Perspective:
"You have to learn another way to deal with things"
-E.N.

Imagine a very stressful moment in your life... got it? Now times it by ten, twenty...ummmm....add this visual...signs. signs with pictures. and sometimes with text in a language you don't understand. wait. add a voice...the voice is telling you in english to forget everything you've learned in your life thus far...

Instead of your standard 1 + 1 = 2...
think more along the lines of
-1 + 3 = 2
or
1.5 + 0.5 = 2
orrrrrr
2 x 1 = 2
and/orrrrrrrrrrr
the square root of 4 = 2

got it?

Think, Alice in Wonderland. yes, Alice...you are Alice and you don't know what the crap is going on. but, you go with it.

This is my attempt to describe to you how I felt saturday while driving in Rome, for the first time, under the direction of Enrico. Of course, it pales in comparison to the reality that was.
By the time we got out of the car in central Rome, the back of my shirt was covered in sweat. sexy. ummm. who cares...We were alive. I was triumphant. still confused. ever suffered from vertigo? I imagine the feeling was similar.

Some more detail? Indeed.

As I was zooming along the street that runs parallel to the river Tevere in Rome, I nearly clip a vehicle...the reason? I tried to switch lanes, with my signal. Enrico explains to me (and I paraphrase):

"Kate, you cannot switch a full lane in Italy, much less in Rome. You must think of the street as divided in quarter lanes. As for your signal...you are only confusing them...if you don't go like your signal shows, they won't know what you are trying to do...just GO. They will stop or react if you are confident. Prepotente. Now, get into the 'left', pass in the middle up there and DO NOT USE FIRST GEAR again until we leave Rome. OH, and show no fear."

Now, I wonder if you are thinking the same thing I am still thinking...
"QUARTER LANES?" (as a reference, please see, Indian Masters of lane division: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjrEQaG5jPM)
!£%/ ()& %$%°ç@@ %£/@!!!

Driving in Rome is not for the faint of heart. If you are a passenger in a car in Rome and you wear a pacemaker, you must also wear a blindfold. Got it?
Pacemaker = Blindfold
Weak bladder = Blindfold
Pregnant = Blindfold
Nervous = Blindfold

What the crap, you might even drive better with a Blindfold...

PERSPECTIVE
Main Entry: 1 per·spec·tive
Pronunciation: \pər-ˈspek-tiv\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English perspectyf, from Medieval Latin perspectivum, from neuter of perspectivus of sight, optical, from Latin perspectus, past participle of perspicere to look through, see clearly, from per- through + specere to look — more at per-, spy
Date: 14th century
archaic : an optical glass (as a telescope)

Joy hand-painted these 'nichos' herself...I know, freaking amazing!
-------

It's amazing to me when I think about our three years together...the three of us became a fun and funny little family, didn't we. My happiest memories of those three years involve you. Didn't matter if it was just across Gainesville or Atlanta...I was always ready to come and see you (if I lacked motivation, food joined the plans and on my way I went!).
Our times together, by lake Alice, on y'alls porch, walking through the Decatur cemetery (morbid, I know), sitting on the monster sofa...the bunny sleeping with me, are among my favourite times, in life...where I was just happy, so happy and that's from just being with you both. listening to you. learning from you. talking with you. It's hard when I love two people as much as I love you both, to be far from you. The truth is, I don't want to spend my life in the US, but had I been able to get a visa for another year, I would have stayed just to be close to you. Sounds crazy to anyone else, but I am a little crazy anyways.
How could I express it in any other way to make you understand how much you both mean to me...
love.
knowing that if I call and talk to your answering machine long enough for you to know it's me, you'll pick up...
knocking on your door unexpectedly and always feeling welcome...
sharing tragedies and drama and not feeling embarassed...
hugs just because...
telling me how it is...
and and and and and...
love.

I so naturally love you both. You are a part of my everyday life, wherever we are. that's awesome.

'...be worth more in your own eyes'

When I act in a way that doesn't reflect who I feel I am or who I want to be...when I do something that I want to hide because it would be embarassing to admit...
it's time...
...past time...time to evaluate my behaviour. myself.
go back to the root of the root of myself.

I was reading one of Father Ken's sermons from August...
the point i found most useful...
i need to 'raise the bar' of what I expect of and for myself.
...continuously evaluate...not leave it for when things go 'wrong' or poorly...

http://www.saintjameswestminster.ca/sermons/080824.pdf

Hi Mum, I miss you. everyday. always did before anyways.
Madrid, Gainesville, Atlanta, Toronto, Cosenza...
Always in all ways. Even when you are sassing me around because I...(insert any number of things here that I do that might be annoying).
Although, I especially like it when you aren't sassing me and instead prepare fruit for me :-)
Love,
Kate

I heard a saying in the summer in Italy and it came up in conversation last night...

A little bit of Italian wisdom? Here we go...

L'acqua vudde e lu purcu è alla muntagna.
(Dialect from Pasquale Pace from Castrovillari)

L'acqua vuddra e u' puarcu é ara muntagna.
(Dialect from Enrico from Cosenza)

L'acqua gujja e u' porcu e a la muntagna.
(Dialect from Gianluca from Catanzaro)

L'acqua bolle e il maiale è alla montagna.
(Italian)

The water is boiling and the pig is on the mountain.
(English)

Translation...when you want to do a certain task but you skip almost all of the steps to get there and then you don't have the basics to complete the task.

DON'T JUMP THE GUN.
First, you have to catch the pig, then prepare the pig, of course boil the water and 'EVVIVA'....cook that pig!!!

;-)

They (the italian people who set standards for foreign students) said I had to be here Sept.2, without fail, to take a national 'language test'...some language test: It had history, math, italian grammar and english questions!

Of 130 multiple choice questions, I answered 73. Of 73, I only got 52 correct.

Thankfully...this doesn't count, at all.

phew...

Progress...
First you disassemble, donate, divide, distribute, return, store or safeguard...
then you pack...in my case, all you can fit into 3 bags...
with the help of friends and family, who are supporting you even if they think youre brave and kind of nuts...
next, lots of hugs, love yous, thinking am i really going to move far away from all these people i love and of course plenty of visiting before heading to airport....
getting on a flight and waking up in a plane thinking...holy shit...allo Enrico, guess what, Im really on my way, finalmente, an opportunity to build.
oh but wait, then, you get out of the plane, remember you dont speak italian and think...shit---i hope i packed my italian grammar book in one of my 50 pound bags, or perhaps in my 20 pound backpack, or possibly in my 16 pound guitar case...&/%$&$(!!!!!

growing is real, and hard, and exciting, and wild, and wait....really really real.
for the past week, Ive woken up next to the person I love and not had to think, oh shit, the vacation is almost over, see you in 2 or 3 months, maybe.

in one week ive already learned that he hates things on the bed, asks me things ive probably forgotten about or havent done, and makes sure i drink enough water at lunch...
he also prepares the breakfast table, is always looking for the best solution to progress and to move forward and helps, with everything...
one week is nothing, but starting something real, en vivo, is a great way to move forward...the best.