Italy, I'll be back soon..ish

When I woke up this morning in San Giuseppe, I could not find a reason why I should leave. Well there were the obvious reasons, like school, family, work, etc. So instead I started looking for reasons why I should never go this long between visits again (last time I saw my family was April 2005). Later in the morning, when I was waiting for my ride (my cousin...sleepy head) I was talking to Z E and Z A, who are my Popi Tony's sisters (they always refer to him as Zi Antoino or my Nonno Antonio). Z E said that Popi visited every year, without fail, in May. I decided then and there that I would definitely be back in 2 years, even if no one is getting married. Somehow I will. If you book international flights enough in advance, you can find really good deals and lets face it, I don't really need to spend much besides the plane ticket when I visit the family. So, for now, I will return to Italy in May, like my grandfather, but every 2 years. Later, when my income is higher, every year. Family means too much to me not to. And in that train of thought, I am going to make more of an effort to see more of my family stateside. We're spread across the country, but that's no excuse. There really is no valid excuse to NOT see family. Because at the beginning and end of it all, family means the most.
Another big reason for going back to Italy so often is my grandpa's sisters. Out of the original 7 Bifulco siblings, only Zia E and A remain in Italy and Zi Mario lives in Sao Paolo, Brazil (I really need to get down to see him too). ZE is 84 years old and losing her hearing. That being said, the hearing loss is the only sign of her slowing down, but I'm not taking any chances. ZA is younger by about 10 years but still. She nearly broke my heart this morning when saying goodbye. She always cries right as we're leaving. It's not a big, soppy cry (as I've been known to do in the past). It's a glisten in the eye, sort of defiant cry. She sets her jaw and gets this look on her face that says to you "I don't want to cry but I just  can't bear to see you go." On this trip, I learned that when my grandfather died in '96, the whole family went into mourning. Everyone closed their stores and didn't go to work. He meant so much to them. Giusy has just as much memories of him as I do. And looking through photo albums, I notice that he's very present.
There is a photo that I really want. It's from Giusy's parent's wedding 28 years ago and it's of all 7 siblings. It had to be shortly before Zi Giovanni and Zia Rosa passed away (they were the 2 oldest) It very may well have been one of the last times they were all together. From the sound of stories, Zi Giovanni and Zi Mario didn't go home nearly as much as Popi did. I didn't have time to go and find a quality print shop to get a copy made, so I will either ask Giusy or do it myself next visit. I want it framed and put in my parents house.

Instant Time Travel Needs to Happen..NOW

     I have a large family, that much is evident if you've been keeping up with these posts. And it's a very wide spread family. Spread across the States and across the world. Instant time travel would make life a lot easier. My family here has been so so amazing, it's going to stink tomorrow morning when I leave. They love us unconditionally even though we see them only once every few years. Every house I have been in has had mine or my sister's or my family's picture on display (one that we sent them at some point in time). My Zia Eleanor has a shelf in her sitting room with just pictures of my family. One is a shot that I didn't even know about. It's a different version of a picture hanging in my house. It was taken when I was around 5, nearly 6 years old because my sister was old enough to not look like a baby anymore. It's my whole family. Mom, dad, aunt, grandma, grandpa, sister and me. The one hanging in my house is a serious looking one with all of us displaying closed mouth smiles. The one in my zia's house has us all displaying huge grins. There's little me, clinging to my grandpa's arm, both of us with identical big grins. There is no doubt that I am my father's daughter and my grandfather's granddaughter. I look like him, with my mom's features as well. Being here has allowed me to hear so many stories about my grandpa, most of them involving how much he would eat when he was here (my family thinks I don't eat enough...fact is I just can't eat as much as my dad does haha). I'm not sure why we didn't keep the smiling picture for ourselves but I'm glad I saw it. I was beginning to forget what his smile looked like.
     Anyways, the fact of the matter is that I love this crazy family and it just stinks that they are so, so far away from me.  Since instant time travel is probably a few centuries off, I'm just going to have to either work a lot to be able to come here more often or find a job that pays very very nicely so I can still come here more often. Once every 4 years is just not going to cut it. I nearly cried last night when I had to say bye to my cousin Giusy and I will surely cry tonight when I say goodbye to Gianfranco and Antonella. I hate goodbyes. I know they're really only see you laters but when later is a few years off...it really hurts. Thank goodness for modern technology and more importantly, Facebook. It really has helped me keep in touch with my cousins here. And now that I have a better grasp on the language, it may seem like we're not even apart. Hopefully, I can come back soon. The problem is, the more I come here and the longer I stay, the more I miss them. It's a conundrum that will never be fixed. Oh well. So to all my family... I love you.

