lay down in the sun and not in the shade.  Not normal behavior, to say the least.  Barely had I though all these thoughts, when two women and one man approached the scene.  They found a bottle of water and began to revive him.  They sprinkled water in his face and then actually forced him to drink.  I was impressed that they’d take such action with a stranger, who was not directly their responsibility.

Last Sunday was another example of neighborly behavior in the city of Rome.  I was supposed to meet some friends for a walk around the city.  I set out early to find a nice café  to pass some time and have a cappuccino.  I stopped at one nearby my house, which I have walked past dozens of times but never had time to try.  The only other customer present when I came in was a rather ancient lady who had dressed herself up and come down for Sunday morning breakfast.  The barista and owner were treating her with the utmost respect (something else I love to see in Italy is the courtesy towards women and elderly people -- and when you combine those two groups and add a religious habit, wow!  I wish you could have been on the tram on afternoon when my friend and I got on with a group of nuns.  People were literally jumping out of their seats and insisting that the sisters sit down.)  The owner had just brought over a bag of fresh fruit for her.  I decided to sit down, too, even though it usually costs more than standing at the bar.

This is the cappuccino I received.  Look at the fancy chocolate pattern on top!  This doesn't happen in a more crowded bar.  When I got up to pay, the man at the register whom I presumed to be the owner told me to wait and then fetched me a fresh, ripe persimmon!  (My favorite!  I didn't know that they grew in Italy, but I have since enjoyed them several times.)  He also only charged me one euro for the cappuccino at the table!  Sunday morning special?  I said to myself that I would go back, but so far the opportunity hasn’t presented itself.  And now I’m house-bound, at least for a couple more days.  Perhaps I that's how I will celebrate: a return to Caffé Fontana.

Hopefully those anecdotes were able communicate a bit of the charm that Rome holds for me.  Just look how happy I am to be here!  (This was one week before being hit with the plague.  I may never look like this again...)

My First Week (...was long ago, I know)

Sunday, 2 Sept – I arrived in Rome after a very turbulent and unrestful flight.  I successfully retrieved my bag (praise the Lord! I will never let that go for granted) and exchanged my cash to Euros. I took a bus to Termini (a first time experience for me and highly recommended.  The other options are to take an express train which costs 14 euros and takes 30 minutes, or else a combination of local train and metro which costs 9.50 and takes 45 minutes.  The bus, on the other hand, costs 6 euro and on this particular Sunday morning took 45 minutes.  I expect traffic could make travel time a lot worse, but the price is worth it.)  There I was supposed to meet Mariacarla, but when I tried to turn on my phone, I found that my SIM card had expired.  Aiuto!  I had already been nervous because I seemed to have forgotten my battery charger, and now the phone wasn’t working at all!  Priority numero uno was to find a TIM store (that's the cell phone company, but when they text me with annoying offers and deals, I joke that I'm getting messages from "my boyfriend Tim").  Fortunately, I was directed to one on the second floor of Termini station and after a lovely 45 minute wait I was able to update my number.  I hadn’t added any money to my account in a year, hence it had expired.  Oops.

Then and only then I was able to call Mariacarla.  After we agreed on a meeting point, I dashed to the supermarket in the basement of Termini to buy a new battery charger (and of course after I finished unpacking, I discovered that I actually had my old one).  Then I dashed across the street to wait at Bar Trombetta, the exact same place I met another family this spring.  We found each other without problem and she drove me to their apartment, showing me important landmarks (like the zoo) along the way.

I arrived at their house a little after noon, was shown the house and the room I was to share with Anouk, the French au pair.  If I haven’t already explained this to you, it's helpful to know that the family likes to have a French-speaking au pair since their children go to French school, as well as an English-speaking au pair for more practical language skills.  Another enlightening piece of information on this family is that there are very strict rules on cleanliness.  Upon return to the house, one must immediately 1) remove shoes,   2) wash hands, and 3) change into clean pants.  Additionally, suitcases have to remain in the front hallway (not a bad idea, considering where I had dragged mine in the past 24 hours).  So I emptied my suitcases and then they were whisked away to some top-secret suitcase quarantine area (which I later had to locate because I had forgotten something important in the front pocket of my suitcase.  It required the use of a 12-foot ladder to reach that top-secret suitcase quarantine area).  

