(Written 8-8-11 while in San Nicola with no internet access. Please excuse the bit of repetition from my last blog. It's been so long that I couldn't remember where I left off).
I have gone silent on this blog. With all the best intentions to keep it updated frequently, life has gotten in the way. Work turned crazy and there were many days that I just didn’t think I’d make it through. I prayed the days would speed up to summer vacation while at the same time wishing the days would go by slower so I could accomplish my long list of to-do’s in the office. The work has been more of a challenge then I had anticipated. There were days that I honestly did not think I would get through. However, I must say the support I felt from my teammates and most importantly Mariano, my rock who has quite literally held me together, helped me get through it all and some how I’ve come out the other end and my sanity is slowly being restored on a much needed vacation in the south of Italy. It has taken a few days but I am now at peace and relishing the days of relaxation. Looking forward to a fresh start at work once I am back carrying with me the lessons I have learned over the last few months to make next year more successful. I won’t let a little thing such as the Olympics being held in London get in the way of that either!
While it has seemed that my life has been the office the past few months, now that I sit here with the sea breeze blowing softly over my skin in San Nicola Arcella and the relaxation has set in and I reflect on the past few months, a lot has happened. Some big events that deserve their own separate blog but here is a bit of a recap.
We’ve moved into our apartment and spent numerous Saturdays at Ikea and other furniture stores to turn the place into our home. My stuff arrived late May and we are almost all together. Of course, there are still a few nagging boxes and pictures to hang but for the most part we are open for business to entertain guests. We’ve had a few already. Mariano’s parents have visited twice. The first time was for Easter and we were barely moved in. We had our couch, coffee table and were using his old couch/futon for our bed. Our table was supposed to arrive but hadn’t so the night before, Mariano rushed around after work, renting a van and getting to the store just before close to get the table himself. We spent Good Friday building it, and were still building as the family arrived. As we finished, Mama filled our bare kitchen with yet more pasta but also yummy meatballs, eggplant parmagiana and Napoli pastries to name just a few of the delicious treats imported directly from Italy. They visited again in June. This time, we were much more put together so it was much nicer to host. We’ve also hosted one of Mariano’s best friends, Lello and his girlfriend. Most recently my best friend Katie came for a visit along which overlapped a friend from work’s visit. This however, is a separate blog entirely.
(A full Italian fridge. This is what happens when Mariano's parents visit. Our cupboards were magically filled as well!).
We had a couple of touristy outings, Mount Pilatus and the Rhine Falls. Both of these are major sites in Switzerland, Mount Pilatus being in our backyard and the Rhine Falls about an hour away. However, Mariano had visited neither in his 7.5 years living here in Lucerne. Not going to Mount Pilatus was becoming like a badge of honor for him. No one could believe it, especially because we can get free passes through the office. I didn’t even force the issue and he booked our tickets for April 30th. The weather was not perfect, the clouds surrounded the peak. Though, they did move rapidly giving a short window of opportunity to take in the breathtaking sites that lie below. We enjoyed a local favorite at the hotel restaurant on the peak. I don’t remember the name but it is basically mac and cheese , potatoes with caramelized onions that they serve with apple sauce intended to eat all together. It was nice while the sun was shining keeping us warm but it soon disappeared behind the clouds never to return again. It became extremely cold quite fast so we finished up as quickly as we could and descended back down the mountain via the gondola. It took a while to defrost. Even though it was a warm day in town, it was probably a good 30 minutes before I removed my gloves. The next day we awoke to a sunny Sunday. Mariano suggested a walk and I suggested we hop in the car for an adventure. I was told sunny days in Lucerne were rare so I wanted to take advantage. (We ended up having a fabulous spring with warm sunny days. Our summer has been just the opposite, cold and wet. It has been weird to read everyone’s face book statuses that cry of excessive heat when many days in June and July I wore a jacket to keep warm). Our random adventure took us to the Rhine Falls. It was beautiful, we did a bit of walking around, took a boat ride which included charging the falls….a wee bit scary, grabbed a sausage and then high tailed it back to the car to garner shelter from the imminent rain from the storm clouds rolling in over the falls. A good weekend and one of the first that didn’t include a trip to Ikea! In fact, we imposed a bit of a ban on the store as to not feed our addiction and keep our wallets in tact. I had joked to Mariano on several occasions that Sweden has a monopoly over us. They give us our paychecks and then we give it all back to them in Ikea and the only affordable clothing store in Switzerland is H&M which I believe is also a Swedish founded company---those Swedes are smart good looking people.