Driving in Southern Italy...

In Florence, there wasn't much riding in cars going on. There was the occasional taxi ride when I was too far away from my house at a late hour to walk home (just wasn't safe..only happened a few times) or the ride in the car with my boss (which was scary...she was constantly on the phone and driving stick on the autostrade at the same time..eek). In San Giuseppe, I'm constantly getting in the car and going somewhere, and this has allowed me to become very observant on the driving habits of Italians down here. It's chaos. Slightly controlled chaos. Scary, ridiculous, nerve wracking chaos! I have been in the car with 7 different people in the last 2 weeks and there is similarity in their driving styles....you have to be quick. You have to anticipate someone cutting you off at all times. You really really have to have your eyes and ears wide open. Even if I knew how to drive stick (most drive stick around here...automatic is very rare) I wouldn't feel comfortable driving around here. I don't know how my dad does it. He drives auto at home but knows stick and the streets well enough to drive around here. Scary.
A big part of driving here is the horn. Good lord they use the horn a ton. It's how you let anyone who might possibly be coming up a street towards you that you're coming. Stop signs do exist but their presence is minimal and largely ignored. They took the California Roll and improved it to the Italian tap-of-the-breaks to slightly slow down just in case someone is coming. You use your horn more than you use your turning signal. And then there's the tapping of the horn to say hi to someone, which is just as frequent as tapping the horn to warn someone. Just now I went with my cousin Lina on a hunt for a gift for her boyfriend. We had tapped the horn about 5 times before we were off our street because you just have to say hi to everyone. Sometimes, you even stop to stay hello. I've been in a car trapped becuase two cars going opposite directions had stopped and the drivers were happily chatting away until all the honking and yelling has them saying "just come over later for some food and talk!!" or something to that extent.
The roads only add to the chaos of driving. They are largely unpaved in town and are therefore VERY bumpy and winding and there are switchbacks everywhere you go accompanied by hairpin turns. Scary as ever. My neck is actually sore from all the jostling I've experienced in the car. I can't wait to get back to the US where all roads that I go on are completely paved and smooth. Also, while lines for lanes exist, they are worn out and completely ignored. You can have a highway road that is meant to be 3 lanes become 5 lanes becuase people like to weave so much. Then there are the coastal roads, which are very very similar to the Pacific Coast Highway going through Big Sur. I'm not kidding. After driving around here, anyone could do that drive with ease. There are gorgeous views and if you're a passenger, it might be wise to keep your eyes on the ocean seeing as it's not moving. The driver on the other hand better pay 100% attention or there's most likely to be an accident. Becuase during the summer, it's not just cars and motorinos on the road: there's also big tour buses with tourists coming down to the coast for a looksie. I know because I was in one in late June. Oh that was scary. A big passenger bus winding along those roads. I like to think that a bit of Harry Potter-ish magic does exist here...in the damn cars. There is no other possible explanation to how no one crashes besides the explanation that all cars have the ability of the Knight Bus. It has to be that. Driving like this in the States would get you killed immediately.
In the States, men joke a lot that the worst drivers are women. Here not so much. I have noticed differences in drivers but that's based on personality and experience. Gianfranco drives with ease and on an open road likes to go all out and speed. He always has his thumb on the horn just in case and just seems completely calm. Antonella drives carefully but with a purpose. She's not shy about going but also isn't a crazy one. Francesco is a typical 21 year old male driver. He drives a little fast, turns a little sharp, uses his horn frequently, all the while grabbing his phone and talking to people. Michele would probably rather be on his motorcycle but he doesn't very much because he says it doesn't have a security system, so he's in the car. He's a good mix of Gianfranco and Francesco's driving styles. Always plays music. Enzo is a careful driver like Gianfranco but has to play referee with his two little girls in the back. That was a fun drive. They don't have car seats or really wear seatbelts here, so the little ones can be standing up and jumping around. Makes my nerves raw. Ooof. Giusy drives like Francesco but a little crazier. She's got a sweet little car that she likes to go fast in on the autostrade. But again never put us in danger. Lina is the most careful but I think that's only because she just recently got her license (March I think...she's 19 but the driving age around here is 18). She still stalls once in a while and shifts tentatively but knows how to use that horn. Oh and Angelo on his motorino is a different story but he's careful with me or with Anna because Anna is young and well I'm just not used to it. Uses the horn a lot and likes to go fast on straightaways. I like the motorinos. Makes me feel free =).
So there you have it. Driving in the States is NOTHING compared to here. And I can't wait to get back to the sane driving of the States. And a neck massage please.

