Garden and University Photos

Here are some recent photos of our home garden project (and by "our" I really mean "Tyler's". I'm just trying not to kill the plants while he is gone). I also took a walk today and snapped a few photos around the university so you can get a better sense of where we are and what it looks like around here. Enjoy!

Firsts

In the last week I had a couple new first Italian experiences...

1. Italian church - I went to mass last Sunday with my friend, Mariantonia, and her father.  Mariantonia was at least 20 min late picking me up, so by the time we got to church the priest was giving the homily (but this is Italy... why would we actually arrive somewhere on time?).  Of course I couldn't understand a word of what the priest was saying. For the rest of mass I found myself recognizing which parts of the mass we were in, but not remembering all the responses in English without prior prompting by the priest, because again I couldn't understand a word he was saying.  Then when it came time for communion, I expected everyone to file out row by row starting from the front of the church like we do in the U.S.  Nope.  It was basically a free for all.  Whenever the spirit moved you, you could go up for communion, regardless of where you were sitting in the church or how many people there were between you and the isle.  Very Italian.  But I enjoyed it.  Every church I have been in so far in Italy is beautiful, so even if I couldn't understand what was happening I could at least admire the artwork.

2. Italian hair salon - I got my first haircut yesterday.  I went with Mariantonia to her usual place because I really wanted a recommendation and I wanted someone to help me explain what kind of haircut I wanted.  We went to this salon in a converted apartment close to her house.  When we arrived, we were first offered an Italian coffee (espresso).  I'm getting used to drinking these even at 4:00 in the afternoon. Then the owner showed us around his salon and also showed us his artwork (which was impressive).  He also showed me all the photos on the wall of times when he did hair for famous people, including at the Miss Italy pageant.  We chatted for about 10 or 15 min, and then finally someone was ready to wash my hair.  Eventually we got around to the cutting and styling, and I could tell this guy knew what he was doing but he talked in such fast dialect that I had no idea what he was saying.  He could have been suggesting a mohawk and I wouldn't have known.  As always, thank goodness for Mariantonia.  I thought it was funny that both the stylist and one of his assistants pointed out to me more than once that I had quite a lot of grey hairs and was in need of some color.  The stylist was also really encouraging me to get highlights... he even brought out a hair sample and carefully arranged it in a section of my hair just so I could see what it would look like.  He said it would lighten it up for summer.  I smiled and nodded and said "sure, maybe next time."  I neither care about my grey hairs, or about the fact that my hair has always been the same boring color of brown.  I just wanted to humor him (although I will admit there were a few moments when I thought he actually wanted to do the highlights right then, and I was afraid that I might have said "yes" or "sure" at the wrong moment, indicating that I would be ok with that.  Thankfully this was not the case).  After about 2 hours Mariantonia and I walked out with our new hairstyles (see photo above).  And I thought the Douglas J student salon was slow! I'm happy with the result though, and I think I look a lot more like my sister Rebecca now (even though for the last few years everyone has said Lauren and I could be twins).  It's a good thing I have such pretty sisters - I'm happy to resemble either one of them!

As they say in Italy, Buona Domenica (Happy Sunday)!

April showers bring May flowers

I would be remiss if I did not take the time to recall some of the events of the past month, in addition to birthdays and travel.  This blog post may be more for myself than for all of you, so that in the future when we read these posts we can recall all of our experiences in Calabria and we can fully remember the events of this time in our lives.  Feel free to read on if you feel compelled by my rambling writing style.

The month of April of course started with Tyler's birthday, but back home it also brought some tough times.  First, my sister who had been struggling with really intense pain due to a slipped disk in her back was dealt the unfortunate fate of needing two different surgeries on her spine in the span of two weeks.  (This saga actually began in March and continued into April).  The poor thing was on bed rest after her first surgery, but then after the second surgery had to be in the hospital for two weeks on bed rest in the truest sense of the word and due to the circumstances was not able to see her kids for two weeks.  Her husband was working over time being super dad, and our parents were helping out as best they could.  In those weeks, I would have given anything to be back in Chicago with her to help out with the kids, or at the very least hang out with her in the hospital watching soap operas all afternoon.  Alas, Tyler and I were relegated to simply calling when we could (which is not easy given our internet connection at home) and hoping that she would get better each day and be able to go home to her family soon.  We're happy to report that she did in fact make it home in time for both her husband's birthday and her own, and seems to be more or less back to normal.  I know they are happy that the last couple months are behind them and hope that the month of May brings a lot less chaos.