In May, I had another work trip to London scheduled. We decided to make a weekend out of it and Mariano flew up with me on a Friday to spend the weekend. Again, I quickly felt the comfort of the sounds of English and the bustling city with so much to offer…all of which I could understand! We met up with Mariano’s friend that works for EF (at one time in Lucerne and now in London) over some Tapas and wine, went to Portobello markets with Rachel on Saturday, stopping for a snack and my first Pimm’s drink while ending the day with some yummy Thai food paired perfectly with cold Thai beer. Mariano’s flight was early afternoon on Sunday so as we bid our farewells I set off to do a little shopping and to maybe find a hairdresser. I’ve been avoiding getting a hair cut in Lucerne for two reasons, the language barrier could lead to a tragic hairdo and the prices are ridiculous. I walked into the first decent place I found and asked if they had availability. Just my luck, there was a no show and they slid me into her slot. However, no prices were listed and I ignorantly failed to ask. I nearly lost it when I paid 70 pounds for the hair cut! While the cut was good I ended up spending more than I would have in Lucerne! Next time, I will be sure to ask for the entry level stylist not the top of the line! I ditched the shopping as I was now too poor from my haircut and headed north to catch up with Rachel in her new hood, first a coffee and carrot cake, then a depressing true story movie (the name escapes me) about a middle eastern woman stoned to death in modern day all because she wouldn’t divorce her husband so he could marry a young girl . He concocted a story that she was unfaithful and through corruption of officials and people in the town created witnesses to a crime punishable by stoning. A truly eye opening movie. We attempted to lift our spirits after the movie by checking out an Indian place down the street from her apartment. The place did not disappoint.
One weekend in June, Mariano went to Piedmont in Italy with a group of friends that started with him at EF. I spent one of the days with Diana, a friend from my sorority in college. She now lives in Zurich which is only an hour train ride from me. It was so great to see a familiar face as this was a time when work was insane. We spent the day in Zurich, having lunch and taking a boat ride around the lake. It was so great to catch up with Diana as I have not seen her since college. She told me the story of how she and her husband met in Chicago how their back and forth long distance relationship led to her moving to Zurich--their second date was in Paris! She moved to Zurich last fall so she is about 6 months ahead of me on the adjusting to this new lifestyle so it was also good to hear how her transition has been going. Next time we meet up we hope to bring the fellas along as well.
The last weekend in June, Mariano’s friend Lello and his girlfriend came to visit. It was the night of the Lucerne festival. There are a lot of festivals here! We walked downtown in time to see some great fireworks and then spent the rest of the night walking around enjoying live music throughout the city with beers, meat on a stick, sausages and pretzels. It was great to see the fireworks as we were flying to Boston the following weekend but leaving on the 4th to fly back to Lucerne so we weren’t going to see the amazing Boston celebration. As most of you know, Boston turned out to be quite the eventful weekend as Mariano asked me to marry him that weekend. I’ll blog about this in detail later.
Just after we had returned and I learned that my Grandma B had passed away in her sleep. I am happy to hear that it sounds as though she passed peacefully and I pray without pain. This is one of the hardest things of being so far away as I was unable to return to the states the following weekend to attend her services. My heart was there with her and giving my family a huge hug. Rest in peace Grandma B, you will be missed. I am happy that you were able to meet my future husband before you left us.
Mariano left for a 12-day EF teacher convention in Slovenia and Croatia that Friday. Saturday, a guy from work and his wife were having a party, 70’s themed. I was determined to make an appearance even though I wasn’t sure I’d really know anyone there. You have to put yourself out there to make friends darnit! Well, I do wish I would have contacted someone prior to setting off for the night to show up together. Just as I left I was caught in a terrible downpour and even with my umbrella quickly became soaked. I wasn’t sure where I was going, and a 20 minute trip turned into about an hour. At one point I could hear the party, but was unable to find it, such a tease! Of course, as I turned up it was getting dark out so it was extremely difficult to make out any faces. Finally, I spotted a familiar face in Allison and relaxed a bit. Had some interesting conversations that evening with people in good costumes, not sure I’d recognize them on a normal day. I’m happy that I forced myself to make it out there solo.
And there you have it, we’re mostly caught up with the exception of my current trip which has included a bit of wedding venue shopping. We have made a decision, although you’ll have to wait for a later post to get all the details. A challenging time in the office but also a busy time outside of the office as I settle into my new life abroad. With each day it becomes easier and I know that I’ve made a great decision to move here and start my life with my new FIANCE J.