Another day =)

I FINALLY got a ride on my cousin's motorino yesterday. And yes that IS what I was most excited about. I love that bike. I love motorcycles. Don't ask me about the different makes or models, just ask me about the feel of being on one. Now I know that a motorino is probably nothing compared to a full motorcycle but sheesh the feeling has got to be the same. Or close to it.
Anyways yesterday was a full one =). Thank goodness for my timing because as soon as I was out of the shower, Lina and her grandma, my Zia Anna, were in the backyard calling for me. That's what they do...someone comes over and lets them in the gate with their key (everyone has them to my place since they all check up on it once in a while) then they stand in the backyard and call for me. It's hilarious. And of course I have to race to open one of the heavy security doors and say "i'll be down in 20 minutes!! wait!!" So I went with Lina to one of her friend's houses and listened to them chatter away and answered the few questions that came my way. I just liked to watch them talk. I know that sounds funny but sometimes they speak faster than their lips move. And they speak San Giuseppese, which is a dialect of Napoletan which is a dialect of Italian. It's any wonder how I'm learning the language properly here haha.
After we were there for a bit, went back to the family street (I'm just going to go with that since 5 out of the 7 siblings of my grandpa's family all have houses on the same street) and I went to Eleanor's for lunch again. After, Giusy and I went to the mall in Nola, which is a thing of beauty because it doesn't even LOOK like a mall....it looks like a giant hill with windows way at the bottom. It was built to look like that and has solar panels scattered amongst the shrubbery that covers it. We took her "neice" (boyfriend's niece who is 16 because his sister married young and he was way after the sisters) and we had a girls' afternoon out. I'm pretty sure I introduced Giusy to H&M and she loved it. Somehow narrowed the 8 things in her hand to buy down to 2. I don't know how that happened.
After I went and relaxed at home for a bit and tried to sleep because I knew I was going out with Michele and his friends and I had a funny feeling that it would be a late night. Nothing crazy, just sitting on a beach near Sorrento and eating pizza with a crowd of people. His friends are hilarious and I swear I think most of them have never met anyone from the States before because they were so curious about everything. Had me teach them a few English words and had a good laugh of trying to teach me some slang. I still have no idea what the words I was saying mean because they really couldn't explain it. Hilarious night but man was I happy to get to bed. And good thing too because today has proven to be a very very busy day as well. Read on =).

