17 Sept. 2004
Torino, Italia
To all of my beloved family and family friends, my wonderful newly married friends and still liberated single ones, to my hilarious co-workers (ok, that sounds weird and old), my journalism mentors (you know who you are) and to all the people who are on this list that were never expecting to get an email from me, especially one from Italy (I put you on this list because I just like you and want to keep in touch)…to everyone that has touched my life in some way …
Ciao, from Italia.
Because some of you don’t know the details of this year in Italy, I am going to share them with you really quick (and be warned, this could be a long email – ha, what a surprise.)
I am here in Turin, Italy which is the fourth largest cities in Italy and located in the Northwestern part of the country near France and Switzerland. I am nannying for an Italian family for one year. I got this opportunity through word of mouth, really, and the short of it is that my friend Rebecca Anderson and I met the girl that nannied for this family two years ago when we were in London, she told us about it and we told our friend, Anne about it who was graduating that year. Anne then took this other girl’s place and now (after that year) I am taking Anne’s place… (hope that made sense).
No, I don’t speak Italian, but the good news is that they speak English and they like for their nannies to speak English in the house so that their two girls will have practice and become better at speaking the language. I will, however, go to Italian school a few days a week while the girls are in school. It is free and hopefully will help me be able to not only learn the language in the long run, but also get me through the first few months so I can at least order a meal or buy deodorant without feeling completely stupid. (Pointing at things or trying to just “look nice so they will feel sorry for me” will only go so far.) The two girls who I am now in charge of and whom have already won my heart (yes, Anne, you were so very right) are Beatrice (Bea) who is 9 and Margherita (Maggie) who is 5. Both are blonde and beautiful and full of energy and opinions from the pronunciation of words (English and Italian) to how we should be playing with Barbies. I was so anxious to meet them and have truly enjoyed getting to know them after just one week – thank goodness, since they are the real reason I am here. The girls go to school during the day and then are usually home with me in the afternoons. I have the weekends off to travel or do as I wish, which I am quite excited about. Federico and Paola Balzola are the parents of my family and both of them have made me feel at home and welcome and not awkward since the moment that I walked off the plane and we met for the first time. Their funny stories and refreshing outlook on life are something I am excited to get used to. This is a sweet family.
Jen Orr (whom some of you know J) is here in Turin as well. We graduated in the same class at Samford and were in the same sorority so we knew each other on a certain level before coming to Italy. She is nannying for Federico’s sister’s family and so any family gatherings we will be together, not to mention that we are on the same schedule during the day and are only about a 20 minute bus ride from one another. We will travel together on the weekends and compare family stories and cultural questions with one another, which we have already done, such as “Oh, so you have a beday (sp?) in your bathroom too?” or “How about that sparkling water?” or even “Listen to how lost I got today…” It is a blessing to have someone here that is one my level and in my situation, we are both so happy to have one another.
I have my own room, my own bathroom and the flat in which they live is decorated in such an eclectic and interesting and wonderful way, I just love being in it. The flat has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, living room, dining room, sitting room, newly remodeled kitchen (Anne, it looks awesome) and tons of storage for such a limited amount of space. The street we live on is pretty quite and just a few blocks away from the girl’s schools which are an easy walk. Most of the doors\windows in each room lead out to a small balcony and are kept open throughout the day to let the fresh air and scent in and to expose us to the streets below and (for me specifically) the PACE (peace) flag hanging across the street from my window (that reminds me of you, chicabonitas).
And so, these are the basic details of life so far here in Turin with the Balzola family and me getting used to things and to this life which I will lead for a year. It is sometimes hard for me to believe that I am actually in Italy (!) because I am not hear as a tourist to automatically sightsee and eat all of the gelato (better that ice cream) that I can in one short period, but I am here to live with this family and help raise these girls and to experience the culture and life of Italy so much so that I will become part of it. This is way different than my traveling before and so sometimes I almost forget that I am in such a place. But then I walk to the city center and see the buildings that are hundreds of years older than even our country and see the people and smell the pasta and I am reminded of where I am and I think how crazy it is and how lucky I am … So with Consuela the housekeeper who is from Peru and speaks to me in Spanish and helps me with Italian as she speaks Spanish (quite an interesting experience in itself) and with the homemade pasta dishes for dinner that are to die for and with two adoring girls who are constantly saying, “how do you call …” for English words they cannot remember, I am doing okay in my first few days here in Torino. It has been an easy adjustment so far and one that I have enjoyed so much.
I will leave you with the details and facts tonight and spare you the “sentimental and thoughtful Laura” who can sometimes carry on a bit much. J But, fear not! There will be more soon. I thank you for reading this far and for being interested in this experience (even those who didn’t ask to be on this list, but were just put there by my doing). I hope all is well in your lives, that you are safe and that Hurricane Ivan, the presidential race, or just the stress of the daily grind has not been too serious.
