I'M PACKED!!
It didn't take too long. I don't have a terribly large amount of stuff with me. That might explain why every day of my life is the coldest I've ever been and I end up asking why I didn't bring more warm clothing. But that's neither here nor there. And at least I have the warmth of Ohio to look forward to, right? (Ohio has carpet and central heating. Italy does not. So really it might end in a draw.) All I really have to do now is go to Rome on Saturday morning, hang out in Rome, and then leave Sunday morning. That should be easy enough, right?
So, with the discussion of leaving aside, I of course have to further analyze Margherita. What an interesting character. The other day she came into my room holding what appeared to be a large bunch of fake cherries. Of course, she did not offer me any explanation as to why she had these cherries and she threw them onto my open laptop. Actually, before throwing the cherries at me, she walked through my charger cord and proceeded to drag the charger and converter across the room with her. She always manages to do things like that. If something can be spilled, broken, toppled over, banged into, or otherwise disturbed in anyway, by God, she will find a way to do it. She also falls down a lot. That should be noted. Right, so she throws these cherries on my lap top. I told her that I was doing homework, which I was, but she didn't seem to care very much. She told me that I had 10 minutes to report to the studio. I complied. Instead of counting up to 10 minutes aloud like she usually does, she went into the other room to do it. I could still hear her. I always follow rules, so I went into the studio 10 minutes later. Margherita was sitting at a table, wearing a knit page boy hat and gloves. In front of her were these little plastic cherries. She was cutting off the tops so that just the cherry and not the plastic stem could be put in a box decorated with teddy bears. Cherry Harvest. She told me that my job was to separate the cherries from one another and then she would go about cutting off the tops. I asked her at least 6 times why we were doing this and she kept telling me to not worry about it. Oh, and she also didn't think I was doing a very good job at cherry separating. We played this game for maybe 15 minutes before Barbara came in, took one look at what she was doing, and made her stop. There was no yelling or screaming or tears; it was a very calm "You have to ask mommy before you do things like this." Because were they a part of her Christmas decorations? Of course they were.
I like to tell stories about Margh's nuances because they are fascinating and hilarious. Sometimes, though, I will encounter who people who say things like Ok, but you know that you're going to miss her when you leave. Well YEAH of course I am. When did I ever say that I don't care about her or I dislike her? She's just a science project, is all, and I have to constantly tell people what she's up to so that we can all put our heads together and make sense of her. I know that she understands that I leave soon but I don't think Arianna does. Last night as I was leaving, their grandmother asked me when I go. I said Saturday. Arianna looked up at me and said, "Wait, where are you going?" And it was this terrifying moment of realization-very akin to leaving Chester but not really being able to explain to him where I'm going and why. So I said "uhh, the United States" and her grandma said "she's going home." And poor baby girl looked so confused. And then I said ciao and I left.
Last night was our final dinner for the program. I ate a sickening amount of food. On the way to the restaurant, I ran into Luca and Chiara, two of my favorite Siena characters. Luca wished me luck in case I don't see him again before I leave and he asked me to please keep in touch and send e-mails. And that pretty much melted my heart because Luca is the best and of course I want to stay in touch! Especially when Chiara has their baby and they realize that the only practical name to give it (regardless of gender) is Katie.
Where are my children? And why haven't they ran in my room and jumped on my bed, told me to get off the computer and then take me by both hands into the studio where I will sit and laugh at them and ask Margherita why I always have to cook and she gets to plant the garden when we play house? Oh, I've also started shouting "No way, girlfriend!" to Margherita. I think it's really funny when she can't understand me and gets frustrated. Because I'm like, welcome to my life...
In 4 months my stomach still hasn't gotten used to no snacks. So. Hungry.
Lesson: Eat a big lunch, I guess.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Hey, Mid December.
I just made my first stack.
Do you understand what that means?
And it is weird that as I type this, RE: Stacks di Bon Iver is playing? Possibly.