In early April, I also went to Brussels for a work meeting that proved to be very interesting and productive.  I was left feeling like I have my work cut out for me, but also that this project is something I can really contribute something to.  I can use the things I learned in my lab at Michigan and try to apply them on a much larger scale, and that feels good.  I'm also making some good contacts both in the U.S. and internationally, which I think will be good for me in the future.  It was after this trip that I met up with Tyler and some of his family in Rome and we got to spend a week traveling around Italy, which as you already know was a really great time.

Unfortunately, also during that week with Tyler's family we received the news that my graduate school advisor, Jerry Keeler, passed away after a 3-year battle with cancer.  This news was in some ways expected, because we had known for a couple of weeks that his health was declining, but it was no less heartbreaking both for me and for Tyler.  During the 7 1/2 years that I worked with him Jerry as an undergrad and graduate student, he allowed me to be involved in a number of really interesting projects, he introduced me to some of the best scientists in our field, and he taught me more about being a good scientist than I ever imagined he would.  Like any good graduate advisor, he made me answer all of my own questions and he scrutinized every number I ever calculated and every word I ever wrote.  It was not until one of our last meetings before I finished my degree when I fully realized the wealth of knowledge in his head, and the fact that he had only been able to pass a fraction of it onto me. In that moment, I wanted to stop time and postpone finishing just a little bit longer (which any graduate student will tell you is not a normal thought when you are in the final stages of a dissertation).  I just wanted to learn everything I possibly could from him, but it was in fact time for me to go off and start to learn these things for myself.  I will forever be thankful that Jerry was my advisor.  I think because of him, I might just be able to contribute something to the scientific community.  But the other great thing about Jerry is that he was also a friend.  He was the kind of guy you could talk college sports with, or drink a beer with on an Ann Arbor summer afternoon.  He told corny jokes, and often took them too far.  Once he even threw sausages at me during a football tailgate.  He told me his philosophy on graduate school more times than I can count, perhaps in hopes that I would follow in his example.  He cared about my family and my friends.  He was also there when I met Tyler, he was there when we got engaged, and he was there when we got married.  He was a husband, a father, a coach, a professor, and an all around good person.  It still brings tears to my eyes to my eyes to know that he is gone from this world, but I am extremely grateful that I was able to know him for as long as I could.

Of course April brought us some good news as well.  While we were traveling with Tyler's family we also got the news that Tyler's paperwork had finally gone through at the Prefecture in Cosenza, and as a result he could finally get his Visa.  We have been waiting for this news for more time than I want to think about.  Consequently, Tyler has returned to the U.S. for a couple of weeks and as far as we know, he should get his Visa any day now.  While in the U.S., he has so far managed to hit up Chicago, Ann Arbor, Detroit, and now Portland.  Yesterday he surprised his mom by showing up for Mother's Day weekend, which no doubt was a completely amazing moment.  I'm a bit lonely without him here, but I'm happy he's able to be in the U.S. right now to see family and friends, and I'm happy that when he gets back we can continue trying to put this phase of the bureaucracy behind us (til next year...).  Tyler is also starting to make some job contacts over here and even gave his first English conversation lesson right before he left.  I think it went well, and already a couple of my colleagues are trying to arrange lessons with him.

In the rest of his time, Tyler has been hard at work in our garden.  The seeds are sprouting and it seems that this summer we will have quite a nice vegetable and herb garden.  Italians still seem perplexed that Tyler would bring tomato seeds from the U.S. (this is Italy, after all) but I think they will all be surprised this summer when they see all his tomatoes in various shapes and colors (yes my Italian friends, tomatoes can in fact be a color other than red).