I have gone silent on this blog. With all the best intentions to keep it updated frequently, life has gotten in the way. Work turned crazy and there were many days that I just didn’t think I’d make it through. I prayed the days would speed up to summer vacation while at the same time wishing the days would go by slower so I could accomplish my long list of to-do’s in the office. The work has been more of a challenge then I had anticipated. There were days that I honestly did not think I would get through. However, I must say the support I felt from my teammates and most importantly Mariano, my rock who has quite literally held me together, helped me get through it all and some how I’ve come out the other end and my sanity is slowly being restored on a much needed vacation in the south of Italy. It has taken a few days but I am now at peace and relishing the days of relaxation. Looking forward to a fresh start at work once I am back carrying with me the lessons I have learned over the last few months to make next year more successful. I won’t let a little thing such as the Olympics being held in London get in the way of that either!
While it has seemed that my life has been the office the past few months, now that I sit here with the sea breeze blowing softly over my skin in San Nicola Arcella and the relaxation has set in and I reflect on the past few months, a lot has happened. Some big events that deserve their own separate blog but here is a bit of a recap.
We’ve moved into our apartment and spent numerous Saturdays at Ikea and other furniture stores to turn the place into our home. My stuff arrived late May and we are almost all together. Of course, there are still a few nagging boxes and pictures to hang but for the most part we are open for business to entertain guests. We’ve had a few already. Mariano’s parents have visited twice. The first time was for Easter and we were barely moved in. We had our couch, coffee table and were using his old couch/futon for our bed. Our table was supposed to arrive but hadn’t so the night before, Mariano rushed around after work, renting a van and getting to the store just before close to get the table himself. We spent Good Friday building it, and were still building as the family arrived. As we finished, Mama filled our bare kitchen with yet more pasta but also yummy meatballs, eggplant parmagiana and Napoli pastries to name just a few of the delicious treats imported directly from Italy. They visited again in June. This time, we were much more put together so it was much nicer to host. We’ve also hosted one of Mariano’s best friends, Lello and his girlfriend. Most recently my best friend Katie came for a visit along which overlapped a friend from work’s visit. This however, is a separate blog entirely.
We had a couple of touristy outings, Mount Pilatus and the Rhine Falls. Both of these are major sites in Switzerland, Mount Pilatus being in our backyard and the Rhine Falls about an hour away. However, Mariano had visited neither in his 7.5 years living here in Lucerne. Not going to Mount Pilatus was becoming like a badge of honor for him. No one could believe it, especially because we can get free passes through the office. I didn’t even force the issue and he booked our tickets for April 30th. The weather was not perfect, the clouds surrounded the peak. Though, they did move rapidly giving a short window of opportunity to take in the breathtaking sites that lie below. We enjoyed a local favorite at the hotel restaurant on the peak. I don’t remember the name but it is basically mac and cheese , potatoes with caramelized onions that they serve with apple sauce intended to eat all together. It was nice while the sun was shining keeping us warm but it soon disappeared behind the clouds never to return again. It became extremely cold quite fast so we finished up as quickly as we could and descended back down the mountain via the gondola. It took a while to defrost. Even though it was a warm day in town, it was probably a good 30 minutes before I removed my gloves. The next day we awoke to a sunny Sunday. Mariano suggested a walk and I suggested we hop in the car for an adventure. I was told sunny days in Lucerne were rare so I wanted to take advantage. (We ended up having a fabulous spring with warm sunny days. Our summer has been just the opposite, cold and wet. It has been weird to read everyone’s face book statuses that cry of excessive heat when many days in June and July I wore a jacket to keep warm). Our random adventure took us to the Rhine Falls. It was beautiful, we did a bit of walking around, took a boat ride which included charging the falls….a wee bit scary, grabbed a sausage and then high tailed it back to the car to garner shelter from the imminent rain from the storm clouds rolling in over the falls. A good weekend and one of the first that didn’t include a trip to Ikea! In fact, we imposed a bit of a ban on the store as to not feed our addiction and keep our wallets in tact. I had joked to Mariano on several occasions that Sweden has a monopoly over us. They give us our paychecks and then we give it all back to them in Ikea and the only affordable clothing store in Switzerland is H&M which I believe is also a Swedish founded company---those Swedes are smart good looking people.
