We were invited to have Christmas Eve dinner with Dante and Mariella, an invitation which we happily obliged. Dinner started at around 8 o'clock and finished well after midnight! These people know how to eat! First there were about 8 antipasti, all sorts of little nibbles like marinated anchovies, olives and a few Romanian specialties that our neighbors Radu and Donna brought with them. Then we had frutti di mare, a marinated seafood dish consisting of octopus and who knows what else came out of the sea that day. Then came the seafood risotto, a massive bowl of rice and huge prawns (with the heads on of course). Next was another huge bowl of mussels sauteed in white wine, oil and garlic and finished on top of the fireplace stove served with bread toasted over the flame in the main fireplace. Finally, the main course arrived, it was an octopus stew with potatoes, tomatoes and olives.
Eating massive amounts of food is nothing new to us Americans but the real surprise of the evening came in between courses. The music was changed from Christmas songs (in English, for some reason) to waltz music. All of a sudden, people began dancing in order to make room in their bellies for the next course. I got an impromptu lesson on what I referred to as the "box-trot" from a friend of Dante's. Unfortunately, I'm still an awful dancer. We also did some traditional folk dances as well, which were a lot of fun too.
After all of the food and wine had been finished off, more or less, we played a few games of Uno in order to pass the time before another tradition had to be observed. At midnight there is a sparkling wine toast and a little slice of panettone (a light, airy, semi-sweet, spongy cake) and everyone says Auguri! (best wishes).
Where the heck was all of the bloody meat? Well, Italian tradition is to eat seafood on Christmas Eve, so in keeping with tradition, we ate massive amounts of seafood. Everything was great, it was the first time we'd ever eaten octopus and we both really liked it and are looking forward to trying it again down the road, though I think we've had enough seafood for a week or so!
Well, we hope that you all have a Merry Christmas and that you get up and dance a little between courses! Auguri!
Monday, December 25, 2006
Friday, December 22, 2006
We Made It!
Wow, this week was a struggle. I think we had "Light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel syndrome". Every morning we woke up and said, "Three more days; Two more days", etc. Our minds, bodies and souls are dead tired and oh so ready for our long vacation. Many of our students gave us Christmas gifts to say thank you for our time together, which was very sweet. We also got many goodbye kisses in true Italian fashion. The beautiful thing is that we truly made some new friends through our work.
This weekend we will spend some time cooking and relaxing, we will have Christmas Eve dinner with Dante and Mariella, and on Tuesday we plan to go to the Vatican Museum in the hopes that so soon after the holiday the line will be reasonable. Then, on Wednesday, we board the train for Parma! We are extremely excited for our trip, and you can expect lots of good pictures and stories when we return.
This weekend we will spend some time cooking and relaxing, we will have Christmas Eve dinner with Dante and Mariella, and on Tuesday we plan to go to the Vatican Museum in the hopes that so soon after the holiday the line will be reasonable. Then, on Wednesday, we board the train for Parma! We are extremely excited for our trip, and you can expect lots of good pictures and stories when we return.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Only One Week Left!
There are definitely some advantages to living in Italy. This will be our last week of work until January 3rd. We will be forced to lounge around the house for a week before we head off on our food binge, er, vacation on the 27th. Needless to say, we are anxiously waiting to get out of Rome and into another region of the country for some well-deserved relaxation and fun.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Time is Flying!
Well, it's happened. It got cold. Now our morning walks are much colder, and the weather definitely requires a jacket all day. The year is coming to a close rapidly, and we are gearing up for our Emilia-Romagna excursion as the start to what will probably be a year filled with trips and adventures. In the works so far is a weekend stay in Milan in January (we are going to see a rock concert while we are there) and of course Carnivale in Venice in February.
Let's see...highlights this week so far:
Allie made peanut butter cookies and they are swiftly becoming the drug of choice for us. They trigger so many memories of home, and they are extremely addictive. True American comfort food.
Allie watched a man get squished in the door of the metro at least 5 times because he was so determined to be on that particular train (the next train came in less than a minute).
Charles saw a man juggling bowling pins for money in the middle of a very busy intersection (he definitely gets points for bravery...or maybe stupidity).
Allie saw a heated argument on an overstuffed train ride between a man and woman. The woman wanted to get on the train and the man was convinced there was not room for anyone more. Most of the argument was beyond Allie's grasp of the language, but she was able to understand the man saying to the woman, "We live in Italy, not Russia"...This begs the question: are they forced to ride trains packed like cattle in Russia?
Charles' foot is feeling much better, although it is still slightly bruised and hurts occasionally.
We also now have the last season of Desperate Housewives on TV on Wednesday nights to keep us entertained. We are usually up for about the first 30 minutes of the program and then we crash out, but it's much more entertaining than the reality programs that were previously occupying the airwaves.
Hopefully this weekend we will get our Christmas tree set up. We will probably make some macaroni or popcorn garlands for decoration since we don't have any of our ornaments here. Dante and Mariella have invited us to join them for lunch on Christmas, which was a lovely gesture since we will likely be just hanging around the house. Don't expect too many Christmas pictures because we have decided to wait for the after-Christmas "saldi" to buy our loot!
Let's see...highlights this week so far:
Allie made peanut butter cookies and they are swiftly becoming the drug of choice for us. They trigger so many memories of home, and they are extremely addictive. True American comfort food.
Allie watched a man get squished in the door of the metro at least 5 times because he was so determined to be on that particular train (the next train came in less than a minute).
Charles saw a man juggling bowling pins for money in the middle of a very busy intersection (he definitely gets points for bravery...or maybe stupidity).
Allie saw a heated argument on an overstuffed train ride between a man and woman. The woman wanted to get on the train and the man was convinced there was not room for anyone more. Most of the argument was beyond Allie's grasp of the language, but she was able to understand the man saying to the woman, "We live in Italy, not Russia"...This begs the question: are they forced to ride trains packed like cattle in Russia?
Charles' foot is feeling much better, although it is still slightly bruised and hurts occasionally.
We also now have the last season of Desperate Housewives on TV on Wednesday nights to keep us entertained. We are usually up for about the first 30 minutes of the program and then we crash out, but it's much more entertaining than the reality programs that were previously occupying the airwaves.
Hopefully this weekend we will get our Christmas tree set up. We will probably make some macaroni or popcorn garlands for decoration since we don't have any of our ornaments here. Dante and Mariella have invited us to join them for lunch on Christmas, which was a lovely gesture since we will likely be just hanging around the house. Don't expect too many Christmas pictures because we have decided to wait for the after-Christmas "saldi" to buy our loot!
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Cook Like an Italian
Here's an easy meal that Allie and I have been loving lately. From your local grocery store you'll need the following items: beef short ribs (2-3 per person), a bottle of cheap merlot (nothing more than 10 dollars, but drinkable), chicken stock, a carrot, a small onion, a few stalks of celery, and a few cloves of garlic. These are pretty much the only ingredients you'll need.
Preheat oven to 350.
First, sprinkle your short ribs with salt and pepper. Next, in a large pot over high heat, cover the bottom of the pot with olive oil. Get the oil smoking hot (open a window before beginning the cooking) and gently place in two ribs (meat side down) at a time using tongs. Let the ribs cook for at least 3-4 minutes on each side, don't move them around, just let them sit in the oil. Let the meat get really brown before flipping the ribs to brown the other side. after another few minutes place the ribs into a large baking pan. After repeating the process for all of the ribs, set them aside.
In that same pot with all of the delicious meaty oil, add in the roughly chopped onion, carrot, celery and garlic (peeled and left whole). Cook these for a few minutes. Next step is to add the red wine and chicken stock in a 3:1 portion wine to chicken stock. Depending on the number of ribs you're cooking, it could be the full bottle, also add a small can of peeled stewed tomatoes. Bring this mixture to a boil for a few minutes. Carefully pour the contents of this pot over the ribs in the baking pan. Sprinkle some rosemary and oregano over the top and then cover with foil. Pop it in the oven for 2 - 3 hours depending on the amount of meat you've cooked. When done the meat should have pulled away from the bone, this is a very good thing.
Next, pull out all of the ribs and set aside once again. Strain the broth (now more like a sauce) from the veggies back into the big pot that you'd been using earlier. Crank the burner up to full blast and let the broth reduce by half, it will become very dark and rich.
Pour this reduced sauce over your ribs and serve with a side of mashed potatoes if you're in America or with polenta if you're in Italy!
Side note, you can do this preparation with pretty much any of the tougher, more worked cuts of meat, just ask the butcher which is the best cut for braising. Should be rather inexpensive. You can also substitute water for the wine, but that's no fun!
Preheat oven to 350.
First, sprinkle your short ribs with salt and pepper. Next, in a large pot over high heat, cover the bottom of the pot with olive oil. Get the oil smoking hot (open a window before beginning the cooking) and gently place in two ribs (meat side down) at a time using tongs. Let the ribs cook for at least 3-4 minutes on each side, don't move them around, just let them sit in the oil. Let the meat get really brown before flipping the ribs to brown the other side. after another few minutes place the ribs into a large baking pan. After repeating the process for all of the ribs, set them aside.
In that same pot with all of the delicious meaty oil, add in the roughly chopped onion, carrot, celery and garlic (peeled and left whole). Cook these for a few minutes. Next step is to add the red wine and chicken stock in a 3:1 portion wine to chicken stock. Depending on the number of ribs you're cooking, it could be the full bottle, also add a small can of peeled stewed tomatoes. Bring this mixture to a boil for a few minutes. Carefully pour the contents of this pot over the ribs in the baking pan. Sprinkle some rosemary and oregano over the top and then cover with foil. Pop it in the oven for 2 - 3 hours depending on the amount of meat you've cooked. When done the meat should have pulled away from the bone, this is a very good thing.
Next, pull out all of the ribs and set aside once again. Strain the broth (now more like a sauce) from the veggies back into the big pot that you'd been using earlier. Crank the burner up to full blast and let the broth reduce by half, it will become very dark and rich.
Pour this reduced sauce over your ribs and serve with a side of mashed potatoes if you're in America or with polenta if you're in Italy!
Side note, you can do this preparation with pretty much any of the tougher, more worked cuts of meat, just ask the butcher which is the best cut for braising. Should be rather inexpensive. You can also substitute water for the wine, but that's no fun!
Saturday, December 2, 2006
For Your Entertainment
This week I (Allie) went to lunch in the Air Force mess hall with one of my students. After hearing me complain about how I eat pizza for lunch everyday (which I actually wasn't complaining about), he invited to show me the ropes of the chaotic, and could-be confusing, mess hall.
As we waited in line we discussed some of the differences between American and Italian cooking and eating habits. Such as the tendency of Italians to eat their meals in small courses, with vegetables last, and how Americans love to pile as much of each as will fit onto one plate.
As we approached the counter, he helped me order my food, and then we slid our trays along to pick our choice of vegetable. I decided on the small salad, eventhough I am not a fan of the oil and vinegar dressing. As we slid along farther I saw a shaker with parmesan cheese and I topped my pasta with a good helping of it. Naturally, I shifted the parmesan shaker over to my salad and began to shake a few drops of cheese onto the lettuce when I hear my student yell, "Noooooo!!!" It was literally like a slow-motion scene in a movie where someone jumps in front of a bullet for their friend. His outburst startled me, and I looked up to see a horrified face looking at my salad. "What?" I said, thoroughly confused.
He started laughing and explained to me that they do not use this cheese for salads, but that it was a very natural action for me to put it on my lettuce. I explained to him that, yeah it was natural, because I wanted to add a little salty flavor to a bland bowl of lettuce. He simply shook his head.
Although this may sound somewhat of an extreme reaction, you can rest assured that if you "Americanize" an Italian dish (even lettuce) they are screaming on the inside if not on the outside. They like their food as it was originally prepared, and without any changes, even if it means it will make their food tastier.
As we waited in line we discussed some of the differences between American and Italian cooking and eating habits. Such as the tendency of Italians to eat their meals in small courses, with vegetables last, and how Americans love to pile as much of each as will fit onto one plate.
As we approached the counter, he helped me order my food, and then we slid our trays along to pick our choice of vegetable. I decided on the small salad, eventhough I am not a fan of the oil and vinegar dressing. As we slid along farther I saw a shaker with parmesan cheese and I topped my pasta with a good helping of it. Naturally, I shifted the parmesan shaker over to my salad and began to shake a few drops of cheese onto the lettuce when I hear my student yell, "Noooooo!!!" It was literally like a slow-motion scene in a movie where someone jumps in front of a bullet for their friend. His outburst startled me, and I looked up to see a horrified face looking at my salad. "What?" I said, thoroughly confused.
He started laughing and explained to me that they do not use this cheese for salads, but that it was a very natural action for me to put it on my lettuce. I explained to him that, yeah it was natural, because I wanted to add a little salty flavor to a bland bowl of lettuce. He simply shook his head.
Although this may sound somewhat of an extreme reaction, you can rest assured that if you "Americanize" an Italian dish (even lettuce) they are screaming on the inside if not on the outside. They like their food as it was originally prepared, and without any changes, even if it means it will make their food tastier.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Leftovers
Well, as you can imagine we are still happily devouring the leftovers from our Thanksgiving feast (and we will be eating beef for some time to come). This morning we had prime rib and eggs for breakfast, and tonight we demolished the last of the pumpkin pie.
We have heard some tales of the terrible snow storms that are hitting Washington right now, and although we pity you all, we have to gloat at the fact that our weather is still quite pleasant. The mornings and nights are chilly, sometimes there is even frost when we wake up, but the days have been sunny and only require a light jacket. Jealous? Well, people keep saying the cold is on its way, so perhaps we won't be gloating for long and you'll have to listen to us whine about the two-mile trek through the freezing cold to get to the train station.
In other good news, we finally got a phone line in our cottage, so now we have internet access in the comfort of our humble home, and you can call us anytime you wish to say hello (be sure to get yourself an international phone card first). Can't wait to hear from you!
We have heard some tales of the terrible snow storms that are hitting Washington right now, and although we pity you all, we have to gloat at the fact that our weather is still quite pleasant. The mornings and nights are chilly, sometimes there is even frost when we wake up, but the days have been sunny and only require a light jacket. Jealous? Well, people keep saying the cold is on its way, so perhaps we won't be gloating for long and you'll have to listen to us whine about the two-mile trek through the freezing cold to get to the train station.
In other good news, we finally got a phone line in our cottage, so now we have internet access in the comfort of our humble home, and you can call us anytime you wish to say hello (be sure to get yourself an international phone card first). Can't wait to hear from you!