But do you understand the importance of the stacking process in accordance to the packing process? Those stacks are then transferred into a suitcase and then said suitcase is put on a plane headed for the United States. As Margherita would say, "Wowwee Wow Wow Wow!!!!" After my shower, I took my dirty clothes to my hamper. Then I said to myself, "Self, there will be no more laundry days while you are here. So putting dirty clothes in the dirty clothes hamper is of no relevance anymore, is it?" So i folded those clothes and put them on my other bed, thinking, well I'll just know to pack those on the other side of the suit case since they're dirty. About 3 seconds later, the reality of the situation hit me. I am leaving so soon that I
have to consider packing logistics! For the record, my laundry day has always been Friday, so technically I am not missing another laundry day. But I usually don't get those clothes back until the following Tuesday or Wednesday and by that time I will be snuggling in my bed with Chester. So I suppose the dirty clothes will just continue to create their neat little pile and then before I know it I will be hoisting one of my infamously huge laundry piles into the laundry basket at home. Except my mom can't grumble about it too much because I'll be home, you know? (Yeah, Msue does my laundry. Are you going to judge me now? Try it, see what happens.) I also have a trash bag in my room that's been accumulating since circa August 30. Don't worry, it's all paper stuffs. Food particles gross me out too much, remember? So this room's not going to clean itself....I wonder if Margherita will let me teach her a new game?
Do you understand what that means?
And it is weird that as I type this, RE: Stacks di Bon Iver is playing? Possibly.
But do you understand the importance of the stacking process in accordance to the packing process? Those stacks are then transferred into a suitcase and then said suitcase is put on a plane headed for the United States. As Margherita would say, "Wowwee Wow Wow Wow!!!!" After my shower, I took my dirty clothes to my hamper. Then I said to myself, "Self, there will be no more laundry days while you are here. So putting dirty clothes in the dirty clothes hamper is of no relevance anymore, is it?" So i folded those clothes and put them on my other bed, thinking, well I'll just know to pack those on the other side of the suit case since they're dirty. About 3 seconds later, the reality of the situation hit me. I am leaving so soon that I
have to consider packing logistics! For the record, my laundry day has always been Friday, so technically I am not missing another laundry day. But I usually don't get those clothes back until the following Tuesday or Wednesday and by that time I will be snuggling in my bed with Chester. So I suppose the dirty clothes will just continue to create their neat little pile and then before I know it I will be hoisting one of my infamously huge laundry piles into the laundry basket at home. Except my mom can't grumble about it too much because I'll be home, you know? (Yeah, Msue does my laundry. Are you going to judge me now? Try it, see what happens.) I also have a trash bag in my room that's been accumulating since circa August 30. Don't worry, it's all paper stuffs. Food particles gross me out too much, remember? So this room's not going to clean itself....I wonder if Margherita will let me teach her a new game?
Look at this temp tat I was given! Thanks, children.
I guess I'll let you know how the packing goes. And which items I choose to leave here instead of having to pack them.
Lesson: Italian lesson today. The above tat reads "We are in love." It's going to look really good on me.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Collected Data
Margherita is a science fair project.
I'm not sure who is following along with my daily adventures with her, but you should know that I go to bed, almost every single night, saying to myself What just happened? Because in recent weeks it has dawned on me that I am having real conversations with her. And, as if that isn't strange enough, we've developed an actual relationship that is akin to, I don't know, sisterly? I guess my point is this: She might be crazy. She might be brilliant. But she is certainly the most entertaining child I have ever met.
