I’m all settled and organized in Rome and for almost the first time in a week I have reliable internet – I hope!
Arriving in Rome was just like coming home and I couldn’t believe how neat and tidy and clean the city looked to my Indian adjusted eyes. I’ll bet thats something that isn’t said too often about Rome, which has its own brand of chaotic livelyness.
My apartment is still the same, and all the neighbours still remember me – which still amazes me. The butcher – who is still quite deaf but has given up smoking – HURRRAH! My odd relationship with the neighbourhood beggar has reestablished itself with nary a blip. I’ve been hugged and kissed and in the case of Madame Franca – bellowed at and her damned little dog is still trying to bite me – what is it with Romans that they have such long memories – even the dogs?
After a mountain of laundry, shopping, buying wine and getting set up for classes and so on, life seems to be settling into the normal flow of life here.
I had such a wonderful reunion with my sweetie – I was quite nervous about it – long distance relationships can be tricky and I’m just not a great phone person as most of my friends know. Add on some language barriers which aren’t a problem face to face but which seem to become insurmountable on a phone and I was wondering what we would have together after 5 months. I needn’t have worried – I swear it was like we’d just been apart for a few days and just picked up where we’d left off. Long rambling chats – I love that we never seem to run out of things to talk about – lots of hugs (daily hug quota is getting back up to normal), good food and wine and lots of laughs – ah bliss!
About the only thing I’m not happy about – and I’m reaching here you understand – is the weather – it is bloody cold. Rainy, blustery stuff that gets into your bones and makes everything ache. I am hibernating a bit, reading lots and just lounging around which is rather nice after the pace we set in India. I THINK it is supposed to warm up a bit next week. We are coming to the end of Carnival here which means one last great blow out of a party which frequently lasts until the wee hours of the morning before the penance of Lent – for Catholics anyway. Do Anglicans and the like do the same thing?
Classes have started at my new school – Dante Alighieri and as a nice surprise the school is a short 5 minute walk away. It remains to be seen if that turns out to be a benefit or not. The old school was an energetic 20 minute hike which if nothing else kept me fit. Once the weather improves I’ll be out and about more, exploring and wandering and discovering new spots so I shall have adventures to report on.
i’m off shortly to my favourite watering hole to catch up with other friends and drink prosecco and mangle the language – Italian because I still don’t speak it at all well, not English because I’ve had too much to drink!
Well anyway – off we go.As my friend Josie says, Ciao for Niaow!
Arriving in Rome was just like coming home and I couldn’t believe how neat and tidy and clean the city looked to my Indian adjusted eyes. I’ll bet thats something that isn’t said too often about Rome, which has its own brand of chaotic livelyness.
My apartment is still the same, and all the neighbours still remember me – which still amazes me. The butcher – who is still quite deaf but has given up smoking – HURRRAH! My odd relationship with the neighbourhood beggar has reestablished itself with nary a blip. I’ve been hugged and kissed and in the case of Madame Franca – bellowed at and her damned little dog is still trying to bite me – what is it with Romans that they have such long memories – even the dogs?
After a mountain of laundry, shopping, buying wine and getting set up for classes and so on, life seems to be settling into the normal flow of life here.
I had such a wonderful reunion with my sweetie – I was quite nervous about it – long distance relationships can be tricky and I’m just not a great phone person as most of my friends know. Add on some language barriers which aren’t a problem face to face but which seem to become insurmountable on a phone and I was wondering what we would have together after 5 months. I needn’t have worried – I swear it was like we’d just been apart for a few days and just picked up where we’d left off. Long rambling chats – I love that we never seem to run out of things to talk about – lots of hugs (daily hug quota is getting back up to normal), good food and wine and lots of laughs – ah bliss!
About the only thing I’m not happy about – and I’m reaching here you understand – is the weather – it is bloody cold. Rainy, blustery stuff that gets into your bones and makes everything ache. I am hibernating a bit, reading lots and just lounging around which is rather nice after the pace we set in India. I THINK it is supposed to warm up a bit next week. We are coming to the end of Carnival here which means one last great blow out of a party which frequently lasts until the wee hours of the morning before the penance of Lent – for Catholics anyway. Do Anglicans and the like do the same thing?
Classes have started at my new school – Dante Alighieri and as a nice surprise the school is a short 5 minute walk away. It remains to be seen if that turns out to be a benefit or not. The old school was an energetic 20 minute hike which if nothing else kept me fit. Once the weather improves I’ll be out and about more, exploring and wandering and discovering new spots so I shall have adventures to report on.
i’m off shortly to my favourite watering hole to catch up with other friends and drink prosecco and mangle the language – Italian because I still don’t speak it at all well, not English because I’ve had too much to drink!
Well anyway – off we go.As my friend Josie says, Ciao for Niaow!
Smith the Traveller 
Say hello to Josie and Anwar for me. As for the weather there, all you have to do is remember what it's like here. Oh, wait!! You don't know what February and March are like any more because you're always somewhere else. Well, it's really cold and snowy, with a strong wind that freezes extremities and no amount of sweaters, scarves, hats, mitten, extra socks or fur lined booties ever really keep the cold out for more than a few minutes. But all in all it's not that cold here – a little grey today.
Last comment was from Sandra