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Sometimes it Feels Like We Live in a SItcom
So, as you all know, we hosted a Thanksgiving feast for our Italian friends and a few American colleagues this weekend (11 people in total). In the end it was a wonderful evening full of good food, good people, and lots of laughter, but as per usual we had some interesting setbacks along the way.
Turkey (or tacchino) is of course the traditional Thanksgiving meat prepared by countless American families every year. It is possible to get turkey here, simply by ordering it from the butcher, but we prefer prime rib, and that has become our little tradition passed down from Mom and Pops Brezina. So Charles very carefully researched what prime rib would be called in Italian, and we placed an order for a large piece of meat at our usual butcher a week in advance. He seemed to understand what we wanted and that it would be ready for us next Saturday. Come Saturday morning we were feeling good about all of our preparations as we headed to the market for some last minute items and to pick up our meat.
When we arrived at the butcher shop he greeted us in the usual fashion, and when Charles asked for the costata di manzo it was clear that he had forgotten. After trying to pacify us with inferior cuts of meat he finally offered to try and get what we needed by 4 o'clock and told us to call him at that time to see if he was able to get it. Of course this was unacceptable. 4 o'clock would be too late, and what if he wasn't able to get it after all?
Dante suggested we go to another butcher in the next town over, and he kindly drove us there. When we arrived Dante began talking to the man and explaining what we were looking for. As it turns out, this particular butcher actually slaughters his own meat (which is very unusual) and they had a side of a cow uncut hanging in the fridge. Charles accompanied the man into the locker and showed him exactly how he wanted the meat cut. Very authentic. Our piece of meat ended up being just over 11 kilos (a kilo is 2.2lbs) including bones, and because of the large order he also gave us a discount in price. Charles got to play butcher and carve up 22 pounds of meat into a delicious prime rib loin amongst other things. As you can imagine we have alot of steak in our freezer right now. So, things were back on track, our delicous meat was fresh and ready to be cooked, and all we had to do was to get the sides ready.
Since I was in charge of making dessert I spent most of the day preparing two pumpkin pies and one apple pie. I made each pie from scratch (prepared pie crust does not exist here), and I was pleased with how well they turned out, having never made pie before. One of my pumpkin pies was still a bit warm, and so I left it on a patio table outside of the clubhouse to cool while we were setting up for dinner.
As I was walking from the cottage to the clubhouse with wine and bread for the table I was startled by a rustling in the bushes as one of the villa's cats scurried away from the sound of my footsteps. As I approached the door to the clubhouse I looked down at m pie and saw that half of it had been eaten by the damn cat!! I couldn't help but laugh, and think that it was a good thing I had made two pumpkin pies. Dante found it hilarious and said that it must be good pie if the gato liked it.
Dinner was pretty good overall, it was funny to watch the Italians as they tried new things. The stuffing, the green jell-o, sweet potato pudding and the pumpkin pie were all very confusing to them. They couldn't figure out why the jell-o was green, they thought for sure it was pistachio, then we finally explained that it was "colore artificiale" and they all went "aah". They seemed to like that one. The sweet potato pudding was also tough to explain, they do have sweet potatoes here but it seems like no one knows what to do with them. This combined with the marshmallows (there is no translation) was even funnier but they also seemed to like it. As for the pumpkin pie, they love pumpkin but they don't eat it as dessert, and especially not from a can! However, again, they liked it and they liked it even more with homemade whipped cream on top!
And so our first holiday abroad was a success and a lot of fun to make happen.
Turkey (or tacchino) is of course the traditional Thanksgiving meat prepared by countless American families every year. It is possible to get turkey here, simply by ordering it from the butcher, but we prefer prime rib, and that has become our little tradition passed down from Mom and Pops Brezina. So Charles very carefully researched what prime rib would be called in Italian, and we placed an order for a large piece of meat at our usual butcher a week in advance. He seemed to understand what we wanted and that it would be ready for us next Saturday. Come Saturday morning we were feeling good about all of our preparations as we headed to the market for some last minute items and to pick up our meat.
When we arrived at the butcher shop he greeted us in the usual fashion, and when Charles asked for the costata di manzo it was clear that he had forgotten. After trying to pacify us with inferior cuts of meat he finally offered to try and get what we needed by 4 o'clock and told us to call him at that time to see if he was able to get it. Of course this was unacceptable. 4 o'clock would be too late, and what if he wasn't able to get it after all?
Dante suggested we go to another butcher in the next town over, and he kindly drove us there. When we arrived Dante began talking to the man and explaining what we were looking for. As it turns out, this particular butcher actually slaughters his own meat (which is very unusual) and they had a side of a cow uncut hanging in the fridge. Charles accompanied the man into the locker and showed him exactly how he wanted the meat cut. Very authentic. Our piece of meat ended up being just over 11 kilos (a kilo is 2.2lbs) including bones, and because of the large order he also gave us a discount in price. Charles got to play butcher and carve up 22 pounds of meat into a delicious prime rib loin amongst other things. As you can imagine we have alot of steak in our freezer right now. So, things were back on track, our delicous meat was fresh and ready to be cooked, and all we had to do was to get the sides ready.
Since I was in charge of making dessert I spent most of the day preparing two pumpkin pies and one apple pie. I made each pie from scratch (prepared pie crust does not exist here), and I was pleased with how well they turned out, having never made pie before. One of my pumpkin pies was still a bit warm, and so I left it on a patio table outside of the clubhouse to cool while we were setting up for dinner.
As I was walking from the cottage to the clubhouse with wine and bread for the table I was startled by a rustling in the bushes as one of the villa's cats scurried away from the sound of my footsteps. As I approached the door to the clubhouse I looked down at m pie and saw that half of it had been eaten by the damn cat!! I couldn't help but laugh, and think that it was a good thing I had made two pumpkin pies. Dante found it hilarious and said that it must be good pie if the gato liked it.
Dinner was pretty good overall, it was funny to watch the Italians as they tried new things. The stuffing, the green jell-o, sweet potato pudding and the pumpkin pie were all very confusing to them. They couldn't figure out why the jell-o was green, they thought for sure it was pistachio, then we finally explained that it was "colore artificiale" and they all went "aah". They seemed to like that one. The sweet potato pudding was also tough to explain, they do have sweet potatoes here but it seems like no one knows what to do with them. This combined with the marshmallows (there is no translation) was even funnier but they also seemed to like it. As for the pumpkin pie, they love pumpkin but they don't eat it as dessert, and especially not from a can! However, again, they liked it and they liked it even more with homemade whipped cream on top!
And so our first holiday abroad was a success and a lot of fun to make happen.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving!
We just wanted to wish everyone back home a Happy Thanksgiving! We're planning our Italian Thanksgiving for Saturday. We'll be introducing Thanksgiving to an Italian family and a Romanian family so it should be interesting to see what they think of an N. American tradition. Thanks to our families we were able to pretty much duplicate what we've had for the last few years back in the States. Hopefully, I correctly ordered my "costata di manzo" er, prime rib. We're pretty sure that the butcher understood what we needed and when we needed it but it could be a surprise come Saturday morning. I also have no idea how much it will cost, so that will probably be a surprise and a shock, as well.
Happy Thanksgiving and make sure to have a good time, whatever company your in!
Happy Thanksgiving and make sure to have a good time, whatever company your in!
Monday, November 20, 2006
Chuck's Week in Review
Ok, let's do a brief recap of my last week.
Saturday - lost favorite beanie on the train
Sunday - nice little Sunday, we went to Home Depot to look at some flooring...
Monday - nearly fainted on the train to Roma
Tuesday - stubbed the crap out of my toe
Wednesday - business as usual
Thursday - lost my favorite and only pair of gloves.
Friday the 17th - this day is equivalent to our Friday the 13th superstition. except in Italy, they take it to the next level and some people really believe that its bad luck to even leave the house on this particular day. as we walked to the train station in Zagarolo, things were looking up because my foot was feeling much better. then a car drove by us in the oncoming lane and someone yelled something out the window and then smack! a freakin egg hit me in the leg! luckily, it hit me, not Allie in her nice white jacket. so all day, i had to walk around with dried egg on my pant legs.
that being said, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday have gone off without a hitch.
Saturday - lost favorite beanie on the train
Sunday - nice little Sunday, we went to Home Depot to look at some flooring...
Monday - nearly fainted on the train to Roma
Tuesday - stubbed the crap out of my toe
Wednesday - business as usual
Thursday - lost my favorite and only pair of gloves.
Friday the 17th - this day is equivalent to our Friday the 13th superstition. except in Italy, they take it to the next level and some people really believe that its bad luck to even leave the house on this particular day. as we walked to the train station in Zagarolo, things were looking up because my foot was feeling much better. then a car drove by us in the oncoming lane and someone yelled something out the window and then smack! a freakin egg hit me in the leg! luckily, it hit me, not Allie in her nice white jacket. so all day, i had to walk around with dried egg on my pant legs.
that being said, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday have gone off without a hitch.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
I'm Having Something of a Rough Week
Well, after nearly fainting on the train, I figured things could only get better for the rest of the week. Unfortunately, I was wrong. On Tuesday night, I was getting ready for bed and I walked out of the bathroom as I've done a thousand times. However, this time I planted my foot firmly against the leg of one of our chairs. Normally this chair isn't in this particular spot but we had moved it in order to access our living room heater. My pinky toe took the brunt of the pain. I yelped like a little girl. It really felt like some one had kicked my square in the nuts! I tried to walk it off but I knew this time it wasn't just a stubbed toe. After about ten minutes, it was visibly swollen but i was still hoping it was just a really bad stubbed toe. In the morning, I checked it and it completely swollen and black and blue. Of course, I'm not going to go to a doctor or anything but I'm pretty damn sure it's broken.
Now we've postponed our trip to Assisi, which is a total bummer. Hopefully, the bruising and swelling will go down within a day or two.
Now we've postponed our trip to Assisi, which is a total bummer. Hopefully, the bruising and swelling will go down within a day or two.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Almost Fainted on the Train!
Charles had another first experience today, though not a positive one. As usual we caught the 7:45 train to Roma but for some reason it seemed to be really packed and neither of the windows were open in the car that we were standing in. I started to feel really hot so I took off my sweatshirt and Allie noticed that I had gone kind of pale. Things were getting really bright and then they got dark. I decided to sit down on the floor and by this point I was sweating profusely and a few people noticed and offered to give me their seat. I drank a bottle of water and sat in a daze for the rest of the train ride trying to figure out what the hell just happened. I still don't know why it happened to me though we have seen people faint on the packed trains and busses previously. Unfortunately, I felt like hell all day with a slight ache in my neck and a headache. Don't worry though, I'm feeling better now and I survived to tell the tale.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Ah, Napoli!
Although, we were going to go to Naples for a pizza lunch and a nice dinner we actually had two pizza lunches and opted to skip the dinner and head back to the safety of Zagarolo. The Pizza: We went to Da Michele as planned and we were not dissappointed with the pizza. The place is insanely busy, we waited 20 minutes for a table but by the time we had finished the crowd had at least tripled in size I would guess that there were atleast 75 people waiting on the street to get inside for the pie (check out the pics). Da Michele offers only two pizzas (the classic Margherita and the Oregano) and basically nothing else besides drinks and only three drinks are offered; Coke, Beer and Orange Fanta. We had one of each pizza and a couple beers. The prices are rediculously low for how busy the place is, 4 euros for a really big pizza. I don't think I can describe how good the pizzas were, you'll just have to come visit and we'll go together.
After we ate there, we walked around the area near the train station. Let's just say Naples is different and it feels a lot more dangerous than anywhere we've been in Roma. We decided to get the hell out of dodge before it got any crazier but first we had to try one more pizzeria. This second pizzeria was called Trianon and it's been in business since 1923. It has a way more extensive list of pizzas and we opted for one that had eight different flavors. This pizza was good but not great. All of the toppings seemed kind of half-hearted, which was dissappointing to us. We were so damn full at this point it didn't matter that we didn't finish the pizza.
In retrospect, our trip was kind of ruined before we got there because of our paranoia regarding Naples. All of our students were warning us that Napoli was a different kind of place than Roma. They were right. Though it's illegal not to wear a helmet on a motorcycle, the people of Naples don't seem to know it or care about the law. This general sense of chaos is just typical of the feeling that you'll get in Naples. Of course, we were in the the area around the train station which is probably not the pinnacle of Neopolitan living so we're not completely casting judgement until we can return and see a different area.
After we ate there, we walked around the area near the train station. Let's just say Naples is different and it feels a lot more dangerous than anywhere we've been in Roma. We decided to get the hell out of dodge before it got any crazier but first we had to try one more pizzeria. This second pizzeria was called Trianon and it's been in business since 1923. It has a way more extensive list of pizzas and we opted for one that had eight different flavors. This pizza was good but not great. All of the toppings seemed kind of half-hearted, which was dissappointing to us. We were so damn full at this point it didn't matter that we didn't finish the pizza.
In retrospect, our trip was kind of ruined before we got there because of our paranoia regarding Naples. All of our students were warning us that Napoli was a different kind of place than Roma. They were right. Though it's illegal not to wear a helmet on a motorcycle, the people of Naples don't seem to know it or care about the law. This general sense of chaos is just typical of the feeling that you'll get in Naples. Of course, we were in the the area around the train station which is probably not the pinnacle of Neopolitan living so we're not completely casting judgement until we can return and see a different area.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Our Week in Retrospect
We enjoyed a pretty good week. We were looking forward to getting paid on Monday, unfortunately we didn't get paid until Friday but it's cool because our landlords know that it's common place in Italy not be paid on time. It's also the norm to only be paid once a month, which is slightly disconcerting.
The ups and downs:
Starting with the downs. I (Charles) was on a train home one day after work and suddenly it just stopped in the middle of the tracks. This isn't all that strange but after 15 minutes the Italians were starting to get restless. After 20 minutes of not moving the train crew sent out a sacrificial lamb to the angry passengers. He told them something which I couldn't understand of course, but the reaction of the crowd told me we weren't going anywhere soon. The Italians starting yelling at this poor guy and I was sitting back trying to understand any words possible and basically watching the show. After an hour, we finally started heading home. Of course, by that time, the bus which I take home was long gone so I had to walk my sorry self home. Woe is me.
The Downs for Allie were that many of her students cancelled on her and so she had to sit around for hours waiting for the next lesson to start. However, she did get paid for the boring hours because the students didn't cancel before the designated time. So, basically she made 24 euro to sit around bored as can be.
The Ups. We got paid! Well, Charles did, Allie gets hers on Monday. It's hard to describe how great is feels to be paid after 4 months of no paychecks.
With our money in hand, we were off to eat some pizza!
