Proof that God exists?

K and I went to lunch today at Luca's restaurant.  (His hotness is another story entirely.....)  Anyway, we ordered pasta and water.  Luca, of course, offered us wine.  At the exact same time, I spout an emphatic "No" as K says "Yes!"  She's thinking he'll bring us each a glass.  But this is Luca, so of Course there's a full bottle of good red wine at our table moments later.  K has to nanny this afternoon, and I'm scheduled to teach a class of 4-year-olds.  Only three of them, but still.  Their little lives are in my hands for a full hour.

So we drink, maybe 2/3 of the bottle and order coffee.  That'll help, right?  Plus we have stomachs full of pasta, so there you.  And of course along with the coffee comes two double-shots of amaretto.  !

60 minutes later, I'm walking down XX Settembre on the way to the school, feeling downright drunk.  Not stumbling or slurring drunk, but in no shape to drive.  Of course I found it funny at the time, but really.  Drunk with tiny children?  Not cool.

So I get to the school a half hour early.  Drink some water.  Not feeling drunk, though still tipsy.  I do some last minute prepping.  I can pull this off, but it's still not cool.  

And at 4:25, I called it.  No one showed!  Yay!  This happens at the school from time to time - not a strange occurrence, but it's the first time it's happened to me.  So maybe God decided that these little babes shouldn't be in a classroom with me today.  

Good call, dude.  I'm with you.

How I'm failing Italy

I'm about to head into school to teach a couple of classes.  It's raining.  Again.  I had most of the day free, and Kim and I planned to go see some Genoa sights.  But it rained all friggin day.  It's tough to get motivated and excited when you're constantly being spit upon from above.

Because of the craptastic mood this place puts me in, when I come home I watch English television on itunes, read English books, and listen to English music.  To get the full Italian experience, I should really be watching Italian TV, walking around Italian neighborhoods, and spending my free time studying the Italian language.  Instead of whining about the stupid weather and bus system.

So tonight, after class, I buckle down with studying.  There are many things to do in preparation for the move to Assisi this weekend, but that doesn't mean I can't start now.  

Ciao,

Annie

Thank Goodness

Relief.  I woke up this morning, checked the online headlines, and learned of our next president!!!!   This feels a little sad, but I feel much more relief than excitement.  Maybe by February that will change.  I couldn't stay up late enough last night to see things as they happened, so it wasn't an energetic experience for me, but I'm calmer.  A little more hopeful, a little less worried.

What an exciting fact, though, that so many people were inspired to get involved, be it through volunteering or voting.  It's nice to think of so many people caring and working towards a common goal - a better nation, better world, better life, better future.  Super-corny, yes, but it's pretty swell.

When GW won (both times), I was crushed.  Cuh-rushed.  I hope that those rooting for McCain aren't feeling as badly as I did - that they have some confidence in Obama.  It'd be nice to have some more collaborative optimism.

And sidebar: Hooray!

Genova loses its charm

General updates:

- K and I have found a pretty good balance.  It no longer feels like "The K Show" and I've learned how to take some things with a grain of salt.  Part of that was thinking a little more about her perspective, which gave me, I think, more understanding.  It's still a challenge sometimes, but that comes with spending a lot of time with a person.  Aside from the challenges, she's also taught me a lot about different ways to approach life, and my own outlook.  Healthy.

- I'm starting to think I don't like teaching.  Part of the problem is that the teaching schedule in this environment is inherently chaotic.  They don't know until a few days before that some classes will occur, then they have to scramble for teachers.  The classes are all over town, so I'm regularly scrambling to learn how to get there.  (Tonight's is over an hour away - two buses and a train ride, plus 20-30 minutes of walking.  Not fun.)  I prefer a regular schedule with easily anticipated expectations for curriculum, location, etc.

- Commuting is a bitch.  It rains here all the time, and I spend about 3 hours of my day walking to the bus, standing on a smelly, crowded bus (with a heavy bag of books breaking my back), or standing in the pouring rain waiting for the bus.  Not my ideal Italy.

- Once you set aside the language and wonky store hours, Genova is actually a lot like DC.  Lots of commerce, somewhat stylish, people in a hurry, commuters, etc.  Only here it seems to be grey most of the time.  Boo.

- I'm speaking English all the time.  Duh, I'm teaching it, but I didn't think about what kind of impact that would have on my "Italian experience" I didn't know I was gunning for.  And it's making me a little resentful.

So I like a lot of the people here, but am not getting what I think I wanted out of the experience.  Last weekend K and I went to Assisi, where my family lived in 2006/07.  It is a beautiful area full of real Italian culture.  It is strong and moving.  I was overwhelmed with emotion the whole time I was there, and K fell in love with it, not surprisingly.

Result?  We're moving!  This weekend we visit Venice (Venezia in italiano), and next weekend we move to Assisi.  The more I contemplate, the more I don't want my Italian experience to include too much traditional work.  That cuts my trip short big time.  I probably won't be able to come back after Christmas.  But frankly I think I'll better relish in and value one phenomenal month in Assisi than I will a longer experience in Genova with strained, minimal pleasure.

Selfish?  Whimsical?  Maybe.  But I'm probably only going to live in this country once.  It'll be on my terms.