Margherita gets bored easily. I find this hilarious because Italians LOVE having a routine. This morning when I was smearing Nutella on a fritte and then dipping it in my cappuccino I thought....Huh. At circa 8:07 every morning for the past 3 1/2 months you have smeared Nutella on exactly two frittes. Eat yogurt first. Eat small piece of cake. Nutella and frittes. Drink remaining cappuccino. Drink glass of water. Ball up napkin and stuff in yogurt cup. Yogurt cup in water glass. Mug and saucer stacked on top of breakfast plate. Carry all into kitchen and put in sink. I have literally done that every single day since August 30 with the exception of small trips. And that one time I slept in on a Saturday. Both meals eaten at home function this way. Routine. Maybe that's why Margherita gets so bored if she sits still for more than 3 minutes. For about 3 or 4 nights in a row, we play the same game. When I first got here, she just wanted to watch Friends all the time. Then play with Katie's stuff. Then volleyball. Then card games. Then drawing. Then house. Then magic spells. Then Katie and Margherita's art gallery where everything is sold at a reasonably affordable price. It's hard to keep up, actually. Arianna and I usually just nod our heads in agreement-it's alot easier that way. Last night Ari and I hid in my bed and watched videos of James Franco while Margherita ran around looking for us. Oh, she found us. And that's when we went to "work." Because play is like work for her. A certain quota of play must be done every night before we can go to bed. What a weird kid.
The other night was Stuffed Animal Play night. I enjoy a good stuffed animal play. Margherita began by introducing me to all of the actors in the show-it looked like a pretty decent cast. Of course, all of the animals had Italian names because she's Italian, you know? After a dozen or so introductions, she picked up a small pink cat. "And thiiiis....is Gatto Steve!" First of all, everything she ever says is in Italian so just KNOW that, ok? She's not an English prodigy or anything. But do you know what gatto means? It means cat. Cat Steve. I'm still not sure which part of Gatto Steve's name is most hilarious. Naturally, she and Arianna got in an argument over Gatto Steve's name being a boy name or a girl name. I assured them that yes, little pink Gatto Steve is in fact a boy. Once that was settled, I realized that the Lion's head was literally dangling by a thread. This was disconcerting to me. Margherita assured me atleast a dozen times that it didn't matter if Lion's head was falling off. I decided to take matters into my own hands. I went in my room and got the needle and thread I had brought with me. I sat down with Lion in my lap and began the extensive, and sometimes fatal, head re-attachment process. Don't worry-I assured both girls that I am a doctor. Oh, sidenote. 3-ish years ago I performed the exact same surgery on Serp's Cleveland Cavaliers bear when a certain character ripped its head off in a fit of post-season hysteria. Bear was my first survivor. And, thankfully, Lion was my second. The best part about this surgery is that my host nonna AND Fabio both walked in and immediately fell in love with me because I was sewing together injured stuffed animals. Right, so I believe the girls were mildly impressed with my sewing abilities. Then Margherita saw that Lion and Donkey's tails were tied together. Instead of untying the tails, she cut them off. Just picked up a pair of scissors and cut of their tails. Girl, seriously? So yes. You can assume that while the other animals got to act in their end of the year production, I was mending the tails of Lion and Donkey. I'll probably be putting this experience on my med school application.
I could literally go on for years about the strange nuances of this child. I feel like merely explaining them, though, does not do the entire experience justice. I will leave you with a final anecdote and then maybe you can make your own judgement.
Margherita really likes math. I like doing math with her because numbers are universal and there's not much to be lost in translation. She also really likes to come up with little games where letters are equal to certain numbers and then you add the words together and then the numbers that come out...I don't know, I think it's supposed to be a message or something. The other day she selected numbers totally at random. She did some additional then some subtraction. The answer was 666. Check and mate.
The magic number is 10. MOLTO STRANO.
Lesson: Learn to sew. The animals need you.
I'm not sure who is following along with my daily adventures with her, but you should know that I go to bed, almost every single night, saying to myself What just happened? Because in recent weeks it has dawned on me that I am having real conversations with her. And, as if that isn't strange enough, we've developed an actual relationship that is akin to, I don't know, sisterly? I guess my point is this: She might be crazy. She might be brilliant. But she is certainly the most entertaining child I have ever met.