A fantastic 24 hours

Today has been my longest day here by far! Oh my gosh so much has happened in the last like 24 hours. Started out yesterday afternoon when Dana and I got dropped off at our hotel in Naples since her train left so damn early this morning. We checked in, put our stuff down and set out to explore. Got a taxi over to the Galleria (picture a mall in the shape of the Duomo....high glass dome included). Wandered through there for a bit then down one of the main streets with all the shops. Seems like everyone in Naples was on this street. Just people everywhere. The sales are coming to an end here in Italy and the stores were in chaos. We went into one store and an entire wall was blank..absolute madness.
Once we were tired of walking around (we really didn't want to venture far out of the area that we knew...it is Naples) we found a restaurant to sit and have a nice dinner at. We sat and talked for around an hour and a half, just the two of us. It was so nice. I love my family but I did want some alone time with my best friend. Haven't seen her in a year after all. Also, we got a bit tipsy. Shared a liter of prosecco and we finished it to the last drop. Delicious. Also I had her finally try limoncello. I don't think she liked it so much. Got a taxi back to the hotel and finally crashed. Set my alarm on my phone purposefully for 6:15 am because her train was at 6:50 am.
And before I knew it Dana was waking me up at 6:42 am. Luckily she didn't need to put anything away besides pj's and we both made a mad dash for the station which was (thank god) luckily just across the street. Made her train on time and got a hug goodbye in. But oof that was really close. Scared the crap out of both of us that she would miss her train which would mean she might miss her flight. BUT all is good. She is now on a plane across the Atlantic back to Toronto and I am back in San Giuseppe...and well fed once again.
Gianfranco picked me up from the hotel at 9 and went back to their house to get ready for church. Between this Sunday and last Sunday, I've observed that Sunday after church is family shopping time. The whole family will go out and go clothes shopping and talk with friends. The whole town is out on Sundays, totally unlike Florence, which was quite dead on Sundays. Shops were closed and everyone was sleeping in. It was fun. Then as soon as we got back to the house I had to run next door for a marathon meal with my dad's cousin Angelo's family. Angelo is the dad of my cousin Michele, who took Dana and I to Sorrento on Thursday. The families are all finally beginning to make sense and I'm slowly remembering who the heck everyone is. I have a HUGE family here.
The last time I was here I made a family tree of nearly the entire family, or as much as my dad and all his cousins that I talked to could remember. It was a really fun lunch. Just Angelo's family at first then Susy and her brother, his girlfriend and their mom came over and then it was a LOT of fast paced Italian and more food going on the table (dessert of course) and me feeling a liiiittle lost and tired. But it was also a family that I really didn't know prior to this trip so it was something that was wonderful.
So now I am back in my parent's place, resting up. Michele invited me out again with his friends to go down to Salerno but first I am going to Skype with my parents. Haven't done that in a few days and my mom even sent me a FB message asking for some sort of contact =). More cousins got in today (they were at the beach on vacation) and tomorrow a cousin from Brazil arrives that I've never met so that should be fun. I think she speaks some Italian other than her native Portuguese soooo it shall be interesting. Gotta love my international family <3 =).

Simply put, mia famiglia is amazing

This week has been SO much fun. Dana got here Monday and we had dinner with Zia Eleanora and her family (Giusy, Angelo, etc.) Tuesday we went over there again and had lunch and just chilled out the rest of the day. Went with Antonella to get dinner supplies and hang out with Anna. I got to Skype with my mom and had a good conversation filling her in on what the week has been like up to that point. I can tell how much my mom misses our family here. It's not her family by blood but she loves them all just the same. Gianfranco and my dad lovingly call each other brothers (and if you were none the wiser you would think that was a true fact..not just that they are cousins who look extremely alike), and Antonella and my mom are equally as close now. Anna came in the room and just lit up when she saw my mom.
So we had dinner over there and just hung out. Wednesday was lunch again with Eleanora and then over to Antonella's to babysit Anna for the afternoon so both Gianfranco and Antonella could go to work and Imma could have a break. It was fun. She's a VERY active 7 year old and demands a lot of attention. We played about 4 different board games. Never play Uno against her...she makes up her own rules and doesn't listen to you, besides the fact that we barely speak the same langauge sometimes. It was interesting. Later that night, Dana and I went out to dinner with Giusy and my other cousin Susy to Giusy's cousin's restaurant. My parents went there with Giusy's parents when they were here in April so it was nice to talk to Jacapo and know that he knew my parents.
Thursday was another relaxing day with a late wake up and lunch again with Zia Eleanora (my other great-aunt is at the beach with one of her daughters until Monday...). Zia E asks me everyday if I am going to her house for lunch, but it's more of telling me that I'm eating there. And Giusy and Angelo are always happy to see us. They were sad when Dana said she was only staying one week. The best thing about my family is their absolute sincerity and generostiy. I have the best family in the world. Thursday night, my cousin Michele (don't ask how he's my cousin because frankly I can't remember but he is) took Dana and me and his girlfriend down to Sorrento just to walk around the center and got us gelato. I was so happy to be back in Sorrento. We walked the English Inn and part of me wished that it was a weekend so I would have a chance to run into one of the Florence For Fun people with the group for the weekend. And just like last time I was in Sorrento at night, it started raining just as we were going to the car. It was such a nice night and I got to know another cousin. It's so strange now that I'm older and here. And on my own for the first time with the family. I wish I could return the favor to all of them, but most of my family will never make it out to California or New York.
Friday morning, Dana and I got up early and Gianfranco drove us to Pompei. Originally, we were going to go through the ruins but the morning was hot so we decided against it. Dana wanted to see them but she said she could do without and I have all my pictures from last time. So instead we walked through the streets and went into shops, sat on the grass and talked and had a nice long lunch. A day just the two of us. Such a difference from the last time we spent together, which was in the craziness of the Senior Games last summer. Both of us have been through so much in the last year. Today marks a year from the halfway point of the games. We were both exhausted. Oi vey. When we got back, we went and took a nap (we were so tired..well I was at least. not sure why) and then got ready for the night. My cousin Enzo and his wife Lina, who I met 6 years ago when they were at my parents place as a stop on their honeymoon, took us out for a drive along the coast and a walk around Naples, which is just so pretty then a late night dinner at a restaurant here in San Giuseppe. The restaurants here are so different from home. At home, they're out on the highway and in your face. Here, you have to know where you're going or you'll miss it because it's usually tucked back from the road. And they're always so pretty. It was so much fun.
Well this post is ridiculously long. Going back to Naples now with Dana for her last night in Italy. Just a few more weeks and then I'm back in CA. Weird.