With the help of my wonderful and wise mother, I had brought several English books for the boys (Pietro is 6 and Emmanuel is 4).  As soon as Pietro saw Experiments with Water he began dancing around the house shouting “experiments! experiments!”  and wanted to do them right away.  He asked his mother, “You can read English, right?  Can we do these?” but he was compelled to wait for me the next day.  In the past week we did most of the accessible experiments in the book, with great success and maybe even some learning.  He still wants to do experiments, but by now the quality has devolved into mixing salt and oil and soap indiscriminately and then blowing bubbles all over the sink.  I think the usefulness of the book has passed, but I appreciated the structured activities to do with him.  I need to find more like it, that are age-appropriate and interesting.  I try to think of things I used to do with babysitters, like playing cards and checkers and reading books.  Reading books are only interesting to them at certain times.  Manuel is more inclined to enjoy that activity, while Pietro needs to be always doing something.  Sports begin in October, and his mother is so relieved that he’ll have a way to release some of his boundless energy.  Really, it’s very hard for two small boys to live in a city apartment, especially when their mother is terrified of dirt and germs.  For example, we stopped in a small park after the dentist yesterday, but after seeing some garbage on the ground she decided to only let them go down the slide a couple times (I was shocked she even let them do that) and we left after five minutes.  Every time we come home from school or an outing, we take off our shoes, wash our hands, and change into house pants.  I’m glad I brought my athletic pants, because they’re comfortable to wear around the house and quite suitable for playing with children on the floor.

Monday, 3 Sept – Anouk was super friendly and made me feel comfortable right away.  Not only did she guide me through the workings of the house and the boys, but she welcomed me into her circle of friends and social outings.  Her boyfriend is from Rome (although he is currently in California studying wine) and so she was connected with a network of his friends, especially one girl who had even spent some time in France with her.  This girl, Elena, was equally nice and welcoming and over the course of the week brought me to several dinners and parties.  Monday night we went out to dinner in Trastevere, a slightly expensive neighborhood which is home, all at the same time, to trendy tourists, very old Roman families, and students from the three American universities located there.  It turned out to be kind of expensive, but I enjoyed experiencing a dining experience from within a group of Italians (to see what they ordered, how they interacted with the staff, etc.)

Tuesday, 4 Sept – Today was the first day of school at Rockbridge Academy, so my thoughts were in Maryland for a lot of the day.  It was also the first day of school for the boys.  And it was raining.  Anouk, being more useful as a speaker of French, accompanied them for the half day.  Then we ate lunch and played with them for the rest of the day.  Monday through Saturday we work for five hours, Sunday we are off.  That evening, Anouk and I went to Castel Sant’Angelo for a special night time opening called Notti dell’Estate (Summer Nights).  As summer is almost over, this was the last week, and I’m so glad we went.  It was my first visit, which was exciting enough, but it also provided gorgeous views of Rome lit up at night.  We got to explore the walls, rooms, and passageways and I learned a lot about its history.  Got a lot of good pictures too, after I figured out the night setting on the camera.

Wednesday, 5 Sept – Wednesday was another half day for the boys (and will continue to be, I think).  The advantage of half days and Saturdays is that we can begin sooner and finish sooner.  I love having mornings free since it is just about my favorite part of the day, but I can see the advantage of having working out of the way early.  So that’s what we did today.  Afterwards, we walked around the city looking for a gifts.  Anouk was having dinner with her boyfriend’s mother and wanted to get her something nice.  That afternoon I learned about the French area of the city, around Piazza San Luigi dei Francesi, where there is a church dedicated (according to Wikipedia) to the Virgin Mary, to St. Denis the Areopagite and St. Louis IX, king of France.  There is also a nice French bookstore where Anouk found her gift (later she got some sticker books as a parting gift for the boys).  That night I stayed home and got to talk to Daddy and Julie!  Then I ate dinner and had a great conversation with Mariacarla and Pasquale.

Thursday, 6 Sept – We went to the park after school today.  It was a great way to let the boys run around and release some energy.  That evening, Anouk went to Elena’s for dinner, and afterwards they took me out to the young, hip part of town – it’s just north of our neighborhood, actually, by Ponte Milvio.  It’s so strange to think that this really important historic site, the Milvian Bridge, is now just a place for young people to mill about and drink and smoke and socialize.  A feature of living such an old town, I guess.  I suppose there’s nowhere in this city that doesn’t have some significance.