Margherita gets bored easily. I find this hilarious because Italians LOVE having a routine. This morning when I was smearing Nutella on a fritte and then dipping it in my cappuccino I thought....Huh. At circa 8:07 every morning for the past 3 1/2 months you have smeared Nutella on exactly two frittes. Eat yogurt first. Eat small piece of cake. Nutella and frittes. Drink remaining cappuccino. Drink glass of water. Ball up napkin and stuff in yogurt cup. Yogurt cup in water glass. Mug and saucer stacked on top of breakfast plate. Carry all into kitchen and put in sink. I have literally done that every single day since August 30 with the exception of small trips. And that one time I slept in on a Saturday. Both meals eaten at home function this way. Routine. Maybe that's why Margherita gets so bored if she sits still for more than 3 minutes. For about 3 or 4 nights in a row, we play the same game. When I first got here, she just wanted to watch Friends all the time. Then play with Katie's stuff. Then volleyball. Then card games. Then drawing. Then house. Then magic spells. Then Katie and Margherita's art gallery where everything is sold at a reasonably affordable price. It's hard to keep up, actually. Arianna and I usually just nod our heads in agreement-it's alot easier that way. Last night Ari and I hid in my bed and watched videos of James Franco while Margherita ran around looking for us. Oh, she found us. And that's when we went to "work." Because play is like work for her. A certain quota of play must be done every night before we can go to bed. What a weird kid.
The other night was Stuffed Animal Play night. I enjoy a good stuffed animal play. Margherita began by introducing me to all of the actors in the show-it looked like a pretty decent cast. Of course, all of the animals had Italian names because she's Italian, you know? After a dozen or so introductions, she picked up a small pink cat. "And thiiiis....is Gatto Steve!" First of all, everything she ever says is in Italian so just KNOW that, ok? She's not an English prodigy or anything. But do you know what gatto means? It means cat. Cat Steve. I'm still not sure which part of Gatto Steve's name is most hilarious. Naturally, she and Arianna got in an argument over Gatto Steve's name being a boy name or a girl name. I assured them that yes, little pink Gatto Steve is in fact a boy. Once that was settled, I realized that the Lion's head was literally dangling by a thread. This was disconcerting to me. Margherita assured me atleast a dozen times that it didn't matter if Lion's head was falling off. I decided to take matters into my own hands. I went in my room and got the needle and thread I had brought with me. I sat down with Lion in my lap and began the extensive, and sometimes fatal, head re-attachment process. Don't worry-I assured both girls that I am a doctor. Oh, sidenote. 3-ish years ago I performed the exact same surgery on Serp's Cleveland Cavaliers bear when a certain character ripped its head off in a fit of post-season hysteria. Bear was my first survivor. And, thankfully, Lion was my second. The best part about this surgery is that my host nonna AND Fabio both walked in and immediately fell in love with me because I was sewing together injured stuffed animals. Right, so I believe the girls were mildly impressed with my sewing abilities. Then Margherita saw that Lion and Donkey's tails were tied together. Instead of untying the tails, she cut them off. Just picked up a pair of scissors and cut of their tails. Girl, seriously? So yes. You can assume that while the other animals got to act in their end of the year production, I was mending the tails of Lion and Donkey. I'll probably be putting this experience on my med school application.
I could literally go on for years about the strange nuances of this child. I feel like merely explaining them, though, does not do the entire experience justice. I will leave you with a final anecdote and then maybe you can make your own judgement.
Margherita really likes math. I like doing math with her because numbers are universal and there's not much to be lost in translation. She also really likes to come up with little games where letters are equal to certain numbers and then you add the words together and then the numbers that come out...I don't know, I think it's supposed to be a message or something. The other day she selected numbers totally at random. She did some additional then some subtraction. The answer was 666. Check and mate.
The magic number is 10. MOLTO STRANO.
Lesson: Learn to sew. The animals need you.
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