Snow? WHAT?!

I was informed today by a friend that snow is forecasted for Rome this week on either Thursday or Friday. Not good as we're headed to Pompei on Friday. Then again, the last time it snowed in Rome? The time when it snowed in Rome for the first time in 24 years? Well, that happened to be the day that we were headed to Pompei. Hmmm, wonder what the odds are of that?!

Jolly good time

I love London. Seriously. I love it. In fact, I could live there. Truth be told, I asked Jesus if I could move there some day in the future. It's just so.....I don't know how to describe it. I just freaking love it!

I met a group of students on a Friday in November for a quick getaway. I was looking forward to this trip for two reasons: 1) I had all documentation from Italy, and 2) I had reservations for the Wimbledon tour. WIMBLEDON!! AHHHHH!!!!!

I fully admit that I was a bit nervous as I approached the passport control agent given my previous experience. Though I knew that I had everything in order and there should be no problems, I think I had a PTSD flashback of a very cross and rude agent making me feel like some sort of illegal immigrant out to take the British crown for all it's worth. Still, I approached the desk with confidence and boldness. I was greeted warmly by a woman who proceeded to ask me what brought me to London. I told her that I was on vacation for the weekend from Rome. She asked me what I was doing in Rome and I told her that I was there for work. "Do you have your permesso di soggiorno?" she asked. "Yes, I do!" I told her excitedly. Not only was this the first time anyone had asked me for it, but it was also the first time on UK soil that I felt confident to be there. I handed it over to her with a modicum of pride. She gave it back and wished me good travels. That's it?! Ok. Thanks!

I met up with my students as they were finishing their tour of the Tower of London. From there we made our way across the Thames to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Now I know it's not THE Globe Theatre, but it was still a really neat tour and experience. To think that Shakespeare was nearby the site while he was alive was pretty overwhelming.

From there we tried to catch a river cruise, but were unsuccessful so settled instead for walking around Big Ben, Parliment (hey! Isn't that a line from a movie? :) ), and Westminster Abbey. We just stood in awe of the sights and marveled. We also talked about the many movies that we'd seen that used these sights as a backdrop: Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, National Lampoons...

We walked around the city for a bit longer, grabbed some yummy fish and chips for dinner and returned to our respective hotels for the evening. After leaving Rome super early, I was ready for bed. Besides, I had to be ready for my big outing tomorrow: Wimbledon.

I am a tennis fan. I have been playing since I can remember. I love the game. When I was studying in Australia, I went to Melbourne for Easter weekend. I took some time and went to Melbourne Park, where the Australian Open is played every January. I went so far as to rent a court for a half an hour and hit with a friend who'd accompanied me. So, if I was going to be in London---I had to get to Wimbledon. Imagine how excited I was to learn that not only could I visit the museum, but have a guided tour as well! Oh. My. By the time I reached the grounds, I was practically hyperventilating I was so excited.

I spent some time looking around the museum that's located below the souvenir shop. There was an amazing collection of tennis history within it's walls and it was surprisingly hi-tech. Afterwards, I joined  the 30 or so people for our 90 minute tour. It. Was. Incredible. No jokes, one of the best things I've done in Europe. The tour guide not only was very knowledgable of tennis and Wimbledon history, but she was also entertaining. She took us all over the grounds--from the entrance gates to courts 2 and 3 to the court where Isner and Mahut played for 11 hours and 5 minutes spread over 3 days to the press room to centre court. I can't say it enough: WOOOOOWWWWW!!! I loved every moment of it. But I think my favorite was sitting in the press room where players discuss their matches after play. Nobody's allowed in there unless you're a player or member of the press...or you go on the Wimbledon tour. I felt like a kid in Disneyland.  So much to see and process. I really think that I'm going to try to go to Wimbledon in June because how can I not when I am so close?!

Left: Before I entered the hallowed gates of Wimbledon. Center: Press room. Right: Centre court.

Ok. So I've now made it to two of the four major tennis tournament locations. Next: Roland Garros in Paris--guess I'll have to go back--and New York for the US Open. It will be done.

Rounded the day out with a cup of coffee at Starbucks and then dinner with students. We meandered over to Buckingham Palace where it seemed a British man wanted to recreate the Trevi Fountain scene in La Dolce Vita and was wading through the fountain in front of the palace. Why? Who knows.