Simply put, my famiglia is amazing

This week has been SO much fun. Dana got here Monday and we had dinner with Zia Eleanora and her family (Giusy, Angelo, etc.) Tuesday we went over there again and had lunch and just chilled out the rest of the day. Went with Antonella to get dinner supplies and hang out with Anna. I got to Skype with my mom and had a good conversation filling her in on what the week has been like up to that point. I can tell how much my mom misses our family here. It's not her family by blood but she loves them all just the same. Gianfranco and my dad lovingly call each other brothers (and if you were none the wiser you would think that was a true fact..not just that they are cousins who look extremely alike), and Antonella and my mom are equally as close now. Anna came in the room and just lit up when she saw my mom.
So we had dinner over there and just hung out. Wednesday was lunch again with Eleanora and then over to Antonella's to babysit Anna for the afternoon so both Gianfranco and Antonella could go to work and Imma could have a break. It was fun. She's a VERY active 7 year old and demands a lot of attention. We played about 4 different board games. Never play Uno against her...she makes up her own rules and doesn't listen to you, besides the fact that we barely speak the same langauge sometimes. It was interesting. Later that night, Dana and I went out to dinner with Giusy and my other cousin Susy to Giusy's cousin's restaurant. My parents went there with Giusy's parents when they were here in April so it was nice to talk to Jacapo and know that he knew my parents.
Thursday was another relaxing day with a late wake up and lunch again with Zia Eleanora (my other great-aunt is at the beach with one of her daughters until Monday...). Zia E asks me everyday if I am going to her house for lunch, but it's more of telling me that I'm eating there. And Giusy and Angelo are always happy to see us. They were sad when Dana said she was only staying one week. The best thing about my family is their absolute sincerity and generostiy. I have the best family in the world. Thursday night, my cousin Michele (don't ask how he's my cousin because frankly I can't remember but he is) took Dana and me and his girlfriend down to Sorrento just to walk around the center and got us gelato. I was so happy to be back in Sorrento. We walked the English Inn and part of me wished that it was a weekend so I would have a chance to run into one of the Florence For Fun people with the group for the weekend. And just like last time I was in Sorrento at night, it started raining just as we were going to the car. It was such a nice night and I got to know another cousin. It's so strange now that I'm older and here. And on my own for the first time with the family. I wish I could return the favor to all of them, but most of my family will never make it out to California or New York.
Friday morning, Dana and I got up early and Gianfranco drove us to Pompei. Originally, we were going to go through the ruins but the morning was hot so we decided against it. Dana wanted to see them but she said she could do without and I have all my pictures from last time. So instead we walked through the streets and went into shops, sat on the grass and talked and had a nice long lunch. A day just the two of us. Such a difference from the last time we spent together, which was in the craziness of the Senior Games last summer. Both of us have been through so much in the last year. Today marks a year from the halfway point of the games. We were both exhausted. Oi vey. When we got back, we went and took a nap (we were so tired..well I was at least. not sure why) and then got ready for the night. My cousin Enzo and his wife Lina, who I met 6 years ago when they were at my parents place as a stop on their honeymoon, took us out for a drive along the coast and a walk around Naples, which is just so pretty then a late night dinner at a restaurant here in San Giuseppe. The restaurants here are so different from home. At home, they're out on the highway and in your face. Here, you have to know where you're going or you'll miss it because it's usually tucked back from the road. And they're always so pretty. It was so much fun.
Well this post is ridiculously long. Going back to Naples now with Dana for her last night in Italy. Just a few more weeks and then I'm back in CA. Weird.