Friday, 7 Sept – Anouk and I got the boys from school and went to the children’s museum.  I was astounded at how distractible the boys can be.  It was hard for them to focus on one thing for very long, especially Pietro (not that he isn’t intelligent; he has a huge gift for languages and perhaps this is why he has trouble focusing and working at something: some things just come too easily for him, so he doesn’t understand how to persevere through more difficult things.)  It was a lot of fun at first, but then Pietro didn’t listen to me when I told him to wash his hands after the bathroom (imagine what his mother would say!)  I held him in place and wouldn’t let him go back to play until he did so, and he let out several shrieks before realizing he had no choice and stomped off to the bathroom saying “This isn’t an education!”  Well!  I was quite indignant, and so was he, and he rather avoided me the rest of the day.  I was a little bit sad about that, but the next day all was forgotten.  Well, hopefully not all.  I hope he knows now that I am serious about some things.  That evening, I don’t remember what we did.

Saturday, 8 Sept – We worked in the morning and had plenty of time in the afternoon free.  The evening was crazy.  We went to a birthday party for Giuliano, one of Elena’s friends, at the chic bar of MAXXI (Modern Art of the 21^st century, clever, huh?)  There was nice party food and even better, free wine and cocktails!  Then, after a brief interlude at Ponte Milvio, we were off to the discoteca.  Oh my.  What an unbelievable experience.  There were swarms of kids trying to get in, but it was already full.  Still, they just hung around outside, waiting for a chance.  Unbelievable.  SO not worth it to me.  I was just along for the ride (literally, since we were driven there by a friend of a friend of a friend) so when Elena said there was and “understanding” and we were going to get in for free, I was like “okay, cool, I guess”.  Then it turned out to be 30 euros per person and I was like “okay, I guess”.  But there I was, so I made the most of it.  I drank the fancy vodka and tonic and danced in my little spot on the floor and sang along to the horrid dance mixes and cheered when they threw confetti and tried to avoid getting vomited on.  We didn’t leave until they closed at 4:15.  It was hardcore.  I was happy to have the experience, but even with such exclusivity I was NOT especially impressed.  I just don’t get the appeal.  At all.

Sunday, 9 Sept – Despite a HUGE need to sleep in, my love of mornings won out.  I went to the 10:30 service at an Anglican church I had spotted near the apartment.  Then I met my dear dear friend Anna as she was passing back through Rome from a family reunion in Austria.  Her boyfriend Ezra was also there, and he was super nice.  We walked and talked (and talked and talked) and caught each other up on EVERYTHING.  It was such a good time, really.  We finished up with two flavors of Tiramisu at Il Regno di Tiramisu, then parted ways.  I felt really lonely after she left, but I was consoled 1) she was not far away and I could visit her nay time now and 2) that I had such a nice family to come back to.  I really appreciate sharing a room with another girl, since I am apparently really susceptible to loneliness.  The super-friendliness of Anouk is just a bonus on top of it all.

Monday, 10 Sept – The first good thing to come to an end: Anouk had to go back to France.  In the morning we looked for a gift for the family (books for the boys, flowers for the parents) then she came back to help me get the boys from school, do homework with Pietro, and pack her suitcase.  Then I left with Mariacarla and the boys for the dentist, and she left to go home!  Goodbye, Anouk!  She invited me to visit her in Bordeaux while I am in Europe, and I really hope I can!  I will have to get over my fear of French.  She did help me with  the pronunciation of the French “r” and certain phrases such as “Jes nous comprend pas” – “I don’t understand!”  That night I went out by myself and found the Lutheran church about a half hour away.  It seems to be a German congregation, so I’m not sure if it’s the right fit for me.  I really liked the Anglican church, and there seems to be a great community to get involved in, as much as I have time.

Tuesday, 11 Sept – My first day totally alone.  We’ll see how it goes!  This morning I went to Angelina, a beautiful but rather expensive café near the Trevi Fountain.  I drank a cappuccino and had a tiny little cornetto while read an article about Ann Romney in an Italian magazine.  I meant to read some Latin (that would be more classy, no?  and definitely more useful) but I haven’t acquired one yet.  There are plenty of used book sellers around, so I hope to get one soon.  I just could not bring any more weight in my baggage, or I would have brought one from home.  I have been given a huge and awesome Latin-Italian dictionary to use by Pasquale.  It was so thoughtful of them and such a novelty for me.  I love it.