The ups and downs:
Starting with the downs. I (Charles) was on a train home one day after work and suddenly it just stopped in the middle of the tracks. This isn't all that strange but after 15 minutes the Italians were starting to get restless. After 20 minutes of not moving the train crew sent out a sacrificial lamb to the angry passengers. He told them something which I couldn't understand of course, but the reaction of the crowd told me we weren't going anywhere soon. The Italians starting yelling at this poor guy and I was sitting back trying to understand any words possible and basically watching the show. After an hour, we finally started heading home. Of course, by that time, the bus which I take home was long gone so I had to walk my sorry self home. Woe is me.
The Downs for Allie were that many of her students cancelled on her and so she had to sit around for hours waiting for the next lesson to start. However, she did get paid for the boring hours because the students didn't cancel before the designated time. So, basically she made 24 euro to sit around bored as can be.
The Ups. We got paid! Well, Charles did, Allie gets hers on Monday. It's hard to describe how great is feels to be paid after 4 months of no paychecks.
With our money in hand, we were off to eat some pizza!
Sunday, November 5, 2006
Finally, a Call!
It’s true what they say: When it rains, it pours. As you know we’ve been working steadily for the past month, and it seemed that each week during October our boss would call and add a few more hours to our schedules. At this point we are both working approximately 35 hours per week, which is great, because our upcoming paycheck will be a fatty. Now, if you remember (and how could you forget) we were frantically searching for employment throughout the month of September, and to no avail. So, you would imagine our shock when we got a call at 8pm on Friday night from a school asking if we’d like to come in for an interview!
More experienced English teachers in Italy had told us to be patient, that schools will call, but we did not expect to have to wait until November!! It was gratifying to be able to tell this woman that, “sorry, we’re both working full time now,” although now that I think about it I should have seen what she was willing to offer.
More experienced English teachers in Italy had told us to be patient, that schools will call, but we did not expect to have to wait until November!! It was gratifying to be able to tell this woman that, “sorry, we’re both working full time now,” although now that I think about it I should have seen what she was willing to offer.
Saturday, November 4, 2006
La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life)
After a three-week-long voluntary boycott of our heavenly neighborhood Sicilian bakery (our heart rates were screaming from all the sugar) we decided it was time to create some of our own treats at home. At first it was simple, we did the common Nutella on toast, but this weekend it was time for something bigger and better.
After remembering an apple torte desert we had at a trattoria back during our TEFL course weeks I decided to do some internet research and see if I could find a recipe that sounded like it would be close. Bingo! Not only did I find an easy recipe, but it is delicious and tastes very near to the torte we had a few months back. While my first attempt turned out pretty good, I have some adjustments to make due to the measurement conversions (check out the pics), but I thought I’d share the recipe with everyone.
Let me know how you like it if you give it a try:
This Italian apple torte is easy to make, and delicious. Cooking the apples first helps concentrate the flavor and remove moisture, so the cake doesn't get soggy. The lemon zest, although only a half teaspoon is used, is an essential ingredient - you can really taste it in the apples.
1/2 cup (4 oz or 125 g) plus 1 Tbsp of unsalted butter
3 Renette or Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and cut into slices 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick
2/3 cup (3 1/2 oz or 105 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 whole eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (8 oz or 250 g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
confectioners' sugar (optional)
1 Preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C). Generously butter a 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pan with 2 inch (5 cm) sides.
2 In a microwave, melt the butter. Pour 6 Tbsp (3 fl oz or 90 ml) of it into a small bowl or cup and set aside. Add the apple slices and the remaining butter to a large frying pan and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3 In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the whole eggs and egg yolk until blended. Add the 6 Tbsp of melted butter, the vanilla, the granulated sugar, and the lemon zest. Stir in the flour mixture and the apples. Spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
4 Bake until browned, 30-35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Invert the cake onto a plate and lift off the pan, then invert the cake again onto the rack and let cool completely.
5 (Optional) Just before serving, place confectioners' sugar in a small sieve and dust the top of the cake.
After remembering an apple torte desert we had at a trattoria back during our TEFL course weeks I decided to do some internet research and see if I could find a recipe that sounded like it would be close. Bingo! Not only did I find an easy recipe, but it is delicious and tastes very near to the torte we had a few months back. While my first attempt turned out pretty good, I have some adjustments to make due to the measurement conversions (check out the pics), but I thought I’d share the recipe with everyone.
Let me know how you like it if you give it a try:
This Italian apple torte is easy to make, and delicious. Cooking the apples first helps concentrate the flavor and remove moisture, so the cake doesn't get soggy. The lemon zest, although only a half teaspoon is used, is an essential ingredient - you can really taste it in the apples.
1/2 cup (4 oz or 125 g) plus 1 Tbsp of unsalted butter
3 Renette or Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and cut into slices 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick
2/3 cup (3 1/2 oz or 105 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 whole eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (8 oz or 250 g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
confectioners' sugar (optional)
1 Preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C). Generously butter a 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pan with 2 inch (5 cm) sides.
2 In a microwave, melt the butter. Pour 6 Tbsp (3 fl oz or 90 ml) of it into a small bowl or cup and set aside. Add the apple slices and the remaining butter to a large frying pan and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3 In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the whole eggs and egg yolk until blended. Add the 6 Tbsp of melted butter, the vanilla, the granulated sugar, and the lemon zest. Stir in the flour mixture and the apples. Spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
4 Bake until browned, 30-35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Invert the cake onto a plate and lift off the pan, then invert the cake again onto the rack and let cool completely.
5 (Optional) Just before serving, place confectioners' sugar in a small sieve and dust the top of the cake.
Friday, November 3, 2006
The Weather Outside is Frightful
In true November fashion the weather has begun to change on us. While leaves have been turning orange and the chestnuts have been falling (nearly on our heads) for some time now, the days have remained full of sun and a perfect 70 degree average (we’re still not used to the Celsius measurements of temperature). This last week all of that changed. We woke to our first morning frost (and cursed it as we trekked to the train station with frozen ears and noses), and the evenings have left us longing for the old days of carpet that kept our feet warm as we try desperately to keep our stocking feet off of the cold tile floors.
To add insult to injury, the heater in the bedroom is on the fritz, and although Dante has done his part by having a repairman over to inspect the problem, we are incessantly waiting for a part to come in the mail (which, if you know anything of the Italian post’s reputation you understand the problem).
To add insult to injury, the heater in the bedroom is on the fritz, and although Dante has done his part by having a repairman over to inspect the problem, we are incessantly waiting for a part to come in the mail (which, if you know anything of the Italian post’s reputation you understand the problem).
Thursday, November 2, 2006
Naples Ahoy!
After four months + approximately two years of dreaming of real Naples pizza, we find ourselves only a week away from paradise. We promised ourselves that as soon as we got our first paycheck we would take a day trip into Naples for some world-famous pie, and to prove to ourselves that we were serious we bought our train tickets last week. The itinerary is still sketchy; we know that we want to eat at the famous Da Michele restaurant (which is near the train station), and for dinner we have selected another restaurant to feed our need for the famous Naples seafood fare: Ristorante Bellini.
Da Michele is famous not for its looks or atmosphere (it’s supposedly quite dingy and unbecoming) but for its perfection of Naples style pizza, which they‘ve been working on since 1870. They only make two types of pizza: margherita (tomato, bazil and mozzarella) and marinara (tomato, garlic and oregano). We plan to order one of each for our lunch, and if they’re as good as they say we might order more.
Ristorate Bellini is said to feature seafood as fresh as the morning catch, and pasta on a grand scale (how can you beat that?), and so we’ve chosen it as our dinner destination and one of us will surely order the vermicelli with clams and mussels. We don’t know much else about what they serve, so the surprise will surely be as exciting as the food.
For the time we will be required to waste between meals, we plan to stay near the train station and explore what Naples has to offer in that section of town. If you have been following any Italian news you would have heard that gangs (the mafia type) are at war in Naples, which at first deterred us from taking this trip at our scheduled time, but Dante so wisely reminded us that it may actually be safer now with the extra police in the area. So the trip is on as scheduled, and we are well aware of the dangers of pick-pockets and thieves in this charming city, so we are only bringing the few bucks we’ll need to eat, and of course our Chuck Norris-thief-stopping-moves.
Da Michele is famous not for its looks or atmosphere (it’s supposedly quite dingy and unbecoming) but for its perfection of Naples style pizza, which they‘ve been working on since 1870. They only make two types of pizza: margherita (tomato, bazil and mozzarella) and marinara (tomato, garlic and oregano). We plan to order one of each for our lunch, and if they’re as good as they say we might order more.
Ristorate Bellini is said to feature seafood as fresh as the morning catch, and pasta on a grand scale (how can you beat that?), and so we’ve chosen it as our dinner destination and one of us will surely order the vermicelli with clams and mussels. We don’t know much else about what they serve, so the surprise will surely be as exciting as the food.
For the time we will be required to waste between meals, we plan to stay near the train station and explore what Naples has to offer in that section of town. If you have been following any Italian news you would have heard that gangs (the mafia type) are at war in Naples, which at first deterred us from taking this trip at our scheduled time, but Dante so wisely reminded us that it may actually be safer now with the extra police in the area. So the trip is on as scheduled, and we are well aware of the dangers of pick-pockets and thieves in this charming city, so we are only bringing the few bucks we’ll need to eat, and of course our Chuck Norris-thief-stopping-moves.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Happy Halloween! and Buona Tutti Santi
As our first American Holiday abroad approaches we are overcome with the reality of what a truly global world it is. Halloween is not really a holiday here, but you couldn't tell. Grocery stores have orange and black candies on the shelves, and home decoration shops have witches and ghosts in the windows. The only difference is that here, they eat their pumpkins....
As for us, we will be spending the big night out on the town. We have a few colleagues (and ex-TEFL course mates) who live near the Colloseum, and we plan to go out with them and crash at their place for the night. One thing that is working in our favor is that the Italians have All Saints day on November 1st, which means we have the day after Halloween off!! PARTY!
All Saints day is a holiday for Italians to spend in rememberance of their departed friends and family members. They spend the afternoon cleaning the dust off their grave sites and decorating them with flowers. One of my students asked if we had a holiday that was similar to All Saints Day, and when I told him that no, we didn't, he responded, "So, you just forget the dead?" Well, we are American...
As for the rest of you devoted readers, have a safe and happy Halloween, eat lots of candy corn for us, and carve some awesome pumpkins.
As for us, we will be spending the big night out on the town. We have a few colleagues (and ex-TEFL course mates) who live near the Colloseum, and we plan to go out with them and crash at their place for the night. One thing that is working in our favor is that the Italians have All Saints day on November 1st, which means we have the day after Halloween off!! PARTY!
All Saints day is a holiday for Italians to spend in rememberance of their departed friends and family members. They spend the afternoon cleaning the dust off their grave sites and decorating them with flowers. One of my students asked if we had a holiday that was similar to All Saints Day, and when I told him that no, we didn't, he responded, "So, you just forget the dead?" Well, we are American...
As for the rest of you devoted readers, have a safe and happy Halloween, eat lots of candy corn for us, and carve some awesome pumpkins.
Friday, October 27, 2006
A Brush With the Enemy
So, today I (Allie) received my official welcome to Rome. As I was walking from Termini train station to the Air Force base for my noon lesson I suddenly felt a strange movement of my bag. I turned my head over my right shoulder and what did I see but a 13-year-old punk with his hand on my zipper!
I had seen this kid just a minute before running down the sidewalk, and I had thought it was odd that he wasn't in school at this time on a Friday afternoon. Well, now I was discovering why.
So, nearly as instantly as I registered that this boy was trying to pick-pocket me I reacted. My right hand swung out and whacked him right in the chest. I yelled in his face, "Get the F*** out of here!!" He was rightfully stunned by my reaction, but that only lasted a second. After he recovered he began to glare at me, and then in true Italian fashion he spat in my direction.
Luckily for me, I wasn't hit by the feeble attempt at a backlash, but you bet it made me furious! As I stepped towards him to deliver more English curse words and finish him off with some Jackie Chan Type Shit, he ran off in true cowardly fashion.
As you can imagine, my adrenaline was at its height, and I was shaking and angry for the rest of my walk and for about 10 minutes into my first lesson. As I reflect now I feel proud that I didn't let that little bastard get away with anything, but I also wish I had had some pepper spray with me so at least he would have had some concrete consequence for his action.
I had seen this kid just a minute before running down the sidewalk, and I had thought it was odd that he wasn't in school at this time on a Friday afternoon. Well, now I was discovering why.
So, nearly as instantly as I registered that this boy was trying to pick-pocket me I reacted. My right hand swung out and whacked him right in the chest. I yelled in his face, "Get the F*** out of here!!" He was rightfully stunned by my reaction, but that only lasted a second. After he recovered he began to glare at me, and then in true Italian fashion he spat in my direction.
Luckily for me, I wasn't hit by the feeble attempt at a backlash, but you bet it made me furious! As I stepped towards him to deliver more English curse words and finish him off with some Jackie Chan Type Shit, he ran off in true cowardly fashion.
As you can imagine, my adrenaline was at its height, and I was shaking and angry for the rest of my walk and for about 10 minutes into my first lesson. As I reflect now I feel proud that I didn't let that little bastard get away with anything, but I also wish I had had some pepper spray with me so at least he would have had some concrete consequence for his action.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Ahhh...the Tripe
I can't believe that I forgot to mention how the tripe was at the restaurant! First, why I ordered the tripe. While we were picking grapes, one of Dante's neighbors was raving about how great the tripe was at the wine festival. At this point I decided that it couldn't be all that bad if this guy was talking it up so much. It was served 'alla Romana' meaning in the classic Roman way with some sort of thin red sauce and with Pecorino cheese on the side that you sprinkle on top as you eat. The most interesting dynamic of this plate is that you get the cooked intestines of the sheep and then you top it with cheese produced by the sheep (perhaps the same one!). The plate smelled really good when the server brought it out to us. So I thought I was off to a good start. The sauce was good but the texture of the tripe is like that of a really soft, rubbery chewing gum. You have to chew and chew and chew. I gave Allie a bite and she didn't care for the texture at all plus she had a really good chicken dish in front of her at the time. The flavor of the tripe itself was pretty mild but overall it was good when combined with the sauce and cheese. At this point, I'll have to reserve judment until I can try it again at another restaurant but I will say that I probably won't be buying it from the butcher store to cook at home!
Saturday, October 21, 2006
The Latest
It's been somewhat of a crazy week here in Roma. It's hard to believe that the metros crashed, we kind of figured all of those were ran by computers in this day and age. Since the metro line was shut down all of the busses were completely packed and then some. Charles was on a bus where there was a pickpocket and some tourist got robbed of their cell phone and wallet. It was a really crazy thing to be a part of because basically everyone is helpless to do anything for the guy. By the time you notice your wallet is gone, so is the pickpocket. To be honest, it really makes you go "damn, glad it wasn't me" as cold as that may sound.