Torino, Italia
To all of my beloved family and family friends, my wonderful newly married friends and still liberated single ones, to my hilarious co-workers (ok, that sounds weird and old), my journalism mentors (you know who you are) and to all the people who are on this list that were never expecting to get an email from me, especially one from Italy (I put you on this list because I just like you and want to keep in touch)…to everyone that has touched my life in some way …
Ciao, from Italia.
Because some of you don’t know the details of this year in Italy, I am going to share them with you really quick (and be warned, this could be a long email – ha, what a surprise.)
I am here in Turin, Italy which is the fourth largest cities in Italy and located in the Northwestern part of the country near France and Switzerland. I am nannying for an Italian family for one year. I got this opportunity through word of mouth, really, and the short of it is that my friend Rebecca Anderson and I met the girl that nannied for this family two years ago when we were in London, she told us about it and we told our friend, Anne about it who was graduating that year. Anne then took this other girl’s place and now (after that year) I am taking Anne’s place… (hope that made sense).
No, I don’t speak Italian, but the good news is that they speak English and they like for their nannies to speak English in the house so that their two girls will have practice and become better at speaking the language. I will, however, go to Italian school a few days a week while the girls are in school. It is free and hopefully will help me be able to not only learn the language in the long run, but also get me through the first few months so I can at least order a meal or buy deodorant without feeling completely stupid. (Pointing at things or trying to just “look nice so they will feel sorry for me” will only go so far.) The two girls who I am now in charge of and whom have already won my heart (yes, Anne, you were so very right) are Beatrice (Bea) who is 9 and Margherita (Maggie) who is 5. Both are blonde and beautiful and full of energy and opinions from the pronunciation of words (English and Italian) to how we should be playing with Barbies. I was so anxious to meet them and have truly enjoyed getting to know them after just one week – thank goodness, since they are the real reason I am here. The girls go to school during the day and then are usually home with me in the afternoons. I have the weekends off to travel or do as I wish, which I am quite excited about. Federico and Paola Balzola are the parents of my family and both of them have made me feel at home and welcome and not awkward since the moment that I walked off the plane and we met for the first time. Their funny stories and refreshing outlook on life are something I am excited to get used to. This is a sweet family.
Jen Orr (whom some of you know J) is here in Turin as well. We graduated in the same class at Samford and were in the same sorority so we knew each other on a certain level before coming to Italy. She is nannying for Federico’s sister’s family and so any family gatherings we will be together, not to mention that we are on the same schedule during the day and are only about a 20 minute bus ride from one another. We will travel together on the weekends and compare family stories and cultural questions with one another, which we have already done, such as “Oh, so you have a beday (sp?) in your bathroom too?” or “How about that sparkling water?” or even “Listen to how lost I got today…” It is a blessing to have someone here that is one my level and in my situation, we are both so happy to have one another.
I have my own room, my own bathroom and the flat in which they live is decorated in such an eclectic and interesting and wonderful way, I just love being in it. The flat has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, living room, dining room, sitting room, newly remodeled kitchen (Anne, it looks awesome) and tons of storage for such a limited amount of space. The street we live on is pretty quite and just a few blocks away from the girl’s schools which are an easy walk. Most of the doors\windows in each room lead out to a small balcony and are kept open throughout the day to let the fresh air and scent in and to expose us to the streets below and (for me specifically) the PACE (peace) flag hanging across the street from my window (that reminds me of you, chicabonitas).
And so, these are the basic details of life so far here in Turin with the Balzola family and me getting used to things and to this life which I will lead for a year. It is sometimes hard for me to believe that I am actually in Italy (!) because I am not hear as a tourist to automatically sightsee and eat all of the gelato (better that ice cream) that I can in one short period, but I am here to live with this family and help raise these girls and to experience the culture and life of Italy so much so that I will become part of it. This is way different than my traveling before and so sometimes I almost forget that I am in such a place. But then I walk to the city center and see the buildings that are hundreds of years older than even our country and see the people and smell the pasta and I am reminded of where I am and I think how crazy it is and how lucky I am … So with Consuela the housekeeper who is from Peru and speaks to me in Spanish and helps me with Italian as she speaks Spanish (quite an interesting experience in itself) and with the homemade pasta dishes for dinner that are to die for and with two adoring girls who are constantly saying, “how do you call …” for English words they cannot remember, I am doing okay in my first few days here in Torino. It has been an easy adjustment so far and one that I have enjoyed so much.
I will leave you with the details and facts tonight and spare you the “sentimental and thoughtful Laura” who can sometimes carry on a bit much. J But, fear not! There will be more soon. I thank you for reading this far and for being interested in this experience (even those who didn’t ask to be on this list, but were just put there by my doing). I hope all is well in your lives, that you are safe and that Hurricane Ivan, the presidential race, or just the stress of the daily grind has not been too serious.
posted by Laura at 5:41 PM
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