On the whole, things are looking up for us I think. I miss Tyler today more than words can say, and I miss my family too.  But I know that there are just going to be days like this.  And as I recount the events of the past month, I am sitting on our back steps feeling the warmth of the spring sun admiring the growth of our tomato and basil plants.  It is beautiful here today.  I know that we've all had our ups and downs as of late, but my hope is that May brings us all the spring weather we are longing for and along with it the hope of good days to come.

Our first Italian Easter

Easter is a very big holiday here in Italy - perhaps even a little bit bigger than it is in the U.S.  People started going on holiday beginning on Wednesday or Thursday last week and as such the university was very quiet!  The students only started reappearing today.  As such, we were able to enjoy fast internet at home and the absence of our singing neighbor for a few days.  At the same time, it was quite different for us to not be with our families for Easter.  Fortunately, we had some good friends to share the weekend with.

On Saturday, our friend Laura came over and we painted Easter eggs.  And when I say "paint" I do in fact mean paint, not dye.  Our artistic talents might suggest why the three of us became academics and not artists.  But we still had a good time and got ourselves into the Easter spirit.

On Easter Sunday (Pasqua), Tyler and I prepared a big lunch at home and Laura came over to share it with us.  We had an assortment of appetizers to start.  Then Tyler prepared ribs on the BBQ (after cooking them all morning in the oven).  Along with the ribs we had sauteed spinach, grilled zucchini, twice-baked potatoes, and corn bread.  And of course, a little bit of wine.  We made so much food that we will still be eating leftovers today!  The meal was excellent though.  The Easter bunny also visited us here in Italy. Laura and I had to search the house for the eggs we had painted the day before, and at the end we were each lead to our respective Easter "baskets".  Laura received a nice flower pot full of candies and some treats for her dogs, as well as a flower to put inside the pot at home.  Tyler and I received two new pint glasses full of candy, as well as a giant chocolate egg (which are traditional gifts in Italy for Easter).  Somehow the Easter bunny seemed to know just what Tyler and I might be wanting ;-)  In the evening we took a nice walk before sunset to enjoy the weather (and walk off a little bit of our meal).

On Easter Monday (Pasquetta) it is traditional to go to the mountains or the sea to have a big meal with family and friends.  Our friend, Mariantonia, invited us to her family's house in Belvedere Marittimo (a coastal town about 30 min north of here by train).  Unfortunately Monday was overcast and rainy, but we went to the coast anyway.  We took a windy walk along the beach, and then enjoyed a traditional enormous 3 hour Italian meal.  Antipasti, risotto, shrimp, zucchini, salad, frittata, fruit, and traditional Easter pastries.  Everything was delicious, although even still today neither one of us is craving a very large meal!!  Mariantonia's family was very welcoming of us, and that was really nice.  After lunch we drove up into the old city center to take a short walk, despite the wind and light rain.  Overall, we had a really nice day and enjoyed our first Italian Easter.

Here are a few photos from our weekend.

We hope you all had a Happy Easter!!

Easter 2011

Happy Birthday, Lynnie G!

Today is Lynne's birthday! She started it by smacking her face into a door. Tonight, we'll eat delicious pizza, Italian style! Happy Birthday to you, Superfox!

Bureaucracy never sleeps

Here are some of my latest stories regarding Italian bureaucracy.  I originally wrote these as emails to my sisters, but then decided they might be blog worthy.  Enjoy!

April 20, 2011 -
My latest trip to a local government office (this morning) resulted in me learning that the town had changed our address.  And apparently it happened before I applied for residency, so I should have known but my landlord didn't tell me (because he didn't know).  Technically because the town is changing all the addresses in our area (because our town won't stop building new apartments), my documentation should get changed automatically, but because of the timing of things I suspect it won't.  So now I'm technically a resident of an apartment up the street and all my documents indicate that.  I might have to apply for a new residency certificate at some point (which has taken me the last 2 months to get) with the new house number.  Seriously??  But, the funny thing is that everyone here thinks it pretty much doesn't matter.  All my documents are consistent, and the postman now knows where we live so technically he will deliver all our mail to us, regardless of whether it says number 10 or number 148.  But as I said to Tyler this morning, "What the sh*t?".  Ahh Italy, you never cease to amaze me.

