Life is Good Today

Me, Becky and Erin at our picnic today.
I've done it again...neglected to post. In all fairness, however, this week has been hectic. In a good way- I started my new job (!) on Monday. I'm working for a school called the Trinity school, and it's teaching English to adults, and it's awesome. There's no lesson planning and no traveling. It takes place at the school, and we basically follow along on the students' learning trajectories. Everyone's very nice, and I really like it so far. We've had a couple of days' wretched weather here, but today was absolutely beautiful. Becky, after being temporarily foiled by the dastardly Icelandic volcano whose name I can't pronounce, let alone spell, has arrived in Rome. She got in on Friday evening, and it's been a wonderful time so far. Today, she, Erin and myself went to the Porta Portese market, which sells everything from clothes to used batteries (really). It was awesome, and so sunny. The market closes at 2, at which point we went and had a picnic in a park somewhere, where various others came and met us. An absolutely perfect day. I have briefly returned back to my apartment to regain my energy and take a shower, then will be heading out to Sunday night karaoke at Scholar's Lounge. I wish I could convey to you all just how great it is here. I am so freaking happy, and for someone who rather cynically has spent the majority of her life waiting for the other shoe to drop, it's a bit unsettling. But in the immortal words of the McDonald's advertising team, I'm Lovin' It. The food is awesome, I finally have a job, and the people have met and exceeded any expectations I had. I miss my family, and my friends in the States, but I'm on this awesome rollercoaster, and I'm going to stay on it for a while. I don't know what each day will bring, but every night I fall asleep smiling, having fallen just a little bit more in love with existence, messy and strange though it may be sometimes.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

Wow, I can't believe another week has gone by! I'm having such a great time that every so often I have to step back and wonder if this is really my life. I love Rome, and I love the people I've met so far. I have been offered a job, which I start tomorrow (Monday) so hopefully I'll be able to get some solid hours with them! Becky was supposed to visit this weekend, but the volcano in Iceland foiled those plans, so she's re-booked for next weekend, but I hear that flights might be grounded for a while. I hope she makes it. On another note...Dad's coming! Craig Foley will be in Rome from April 30th-May 6. I'm so excited. We had such a great time when we came here as a family 3 years ago, and I'm planning lots of fun things for us to do. It means the world to me that he's coming, and it's also a great excuse for me to do a bunch of tourist-y things that I might not think of on a day-to-day basis. I can't wait to show him my apartment, and introduce him to some of my friends, and be able to share in some of the excitement I have for my life here. I just re-read this, and realized that I have become one of those people who can talk about nothing but how happy they are. I'll try and throw in some bite next time, but for now it's springtime in Rome. Tonight a bunch of us are going to the Pakistani ambassador's house to watch the Rome soccer game. Should be fun, it's always an experience at Rahim's. Much love to all.

Money Talks

So I've been constantly applying for jobs since being here, and since nobody ever responds to emails in Italy, the search has been somewhat disheartening. However, I know that something will come up, and in the meantime, I have started advertising for private lessons. When you learn how to teach English, you go into it with the knowledge that you will never get rich doing it. This is a vocation for those who love interacting with people, and who have a desire to subsidize a life of minimalism. Basically, we just need to cover the rent and maybe some food. English teachers are typically paid very poorly, so most go into private lessons as a way of earning some extra cash. Now, I just had my first private lesson this morning, and I can say that aside from the potential for gratification by watching one person improve before your eyes, another positive to this endeavor is the instant, off-the-books gratification of cash. I have heard horror stories of people who work for companies and schools having to literally beg to be paid, and I'm sure at some point I too will encounter such joys, but in the meantime I am jumping up and down with joy over having received my first payment for anything in Europe (I have yet to be paid for my part-time work with the kids). It seems so silly, to get excited about a little thing like this, but it gives me some modicum of hope that maybe, just maybe, I will be able to support myself here. Or at least cover my rent.

