Ciao a tutti il mio amici
The spring flowers are starting to fade, the grains are starting to ripen, it’s starting to get hot and you can smell summer coming. I was lying on the beach yesterday, soaking in the sun with my eyes closed and I heard a cute little girls voice say “Ecco la bella vita!” (Here is the beautiful life!).
It’s my last day in Otranto! Damned tears again…
I have been exchanging e-mail addresses with some of the friends I have made here. Teresa my friend who works at the local supermercato says she wants to come to San Francisco and I have promised her a tour of the redwoods. Rosa, I don’t think will ever leave Otranto, but I have told her I will try to come back again next spring. I want to continue my education here… for a few years, if the fates provide. I will research other places and there are other areas of Southern Italy I want to explore in the future. I don’t think I will be able to stay so long here next time. Maybe only 1 month, or maybe I will stay even longer, who knows. Only ‘Providence’.
I LOVE Otranto!
I hope to bring others from California to Otranto to take classes. Maybe even someone who would be able to drive. I would pay part of the car rental and gas if that could happen. I had only one opportunity to tour the local countryside by car. I have taken many long hikes and a few train and bus rides around to explore though. It is so beautiful here. Porto Badisco, Lecce, Porto de Leuca, Gallipoli, grottos in abundance… There is so much more to see and experience by car.
Italy is smaller than California in size, but much larger in… many other ways.
There have been several long periods of time I have spoken only in Italian. I am improving at a reasonable rate, but I have a very long way to go. This has not been an absolute full immersion experience. I am very glad for that. Absolute full immersion at the pace I have been learning Italian would have been too lonely for me. My roommates, except Rhiannon, seemed to prefer to speak to me in English much of the time. I hope I did not ruin the ‘full immersion’ experience for them.
The spring flowers are starting to fade, the grains are starting to ripen, it’s starting to get hot and you can smell summer coming. I was lying on the beach yesterday, soaking in the sun with my eyes closed and I heard a cute little girls voice say “Ecco la bella vita!” (Here is the beautiful life!).
It’s my last day in Otranto! Damned tears again…
I have been exchanging e-mail addresses with some of the friends I have made here. Teresa my friend who works at the local supermercato says she wants to come to San Francisco and I have promised her a tour of the redwoods. Rosa, I don’t think will ever leave Otranto, but I have told her I will try to come back again next spring. I want to continue my education here… for a few years, if the fates provide. I will research other places and there are other areas of Southern Italy I want to explore in the future. I don’t think I will be able to stay so long here next time. Maybe only 1 month, or maybe I will stay even longer, who knows. Only ‘Providence’.
I LOVE Otranto!
I hope to bring others from California to Otranto to take classes. Maybe even someone who would be able to drive. I would pay part of the car rental and gas if that could happen. I had only one opportunity to tour the local countryside by car. I have taken many long hikes and a few train and bus rides around to explore though. It is so beautiful here. Porto Badisco, Lecce, Porto de Leuca, Gallipoli, grottos in abundance… There is so much more to see and experience by car.
Italy is smaller than California in size, but much larger in… many other ways.
There have been several long periods of time I have spoken only in Italian. I am improving at a reasonable rate, but I have a very long way to go. This has not been an absolute full immersion experience. I am very glad for that. Absolute full immersion at the pace I have been learning Italian would have been too lonely for me. My roommates, except Rhiannon, seemed to prefer to speak to me in English much of the time. I hope I did not ruin the ‘full immersion’ experience for them.
My Roommates.