Dana the Canadian Comes to Italy and the Crazies =)

(warning...this was written a full week ago..but is finally up nonetheless)
DANA IS HERE!!! yayayayay! For those of you who don't know, Dana is one of my best friends whom I met last summer when I was working with the Summer National Senior Games. Unfortunately, she lives near Toronto, Canada so I haven't seen her since I dropped her off at the airport on August 17 of last year. And now she's here with me and my family and I'm just so happy =). I went with Gianfranco, Anna and Angelo to the Stazione di Napoli to pick her up because she had flown into Rome. She got a bigger welcoming party than I did! Anna ran right up to her and gave her a big kiss on the cheek. Took her back to the house and settled in for a bit then went over to Zia Eleanor's house for a late night dinner. She was in a whole different world. And she is meeting everyone I run into, which is a lot of people. And she's almost completely lost on the language, which means that I'm not only translating for myself, but for her as well. She took a few years of French in high school and there's a lot of similar words so she's not completely lost.
So after pizza at Zia Eleanor's, Giusy took us over to the yogurt shop that Maria and Rafael own for some dolci. Then we went home to talk some more and sleep. Woke up at 11 and went over to Eleanor's again for midday lunch. Dana had her first full on Italian meal there and it was quite entertaining. Eating here is so different from anywhere I've ever been. They always begin with the pasta dish, then the meat dish, then fruit and then dessert. So much food in one sitting. And my family just loves her. As does the dog, Milo. The dogs, both Milo and Gennaro (Francesco's English Bulldog) are new to me and it's funny to see my family with pets. Milo is a little Yorkshire Terrier and just so cute. Gennaro is  still pretty young but English Bulldogs aren't exactly tiny.
That night, after just vegging around all afternoon (there's not much to do..but that's ok), we met up with Antonella to run errands and go hang at their house. Had late night meal with them and played with Anna. Such a nice relaxing day. I love how generous my family is. I only wish that I can someday return the generosity they are showing me here. I've already told Giusy that when she comes out to California (if ever) she's not allowed to pay for anything, since she won't let me or Dana pay for anything. Ok long post. More on the next one =).

more from San Giuseppe

When I was up north and would tell people that my family is from the Naples area, they would say "oh yeah you look like it." I never really understood what it meant to look like you were from a certain region of a country. Then I went to church with Gianfranco and Anna on Sunday morning and looked around and went "oh now I get it." It's the eyes. I have very very distinctive Southern Italian looking eyes. It's not the color but the shape and area around the eyes. I look like I could live here. And I look enough like my cousin Anna that one person that saw us out after church asked Gianfranco if I was his wife. hahaha. That was amusing.
Sunday was wonderful. After church and errands, we headed back to the house. As soon as we got there, my Zia Eleanor saw me and beckoned me over to her place. Of course, like always, she immediately put food in front of me. I swear, it's like they think everyone is constantly hungry. But I was since I hadn't eaten since the pizza the night before. So I sat and chatted as best as I could with her. Then another nephew, Santino, came over and then had me go with him to say hello to his family. It was nice to see them and a little funny since his daughters both have a Facebook and we've been keeping in touch that way. It's so much easier with Facebook.
After chatting with them I headed back to A & G's for the midday meal (I can't exactly call it lunch because it's such a huge meal..dinner isn't that big of a deal around here and it's super late). After a delicious meal of real pasta and a huge steak (yeah like I said..big meal) it was relaxing time. Anna doesn't do relaxing so we played around and then popped in a movie. Skyped with my parents and then went back to my place to change and get my computer because we figured out their wireless password. Francesco had invited me out with him and his friends so around 8 I went downstairs to his place (that's my favorite part about my family here…they all live in the same place).
When we finally got all of his friends together (we were in 3 separate cars because there were 12 of us..btw taking cars all the time is SO weird to me still) we finally headed out to the club. It was on the beach in Naples so it took a good 45 minutes to get out there. But it was so cool. The best clubs are the outdoor clubs. They're just so pretty and you never get too hot from dancing because the wind just blows right through. I had so so much fun with them. But I also noticed just how protective my family can be. The whole time Francesco made sure that he knew where I was and any time we were walking through the crowd, he made sure to have a hand either around my waist or on my shoulder. I don't know him very well and have only seen him a handful of times in my life but there's that familial bond. If he was in the states I would be just as protective of him. And everyone else. I wish they would come to the states. Angelo, Giusy's older brother, is the only one to ever come to visit and he did so with a bunch of friends.
We finally got back home around 3:30 and I passed out in Francesco's sister's bed because she's on vacation right now. He wouldn't let me go back to my house and sleep there by myself. But now Dana's here. Aaaand that's a story for a different post!

