Sunday, November 25, 2012

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?

Saturday, November 24, 2012

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.

Friday, November 23, 2012

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.

Friday, November 16, 2012

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!

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

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.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

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!

Monday, November 12, 2012

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!

Sunday, November 11, 2012

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!


Friday, November 9, 2012

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?

Thursday, November 8, 2012

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

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

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.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

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.

Monday, November 5, 2012

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!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

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.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

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!

Friday, November 2, 2012

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!


Thursday, November 1, 2012

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!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

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?

Saturday, November 24, 2012

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.

Friday, November 23, 2012

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.

Friday, November 16, 2012

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!

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

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.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

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!

Monday, November 12, 2012

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!

Sunday, November 11, 2012

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!


Friday, November 9, 2012

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?

Thursday, November 8, 2012

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

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

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.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

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.

Monday, November 5, 2012

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!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

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.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

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!

Friday, November 2, 2012

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!


Thursday, November 1, 2012

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!