April 21, 2011 -
Had another awesome experience today.  I had an appointment at the Questura Office of Immigration to obtain my permesso di soggiorno.  This is kind of like a residency permit, and the consulate tells you it's the first thing you should apply for when you arrive in Italy (note that I have been here for 2 months now).  I did actually apply for this back February, but my application resulted only in an automatically generated appointment at the Questura.  I couldn't go to my original automatically generated appointment because I was going to be in Brussels for work (earlier this month).  So I was able to change my appointment to today.  Appointment was supposed to be at 8:50am.  I arrived at 8:40am to find a line of at least 10 people outside a locked door to the Questura.  When the opened the door they just gave everybody a number in the order in which they entered (aka appointment time was essentially meaningless).  I got called back around 10:30.  They took my documents and photos, finger printed me, then sent me to a different room where I was finger printed again, and then told me I was done.  When I asked where my permesso di soggiorno was, they said I had to come back to get it when it was ready... which they suggested would be some time after the 10th of June.  Seriously????  This was supposed to be my last document, and I couldn't even get it today, I have to back to the stinkin' Questura in over a month.  And, to make this even more fun, my Visa is only good for a year.  Which means next year I will need a new Visa... and yes, after that a new permesso di soggiorno. Oh, and the address on my permesso is of course Via Giulio Cesare 10 :-) 

Our first visitors!

Last week we had our first visitors here in Italy - a handful of Corneliuses! Terry, Jamie, and Taylor arrived last Saturday night in Rome and stayed for a week. Tyler and I actually arrived on the Friday night before, so we had Saturday on our own to wander around Rome. We really love Rome, especially in April when the weather is pleasant! We're starting to get pretty familiar with the city, which is a nice feeling. We walked all over the city center and saw the Trevi fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trastevere, and other lovely Roman sites. Then we checked into an apartment near the Pyramid (on the south side of town) where we would stay for the next three nights with Tyler's fam. It was in a great location - close to the Metro, walkable to some places, but also pretty quiet.

Terry, Jamie, and Taylor arrived late Saturday night from Germany. Tyler and I were pretty happy to see some family for the first time in a while! We spent Sunday touring the ancient Roman sites (Forum, Colosseum, etc.), and in the evening went into Trastevere (a really nice neighborhood with lots of young people and good restaurants) for dinner. Monday we went to the Vatican and toured the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Cathedral. Our touring was of course interspersed with lots of great food (pasta, pizza, etc.) and wine.

Tuesday morning, Tyler and Taylor picked up a rental car and we took off for Tuscany. We stopped in Montepulciano for a walk around the town and a nice lunch. Then we checked into our Agriturismo outside of Pienza. It was so beautiful there! We stayed there for two nights, and both nights we cooked great meals at "home" which was a nice change from all the restaurants in Rome. On Wednesday we went to Siena where Tyler studied many years ago. It was especially fun for Terry and me to see this place that was so important to Tyler but we had never been to (Jamie visited there a long time ago). We wandered all over town and saw the fortress, the cathedral, the central piazza where all the young kids hang out, and even walked by Tyler's old apartment. We also stopped into a bar to use the bathroom and ran into one of Tyler's former teachers! It was such a crazy coincidence. She remembered him well and it was fun for them to catch up.

On Thursday we hit the road again and headed toward the coast. We stayed one night in Porto Santo Stefano and one night in Santa Severa. It was cool and cloudy on the coast, but we enjoyed some good food, good wine, and a couple walks along the beach. Terry, Jamie, and Taylor flew back to Germany early Saturday morning from Rome, and Tyler and I caught the train back down to Cosenza. We had a great week together and really enjoyed our little tour of central Italy. Tyler and I are improving our tour guide skills for our next visitors! Who's up for a trip to Italy?