these posts...

a little explanation on why there is so many posts all in the span of about 5 minutes...i am without internet at my place but i still write a lot. so when i get internet at a cousin's house i post =). enjoy and read from the bottom up. oh i love this place.

A feeling of belonging =)

    I feel at home here. Like I belong here. It just seemed so easy. Like I said before I've only been here a handful of times. And one of those times I can't recall myself because I was so young. I was here when I was 9, 11 and 15. It's been 5 years since I was here last. It was for Easter in 2005. That was the year I went to Italy twice; once with the family in April and once with my church in August. That was the only time I've come here and not seen family. Probably will be the last as well. I just can't imagine myself coming to Italy and not at least staying here a week. Anyways, I digress. Those 4 times I've been here packed in so so many memories. I can remember when I was here when I was 9 so clearly. It was the first time me and my cousins had really met and we really didn't understand each other (of course). So we created this sort of hand gesture language that we just understood completely. Oh to be young again. You didn't need to talk. All you needed to do was play. And ride bikes. And my dad's cousins' husband would take me and my sister around on his motorino.
    One night, we had this huge party where my dad made pizza (go figure) and I swear anyone who was remotely related to us (which is a LOT of people…and that number has only grown since then) showed up to eat and drink and talk and dance and oh my gosh the amount of kids running around was incredible. It was just so much fun! Writing about it is making the memory just that more vivid in my mind. It was so much fun. That was the first time we met Antonella, now the wife of my dad's cousin Gianfranco. They had just gotten engaged. The trip we took when I was 11 was for their wedding. It was so beautiful. I can even remember getting ready for it at the house and getting in the rental car and somehow landing at this beautiful outdoor wedding site.
      The trip we took in 2005 when I was 15 was for Easter. We spent a good week and a half here and had one of the most delicious Easter meals I have ever had. Then we did something different: we played tourist and went to Venice for the weekend. Of course we drove and I swear if I never have to drive the autostrada here I will be just dandy. It's a crazy road. It's the highway but the speeds are waaaay higher than those in the U.S.
    I've been here 5 hours and already have spoken more Italian that I have in weeks. Which is good, it's what I expected out of this portion of my trip. The most entertaining part of it is Gianfranco and Antonella's daughter, Anna. She's 7 and oh she's just so damn smart. She already told me that she would be my Italian professor here. And I could teach her some English. She already knows quite a bit. On the way home from the train station, she was playing the soundtrack from Mama Mia and singing along with the English words. I'm not sure that she understood what she was singing but still. It was cute. And she's such a ham. Loves to be the center of attention. And she's just adorable. Can you tell I love her?
    The feeling of being at home was simple. I walked in and sighed. It's just a comforting thought. After everyone left, I made my tea and wrote a bit. Then I unpacked a little and settled in a bit then got ready to go. Walking into the 'backyard' of Gianfranco's building (they all live in the same building…no one ever really leaves home) was so normal. I haven't gone over there in 5 years and I swear I felt like it was something I did everyday. Gianfranco's sister was just getting out of her car and when she saw me she was so happy. Ah I love this crazy family of mine. But this is getting long. And it's my 3rd post in a matter of 12 hours. A liiiitle crazy. Oh well. I need to sleep. It's been a long, good day.