And now, something not so depressing. Allie and I have just finished another successful week of earning money. It feels great to be close to having a month's worth of earning in our little hands. Please believe we will have a tight grip on that bundle during the bus ride home. We are in the midst of planning some day trips outside of Roma which should be pretty fun and also easy on the pocket. Allie is drastically improving her tennis game everytime we play.
And now, something not so depressing. Allie and I have just finished another successful week of earning money. It feels great to be close to having a month's worth of earning in our little hands. Please believe we will have a tight grip on that bundle during the bus ride home. We are in the midst of planning some day trips outside of Roma which should be pretty fun and also easy on the pocket. Allie is drastically improving her tennis game everytime we play.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Anniversary in Italy
Well, this was a big weekend of celebrations for us. First, and most importantly we celebrated our second wedding anniversary. Second, we celebrated that we have successfully completed a three-month stay in Italy. And finally, the fact that we are now officially illegal aliens! Woo hoo!
For our wedding anniversary we went to a nice restaurant here in Zagarolo. We contemplated a trip to Naples for an afternoon of world-famous pizza, but these last two weeks of work have been tiring and we still don't get paid until November, so we decided to lay low. It was a nice dinner, we did the traditional 5 course Italian style meal, and Charles was brave enough to order the Tripe (a Roman specialty made of intestines). All of the food was really good, but not outstanding. We are still looking forward to that moment when we are knocked off our feet by an Italian meal (we probably have to go to Bologna for that).
During dinner we talked about the ups and downs that we have experienced so far in this adventure, and we decided that we feel really good about everything right now. We have good jobs that we actually enjoy, we are making good money, we live in a great place, and there is little that we are stressed about (much different than a month ago). Despite that fact that we are supposed to be on a plane heading out of this country, we feel ok. After all, there are over 2000 Romanian illegal immigrants in Zagarolo alone. Who's going to notice a couple of Americans?
Because of the drop in our stress level we are afraid that our postings may be a bit more boring than those of the previous months, but at least now we can plan some fun adventures to write about. For example, we are thinking about spending Christmas in Paris, so that is in the works, and we still plan to make that trip to Naples for pizza (so Charles can find out if this move was really worth it!).
For our wedding anniversary we went to a nice restaurant here in Zagarolo. We contemplated a trip to Naples for an afternoon of world-famous pizza, but these last two weeks of work have been tiring and we still don't get paid until November, so we decided to lay low. It was a nice dinner, we did the traditional 5 course Italian style meal, and Charles was brave enough to order the Tripe (a Roman specialty made of intestines). All of the food was really good, but not outstanding. We are still looking forward to that moment when we are knocked off our feet by an Italian meal (we probably have to go to Bologna for that).
During dinner we talked about the ups and downs that we have experienced so far in this adventure, and we decided that we feel really good about everything right now. We have good jobs that we actually enjoy, we are making good money, we live in a great place, and there is little that we are stressed about (much different than a month ago). Despite that fact that we are supposed to be on a plane heading out of this country, we feel ok. After all, there are over 2000 Romanian illegal immigrants in Zagarolo alone. Who's going to notice a couple of Americans?
Because of the drop in our stress level we are afraid that our postings may be a bit more boring than those of the previous months, but at least now we can plan some fun adventures to write about. For example, we are thinking about spending Christmas in Paris, so that is in the works, and we still plan to make that trip to Naples for pizza (so Charles can find out if this move was really worth it!).
Friday, October 13, 2006
Winemaker for a Day
I can scratch off another item off my Italy "to do" list. Early Thursday morning we started the Villa Verde grape harvest. We were both really excited to do it but luckily for me all of my lessons cancelled. Not because I'm a bad teacher or anything, it just worked out that way. I hope anyway. Allie had to commute to Rome to be the bread winner of the family while I got to stay at home and be the wine winner (not sure if that's really a phrase).
Once we (four of us) were set up with buckets and scissors we went to work. Let me just say, it's a lot easier to pick up a bottle of ten dollar wine at the grocery store than to make it from scratch! Unfortunately, due to Dante's touring schedule we couldn't pick the grapes until about two weeks after they should have been picked. That means that the grapes were starting to get very sweet. Sweet grapes have an upside and a downside. First the upside, the more sugar present in the grapes equals a higher alcohol percentage. What could be bad about that, right? Well, the downside is that bees of all sorts also really love sweet grapes. So we had to contend with wasps, bumblebees and some type of gigantic bee the likes of which I'd never seen. The bees get inside fo the grape so you have to be careful when reaching to snip off a bunch that you don't grab a bee otherwise you could be in trouble. As history has proved, bees haven't been enough of a threat to stop people from getting wine made so I decided not to be such a wuss and get right in there.
Initially, I was thinking how great it was to be toiling in the dirt, how many thousands of years wine has been making life easier for people and how awesome the wine that I helped make with my own hands was going to taste. Those thoughts were quickly wiped away as I looked at the rows and rows of vines and realized the task that was really at hand. One must pick quite a few grapes in order to make wine. About thirty minutes into the process I'd basically zoned out and was just picking away mindlessly then a sharp pain brought me back to reality. I realized my back was starting to hurt. Damn, so many rows left! But after an hour and a half we took our first load to the "crusher/squeezer" contraption (sorry, nobody really stomps 'em anymore) that removes the stems and squishes the grapes. What oozes down into the giant tank is a mess of the best smelling grape juice, skins, seeds, and the stems that get by. We took a well-deserved but quick coffee break and chatted about the process. Then we went back to the fields and did it all over again; pick the grapes, dump the buckets, fill the garbage cans with grapes, take them to the squisher and press the juice. Break for lunch. Repeat the process a few more times and you're finished. Sort of. Now I know what critics and wine experts mean when they say that the wine is really about the soil the grapes are grown in. What I think they're really talking about is the dirt, the bugs, the bees, and the sweat that all go into that crusher and miraculously come out wine on the other side. Don't worry, the fermentation process kills off all of the bad stuff, I promise.
After you've finished squishing all of the grapes you have to clean up your sticky mess otherwise wasps from all over the county will take up residence over night.
Once you've reached this point your almost done with the laborious part of making wine. Add some sulfites, then some activated yeast to get the fermentation process going more quickly, place a lid on the tank and put your wine, er grape juice to bed. For the next week you have to stir the pot twice a day to bring the bottom to the top to make sure everything ferments evenly, I think.
In the evening we celebrated the grape harvest with a small celebration, we drank some of the house wine from the previous year and enjoyed some good food. It felt great to us that we were able to sit and have dinner with everyone, although we didn't understand most of what was being said. Dante translated the important stuff and in between we tried our best to pick up all the words we could.
What a day, it was very rewarding and it's definitely something I would want to do in the future on a small scale as well. The one bad thing is that I'm so sore today that I can hardly move! Oh well, it's a small price to pay for a years worth of free wine!
Once we (four of us) were set up with buckets and scissors we went to work. Let me just say, it's a lot easier to pick up a bottle of ten dollar wine at the grocery store than to make it from scratch! Unfortunately, due to Dante's touring schedule we couldn't pick the grapes until about two weeks after they should have been picked. That means that the grapes were starting to get very sweet. Sweet grapes have an upside and a downside. First the upside, the more sugar present in the grapes equals a higher alcohol percentage. What could be bad about that, right? Well, the downside is that bees of all sorts also really love sweet grapes. So we had to contend with wasps, bumblebees and some type of gigantic bee the likes of which I'd never seen. The bees get inside fo the grape so you have to be careful when reaching to snip off a bunch that you don't grab a bee otherwise you could be in trouble. As history has proved, bees haven't been enough of a threat to stop people from getting wine made so I decided not to be such a wuss and get right in there.
Initially, I was thinking how great it was to be toiling in the dirt, how many thousands of years wine has been making life easier for people and how awesome the wine that I helped make with my own hands was going to taste. Those thoughts were quickly wiped away as I looked at the rows and rows of vines and realized the task that was really at hand. One must pick quite a few grapes in order to make wine. About thirty minutes into the process I'd basically zoned out and was just picking away mindlessly then a sharp pain brought me back to reality. I realized my back was starting to hurt. Damn, so many rows left! But after an hour and a half we took our first load to the "crusher/squeezer" contraption (sorry, nobody really stomps 'em anymore) that removes the stems and squishes the grapes. What oozes down into the giant tank is a mess of the best smelling grape juice, skins, seeds, and the stems that get by. We took a well-deserved but quick coffee break and chatted about the process. Then we went back to the fields and did it all over again; pick the grapes, dump the buckets, fill the garbage cans with grapes, take them to the squisher and press the juice. Break for lunch. Repeat the process a few more times and you're finished. Sort of. Now I know what critics and wine experts mean when they say that the wine is really about the soil the grapes are grown in. What I think they're really talking about is the dirt, the bugs, the bees, and the sweat that all go into that crusher and miraculously come out wine on the other side. Don't worry, the fermentation process kills off all of the bad stuff, I promise.
After you've finished squishing all of the grapes you have to clean up your sticky mess otherwise wasps from all over the county will take up residence over night.
Once you've reached this point your almost done with the laborious part of making wine. Add some sulfites, then some activated yeast to get the fermentation process going more quickly, place a lid on the tank and put your wine, er grape juice to bed. For the next week you have to stir the pot twice a day to bring the bottom to the top to make sure everything ferments evenly, I think.
In the evening we celebrated the grape harvest with a small celebration, we drank some of the house wine from the previous year and enjoyed some good food. It felt great to us that we were able to sit and have dinner with everyone, although we didn't understand most of what was being said. Dante translated the important stuff and in between we tried our best to pick up all the words we could.
What a day, it was very rewarding and it's definitely something I would want to do in the future on a small scale as well. The one bad thing is that I'm so sore today that I can hardly move! Oh well, it's a small price to pay for a years worth of free wine!
Monday, October 9, 2006
The Weirdest Thing That Could Ever Have Happened
So, they say that it is a small world, but we're convinced that this story takes the cake.
This past Sunday we were strolling through the town on the last day of the grape festival, enjoying the free wine, when all of a sudden Charles noticed a strange shirt in the distance. We often see strange shirts as Italians generally like to wear anything with English words printed on it (a few weeks ago I spotted one that said "ice-cream is my like"), but this one was not an ordinary strange shirt.
As he dragged me towards the woman, I realized she was wearing a sweatshirt very similar to the one I had on; a Central Washington University hoodie! In my only slightly wine-affected mind I couldn't comprehend what my eyes were seeing. We gaped for a few moments until I made Charles go up and ask her where she got that shirt.
As luck would have it, this woman did not speak a lick of English. We tried to show her the similarities between the words on my sweatshirt and her own, but she just laughed and nodded, obviously not undersanding the gravity of the situation. And so we are left without closure on this strangest of occurences...how did this woman come to own a CWU shirt? And why can't we speak Italian well enough to ask her that very question?!
Someone call Robert Stack, this mystery needs solving.
This past Sunday we were strolling through the town on the last day of the grape festival, enjoying the free wine, when all of a sudden Charles noticed a strange shirt in the distance. We often see strange shirts as Italians generally like to wear anything with English words printed on it (a few weeks ago I spotted one that said "ice-cream is my like"), but this one was not an ordinary strange shirt.
As he dragged me towards the woman, I realized she was wearing a sweatshirt very similar to the one I had on; a Central Washington University hoodie! In my only slightly wine-affected mind I couldn't comprehend what my eyes were seeing. We gaped for a few moments until I made Charles go up and ask her where she got that shirt.
As luck would have it, this woman did not speak a lick of English. We tried to show her the similarities between the words on my sweatshirt and her own, but she just laughed and nodded, obviously not undersanding the gravity of the situation. And so we are left without closure on this strangest of occurences...how did this woman come to own a CWU shirt? And why can't we speak Italian well enough to ask her that very question?!
Someone call Robert Stack, this mystery needs solving.
Sunday, October 8, 2006
Settling into a Routine
Sorry for the lack of news lately, it's just that things are finally going really well. No news is good news.
We've just finished up our first full week of work and we're pretty exhausted. Work has been really fun and rewarding (even more so when we get rewarded in cash) so far. During the week we get home any time from 5 to 8:30 and after we cook dinner we're usually so tired that we just head for bed. Pretty lame, right? Well, yeah, but it feels pretty good to be adjusting to this new routine. It hasn't been as hard for me as I thought, considering four months ago my average bedtime was around 3:30 to 4:00 AM.
It feels great to start becoming part of the rhythm of the city, no longer tourists. Well, we still are tourists but now in a different manner. Now we know how the Romans must feel everyday when trying to rush to work with the streets full of gawking tourists who, rightly so, are in no rush at all.
We were planning a trip to Naples for our two-year wedding anniversary on October 15th but I think we may be postponing it until November. In any case, we'll celebrate in style most likely in Rome for the night.
Overall, things are going very well for us, our next project is to buy some books begin studying Italian during our 40 minute train rides. We've learned a lot of vocabulary over the last three months but we are dying to be able to spit out a sentence that doesn't sound like a caveman said it. Plus Allie has to learn Italian so she can go work at the Sicilian Treat shop (pasticceria) so when we come back to America we'll be able to fatten you all up.
We've just finished up our first full week of work and we're pretty exhausted. Work has been really fun and rewarding (even more so when we get rewarded in cash) so far. During the week we get home any time from 5 to 8:30 and after we cook dinner we're usually so tired that we just head for bed. Pretty lame, right? Well, yeah, but it feels pretty good to be adjusting to this new routine. It hasn't been as hard for me as I thought, considering four months ago my average bedtime was around 3:30 to 4:00 AM.
It feels great to start becoming part of the rhythm of the city, no longer tourists. Well, we still are tourists but now in a different manner. Now we know how the Romans must feel everyday when trying to rush to work with the streets full of gawking tourists who, rightly so, are in no rush at all.
We were planning a trip to Naples for our two-year wedding anniversary on October 15th but I think we may be postponing it until November. In any case, we'll celebrate in style most likely in Rome for the night.
Overall, things are going very well for us, our next project is to buy some books begin studying Italian during our 40 minute train rides. We've learned a lot of vocabulary over the last three months but we are dying to be able to spit out a sentence that doesn't sound like a caveman said it. Plus Allie has to learn Italian so she can go work at the Sicilian Treat shop (pasticceria) so when we come back to America we'll be able to fatten you all up.
Friday, September 29, 2006
"Sweet" Redemption
For those of you who were shocked and appalled by our last news entry, maybe this will help you to forgive us.