The Animals of Rome

Although I'm in a major city, and encounters with dangerous animals are few, there are still a couple of notable experiences that I would like to share with you all today. First of all, the pigeons. Being a New Yorker, I am used to pigeons, or as I like to call them, "rats with wings". How they are of the same family as the elegant dove is beyond me. Pigeons are pestilent, unfortunate creatures that travel in herds and detract from the scenery wherever they go. That being said, the pigeons in Rome are also BOLD. At least in New York, when you walk towards a pigeon, they usually fly away. Not here! The pigeons here will stand their ground, engaging you in a perverse game of 'chicken' to see who moves first. NB: The pigeon will not move first. You have to get out of the way or risk actually touching one of these foul things. This was not supposed to be a rant, but I decided to write this post due to the fact that A PIGEON ALMOST LANDED ON MY HEAD YESTERDAY. I was walking down the street, I saw a pigeon flying towards me, I figured it would move, and...it did, but only at the last minute. It was such a close call that I wondered if pigeons don't harbor some sort of advanced pre-cognitive capabilities specifically honed to the detection of human fear and disgust. I imagine it's similar to the thought process of the budding serial killer who tortures cute animals for fun. FYI: The picture above is of a pigeon who seems to be suffering for the sins of his brethren- probably diseased and with only one leg. It would be heart-wrenching if I hadn't met the others first.
My other animal experience was less death-defying, and actually kind of funny, with only a small margin of annoying thrown in there. After I wrote my post yesterday, waxing poetic about how fantastic my new apartment is, night fell...and the cats came out. Anyone who's ever read a Garfield comic strip knows that Garfield spends a fair amount of his time caterwauling on some poor neighbor's fence. Not until last night did I know that these entertaining comics had some basis in fact. At first I thought a child was making some sort of noise indicating pain, but then I remembered my old cat, Buster. Buster made a noise like this once, and Mom thought one of us was hurt. If you've seen the South Park movie, it's sort of like the sound of a dying giraffe, but in a higher register. Anyway, I digress. A number of the neighborhood cats started in on this strange symphony, until the only sound I could hear over the cacophony was the intermittent sounds of my own hysterical laughter. Should this continue to occur, I'm sure it will become much less entertaining, but for the time being, it's still pretty funny.

Happy April!

Hi everybody, sorry I've been so remiss in writing...things have been pretty much the same here, although I can't complain because I'm in ROME! On Monday I went to the necropolis under St. Peter's Basilica, which was the coolest thing ever. Literally a city of the dead right under the basilica. Below even the grottoes, where the popes are buried. The highlight of the tour was of course seeing the tomb of St. Peter, as well as some bones which may or may not be his, but I've chosen to believe they are his, because that's so much cooler. As I write this, I am sitting at my desk in my new bedroom! I moved in yesterday, and it's great. My computer is right in front of a window, where I can look out the open window because it's a beautiful day, and see...mostly other buildings, but also lemon trees! It's amazing, and in a beautiful residential area called Centocelle, which is pretty far from the center, but it's so peaceful. And my room is huge. Like, legitimately huge. I have a queen-sized bed, and a closet that New Yorkers could only dream of. I can't fill it, it's amazing! The only thing wrong with the room is that it is poorly lit at night, but that doesn't even matter because during the day it's so bright! My roommates are nice, I haven't really spent much time with Natalie, but she is a student from Pennsylvania. Joseph is great, he's from Egypt, and very nice. We have a kitchen, which is small but very functional, and a washing machine but no dryer. People here don't use dryers. Apparently that's a luxury, and it's taken some getting used to, seeing people's clothing and sheets hanging out of windows all over the place. You can learn a lot about people from their clothes. For example, I can tell that the lady across the way and two floors up is kind of hefty because there are a couple of voluminous undershirts hanging out the window...better than her knickers, I guess!!! The job hunt is still pretty stagnant, I still have the part-time job, and apply for everything that I can, but nothing seems to be coming back. Just have to keep my chin up and hope something comes along! Hope everyone's enjoying good weather everywhere and Happy Easter! The picture is of my desk and window!