#10: Photo Shoot in Faro with Rachel
To know Rachel and I is to know that we are a little crazy, definitely NOT conventional, and we'll find ways to have fun pretty much anywhere. But one of my favorite moments in Italy was when we went to Capri together (following my first trip in June) and did something different from my first trip - took a bus to Faro, the point of the island. An impromptu photo shoot ensued, with each of us taking pictures of the other. Lots of silliness. Then we discovered the self timer on Rachel's camera, and got my favorite picture of us of all time:
August 2007
I still have this picture framed, it was such a fun moment and very special that Rachel flew over to visit me that August!
#9: My first weekend - trip to the countryside
I arrived in Italy in a whirlwind, and promptly crashed an intern's birthday party (thanks Alison!). I was also invited to a weekend day trip to the Roman countryside, which just goes to show how amazing the intern culture was at WFP. I found myself in a beautiful country house with a pool in the backyard, two tables full of Italian food and groceries, cooking up a storm in the kitchen with my now dear friend Cristiana. I'm not much of a chef now, but this gave me the confidence I could cook for myself and Italy, and more importantly, that I wasn't going to be lonely while I was there. Over 4 years later, we're still friends, and this is a memory that never fails to make me smile.
June 2007
#8: I bought my first painting.
I'd had my eye on the beautiful paintings in Piazza Navona the entire 7 months I lived in Italy. Finally, the week before I was heading home, I broke down and spent the last bit of my savings on a gorgeous original painting. I fell in love with it immediately and successfully bartered the price from 400 to 180 euros. It took an hour and a half. I am terrible at bartering, but I literally could only give the painter the money I had. It turns out when you literally have no more money, you turn from a pitiful barterer to an excellent one. This was such an important moment because it was my first painting, and unlike any of my other purchases (boots, bags, etc) this was one that will be in my home for the rest of my life. And it started the trend of collecting original artwork, which now fills my home with color and happy memories :)
December 2007
#7: I found my apartment
This happened just days before memory 9, but it was a very important day! I had seen an apartment the day before that I really didn't love - and couldn't see myself staying at despite the very nice roommate. I heard about an apartment I'd seen on a listserve and had really no idea where it was, so I gave myself 2 hours to find it. And yes, it took the entire 2 hours wandering around the Marconi neighborhood to find the teeny tiny Via Giuseppe Zamboni street where this apartment was. But instantly, I loved it. Bright blue walls, posters of Marilyn Monroe, and 5 closets - yes this would be home for the next 7 months! I had a very nice landlord and a door to the terrace, and just a short walk from the train station to work. I was clueless but I didn't give up - and I found an apartment I absolutely loved living in :)
June 2007
#6: crashing grandma's 80th birthday party with Courtney
If anyone could find trouble in Italy, it would be my partner in crime Courtney and me. We took a two day trip to Orvieto, Italy and went to a restaurant recommended by my mom's best friend, Gamin. It was called Il Funaro, and it was a restaurant built into a cave with excellent food and wine.
April 2010
After dinner, we heard music coming from downstairs and ventured down to take a peak. It was an old woman's birthday and she was surrounded by her family and a piano player. We turned to go back upstairs but with Courtney's broken understanding of Italian we learned we were invited to stay. We couldn't speak the language but we could drink and dance, which is all that counted. For almost 2 hours we danced and laughed - and Courtney got hit on in Italian by the woman's son who was still way too old for her! And we had a blast. To me, this epitomizes Italy and everything I love about it. And we had fun dancing, too ;)
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