On the way home from his last day of the work week, Charles took a detour on a bus through Zagarolo and ended up walking past a smell that his nose would not allow him to ignore. The smell came from a Sicilian bakery, and as his sniffer led him through the doorway he was overwhelmed by the sight of goodies galore. His saliva glands began to work overtime as he struggled to think of how he was going to manage to order some of these sweet treats.
In the typical manner of our communication, he showed the woman behind the counter his 5euro bill and let her decide what treats she would give. He came home proudly displaying a daintily wrapped package of seven Sicilian specialities.
After dinner we carefully opened the package and struggled to decide which treats should be eaten first, and which should be saved for last (and would any make it to tomorrow). There are no words to describe the light and delicious concoctions that we enjoyed, and so I will only say that you should let this be one more incentive to come visit us. These local goodies were so delicious that Allie plans to offer herself to the baker as a slave in order to learn even the most basic preparations for some of these heavenly treats.
Tomorrow is another Saturday market trip with Mariella, and you can bet that we will be doing our best to resist the urge to purchase more sinful desserts. Do not be surprised if the next time you see us we have gained 100 pounds, because each bite would be worth a pound of jiggly cellulite in itself.
On the way home from his last day of the work week, Charles took a detour on a bus through Zagarolo and ended up walking past a smell that his nose would not allow him to ignore. The smell came from a Sicilian bakery, and as his sniffer led him through the doorway he was overwhelmed by the sight of goodies galore. His saliva glands began to work overtime as he struggled to think of how he was going to manage to order some of these sweet treats.
In the typical manner of our communication, he showed the woman behind the counter his 5euro bill and let her decide what treats she would give. He came home proudly displaying a daintily wrapped package of seven Sicilian specialities.
After dinner we carefully opened the package and struggled to decide which treats should be eaten first, and which should be saved for last (and would any make it to tomorrow). There are no words to describe the light and delicious concoctions that we enjoyed, and so I will only say that you should let this be one more incentive to come visit us. These local goodies were so delicious that Allie plans to offer herself to the baker as a slave in order to learn even the most basic preparations for some of these heavenly treats.
Tomorrow is another Saturday market trip with Mariella, and you can bet that we will be doing our best to resist the urge to purchase more sinful desserts. Do not be surprised if the next time you see us we have gained 100 pounds, because each bite would be worth a pound of jiggly cellulite in itself.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
We Have a Few Confessions to Make
We broke down. We gave up. We're so ashamed. We've done a bad thing. Okay, so it's not so bad but we had to tell you guys that after two months of resisting our nation's ultimate comfort food we finally broke down. We ate at a McDonald's. We loaded up on .50cent hamburgers and french fries and even a milkshake. I was so ashamed as I carried our giant pile of "food" back to our table. One bright spot was that we were able to eat outside with a view of Piazza di Repubblica and its beautiful fountain. Still though, we were ashamed that this was the American contribution to Rome and that we were supporting it. Oh well, we're not afraid to say it, it was good and we were starving. After we ate, we swore we would never do it again but then we lapsed back a few days later and ate at a Burger King by the Trevi Fountain.
That being said, we really are going to avoid eating there again, we were just feeling really homesick and Mickey D's is the closest thing to home for us. Now if we could just find a Taco Bell our lives would be able to complete the ultimate fast food trifecta.
That being said, we really are going to avoid eating there again, we were just feeling really homesick and Mickey D's is the closest thing to home for us. Now if we could just find a Taco Bell our lives would be able to complete the ultimate fast food trifecta.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Charles' First Day of School
Monday marked the official end of our nearly 4-month hiatus from working (aka the real world). Charles was the first of us to set out into the working world of the average Roman citizen. He teaches English to business men and women at a company called INAIL (in Rome's only skyscraper), as well as to Air Force personnel (mostly important generals and stuff). The day went well until the long hike home through dumping sheets of rain (it ended up raining about 8 inches through the day and night).
Allie starts work next Monday at another company and for the Air Force as well. It looks like we'll be getting closer to 30 hours each once our schedules are completely finalized in mid-October.
Today we were in Rome center, so we stopped by our favorite "exotic food" store and grabbed some comfort food: FAJITAS!! We got some cheddar cheese, sour cream, jalepenos and all of the exotic Mexican treats you people take for granted!
And as a side note for the interested parties: Charles was the winner of our tennis match (and the next one we played on Sunday).
Allie starts work next Monday at another company and for the Air Force as well. It looks like we'll be getting closer to 30 hours each once our schedules are completely finalized in mid-October.
Today we were in Rome center, so we stopped by our favorite "exotic food" store and grabbed some comfort food: FAJITAS!! We got some cheddar cheese, sour cream, jalepenos and all of the exotic Mexican treats you people take for granted!
And as a side note for the interested parties: Charles was the winner of our tennis match (and the next one we played on Sunday).
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Our Last Days of Laziness
Since Charles has to start work on Monday we decided to spend our last free weekend doing absolutely nothing! It was glorious. Actually we did go to the local market with Mariella and Donna. It's a really nice little market that has lots of good, cheap produce. After the market, we lazed about the house for a few hours. We decided to play tennis and Charles taught Allie how to serve like Serena Williams and hit a forehand like Steffi Graf (when they were just beginning at age 5). Tennis was fun and pretty much the most physically exhausting activity either of us has done in the last two months.
After we finished our grueling five set match, we sat around and chatted with our Romanian neighbors (Radu and Donna) for a couple of hours. We ate lots of sugary snacks and showed photos of our family and friends. The language barrier is still really tough but the more practice we get like that the better we'll get.
We're going to play tennis again on Sunday and Allie also has to help Charles figure out some lesson plans for Monday so he doesn't look like an ass.
After we finished our grueling five set match, we sat around and chatted with our Romanian neighbors (Radu and Donna) for a couple of hours. We ate lots of sugary snacks and showed photos of our family and friends. The language barrier is still really tough but the more practice we get like that the better we'll get.
We're going to play tennis again on Sunday and Allie also has to help Charles figure out some lesson plans for Monday so he doesn't look like an ass.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Jobs at Last!
Well, after much stress, and a near move to Poland, we’ve finally done it! We were both hired today at a school. This is actually a school that we applied and interviewed with way back during our TEFL course. We probably would have been working already and saved ourselves an enormous amount of stress had we just given the guy a call at the beginning of the month like he told us to. What can I say; we’re slow learners.
And on to the fine print. To start with Charles will be working twenty hours a week, and Allie will be working 10 hours (still waiting to hear from another school on Monday, if no word there are more hours to come at the school we are current working for). We’re being paid twelve euros an hour (one of the highest in Rome) after tax, plus a travel bonus of five euros per day. The travel bonus is because the school doesn’t do much teaching in house but generally in the company’s office, so we’ll be commuting quite a bit. So combined we’ll be just a little under two thousand euros per month, which is quite good, and definitely enough to keep us here.
Now we’re relieved and finally feeling optimistic about our chances here in Rome. Now, as long as we can avoid being deported…
And on to the fine print. To start with Charles will be working twenty hours a week, and Allie will be working 10 hours (still waiting to hear from another school on Monday, if no word there are more hours to come at the school we are current working for). We’re being paid twelve euros an hour (one of the highest in Rome) after tax, plus a travel bonus of five euros per day. The travel bonus is because the school doesn’t do much teaching in house but generally in the company’s office, so we’ll be commuting quite a bit. So combined we’ll be just a little under two thousand euros per month, which is quite good, and definitely enough to keep us here.
Now we’re relieved and finally feeling optimistic about our chances here in Rome. Now, as long as we can avoid being deported…
Monday, September 18, 2006
In the Beginning
In the beginning…this seems a little weird to write about moving to a place that we’re about to move away from. Most of you know the reasons we began our adventure abroad or maybe not. Sometimes we’re not even sure of the reasons but we’ll try our best to explain. We were in the midst of planning our wedding; we had the day picked out, the place, the kick ass band and quite a few other things simmering on the back burner of our minds. We were excited but totally stressed out at the same time, money being the main cause. The first question was how the heck were we supposed to earn all of this money prior to our chosen date? Then after saving we were to use it all for a few hours of entertaining a couple hundred of our closest friends and be left with no money leftover for our honeymoon to Italy? Selfish, right? Of course.
Soon we decided to forgo the big, elaborate two hundred person affair and go with the opposite approach to save money so we could have an even better and longer honeymoon in Italy. Even more selfish. This pattern of thinking gave way to a simple question, ‘How can we stay in Italy in order to truly learn about the food and culture, not just see the Colisseum and the Sistine Chapel?’
Our next thoughts centered on what kind of work we could do. We decided that teaching was something we could both do and all it required was paying for and passing a TEFL course (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). After researching the different TEFL programs, some in Seattle and some abroad, we decided to apply to a program in Rome. We made this decision a little over a year before we moved. We bought our plane tickets as soon as we could in order to prevent ourselves from backing out. Then we made the down payment for the class and everything else was set into motion.
The hardest part of the whole process wasn’t saving money or worrying about our safety in Italy but it was telling people that we were actually moving. Most people were like ‘Yeah, whatever, you are not.’ so we decided to kind of keep it mainly to ourselves for the first few months. We can remember when we had exactly one year before we moved and we thought to ourselves that the day was so far away and it would never come. Then it was six months, then three and time never stopped counting down and it seemed the day was coming faster and faster. Before we knew it, we were living in Federal Way and counting the days until we moved on our hands.
Soon we decided to forgo the big, elaborate two hundred person affair and go with the opposite approach to save money so we could have an even better and longer honeymoon in Italy. Even more selfish. This pattern of thinking gave way to a simple question, ‘How can we stay in Italy in order to truly learn about the food and culture, not just see the Colisseum and the Sistine Chapel?’
Our next thoughts centered on what kind of work we could do. We decided that teaching was something we could both do and all it required was paying for and passing a TEFL course (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). After researching the different TEFL programs, some in Seattle and some abroad, we decided to apply to a program in Rome. We made this decision a little over a year before we moved. We bought our plane tickets as soon as we could in order to prevent ourselves from backing out. Then we made the down payment for the class and everything else was set into motion.
The hardest part of the whole process wasn’t saving money or worrying about our safety in Italy but it was telling people that we were actually moving. Most people were like ‘Yeah, whatever, you are not.’ so we decided to kind of keep it mainly to ourselves for the first few months. We can remember when we had exactly one year before we moved and we thought to ourselves that the day was so far away and it would never come. Then it was six months, then three and time never stopped counting down and it seemed the day was coming faster and faster. Before we knew it, we were living in Federal Way and counting the days until we moved on our hands.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Not Dead Yet.
If you’ve read our previous posts, it would seem as if we had already moved out of the country. With a little shot of confidence we decided that we had to see this through and continue to try to find work. So we haven’t given up after all. In fact, we seem to be even more dead set on finding work.
The shot of confidence came at our darkest hour; we decided to call a friend from our TEFL course to see how she and her roommates were doing in their job searches. To our surprise, she had, in fact, been working for the past two weeks. She suggested we try the school she was working at and she knew of another that was hiring. Early Friday morning we went to Rome and followed up on her suggestions. Unfortunately, all of her schools teaching positions were full at the moment but the guy seemed certain that more hours would come available fairly soon. He also told us to lose our ‘anglo’ ways and be more aggressive when it comes to finding work in Italy; what seems annoying or pushy to us is just the way things get done here. Then we went to another interview and the woman told us that if she decided to hire us she would call by seven that evening. It goes without saying that the phone did not ring. That was a bit of a heartbreaker but we’ve got two more interviews next week and more applications to scatter throughout Rome. We’ve also decided to put up some flyers around Zagarolo for our services so hopefully more than a few people in town will be interested in learning English from us. I even applied at a pub in Rome; the bartender said the clientele is like 99 per cent English speaking, so my poor Italian wouldn’t make a difference.
In fact, while at that same pub we had a major moment of ‘Wow, it’s a small world!’ We met a couple of girls from Seattle, Kelly and Christine. Kelly was actually from Federal Way! They were both finishing up a month of studying Astronomy at the UW Rome satellite branch. We reminisced about all the great things about home and traded a few Rome war stories as well. It was fun to talk about home but it didn’t make us home sick; it really just made us want to succeed here even more.
The shot of confidence came at our darkest hour; we decided to call a friend from our TEFL course to see how she and her roommates were doing in their job searches. To our surprise, she had, in fact, been working for the past two weeks. She suggested we try the school she was working at and she knew of another that was hiring. Early Friday morning we went to Rome and followed up on her suggestions. Unfortunately, all of her schools teaching positions were full at the moment but the guy seemed certain that more hours would come available fairly soon. He also told us to lose our ‘anglo’ ways and be more aggressive when it comes to finding work in Italy; what seems annoying or pushy to us is just the way things get done here. Then we went to another interview and the woman told us that if she decided to hire us she would call by seven that evening. It goes without saying that the phone did not ring. That was a bit of a heartbreaker but we’ve got two more interviews next week and more applications to scatter throughout Rome. We’ve also decided to put up some flyers around Zagarolo for our services so hopefully more than a few people in town will be interested in learning English from us. I even applied at a pub in Rome; the bartender said the clientele is like 99 per cent English speaking, so my poor Italian wouldn’t make a difference.
In fact, while at that same pub we had a major moment of ‘Wow, it’s a small world!’ We met a couple of girls from Seattle, Kelly and Christine. Kelly was actually from Federal Way! They were both finishing up a month of studying Astronomy at the UW Rome satellite branch. We reminisced about all the great things about home and traded a few Rome war stories as well. It was fun to talk about home but it didn’t make us home sick; it really just made us want to succeed here even more.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
The Death of a Dream?
The death of a dream? Most definitely not; we’ve seen sasquatch and we know that his legend’s real. Our dream is to live and work in Italy and this is just a minor set back in achieving that dream. We’ve come to learn that this is our typical ‘long way around’ pattern that we’ve been using for the last few months. You guys have seen it coming, the hours spent on busses and all of the other mistakes that could have been prevented with a little better preparation. We’re not chastising ourselves too badly, we’ve come to find it funny and it certainly makes for better reading, right? I mean, just imagine reading our website if everyday it said ‘Today, we visited (insert famous site here), it was (insert colorful adjective here), check out our pictures! Oh yeah, we got a little crazy and had a medium gelato and spoke to some locals that were perfectly friendly. Then we caught our bus home and fell asleep after another successful day!’ Super lame, right? Trust us, we would like to have a few completely successful days, and we have, but the real adventure lies in the muck ups.
