New Semester, New Rules

It's hard to believe that it's already the end of August, and I am 7 months into this great adventure. Like starting anything for the first time, there is absolutely a period of adjustment and I think that I have finally settled into a routine that feels right, which makes me even more excited for my final four months here. There were points over the past several months where I really questioned if I had made the right decision when I came to Italy in February....considering I arrived with no place to live, not much direction when it came to my job, and found myself alone in a huge apartment with too much time to think. At the end of the day I know that I live in Tuscany (which is incredible), but I have definitely learned that studying abroad and working abroad are two completely different ball games. It's like choosing to go to medical school in the most beautiful place you can imagine, only to find you have to look at it through a classroom or library window without having much opportunity to really get outside and enjoy it.

However, now that I have a better understanding of the way that OU's program works and what is reasonably expected of me (reasonably being the key word...which for me will inevitably still mean saying yes to things not exactly included in my job description)I am really looking forward to taking a few weekends to explore some places I have been dying to see, without feeling like I need to apologize for it. We'll see how that goes...but I'm in one of those moods to make my plans a reality and when that happens, things seem to work themselves out. It's nice to have that motivation back.

Spending almost two full weeks with my parents just before getting started with the semester was exactly what I needed, and I was so happy that they were able to visit-love you, mom and dad! I am so lucky to have the family that I do...I couldn't imagine many other people with the kind of patience and understanding that they have. We had a great time, visiting several places that I've already seen...but it is always so worth it to be with someone who is seeing it for the first time. Italy can be a rollercoaster at times...it has this power to be completely magical, and then beyond frustrating in a matter of seconds. But, inevitably, after a day of being treated like a tourist, or ignored at a cafe, or sold a lobster in your pasta only to find out it cost 100 euro at a place where everything was under 15 (still sorry, mom and dad!), you find yourself turning a corner and experiencing the most breathtaking picture of sheer beauty-whether it's a field of sunflowers, a quiet street in the middle of a busy city, the sun setting over tuscan hills, or a friend's family treating me and my family like part of their own around a dinner table. I think I just teared up for a second. Thank you, God, for all the amazing things and people You have allowed me to be a part of, even when I lose perspective for a little while.

I spent all day Saturday in Rome picking up the new students for the fall semester, and today and tomorrow will be with them at school for orientation. I will feel so accomplished if I can find a way to give them half of the joy that Italy has given me, and I hope to leave this semester with no regrets and feeling ready to come home. It will be interesting to see where the 1st of the year takes me. For now, though, I'm staying in the moment, enjoying every second (except the ones immediately following a dinner 3 times the size of my stomach), and hoping to do my best. A little pressure was never a bad thing...so lets see what I can fit into 120 more days!

Mangia, Prega, Ama

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert has officially become my summer must-read, for obvious reasons. It will also probably be one of the few books I get through over the next couple of weeks, considering I am attempting it in Italian. Beginning in Italy, it is Gilbert’s story of the search for happiness and satisfying a desire for adventure. I shouldn't be able to relate to a recently divorced 34 year old, but as I watch a number of my 20-something friends get engaged and beginning to settle down, I am given a brief flash-forward of what life could be like had I made the same decisions. She talks about living in Rome, meeting a multitude of men about my age or slightly older (where are they?), immensely enjoying conversation over too much food and wine, and inevitably ending the evenings alone (I think so anyway, it’s all in Italian....). I’m hoping that by getting all of this out of the way now, I won’t end up soul-searching for the very first time 10 years from now. As I’m sitting here enjoying a glass of wine (ok, two) and one of my many culinary experiments, I realize that my life looks like a mix of scenes from Under the Tuscan Sun and Julia & Julia. If anyone decides to make a movie about a 23 ½ year old experiencing life and following dreams, could Kate Hudson play me? That would be wonderful, though I’m sure Elizabeth is satisfied with Hollywood’s choice of Julia Roberts for the film rendition of her story. I’m looking forward to reading on and being inspired by the ‘do’ attitude Gilbert has. Anyone can talk about stepping outside of their comfort zone and doing the things they’ve always wanted to, but she actually did. I think that there is a lot to be admired in that kind of courage-I can only hope to channel and hold onto some of it myself!

I spent this weekend with my friend Luca in Florence and at the beach. I met Luca a few years ago, while I was studying in Florence. He swears I hit on one of his friends first, in the karaoke bar where we had all been hanging out. I won’t deny it. I do have photo-evidence of an unattractive wine stain covering my otherwise pearly-white shorts, and it was my first weekend in Italy….so I probably did flash a quick smile Niccolo’s way. Either way, over the past two years, Luca has become an incredible friend and I always enjoy spending time with him, and our discussions about how I’m too traditional and he’s too liberal, or I’m too Catholic and he’s too kind-of-Buddhist. I even got him to read a chapter from Mangia, Prega, Ama regarding Gilbert’s definition of God while I was reading my book on the beach. Baby steps.

I am really looking forward to the rest of this week. I think I’ll take a trip to Lucca on my own tomorrow-it’s a beautiful little Tuscan town, where you can apparently rent bicycles and ride around the city walls. Sounds like a good day-trip to me. Also, my mom and dad will be here this weekend and I can’t wait! I wish my brother could join us, but at least we had a chance to visit for a week in June. We went out for Elisa’s birthday and after a 4 hour dinner somehow still felt the need to teach everyone how to take Irish Car Bombs. It’s kind of a Leary signature, and I do enjoy surprising my friends with the ease at which I can take care of a Guinness. Only Guinness though-I’m sure someone from college has the video of my first and last attempt at ‘shot-gunning’ a beer. I think I’ll stick to slowly enjoying a glass of wine.

Well, dinner is finished, and I am off to get some fresh air before calling it an evening. Ci vediamo!