Agnès (France)
Rhiannon (Australia)
Jozè (Holland)
Claudia (Germany)
Even though 3 out of 4 of my roommates were not native English speakers, they had excellent skills with it. Better than most Americans even! ha ha ha Especially Agnès (sends smile and waves), who speaks 7 languages (inc Hindi and Chinese!) and teaches English to French high school students. I was so lucky to have the roommates that I did. They were all amazing and wonderful women. I had a week or two with each one. That was plenty of time to get to know them (I did their birth star charts for them), make friends of them and I hope to stay in contact with them all. I will stay with Jozè for 5 days in Holland next week. I have invited everyone to Northern California for a tour. After I get home, I will prepare a comfortable place in my home for ‘visitors’ and be ready to greet them anytime they are ready to come. Only Claudia has been to America. She has been there 4 times. New York City, New England and Texas. She has never been to California. I told her that Northern California is the best part of America. I may be biased though. lol
I don’t think my So Hum/Mendo friends will be too surprised if my new friends start showing up from Italy, France, Germany, Australia, Holland or other far away places. I sure you will enjoy meeting them as much as I have. I intend to visit France, Germany and maybe Holland again. I don’t know about Australia. I would love to go, but it seems… so far away… from Italy. lol lol
Like the poem I wrote a few weeks ago said, I do not know what the future holds for me. With a halter and lead rope on my wild heart… I think I can say that the future is a little safer for me now. I do not have (as many of) the fears or the expectations I once had. This makes me happy. I do have things I want to follow up on, inner work I need to do and places I want to explore.
Along with all the other bird songs during this mornings sunrise, I heard some hens very loudly… laying eggs. That made me think, with the exception of having a few small debts to pay off as soon as possible, and a few physical limitations, I am FREE, with many possibilities (eggs to hatch?).
Lucky me.
Some of the possibilities (eggs I could hatch, but I’m NOT counting them) include… writing a book, sharing my new skills, enjoying my friendships, exploring the world, finding love, doing intensive research, teaching Yota new tricks, creating a masterpiece, learning to speak French, German, Spanish and who knows, maybe even Dutch, finding inner peace, starting a business, getting in the best possible physical shape, meeting new people, redecorating my bathroom and bedroom, teaching and learning more about… oh the possibilities are endless, but I will stop here. Per ora, io dovrò praticare la lingua l’Italiano molto! My next blog post will be from Bari. I will spend 4 days there before I’m off to Holland for 10 days
Words… are a very powerful force, only mastered by our perception of them. Perceive yourself to be ‘powerful’ and ‘good’.
Blessed be
I don’t think my So Hum/Mendo friends will be too surprised if my new friends start showing up from Italy, France, Germany, Australia, Holland or other far away places. I sure you will enjoy meeting them as much as I have. I intend to visit France, Germany and maybe Holland again. I don’t know about Australia. I would love to go, but it seems… so far away… from Italy. lol lol
Like the poem I wrote a few weeks ago said, I do not know what the future holds for me. With a halter and lead rope on my wild heart… I think I can say that the future is a little safer for me now. I do not have (as many of) the fears or the expectations I once had. This makes me happy. I do have things I want to follow up on, inner work I need to do and places I want to explore.
Along with all the other bird songs during this mornings sunrise, I heard some hens very loudly… laying eggs. That made me think, with the exception of having a few small debts to pay off as soon as possible, and a few physical limitations, I am FREE, with many possibilities (eggs to hatch?).
Lucky me.
Some of the possibilities (eggs I could hatch, but I’m NOT counting them) include… writing a book, sharing my new skills, enjoying my friendships, exploring the world, finding love, doing intensive research, teaching Yota new tricks, creating a masterpiece, learning to speak French, German, Spanish and who knows, maybe even Dutch, finding inner peace, starting a business, getting in the best possible physical shape, meeting new people, redecorating my bathroom and bedroom, teaching and learning more about… oh the possibilities are endless, but I will stop here. Per ora, io dovrò praticare la lingua l’Italiano molto! My next blog post will be from Bari. I will spend 4 days there before I’m off to Holland for 10 days
Words… are a very powerful force, only mastered by our perception of them. Perceive yourself to be ‘powerful’ and ‘good’.
Blessed be
My love goes out to all of you… around the world!
1 comment:
Glad to hear you a little more up-beat. Have fun in Holland and etcs... and don't let loes lead you astray ;p
o/
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