This move to Poland will provide you guys with a million and one laughs. We don’t have a guidebook (If you’re reading this Rick Steves, get on it!), know a single thing about the language, the culture or the country aside from the fact that they’re willing to provide us with work. Right now, work and money are what’s most important for us (we’re truly Americans, after all), in order to keep the dream alive.
This move to Poland will provide you guys with a million and one laughs. We don’t have a guidebook (If you’re reading this Rick Steves, get on it!), know a single thing about the language, the culture or the country aside from the fact that they’re willing to provide us with work. Right now, work and money are what’s most important for us (we’re truly Americans, after all), in order to keep the dream alive.
Friday, September 15, 2006
What We Were Thinking a Week Ago
So this job hunt thing is really tougher than we thought. Well, perhaps I should rephrase that; finding available jobs is easy but actually getting hired is very difficult due to our present legal standing in this country. Much like the early settlers of the west who were told that the California streets were paved with gold, we were told by most everyone that finding a job and working in Italy would be a breeze, even with less than legal status. I suppose, they were right about the availability of jobs, I mean, we literally had a women come to our house and offer us two jobs on silver platters. You’re asking what’s the problem, right? Well, we would have had jobs right then and there if it weren’t for one little (or huge) hang up. To the locals it’s known as the Permisso di Soggiorno, translated as “permission to stay”, and in order for a foreigner to stay longer than three months, work, or open a bank account, this little piece of paper is a necessity. This little piece of paper is not easy to get. We even went to our embassy searching for a friendly face with helpful information, but what we got was shot down. Without even a hint of hope we were told that we cannot legally stay in this country, and that, in fact, our looking for work while here as a tourist is illegal in itself.
So? What’s the problem with being illegal, right? Well, for us there are a few problems:
These are just a few of the problems we have with being an illegal resident in a country we love, and for these reasons and for our own sanity we are accepting teaching jobs in Poland.
Take a minute, compose yourself….there, it’s not so bad is it? Poland is a country desperate to learn English, their teachers are paid well and given great benefits, and the country is a great central location for all of our traveling adventures (so don’t cancel your flights yet). Plus, we figure that while we are in Poland (getting TEFL teaching experience to add to our resumes) we can research the Italy VISA situation and try and get ourselves back in under a legal standing for next fall’s hiring boom.
So? What’s the problem with being illegal, right? Well, for us there are a few problems:
- We don’t like the idea of keeping our money under our mattress since we can’t have a bank account.
- There’s no telling when and if we could get caught and be asked to leave the country (in which case we would be coming home with our tails between our legs, and we are not ready to come home).
- If asked to leave the country we may be slapped with a hefty fine, or even asked never to come back.
- If we get kicked out of the country it will likely hurt our chances of being able to reenter with a permesso on a legal basis sometime in the future.
- There are currently openings for teachers in other countries that are much easier for foreigners to legally acquire, and those openings may not be there a month from now if we were to get kicked out of Italy.
These are just a few of the problems we have with being an illegal resident in a country we love, and for these reasons and for our own sanity we are accepting teaching jobs in Poland.
Take a minute, compose yourself….there, it’s not so bad is it? Poland is a country desperate to learn English, their teachers are paid well and given great benefits, and the country is a great central location for all of our traveling adventures (so don’t cancel your flights yet). Plus, we figure that while we are in Poland (getting TEFL teaching experience to add to our resumes) we can research the Italy VISA situation and try and get ourselves back in under a legal standing for next fall’s hiring boom.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Sorry it's Been So Long!
Hey everyone, we've been busy, er, without internet access for the most part in Zagarolo but we're still writing at home so we'll do some major posting soon. Some of it may shock! But we're hanging in there. Allie and I had interviews today, Allie did well and she might have a shot, we'll know by 8 tonight. I crashed and burned though. We also have another interview tomorrow, the place is hiring a lot of teachers so hopefully we'll get hired on with them.
We're enjoying our little town of Zagarolo quite a bit. The people are very, very friendly probably because we're a bit of a freak show (because we're American). The butcher is our new best friend and the internet point guy is probably worried about us because we haven't been in for a few days. We're working on our internet access for our house right now, hopefully this evening we'll get it figured out...who knew dial-up was so complicated?
Anyway, we'll get all of our stories up as soon as we can.
We're enjoying our little town of Zagarolo quite a bit. The people are very, very friendly probably because we're a bit of a freak show (because we're American). The butcher is our new best friend and the internet point guy is probably worried about us because we haven't been in for a few days. We're working on our internet access for our house right now, hopefully this evening we'll get it figured out...who knew dial-up was so complicated?
Anyway, we'll get all of our stories up as soon as we can.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
The Job Hunt Saga Continued...
It was our first English teaching interview! In fact, it was more of an audition as we were asked to be there from 3-8 and to teach some lessons. We arrived just before 3, in a bit of a sweaty rush after our long night on the pub crawl and countless conversations wondering what would be expected of us. We didn’t know if the school taught scripted style lessons (where you basically just read from a workbook and do activities all laid out for you) or whether we would be required to create our own lesson plans as we had practiced in our TEFL training course. We soon found out.
Shortly after arriving we were given about two seconds of instruction, a handbook, and an eagerly awaiting student. This, to say the least, was slightly intimidating. We decided to dive in and do our best, but we were both feeling uneasy and fearful that our student would have a grammar question that we were not prepared to answer. Unfortunately for our students, this did happen, and we could only do our best to avoid the question and move on cursing ourselves that we didn’t bring some grammar cheat sheets we saved from our TEFL course.
We did our lessons, spoke to some of the regular employees and decided that basically this school sucks. They do a sort of round-robin with their students, shuffling them from one teacher to the next for each lesson, which doesn’t make much sense because most teachers should want to monitor their students’ progress and know where to begin the next lesson. Also, each student uses the same workbooks, which can’t possibly meet the needs of every student. Imagine that you know a second language fairly well, and you want to improve your knowledge of business linguistics for that particular language; does it make sense that you should be using the same workbook as a 16-year-old who is studying to pass her high school exams? Of course not. There were a few students who we wanted to tell to go to Interlingue where they could get a proper English education.
In the end, we did what was asked of us to the best of our ability, and we were paid for our efforts, so we decided that if this school asks us to work for them, we are not in a position to say no simply for the fact that we need to eat. Of course, we are hoping other schools will call us for interviews soon, so that we at least have the option.
Shortly after arriving we were given about two seconds of instruction, a handbook, and an eagerly awaiting student. This, to say the least, was slightly intimidating. We decided to dive in and do our best, but we were both feeling uneasy and fearful that our student would have a grammar question that we were not prepared to answer. Unfortunately for our students, this did happen, and we could only do our best to avoid the question and move on cursing ourselves that we didn’t bring some grammar cheat sheets we saved from our TEFL course.
We did our lessons, spoke to some of the regular employees and decided that basically this school sucks. They do a sort of round-robin with their students, shuffling them from one teacher to the next for each lesson, which doesn’t make much sense because most teachers should want to monitor their students’ progress and know where to begin the next lesson. Also, each student uses the same workbooks, which can’t possibly meet the needs of every student. Imagine that you know a second language fairly well, and you want to improve your knowledge of business linguistics for that particular language; does it make sense that you should be using the same workbook as a 16-year-old who is studying to pass her high school exams? Of course not. There were a few students who we wanted to tell to go to Interlingue where they could get a proper English education.
In the end, we did what was asked of us to the best of our ability, and we were paid for our efforts, so we decided that if this school asks us to work for them, we are not in a position to say no simply for the fact that we need to eat. Of course, we are hoping other schools will call us for interviews soon, so that we at least have the option.
Friday, September 8, 2006
Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures
Contrary to what many of you read, things in Italy are really tough for us. It seems as if we’re in constant limbo. If we’re not waiting to move to Italy, we’re waiting to find an apartment and if it’s not an apartment we’re waiting for, it’s a job. You get the drift. We’ve been putting in applications, sending out emails and checking the job postings on the net but it seemed like we would never get an offer. Even though we were told to be patient, as most schools do their hiring towards the middle or even end of September, it just seems like we’ve been waiting forever. Payments back home and provisions needed here are causing us much stress during this waiting period.
We decided that we must try to remain here by any means necessary. Armed with our newfound creed and an oncoming sense of desperation we contacted a guy about a job leading pub crawls near the Coliseum. Not exactly what we had in mind moving to Rome but if it pays the bills, then it’ll do until we can find proper jobs. So Thursday at 21:30 (9:30) we’re meeting Francesco for a pub crawl and if they like us and we like them, we will start working for him. Don’t worry, we aren’t planning to make a career out of this but to only use this as a possible stop-gap until we find teaching work. It’s just that it has been so long since either of us has worked it’s starting to get to us plus it’ll be fun to meet some new people. The pay isn’t great but we get free drinks! Ha ha.
We decided that we must try to remain here by any means necessary. Armed with our newfound creed and an oncoming sense of desperation we contacted a guy about a job leading pub crawls near the Coliseum. Not exactly what we had in mind moving to Rome but if it pays the bills, then it’ll do until we can find proper jobs. So Thursday at 21:30 (9:30) we’re meeting Francesco for a pub crawl and if they like us and we like them, we will start working for him. Don’t worry, we aren’t planning to make a career out of this but to only use this as a possible stop-gap until we find teaching work. It’s just that it has been so long since either of us has worked it’s starting to get to us plus it’ll be fun to meet some new people. The pay isn’t great but we get free drinks! Ha ha.
Finally Some Good News
Although it has only been two days and we know better, we were starting to think our phone wasn’t working. We were feeling pretty good about at least working with the pub crawl possibility. As we were getting lunch ready, the phone rang! We were surprised because the phone never rings. On the other end, it was the secretary from the first school we visited on Monday. She asked us both to be at the school on Friday at 15:00 to 20:00 (3:00 til 8:00) and that we would be teaching lessons! I guess it’s like a performance interview. We’ll keep our fingers crossed, put on our best and brightest smiles and hopefully kill them with our personalities. We’re not exactly sure what it’s going to be like but it’s a start and we’re really excited to even get an audition.
It feels like a massive weight has been lifted off our shoulders and we are finally starting to believe that we can make it here and that people weren’t just b.s’ing us about the job opportunities in Rome. We’ll try not to get too excited at this point because the school could be awful or a million other problems could occur but we’ll definitely be riding high during our pub crawl try out this evening.
It feels like a massive weight has been lifted off our shoulders and we are finally starting to believe that we can make it here and that people weren’t just b.s’ing us about the job opportunities in Rome. We’ll try not to get too excited at this point because the school could be awful or a million other problems could occur but we’ll definitely be riding high during our pub crawl try out this evening.
Thursday, September 7, 2006
Welcome to Villa Verde
A funny thing happened on the way to Spain, we really wanted to get back to Italy. Back to job hunting and our very own cottage, just to be settled down again and a return to normalcy. I wish I knew the Italian word for normalcy but that is a whole other topic/headache. Our landlord, Dante, picked us up from the Zagarolo train station and helped us get situated in our cottage. We hadn’t eaten since breakfast and he offered to bring us a little lunch which we graciously accepted and devoured. Another pleasant surprise was that he brought us a couple bottles of the wine he makes. He also offered to show us where the supermarket was so we would be able to get some dinner. After the trip to the supermarket we were absolutely wiped out, we took a nice long nap and then made dinner. After dinner we watched a few episodes of Sex and the City (I’ve got Carrie-fever) and called it a night. Unfortunately, right before bedtime, Allie noticed a freaking scorpion that was trapped in a glass on the hutch in the kitchen! That gave us a bit of a fright and we started looking all over for the buggers. Surprisingly, this didn’t affect our sleep because we both fell asleep very quickly.
Saturday morning we went with Dante and his wife Marielle, and the Romanian couple, Radu and Donna, who live in the chalet, to the weekly market. It’s a nice market with one part having fruit, veggies, bread and cheeses and the other having clothes and home supplies. After the market, we spent the day doing all of the laundry we hadn’t done for the previous month. In our defense, we had done laundry, it was just all by hand so nothing every really got as clean as the machine gets it. You all have no idea how truly amazing clean clothes and fabric softener actually smelsl. While the laundry was doing its thing, we went swimming and also inspected the grounds a little more thoroughly.
Zagarolo is a pretty affluent area, Dante told us about a few television stars that live in the area but he was most proud to mention that Ursula (Anders), the quintessential Bond girl, lives in the area. He showed us a few places she likes to shop and where she bought her bread too. We suspect he has a little crush on her.
On Sunday, we sat around the war room and mapped out our strategy for dropping off applications on Monday. After we were satisfied, we gladly finished off the two bottles of Dante’s wine and went off to bed with hope in our heads and wine in our bellies.
Saturday morning we went with Dante and his wife Marielle, and the Romanian couple, Radu and Donna, who live in the chalet, to the weekly market. It’s a nice market with one part having fruit, veggies, bread and cheeses and the other having clothes and home supplies. After the market, we spent the day doing all of the laundry we hadn’t done for the previous month. In our defense, we had done laundry, it was just all by hand so nothing every really got as clean as the machine gets it. You all have no idea how truly amazing clean clothes and fabric softener actually smelsl. While the laundry was doing its thing, we went swimming and also inspected the grounds a little more thoroughly.
Zagarolo is a pretty affluent area, Dante told us about a few television stars that live in the area but he was most proud to mention that Ursula (Anders), the quintessential Bond girl, lives in the area. He showed us a few places she likes to shop and where she bought her bread too. We suspect he has a little crush on her.
On Sunday, we sat around the war room and mapped out our strategy for dropping off applications on Monday. After we were satisfied, we gladly finished off the two bottles of Dante’s wine and went off to bed with hope in our heads and wine in our bellies.
Wednesday, September 6, 2006
La Tomatina 2006
It all goes down when The Ham hits the ground!
We arrived in Bunol before sunrise on Wednesday morning with our newfound friends. As we entered the city, even at this early hour you could tell the place was ready to blow up. People had slept/were sleeping in the town squares, beer gardens were being set up, sangria was being chilled and the locals were giving us the "you guys are idiots" eye.
After milling around through the town we made it to the center of the action around 10 A.M. The fight takes place along one street and about 35 to 40 thousand people crowd the street. All of the action begins around a 30 foot wooden pole that is covered in a thick coating of lard. At the top of the pole is a Ham Leg that is tied securely. As is tradition, the tomato fight won't begin until someone has climbed all the way up the pole and cut the Ham Leg down.