It was a quick trip, but wonderful nonetheless. I want to move there. I do. I think I would fit in. I mean, let's be real. I love British cinema, books, TV, clothes, and of course, accents.  Now if I could only find my British husband....

Il mio accento

This is a post that was in my draft folder from November: I have to take a moment to say: YES!!! I was paid what I consider to be a rather huge compliment today by an Italian woman. Here's what went down:

Our Italian instructor came in today despite it being an Italian holiday to give our students their mid-term exam. She wasn't able to give it to them before break because Rome flooded the day of the exam. So, she brought her mother and daughter with her as they were to head into the Center to a museum afterwards. I have met her mom on a number of occasions and so I stopped in the classroom and said a quick hello.

We chatted for a moment and she complimented my much improved Italian. In fact, she even went so far as to tell me that when I spoke I did so with a Roman accent. She said I spoke Roman Italian and not as an American speaking Italian. Stop! That can't be true! For one thing, I've never taken a formal language class, and another....that's just too cool. This has inspired me to continue my study of Italian. I want to be fluent....or at least proficient!

Io torno

I was in bed this morning and I realized two things. 1) I have been back in Rome for 16 days, but it feels like an eternity, and 2) I haven't blogged in forever. Now, this isn't a new realization. In fact my sister, Lindsay, who has an awesome blog of her own---www.lindsaysoulfood.wordpress.com---reminded me while I was home that I've been a slacker. And I have. Please forgive me.

I'd like to say that I've neglected the blogosphere because I've been so busy living life up here in Rome and in Europe, and while I have, my absence can best be attributed to laziness. Pure and simple laziness. No More!! (Don't I say that at the start of every new year?!)

There's a lot going on here at the moment. Students arrived a week ago and so this place is hopping. I have travel plans in place for February and Spring Break. And finally, I am trying to decide what to do with my life----stay or go? My contract expires at the end of June and so it's time for me to decide if I want to remain in Rome or return to the good ol' U.S. of A. Not an easy choice. There's too much on either side of the plus columns and God's being awfully quiet in this area of my life---not so quiet in others. ;)

I digress. I am sitting at home today and it's a beautiful, albeit chilly, day here in Rome. I am looking out across the yard into the high school across the way and watching the class of dancers practice their routines. It's time to head out of the house. I'm thinking that today's a good day for wandering around behind Campo dei Fiori and around the Jewish ghetto. I am on a mission to find shoes! And what better place to buy them, but Italy?

So, I'm going to venture out and live life in Rome. Before I do that, though, I am going to write a quick post about my triumphant return to London in November. It was an amazing trip and I am so thankful for it.

Ciao for now! I will be back....

Bonjour Paris!!

Upon learning that I was moving to Rome, I made a list of "must-see" locations. These were places that I had only read about, dreamt about getting to. Places like London, Ireland, Barcelona, Prague, Austria, and more. And which city held the distinguished number one spot? Paris.

 However, since I was having trouble with my visa I didn't feel comfortable traveling. As such, each semester when my students left Rome and spread throughout Europe my heart was inevitably heavy when they returned with their tales and pictures of the City of Lights, the City of Love. Sigh. I wanted to go so bad. So, when I finally received my visa this summer what was the first thing I did? I posted an invitation on Facebook to anyone who was interested in going to Paris with me for a long weekend in October. My friend, Beth Ann, accepted and so the trip I'd been dying to take for well over two years started to take shape.

Each semester we have a 10 day break that hits smack dab in the middle of the term. I get to leave Rome for 5 days of that break. This leaves me enough time to get out and about, to see the sights, to live it up, if you will. Paris in 5 days? Not sure it's entirely doable, but I'll work with what I've got! So, the planning began. Beth Ann and I met 4 times before we left and nailed things down like flights, hotel, what we wanted to see, where we wanted to go, what we wanted to eat, and anything else we could think of. We had a little trouble with the flights and finding a hotel, but once we got all of that set we were good to go. Paris: here we come!