In May, I had another work trip to London scheduled. We decided to make a weekend out of it and Mariano flew up with me on a Friday to spend the weekend. Again, I quickly felt the comfort of the sounds of English and the bustling city with so much to offer…all of which I could understand! We met up with Mariano’s friend that works for EF (at one time in Lucerne and now in London) over some Tapas and wine, went to Portobello markets with Rachel on Saturday, stopping for a snack and my first Pimm’s drink while ending the day with some yummy Thai food paired perfectly with cold Thai beer. Mariano’s flight was early afternoon on Sunday so as we bid our farewells I set off to do a little shopping and to maybe find a hairdresser. I’ve been avoiding getting a hair cut in Lucerne for two reasons, the language barrier could lead to a tragic hairdo and the prices are ridiculous. I walked into the first decent place I found and asked if they had availability. Just my luck, there was a no show and they slid me into her slot. However, no prices were listed and I ignorantly failed to ask. I nearly lost it when I paid 70 pounds for the hair cut! While the cut was good I ended up spending more than I would have in Lucerne! Next time, I will be sure to ask for the entry level stylist not the top of the line! I ditched the shopping as I was now too poor from my haircut and headed north to catch up with Rachel in her new hood, first a coffee and carrot cake, then a depressing true story movie (the name escapes me) about a middle eastern woman stoned to death in modern day all because she wouldn’t divorce her husband so he could marry a young girl . He concocted a story that she was unfaithful and through corruption of officials and people in the town created witnesses to a crime punishable by stoning. A truly eye opening movie. We attempted to lift our spirits after the movie by checking out an Indian place down the street from her apartment. The place did not disappoint.
One weekend in June, Mariano went to Piedmont in Italy with a group of friends that started with him at EF. I spent one of the days with Diana, a friend from my sorority in college. She now lives in Zurich which is only an hour train ride from me. It was so great to see a familiar face as this was a time when work was insane. We spent the day in Zurich, having lunch and taking a boat ride around the lake. It was so great to catch up with Diana as I have not seen her since college. She told me the story of how she and her husband met in Chicago how their back and forth long distance relationship led to her moving to Zurich--their second date was in Paris! She moved to Zurich last fall so she is about 6 months ahead of me on the adjusting to this new lifestyle so it was also good to hear how her transition has been going. Next time we meet up we hope to bring the fellas along as well.
The last weekend in June, Mariano’s friend Lello and his girlfriend came to visit. It was the night of the Lucerne festival. There are a lot of festivals here! We walked downtown in time to see some great fireworks and then spent the rest of the night walking around enjoying live music throughout the city with beers, meat on a stick, sausages and pretzels. It was great to see the fireworks as we were flying to Boston the following weekend but leaving on the 4th to fly back to Lucerne so we weren’t going to see the amazing Boston celebration. As most of you know, Boston turned out to be quite the eventful weekend as Mariano asked me to marry him that weekend. I’ll blog about this in detail later.
Just after we had returned and I learned that my Grandma B had passed away in her sleep. I am happy to hear that it sounds as though she passed peacefully and I pray without pain. This is one of the hardest things of being so far away as I was unable to return to the states the following weekend to attend her services. My heart was there with her and giving my family a huge hug. Rest in peace Grandma B, you will be missed. I am happy that you were able to meet my future husband before you left us.
Mariano left for a 12-day EF teacher convention in Slovenia and Croatia that Friday. Saturday, a guy from work and his wife were having a party, 70’s themed. I was determined to make an appearance even though I wasn’t sure I’d really know anyone there. You have to put yourself out there to make friends darnit! Well, I do wish I would have contacted someone prior to setting off for the night to show up together. Just as I left I was caught in a terrible downpour and even with my umbrella quickly became soaked. I wasn’t sure where I was going, and a 20 minute trip turned into about an hour. At one point I could hear the party, but was unable to find it, such a tease! Of course, as I turned up it was getting dark out so it was extremely difficult to make out any faces. Finally, I spotted a familiar face in Allison and relaxed a bit. Had some interesting conversations that evening with people in good costumes, not sure I’d recognize them on a normal day. I’m happy that I forced myself to make it out there solo.
And there you have it, we’re mostly caught up with the exception of my current trip which has included a bit of wedding venue shopping. We have made a decision, although you’ll have to wait for a later post to get all the details. A challenging time in the office but also a busy time outside of the office as I settle into my new life abroad. With each day it becomes easier and I know that I’ve made a great decision to move here and start my life with my new FIANCE J.
I hear you on the job side, sister! Work has been CRAZY for me. I also know living abroad isn't always easy, but it's such an adventure. And as you said, if you have someone who holds you together, that's all you need. Thinking about you a lot!
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