As the crowd grows bigger and bigger, people begin to converge upon the Ham Pole. Whomever cuts the Ham down from the greased pole becomes an instant hero. It takes all morning for people to keep climbing and climbing, each time taking a little more of the lard off the pole. In the meantime, the crowd begins to grow restless and evermore drunk. Traditional chants begin and the crowd grows into a fever pitch each time someone reaches new heights on the pole. It's a hilarious sight to see grown men climbing over each other and pulling each other down in attempts to be the hero of the festival. One girl made it really far up and just when she was about to reach the Ham, some guy had climbed up and grabbed her ankle to bring her down and dash her hopes of being the heroine. The crowd didn't like that and he was booed unmercifully. So this dance continues for the better part of the morning until finally there is a victor.
Once the Ham drops, a cannon sounds and the crowd goes berserk. The first thing that happens is that firehoses drench the crowd from every corner and direction. There is no escape. Then four dump trucks rumble down the street and part the crowd. Inside the dump trucks there are people who are throwing tomatoes at the crowd and then the truck dumps much of its load onto the streets. Then its basically kill or be killed; for an hour we were trying to avoid getting blasted by tomatoes and the water cannons. Though its impossible to do either. Sounds like fun, right?
After an hour, another cannon blast marks the end of La Tomatina. Everyone, looking dazed and confused starts to wander towards the community showers or in search of their lost flip flop. What was once the smell of a delicious tomato becomes the sunbaked stench of rotten tomato, stale beer and human stench. Most people are completely covered with tomato pulp and white shirts have become pink.
We met up with our international team of tomato throwers (which we had lost in the madness) and made our way towards the train station. Most people stay and party through out the day but we were exhausted and decided to get the hell out of dodge. The train ride was awful, the acrid stench of tomatoes was everywhere, our clothes were still sopping wet but the tomato on our skin had dried nicely.
Once we made it back to the hotel, we showered up and took an excellent siesta. We were exhausted but exhilirated and the team made plans to go out for a night on the town, which ended at exactly 24 hours from the time we caught our cab into Bunol to start the day (6 A.M.).
We had a great time and would gladly do it again with any of our friends or family who might be interested in a wild and crazy event like this.
We also bought a disposable camera but it got completely drenched so we're not exactly sure how those pics will turn out but if they do, we'll definitely add them to the page.
We arrived in Bunol before sunrise on Wednesday morning with our newfound friends. As we entered the city, even at this early hour you could tell the place was ready to blow up. People had slept/were sleeping in the town squares, beer gardens were being set up, sangria was being chilled and the locals were giving us the "you guys are idiots" eye.
After milling around through the town we made it to the center of the action around 10 A.M. The fight takes place along one street and about 35 to 40 thousand people crowd the street. All of the action begins around a 30 foot wooden pole that is covered in a thick coating of lard. At the top of the pole is a Ham Leg that is tied securely. As is tradition, the tomato fight won't begin until someone has climbed all the way up the pole and cut the Ham Leg down.
As the crowd grows bigger and bigger, people begin to converge upon the Ham Pole. Whomever cuts the Ham down from the greased pole becomes an instant hero. It takes all morning for people to keep climbing and climbing, each time taking a little more of the lard off the pole. In the meantime, the crowd begins to grow restless and evermore drunk. Traditional chants begin and the crowd grows into a fever pitch each time someone reaches new heights on the pole. It's a hilarious sight to see grown men climbing over each other and pulling each other down in attempts to be the hero of the festival. One girl made it really far up and just when she was about to reach the Ham, some guy had climbed up and grabbed her ankle to bring her down and dash her hopes of being the heroine. The crowd didn't like that and he was booed unmercifully. So this dance continues for the better part of the morning until finally there is a victor.
Once the Ham drops, a cannon sounds and the crowd goes berserk. The first thing that happens is that firehoses drench the crowd from every corner and direction. There is no escape. Then four dump trucks rumble down the street and part the crowd. Inside the dump trucks there are people who are throwing tomatoes at the crowd and then the truck dumps much of its load onto the streets. Then its basically kill or be killed; for an hour we were trying to avoid getting blasted by tomatoes and the water cannons. Though its impossible to do either. Sounds like fun, right?
After an hour, another cannon blast marks the end of La Tomatina. Everyone, looking dazed and confused starts to wander towards the community showers or in search of their lost flip flop. What was once the smell of a delicious tomato becomes the sunbaked stench of rotten tomato, stale beer and human stench. Most people are completely covered with tomato pulp and white shirts have become pink.
We met up with our international team of tomato throwers (which we had lost in the madness) and made our way towards the train station. Most people stay and party through out the day but we were exhausted and decided to get the hell out of dodge. The train ride was awful, the acrid stench of tomatoes was everywhere, our clothes were still sopping wet but the tomato on our skin had dried nicely.
Once we made it back to the hotel, we showered up and took an excellent siesta. We were exhausted but exhilirated and the team made plans to go out for a night on the town, which ended at exactly 24 hours from the time we caught our cab into Bunol to start the day (6 A.M.).
We had a great time and would gladly do it again with any of our friends or family who might be interested in a wild and crazy event like this.
We also bought a disposable camera but it got completely drenched so we're not exactly sure how those pics will turn out but if they do, we'll definitely add them to the page.
Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Our Holiday in Spain
Our trip to Spain began on Saturday the 27th. We had to spend the night in the airport because our flight was a few minutes past 7a.m. Sunday morning and busses and subways in Rome don’t begin running until around 5a.m. We wouldn’t have possibly been able to make it to the airport the requisite two hours prior to flight as is recommended. We thought about staying at a hotel near the airport but again, the shuttles from the hotels don’t begin to run until it would have been too late. Surprisingly, sleeping on the floor of the airport isn’t as fun or as comfortable as you might think.
We ended up only getting a few hours of sleep on Saturday night/Sunday morning but we were really excited to finally be on our way to Spain. The hotel was nice though a little far out of the action of city center Valencia. After taking a well needed nap in our room we ventured to the city center on the train. Valencia is a really beautiful city with architectural contributions from the Romans and Arabs. So you really find an amazing mix of religious architecture walking in the city.
We enjoyed a nice paella dinner in a picturesque square (there is a picture) while also imbibing on some nicely chilled Sangria. On that note, we called it a night and headed back to our hotel. It was a nice night but it left us wondering if this was all Valencia had to offer?
The next day we decided that we had to meet some people and make some new friends. When I was in the lobby I overheard a few English speakers talking about La Tomatina so I decided that we should meet these people. Later that day, we introduced ourselves and decided to meet up for a beer in the hotel restaurant. Joe, a Canadian from Montreal, had made his way by himself to Valencia via Paris. The other two we met were Diana and Anthony, a brother and sister from Sydney, Australia. Over the course of a couple beers we discovered we were all in Valencia for La Tomatina and with this common bond we became fast friends. We decided to form a team of sorts and travel to the festival together. It was a great night and Allie and I felt really excited that we had finally met and made friends with some English speakers for the first time in nearly two months
We ended up only getting a few hours of sleep on Saturday night/Sunday morning but we were really excited to finally be on our way to Spain. The hotel was nice though a little far out of the action of city center Valencia. After taking a well needed nap in our room we ventured to the city center on the train. Valencia is a really beautiful city with architectural contributions from the Romans and Arabs. So you really find an amazing mix of religious architecture walking in the city.
We enjoyed a nice paella dinner in a picturesque square (there is a picture) while also imbibing on some nicely chilled Sangria. On that note, we called it a night and headed back to our hotel. It was a nice night but it left us wondering if this was all Valencia had to offer?
The next day we decided that we had to meet some people and make some new friends. When I was in the lobby I overheard a few English speakers talking about La Tomatina so I decided that we should meet these people. Later that day, we introduced ourselves and decided to meet up for a beer in the hotel restaurant. Joe, a Canadian from Montreal, had made his way by himself to Valencia via Paris. The other two we met were Diana and Anthony, a brother and sister from Sydney, Australia. Over the course of a couple beers we discovered we were all in Valencia for La Tomatina and with this common bond we became fast friends. We decided to form a team of sorts and travel to the festival together. It was a great night and Allie and I felt really excited that we had finally met and made friends with some English speakers for the first time in nearly two months
Monday, September 4, 2006
The Things We’ve Learned So Far (in no particular order)
- Italian women do shave, Dutch women, however, do not.
- Never vacation in Rome during August, the weather is miserable and three quarters of the town is on vacation themselves.
- We are not above picking up something of use found on the street, ie a beach towel and a cool pair of sunglasses.
- Italians love to talk to themselves, at the beach, on a bus, at a restaurant, etc
- Italians have an extremely high tolerance for their neighbors’ dogs that bark throughout the day and night.
- Cheap but good beer and wine are a right not a privilege.
- Expect to wait upwards of 20 minutes for a bus that you will be on for 5 minutes.
- “Ciao” means hello and goodbye.
- Charles can actually tan but is more likely to burn.
- The Internet still hasn’t really “caught on” around here.
- Charles can still read and actually enjoys it.
- Italians believe in changing the name of the street on every block in effort to confuse foreigners.
- Being “on time” in Rome is the same as 15 minutes late in the States.
- Italians aren’t as vain as most of the world supposes, otherwise they couldn’t walk around with growths on their faces big enough to require their own postal code.
- “Uriney Goodness” more on that later.
- Romans of all ages are more obsessed with the ‘latest and greatest’ cellphone, even more so than Americans.
- There are still tomatoes that taste like tomatoes.
- If you ride a motorcycle, you don’t have to obey the traffic laws. In fact, if you do obey them, you will probably get hit by a car driver not obeying the traffic laws.
- Lunch with our landlord was painless and delicious.
- Italians clap when their plane lands.
Sunday, September 3, 2006
The Eternal Urinal
Ah, the smells of Roma. Enticing open air markets tickle our olfactory senses with the smells of fresh baked bread, aged cheeses, deliciously salty cured meats and fish freshly plucked from the sea. Walking down the neighborhood streets, the local trattoria and ristorante seize upon the stomach hunger pangs of tourists and locals alike. Wander past one of the many gelateria and sweet smells of ice cream flavors undreamt of in the United States will accost your nose, wallet, and waistline at the same time.
With all of these wonderful smells, all the time; what could possibly be wrong? I’ll tell you in two simple words: ‘Uriney Goodness’. This ‘Uriney Goodness’ pours out of so many of the lesser tourist trampled areas of the city (pun intended). It lurks around corners and at bus stops to confront the nose with its acrid stench. Of course, these corners and bus stops aren’t the ones most tourists are going to happen upon on their way to the Fontana di Trevi or the Basilica di San Pietro. Trust us, those places are remarkably well taken care of.
This begs the question, is it indicative of the citizenry of Roma that they’ll allow and accept the Eternal City to become the Eternal Urinal? Or is this simply the plight of all of the worlds major cities, Seattle included? We’re not even sure that Romans even care or notice this, I suppose to them it’s like the sun above; it’s just always been there. Maybe in some manner, it’s like a dog marking its territory, in a way (or maybe just in my twisted head), they’re letting the tourists know whose city Roma really is. Maybe it’s the end result of a discontented citizenry and their way to release some anger toward their political leadership.
Nah, on second thought, it’s probably that they simply don’t want to pay 70 cents for using a toilet.
With all of these wonderful smells, all the time; what could possibly be wrong? I’ll tell you in two simple words: ‘Uriney Goodness’. This ‘Uriney Goodness’ pours out of so many of the lesser tourist trampled areas of the city (pun intended). It lurks around corners and at bus stops to confront the nose with its acrid stench. Of course, these corners and bus stops aren’t the ones most tourists are going to happen upon on their way to the Fontana di Trevi or the Basilica di San Pietro. Trust us, those places are remarkably well taken care of.
This begs the question, is it indicative of the citizenry of Roma that they’ll allow and accept the Eternal City to become the Eternal Urinal? Or is this simply the plight of all of the worlds major cities, Seattle included? We’re not even sure that Romans even care or notice this, I suppose to them it’s like the sun above; it’s just always been there. Maybe in some manner, it’s like a dog marking its territory, in a way (or maybe just in my twisted head), they’re letting the tourists know whose city Roma really is. Maybe it’s the end result of a discontented citizenry and their way to release some anger toward their political leadership.
Nah, on second thought, it’s probably that they simply don’t want to pay 70 cents for using a toilet.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Warning: What you read may disturb you deeply and shake your very being to the core.
The North American Mullet, thought to have been eradicated in the early part of the 21st century, may soon be reappearing at a shopping mall near you. If indications and research are correct, the European strain of Mullet has withstood eradication and is, in fact, repopulating at immeasurable speeds. The European Mullet, more specifically the Italian Mullet has found itself a stronghold amongst both Italian youth and even adults seem to be unable to resist. There are signs that it may also be mutating. Vicious strains of mutations such as the ‘Rat Tail’ are also growing at alarming rates. We will begin documenting this phenomenon in hopes to curtail this epidemic from reentering the United States. Much like the Asian Bird Flu, if it reaches American shores, there’s no telling what kind of damage it could inflict. It’s too late for us but there is still hope for all of you. If it does come to pass, please, heed our advice, stock your bomb shelters with plenty of hair clippers, scissors, water and canned fruit and vegetables and remain underground until the bells of victory ring throughout the land.
If you have any questions, contact the Center for Disease Control (www.cdc.com) or consult your nearest barber or hair stylist.
If you have any questions, contact the Center for Disease Control (www.cdc.com) or consult your nearest barber or hair stylist.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Job Hunting
Today we set out with high hopes to drop off a couple of CV's (Italian version of a resume) at a few language schools around Rome. We figured there was a good chance that the schools would not be open or would no longer be in business. But our hopes wouldn't be dashed easily! The good news is that we found three schools. The bad news, however, is that one was no longer in business and the other two are closed until September. We'll probably hunt for a few more before our vacation but we know that it will be more of a recon mission than an actual chance to drop off our CV's.
In other news...
We're going stir crazy waiting to move into our new place and for our trip to Spain but we'll make it. Only 5 more days til we're off to the biggest food fight in the world!
In other news...
We're going stir crazy waiting to move into our new place and for our trip to Spain but we'll make it. Only 5 more days til we're off to the biggest food fight in the world!
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
We Have Found the Perfect Home
The front gate of Villa VerdeSo, for those of you who have been keeping track, you may know that we have been having some trouble finding an apartment because of a combination of our lack of language skills and everyone in Rome being on vacation. Thankfully, the bad luck has ended and we have found the greatest place to live EVER. It is a little outside of Rome (a short train ride takes us to the central Rome train station), and it feels like decades away from the city life.
Charles at the plum treeFirst of all, our landlord is named Dante, he is a man in his late 50s, and he speaks Italian, Spanish, and English. On his beautiful villa we are renting a private cottage with all the amenities of home (tv, internet, etc). On his sprawling estate we have a tennis court, a gorgeous swimming pool, and a peaceful garden.