As I began to write this I realized, you don't need (or want for that matter) every single detail of our trip. So, I'm going to try to keep this brief...from this point on. :)

We arrived in Paris on Friday and checked-in to our hotel. We surveyed our surroundings and headed back out into the city in search of a restaurant that was recommended in our guidebook. After a few moments of backtracking and re-situating ourselves on our map, we found the restaurant--Restaurant Polidor. It was supposed to be a more rustic restaurant with family-style dining in that the tables are all put together and you sit with people you don't know. This doesn't mean that you share food with those people, but you do share space. I'm not going to lie, it was a little awkward sitting next to a couple and being a part of their conversation, but not being a part of their conversation all at the same time. Still, the food was ok. I was fairly disappointed when we received our pumpkin soup and all it was was pureed pumpkin---only pumpkin. There wasn't any hint of salt, pepper, or any spice whatsoever. Huh. We then dined on boeuf bourguignon, as seen on Julie and Julia. That was pretty good---hearty and very filling. Finally, dessert. Oh dessert. Say what you will about French cooking--and quite frankly, until our last meal in Paris I wasn't all that impressed by French cuisine---no one, and I mean NO ONE, does dessert like the French. We had an apple pie/cake/tort thingy that was cinnamony, sugary, buttery deliciousness. Heaven really. But, I'm getting away from my promise of brevity....

So, from dinner we meandered to the Seine and looked out over Notre-Dame all lit up in the Parisian night. I loved Paris from that moment. It was all just so....Parisian. The architecture, the sights, the sounds, even the smells were exactly what I thought it would be. All that was missing for me at that point was a musician playing La Vie en Rose on some sort of instrument. We paused for a moment, soaked it all in because we had a lot to get done in the next 5 days...

Saturday: The Louvre. This was our goal for the day, along with Saint-Chapelle, and Musee l'Orangerie. Ha. How naiive could we be? I love art and Beth Ann has her degree in Art History...did we really think that we only needed a 2-3 hours at the Louvre?! Try 4 or 5....and that's not even seeing everything! We did manage to see all of the major pieces--Mona Lisa, Nike/Winged Victory/Cupid and Psyche/the Prisoners, The Wedding Feast at Canna and the Venus di Milo. In between those pieces we saw some other incredible work by Giotto, Botticelli, Bernini, Raphael, and others. We could have spent days in that gallery and still not have seen everything! If you thought the Vatican museum was hectic and crowded...ha! Try the Louvre. I couldn't even get in front of Mona. Nope, I had to settle seeing her from the side...and that was fine with me. She wasn't even my favorite. Nope that's a three way tie between Nike, Cupid/Psyche, and the Venus di Milo.

After we left the Louvre, we hoofed it over to Saint-Chapelle to see the stained glass. Oh.My.Stars. Breathtaking doesn't even begin to describe it. Nor do pictures do it justice...still...here ya go...

Absolutely...amazing....


Next, we tried to get into Musee l'Orangerie...but it was closed. Drat! Then, we tried to get hot chocolate at Angelina's, but there was a line down the block. Foiled again! So, we settled on a corner cafe where we had crepes and hot spiced wine. Yumm. From there, we "hopped" onto the hop on/hop off bus and saw the sights of Paris as the sun set.

Sunday: Versailles. Need I say more? Yes. Ok, I'll try to be brief. A-mazing. Incredible. Opulent. Overwhelming. Over the top. WOW. The Chateau was so wonderful. Such a rich history, furnishings, and sights. We got to see the kings' bedroom, Marie-Antionette's bed, the desk where they signed the Treaty of Versailles, and so much more.

After the Chateau we picnicked on its steps overlooking the massive and impressive gardens. From there, though...we went to my 2nd favorite place in all of Paris. Marie-Antoinette's Hamlet. I wasn't sure what to expect, but what I found...far exceeded any expectations that I might have had.

Imagine stepping into a picturesque fairy-tale village. Think Beauty and the Beast. A village of small houses with thatched roofs, gardens, window boxes, and lush grounds. Welcome to the Hameau.

As the story goes, MA wanted to know what it was like to live like a peasant. So, she had the village built so that she and her friends could experience life as a commoner. I am sure that that the peasants of that time didn't live like this...

Upon our return to Paris we grabbed dinner and then took a relaxing boat tour up the Seine. A great way to cap off a magical day...

Monday: We spent the day seeing everything that we didn't see the days before...Notre-Dame,  Musee l'Orangerie, and the Eiffel Tower. Notre-Dame was impressive and, again, the stain glass was incredible!

