You Never Know

Before I start talking about Arezzo, I should probably mention how I ended up here in the first place. After graduating with a degree in Letters (no, not calligraphy...history, philosophy, literature and linguistics), I decided to take a year off to really spend some time with music. It had always been a second or third priority and I was really looking forward to committing myself to writing. I know myself well enough that if I were to do only that, I would be a bit counterproductive, as I seem to need the perfect balance of 'busy' to keep myself moving forward. So, I began waitressing at a great little wine bar (in line with keeping this new indie-musician mentality) in Norman. I also wanted to continue working on my Italian, as the beauty of the language and the way it felt to communicate while I was abroad was too important to me to watch deteriorate. I made a phone call to OU's abroad offices and asked if there might be any Italian exchange students in Norman that semester who might need a friend, a guide....a car (Norman is not as pedestrian-friendly as most European towns!). I received an email thanking me for wanting to be a 'host mother' shortly after. Apparently there is a bit of a gap when it comes to the involvement in this program. While an undergrad, you are considered a 'cousin', and three months after school I had graduated to 'mother'. Maybe it's all just part of the southern mentality as to what exactly happens after graduation-the beginning of subliminal messages that are supposed to make me feel like it's time to get married, or at the very least, get engaged. Sidenote: This terrifies me. So, moving on, I was a host mother, and Anna became a wonderful friend of mine. I also got to know her roommate, Elisa (who was from Arezzo), and another girl from Florence, Elisabetta (Beba). Over the course of the semester, we all became very close. It was great to have that Italian spirit so close again. The girls were such genuine, kind friends, and I was very sad to see them go in December. One afternoon while I was getting ready for work and probably halfway writing a song and cleaning the living room, I got a phone call from a past Italian instructor, completely out of the blue. He said that a position had just been created with OU's abroad program in Arezzo, Italy, and my name had been mentioned several times. He asked if I was interested, and like a 12 year old I'm pretty sure I unprofessionally blurted out, 'are you serious?!'. I spent some time thinking about the opportunity, what it would mean to my family, and what it meant for my music. I usually play it fairly safe, but when I thought about the most rewarding things I had done over the past few years, and the literal hurt my heart used to feel when I thought about how much I missed Italy, I decided that this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity and I needed to say yes. I had this vision in my mind of thinking back later on in life to those moments when a big decision presented itself and one way or another could be completely life altering, and this felt like one of them. I don't believe in regret, which is convenient because every opportunity becomes a learning experience and there is nothing to lose! Lets be honest, I also was quite looking forward to saying that I lived in Italy (see blog Stuff White People Like #72, paragraph 3...though I'd like to think I am slightly above this). So, I moved to Arezzo in February. Elisa had gone home in December, and was waiting for me at the train station when I arrived. She has become like a sister to me and her family and friends have been the most incredible blessing. You never know when getting involved with the things that you love will lead to such amazing life experiences and opportunities. And that is exactly how I ended up back in Italy. Do what you love, love what you do!