Finally in San Giuseppe

     I'm here. I'm really back in San Giuseppe. Back in the house that my dad and my grandpa built. Back in these familiar walls that are so so familiar even though I've only spent a handful of weeks here over my lifetime. This place means so much to me. More than I even know sometimes. Like right now. I can't believe how overwhelmed I am to be here. To be able to be here. I love it. I just spent 15 minutes looking around everything in it (it's a small place..nothing special). But I do love it. I truly love it. I have such good memories here. Laughter stands out the most. And pictures provide the rest of the memories. This is where I came on my first trip when I was 8 months old. My parents put me on the floor of the plane on top of a blanket and like a good little baby I slept most of the 9 hour flight from New York to Italy.        My dad's cousin, her husband and two sons were living here at the time. Gianny is a year older than me and Francesco was a baby. I know this because of the pictures. That's why I LOVE pictures so much. Without them I wouldn't have these memories. There's pictures of Gianny and I in the play pen standing there in just our diapers because it was July/August and it was just too hot to put clothes on children. The adults wished they could dress like us. And there's video. My dad took video. Ooh I want to watch that when I get home. That is my earliest "memory" then. Of course I don't actually remember being here but still. I'm just sad that I never got to come here with my grandfather. It would have been so much fun. But I can feel him here. He built this place and therefore he is this place. I can look into the backyard and see the "garage" he built and see the stone work he put into this place. He was a bricklayer by trade and did beautiful work.
       The train ride was fast….exactly why I took the bullet train. Had a little confusion when I got there and realized that I hadn't set up a meeting spot with my dad's cousin, Gianfranco. But we worked it out. His daughter, Anna, ran at me full speed and oh my goodness she was only 2 when I saw her last time. Now she's 7! SEVEN! Oi Vey do I feel old. Got in the car and got to the house. Immediately saw my great-aunt Zia Eleanora and her husband Zio Antonio. Oh I love them. She is one of 3 of my grandpa's 6 siblings that is still living and she's the only one with her spouse still alive with her. They're adorable together. I love them. And her daughter, my dad's cousin Lina came over. Then another great-aunt's granddaughters (there's a lot and you'll hear about them a lot so keep up) Anna and Milena came to say hi. All of this in a span of about ooh 5 or 7 minutes. They all live on the same street. It's not hard to see when someone new has arrived. Bustled me into the house. I had 3 different people talking to me in Italian and well it's going to be an interesting two weeks is all I have to say about that. But I'm here. I'm here I'm here I'm here. And my mommy left some green tea here when she and my dad were here in April and now I am enjoying that before I go greet the rest of my pazzo famiglia (that's crazy family). Love them. <3 being "home"

On the train

     As I write this I'm on the train from Florence to Naples. It's a little strange to think  that I'm done with Florence..for now. A friend was asking if I was going to come back up for next weekend and I said no, I'm done. No more so say your goodbyes. The goodbyes were tough but they were in mass quantities so they weren't as bad as I thought they would be. A lot of "I swear I'm going to come visit you!!" We'll see if that happens. In a perfect world, all of us would follow through on our promises to go visit each other. The fact of the matter is, we're all college students and by the time we start earning real money, we probably won't have the luxury of traveling all over. I want to visit everyone I've met here. Which would mean me hop-skipping all over the United States and going to England, India, South Africa, Israel and France. Now that would be a fun trip.      Last night was a perfect arrivederci to Florence. Nothing too crazy, just a simple dinner out with a few friends then wandering around for a bit and finally getting everyone together. The end of the night found us sitting at a table at Red Garter with the guys sharing a beer tower, plates of nachos and french fries in front of us. Yep, you read that right. But hey it wasn't my last night in Italy…I'll eat Italian food my last night here. But at that table was everyone I had spent the most time with and it was perfect. I wish a lot more people could have been there but they've all left already. August in Florence is depressing as a student. Everyone's gone home already. Oh well I had fun. Walked home with Ali, Lizi and Yai because Yai left at 4 a.m. Craziness. She's going to Puerto Rico to visit her family for a month then it's back to Georgia for school. Hopefully we'll meet again. I would love to visit Savannah. I've heard it's beautiful.      Ali, Jez and Dylan ran (literally ran) to the station right as I was getting on to say goodbye. Ali said "See you in December" and the boys just said I better come back. I love those three. Oh I don't know what I would have done without them. Especially Ali. We started talking like each other about 3 weeks ago. I spent nearly every single day of the last 2 months with Ali and Yai. It's so strange not to be with them right now. It's going to be even more strange to be with my family without my mom, dad and sister. I've never been alone with them. It's going to be fun =). Ok for now I am done with this post. I just had to write something. Will probably update again soon. I'm in travel mode again which means I have too much time to think about things again. Ooh boy. 2 weeks left in Italy, one in New York, a few days at home then it's back to reality. Ahh the life I live =).