My favorite, though, was Musee l'Orangerie where I was able to sit and stare--literally--at Monet's Water Lillies. I wanted to go to Giverny and see his gardens so badly, but it wasn't possible this trip. I made due with the museum and I wasn't disappointed.

Tuesday:  We took our last day before we returned to Rome to see the rest of the sights. We went to Montmartre to see Sacre Couer, the neighborhood, and Moulin Rouge. The church and the view from in front of the church were stunning. So worth the trip up there! Moulin Rouge....ehhh...but still, it's nice to say that I've seen it...





Overall, the trip was AMAZING! I had the best time with Beth Ann, and would gladly travel anywhere with her again. I loved Paris. I didn't see nearly enough...so I figure that a return trip is necessary. Perhaps this spring....

It only took 2 years....

I am headed back to London the first weekend of November, but this time...well, this time I have no worries. Because. I received my permesso di soggiorno!!! (Stay permit)

I started this process back in June of 2009. I was advised to wait until I arrived in Rome to apply for my work visa. So, I did. And I waited...and waited...and waited. In the meantime, I was "prohibited" from entering the UK for 6 months...went to Sofia, Bulgaria...and continued to wait for the Italian government to process my paperwork. Finally, I received notice this past March that my visa application had been "set aside" for bureaucratic reasons.  So, I returned home for four months and began the visa process all over again, but from the States this time. I received my visa in August, returned to Rome at the end of the month, applied for my permesso within 8 business days, reported for fingerprinting 3 weeks later, and received my permesso 3 weeks after that. Alleluia!

I am so thankful for it and for the Lord's provision during my waiting period. I know I wasn't always patient--and not always quiet about my impatience--but in the end it all worked out.

So, to mark the occasion, I am returning to London for a weekend with some students. I have everything in order this time England---so watch out!

Noticed in the neighborhood

I love where I live in Rome. It's a great neighborhood that isn't saturated with tourists. Rather, it's a neighborhood full of locals who frequent the same corner bars, grocery stores, gelateria, and other shops. I see the same faces pass me by day after day as I go about my business. I love knowing that I live in an area where people who know you stop to say hello and ask how you are. It's comforting to be part of a community in such a large metropolis. And every time I get recognized here...well, it makes my day.

About two weeks ago I popped into the bar on the corner---bars are not BARS, but instead are what Americans would consider a cafe--to get a sandwich for lunch. I was paying the woman, who did recognize me despite my four month absence, when the guy who has regularly made my cappuccino over the last 2 years saw me. He did a double take and smiled saying "Ciao! Tutto va bene?" (Hi! All's good?) Yay!!! I am remembered as being a member of this community! Then, I saw him again as he was getting on his moto and strapping on his helmet to leave for the evening the other day. He stopped and said "Ciao!". I just love that. I love that I am someone here rather than just another face.

My favorite moment, though, was the other night after we went to the AS Roma match. Let me preface this by saying that Rome has two soccer teams: AS Roma and Lazio. They are bitter rivals and you are either for the one and against the one, but never for both. And people will let you know which team they support. Anyways, I stopped to pick up a pizza to go for dinner with a couple of my students. I had my Roma scarf in my hand and my girls were all wearing their newly purchased Roma t-shirts. One of the waiters started to say something to me and I was able to catch "Lazio!" So, I deduced that he was a Lazio fan. Come to find out...the pizzeria is a Lazio pizzeria. This means that the owner and all associated with the establishment support Lazio and NOT AS Roma. The owner and the rest of the waiters proceeded to give us a hard time and even went so far as to pretend not to let us order! Then, there was this kid of about 11 years who was clearly an AS Roma fan. He chimed in and shared his 2 cents. I looked over at him and said "Forza Roma!" Well. If that didn't start a rapid fire of Italian, I don't know what did. He clearly agreed and clearly told the Lazio people what's what. It was fabulous! I was a part of something big and something innate in this culture. And I loved it. I loved every minute of it...even those minutes of not understanding a word of what was being spoken to me.

I love Rome. I love living here. There's something magical and yet gritty about this city, it's people. But for all intents and purposes--it's home. There are still things that drive me nuts about this place, I miss my family and the familiarity of the US, but I've become a part of this place. And I am in love with this eternal city.