The gorgeous swimming poolNow for the clencher. Dante has a small vineyard and has been harvesting and making his own wine for about three years now. Not only that, but he has olive trees and plans to press his own olive oil for the first time this year. Does this sound like a fantasy to anyone else but us??
The propertySo, of course, we had to rent this place, despite the commute we will face, because we are going to follow him around like lost puppies and learn the arts of wine making and olive oil pressing. It's like our Italian fantasy world, it's unbelievable. In addition to this, he rents rooms out of his beautiful home, so when you (that's all of you) come to visit us you can easily stay in a private room right near our cottage. Va bene!
Some of Dante's grapesSaturday, August 12, 2006
A Day at the Lago
In celebration of earning our TEFL certificates Allie and I decided to get out of Rome and have a picnic at Lago di Bracciano. All of our classmates having been going on and on about how beautiful this lake is so we figured it was a good time to check it out. We packed up our lunches and our sunscreen and headed for the train station. After about an hour on the train it started to rain! We decided that no matter what, we were going to go to this lake and have a picnic.
The rain subsided as we pulled into the station but there was still major cloud cover but, hey, at least it wasn't raining. Then as we walked through the little town and towards the lake it started to pour on us. Of course, we had no umbrella, so we trooped through all the while cursing our foul luck. As luck would have it, the rain stopped right as we reached the lake and the sun actually started to peek out from the clouds.
We ended up having a really nice, relaxing, entertaining and well deserved day at the lake. In fact, I have a nice sunburn to prove it. We also had some great entertainment around us as well. Some crazy Italian (we've ran into quite a few) was talking to himself in between doing laps in the lake and the worst 10 sit-ups and 10 push-ups we'd ever seen. We think that he also faked a few phone calls as well so he could talk to himself even louder. There was also some naked kid running around getting slapped by his mother and yelling "Ciao!" at us.
Check out the pictures of the lake under the Scenery in the photo gallery.
All in all it was a great day and we've got a new place to go for cheap entertainment. Today, we're off to IKEA for some cheap crappola for the lake.
love,
charles and Allie
Thursday, August 10, 2006
We Passed!
After a month of stress, we finally received our reward. As of today, we're TEFL certified to teach English to non-English speakers. We're both elated to be through with the course but now things are really going to get tough. We'll be losing our safety net of the school and its resources but we're pretty sure the people at the school would be willing to help us out in a pinch.
Our access to the internet will be really limited until we can find another apartment and get settled in. We've got a few leads but everyone in Italy is on holiday. The best we can say is that we'll be posting sporadically for now but we'll try our best to keep you all informed.
into the wilderness...
Love,
charles and Allie
Our access to the internet will be really limited until we can find another apartment and get settled in. We've got a few leads but everyone in Italy is on holiday. The best we can say is that we'll be posting sporadically for now but we'll try our best to keep you all informed.
into the wilderness...
Love,
charles and Allie
Wednesday, August 9, 2006
I Think We Passed
Hey everybody, we just finished up with our grammar test so we're officially done with the course. I'm pretty sure Allie aced it pretty easily. It was a little tougher for me but the teacher told me she graded mine and I passed too! I can't even explain how difficult this course has been for us (especially me) and how rewarding it feels to have made it through.
However, there is no rest for the weary. We have to find an apartment, jobs, get work or student visas and learn Italian. I think that's actually the short list too.
I'm not sure what we're going to be up to this weekend but we'll take some photos and have some fun basking in the victory before the reality of the situation really sets in. Geez, I'm such a downer. haha.
charles and Allie
However, there is no rest for the weary. We have to find an apartment, jobs, get work or student visas and learn Italian. I think that's actually the short list too.
I'm not sure what we're going to be up to this weekend but we'll take some photos and have some fun basking in the victory before the reality of the situation really sets in. Geez, I'm such a downer. haha.
charles and Allie
Tuesday, August 8, 2006
Travel Plans Update
So, previously we indicated that our plans for a vacation were a food journey to Bologna, Modena, and Parma. Well, we've changed our minds. We are still going to take that trip sometime in the near future, but our big vacation plan is now a 5 day trip to Spain. We decided we had to get there in time for La Tomatina (google it) which falls on the last Wednesday in August (sorry Diego, but it only comes once a year!). So, on August 27th we fly out of Rome and into Valencia. We founda pretty cheap hotel with a pool, so we're just gonna relax and enjoy the sun before getting drenched in squashed tomatoes! Hopefully we'll have lots of hilarious pictures to put on the website, but I don't want to ruin our camera, so we'll see.
Today we just had our teaching methodology test, so we are one down and only one looming grammar test to go. Lots of studying will be done tonight, and tomorrow we have a party with the school after the test is finished. Other than that we are still apartment searching (it's so difficult when you can't communicate, but one of the teachers here has offered to help us). Most of Rome is shut down at this point as everyone is headed off to the sea for their summer vacation. It's an unbelievable sight to literally see a block with no open restaurants or shops, but I guess when they say vacation they mean it.
Chuck and Alsie
Today we just had our teaching methodology test, so we are one down and only one looming grammar test to go. Lots of studying will be done tonight, and tomorrow we have a party with the school after the test is finished. Other than that we are still apartment searching (it's so difficult when you can't communicate, but one of the teachers here has offered to help us). Most of Rome is shut down at this point as everyone is headed off to the sea for their summer vacation. It's an unbelievable sight to literally see a block with no open restaurants or shops, but I guess when they say vacation they mean it.
Chuck and Alsie
Monday, August 7, 2006
The True Spirit of Italy
So instead of studying on all day on Saturday as we had planned, we decided to make a trip to the famous Trevi Fountain. It's a very remarkable sight to see and a great place to people watch too. The legend surrounding the Fountain is that if you toss a coin into the fountain, backwards and over your shoulder you will return to Rome. If you toss another coin, you'll fall in love with an Italian. Finally, if you toss a third coin, you'll fall in love and marry an Italian. So as you can imagine, there is a lot of money being tossed into the Trevi Fountain by the massive crowd.
As we marvelled at the beauty of the fountain we noticed a twenty-something reaching into the fountain (practically swimming) and picking up the coins and putting them in his pockets. Out of nowhere, an older Italian guy starts yelling at him and we started rooting for the old Italian guy to teach him a lesson. The old guy walked away and they came back and yelled at him some more. We were really enjoying the show and thought for sure the younger guy would stop reaching into the fountain. He didn't, in fact he went deeper and deeper and pulled out even more coins. Then he decided to make his escape before he got into trouble.
The infamous Trevi Fountain
We were troubled by this because all of the coins pulled out of the Fountain go to various charities around Rome. As we discussed how awful it was to steal from charities we noticed the old man was back along the edge of the fountain. He scanned the crowd and from his sleeve, he pulled out a telescopic pole and dipped it into the fountain. About three seconds later, he reeled in his catch, looked to be four or five coins probably at least 5 euros or more. He did this a few more times then moved on.
We were shocked and were wondering where the police were or if they even cared about this stuff. All of a sudden, another guy showed up and dipped his pole into the water and did the same thing as the old guy. Some people were taking pictures, videotaping or just standing around with the same shocked looked on their faces as we had.
Moral of the story: if you ever go to the Trevi Fountain (which you should) thow your coins as far as you can!
Here is a link to a really interesting story about a homeless man that pulled up hundreds of thousands of euros over thirty years at the fountain.
http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/07/31/italy.fountain/index.html?related
As we marvelled at the beauty of the fountain we noticed a twenty-something reaching into the fountain (practically swimming) and picking up the coins and putting them in his pockets. Out of nowhere, an older Italian guy starts yelling at him and we started rooting for the old Italian guy to teach him a lesson. The old guy walked away and they came back and yelled at him some more. We were really enjoying the show and thought for sure the younger guy would stop reaching into the fountain. He didn't, in fact he went deeper and deeper and pulled out even more coins. Then he decided to make his escape before he got into trouble.
The infamous Trevi FountainWe were troubled by this because all of the coins pulled out of the Fountain go to various charities around Rome. As we discussed how awful it was to steal from charities we noticed the old man was back along the edge of the fountain. He scanned the crowd and from his sleeve, he pulled out a telescopic pole and dipped it into the fountain. About three seconds later, he reeled in his catch, looked to be four or five coins probably at least 5 euros or more. He did this a few more times then moved on.
We were shocked and were wondering where the police were or if they even cared about this stuff. All of a sudden, another guy showed up and dipped his pole into the water and did the same thing as the old guy. Some people were taking pictures, videotaping or just standing around with the same shocked looked on their faces as we had.
Moral of the story: if you ever go to the Trevi Fountain (which you should) thow your coins as far as you can!
Here is a link to a really interesting story about a homeless man that pulled up hundreds of thousands of euros over thirty years at the fountain.
http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/07/31/italy.fountain/index.html?related
Thursday, August 3, 2006
Congratulations to Our Friends Bola and Kelly and One Step Closer to Teaching!
Today's posts are in celebration of a few great recent achievements.
Warning: I have used quite a few exclamation points in the following paragraphs.
A quick shout out and congrats to our wonderful and brilliant friends Bola and Kelly for finding new jobs outside of Ellensburg! We all really loved Eburg but on to bigger and better! So a heartfelt congratulations to Bola and Kelly! We wish we could have been at your going away party but we'll have a few in your honor this evening.
Today, Allie and I finished our classroom teaching requirements! It feels like such a relief to be that much closer to receiving our certificates. We still have a lot to learn before we begin our tests on Tuesday but we're both confident that we will be teaching (for money!) in no time. The last three weeks have been a real test of strength/endurance for us but we've persevered and luckily I have Allie to tutor me through many of my problems.
As always we miss you all and thank you so much for your posts, we love to read them everyday as soon as we get to school. If it wasn't for those quick little smile-makers we would be much more stressed out.
Charles and Alsie
Warning: I have used quite a few exclamation points in the following paragraphs.
A quick shout out and congrats to our wonderful and brilliant friends Bola and Kelly for finding new jobs outside of Ellensburg! We all really loved Eburg but on to bigger and better! So a heartfelt congratulations to Bola and Kelly! We wish we could have been at your going away party but we'll have a few in your honor this evening.
Today, Allie and I finished our classroom teaching requirements! It feels like such a relief to be that much closer to receiving our certificates. We still have a lot to learn before we begin our tests on Tuesday but we're both confident that we will be teaching (for money!) in no time. The last three weeks have been a real test of strength/endurance for us but we've persevered and luckily I have Allie to tutor me through many of my problems.
As always we miss you all and thank you so much for your posts, we love to read them everyday as soon as we get to school. If it wasn't for those quick little smile-makers we would be much more stressed out.
Charles and Alsie
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
One of the Things I Love About Italy
So if you've read any of my previous posts, you'd probably think life in Italy is too hard and very little fun. You'd be right, based on our experience so far.
Yesterday, Allie and I were going to get a couple pieces of pizza (Roman Style - square, not round, pick out how much you want) during our lunch break. Allie was asking me what I wanted to drink with the pizza, choices were: Coke, think 2.00 euros (11.2oz/2.25 dollars), bottled water 4 euros (1liter/4.50 dollars) or a delicious 25oz beer for 2.50 euros. I'm sure you can already figure out which one we chose.
The greatest part about the experience wasn't being able to get a beer (which is cheaper than soda) with the pizza but it was being able to drink it OUTSIDE on a bench, while we enjoyed our pizza. You can actually walk around with beer, ride the bus, the metro, and probably even drive while drinking a beer, which may, in retrospect, explain the driving habits of most Italians.
Things are looking up! Charles and Allie
Yesterday, Allie and I were going to get a couple pieces of pizza (Roman Style - square, not round, pick out how much you want) during our lunch break. Allie was asking me what I wanted to drink with the pizza, choices were: Coke, think 2.00 euros (11.2oz/2.25 dollars), bottled water 4 euros (1liter/4.50 dollars) or a delicious 25oz beer for 2.50 euros. I'm sure you can already figure out which one we chose.
The greatest part about the experience wasn't being able to get a beer (which is cheaper than soda) with the pizza but it was being able to drink it OUTSIDE on a bench, while we enjoyed our pizza. You can actually walk around with beer, ride the bus, the metro, and probably even drive while drinking a beer, which may, in retrospect, explain the driving habits of most Italians.
Things are looking up! Charles and Allie
Tuesday, August 1, 2006
It's the Simple Things
So for the last couple weeks we've been facing quite a conundrum at night. We have two choices, open the windows and let in all of the nasty mosquitos and stay a little cooler or we can close the windows and let the room become a sweatbox. We've been opting for the former but the bug spray and all that hasn't deterred the little buggers a bit. Luckily for me, they always target Allie and I usually get away with only a few bites and they aren't too big at all.
Finally, after alot of research and questioning, we found a solution! A FAN! Hooray! Simple right? Just go to Home Depot or Target! Unfortunately, finding a fan in Italy is like finding the Holy Grail or discovering a unicorn. After much agony (and mosquito bites) we finally found a place that sold fans, they had three models. The smallest was 45 euros (think desktop fan and around 60 dollars), we asked about the other models and they said numbers we have yet to figure out the meaning of.
Pressing on, unrelentlessly, we walked up the street and found a store that had a standing fan for sale. We figured this had to be in upwards of a 100 euros based on the last store. In Italy, nothing has a price on it, so we had to ask in our best broken Italian how much it was. Of course, we couldn't understand what he said, so we asked, er, mimed to him to write it down. To our amazement the fan was only 18.80 euro! We thanked our lucky stars that we had found one of the last fans for sale in all of Italy and toted it home proudly, much like a mother and father leaving the hospital with a newborn.
In Italy, nothing is easy but it is oh so sweet when you finally figure out what your doing. Charles and Allie.
Finally, after alot of research and questioning, we found a solution! A FAN! Hooray! Simple right? Just go to Home Depot or Target! Unfortunately, finding a fan in Italy is like finding the Holy Grail or discovering a unicorn. After much agony (and mosquito bites) we finally found a place that sold fans, they had three models. The smallest was 45 euros (think desktop fan and around 60 dollars), we asked about the other models and they said numbers we have yet to figure out the meaning of.
Pressing on, unrelentlessly, we walked up the street and found a store that had a standing fan for sale. We figured this had to be in upwards of a 100 euros based on the last store. In Italy, nothing has a price on it, so we had to ask in our best broken Italian how much it was. Of course, we couldn't understand what he said, so we asked, er, mimed to him to write it down. To our amazement the fan was only 18.80 euro! We thanked our lucky stars that we had found one of the last fans for sale in all of Italy and toted it home proudly, much like a mother and father leaving the hospital with a newborn.
In Italy, nothing is easy but it is oh so sweet when you finally figure out what your doing. Charles and Allie.
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