A year later...

I started blogging about my journey one year ago today. It's a pretty crazy feeling to see how far I've come in only a year. I now firmly believe that if you don't live life to the fullest, it will pass you by. 


Looking back to my first post, I giggled at, what now seem like such small tasks, all that I needed to do before moving here. Here they are:

• Put my place up for lease (check) Now I have a lease of my own, here in Italy!
• Move back home to save more dough (in progress --and mille grazie mom & dad!) 
• Get a work-holiday Visa After 6 months, it's now expired, but luckily I have a stable job and no longer need it!
• Figure out where I will live in Florence Had some amazing memories living on Via del Sole.
• Deal with canceling numerous services, policies and subscriptions (ew....) And now I have a whole bunch of new ones in Italy (sucks).
• Keep up with my Italian lessons via RosettaStone so I can have a conversation with mamma Masci  Ok, I didn't do so well here, but I can have conversations with mamma! Throwing myself into conversations with native Italians have helped me tremendously! 
• Complete online college course Halfway, wasn't enjoying it so much.
• Spend ALOT of time with my friends & family....and especially my nephew Lucho (wahh!) It's never enough time... =( 

. 

Now it's time to update my list for the next year.

• Speak Italian much more fluently (I want to be able to speak without translating in my head, to be able to make jokes, to be able to make witty remarks and comment on things naturally...sigh)
• Get my Italian driver's license (this is so intimidating to me, especially having to write the written exam...but then again moving here also did...) **note: I actually drive by myself to another part of the town to work 2 times a week. I couldn't let this go without noting since I'm obviously damn proud of myself haha!** 
• Join a gym and get fit!
• Be able to teach lessons without spending hours of lesson planning at home
• Find time to take a mini Eastern European holiday somewhere
• This one's big, but then again, what's wrong with dreaming big? Buy a home in Italy

Ok, that's a pretty good list for the next year. Can't wait to see how much I can cross off. =)

xoT

Carnevale: A night of NO shame

Here are some of our ridiculous pictures from Carnevale evening. 

Our homemade "topolino and topolina" costumes turned out A-okay!

I love having male friends who are completely comfortable wearing tight superhero costumes in public.

Our crazy friends who put together the Flinestones car won themselves a trip to either Ibiza or Majorca that night....so awesome.

Naso a naso! 

xoT

Preppin' for Carnevale

Can't wait!

xoT

From the city of Saint Valentine...

Buon San Valentino!

A perfect way to start the holiday. A lazy morning with no work and hot chocolate under a blanket. Ah...

xoT

Love notes.

Some things never get old. 

Toronto, 2010

Terni, 2012

xoT

An afternoon coffee break.

How can I not? 

xoT

I love me some fried chicken....

Living in Italy definitely has its perks and obviously so, Italian food is one of them. But I don't think any non-native Italian living here can deny the cravings we can get for anything other than Italian food. During the last 4 months here in Terni, the only "different" foods I could find were; mediocre Chinese (serving bits of fried seaweed as an appetizer...seriously?), kebabs, and McDonald's....until last weekend.

I was strolling around the centre with my friend Samantha when we happened to walk by this newly opened place that had a huge sign outside with pictures of....FRIED CHICKEN. I feel slightly ashamed to be admitting this, but I was so ecstatic I almost pee'd myself. Samantha looked at me like I was a crazy person, especially since she told me she has never tasted it. She's NEVER had fried chicken before. I immediately went into the restaurant and got myself a flyer. I was so pleased to find that not only did they have fried chicken, but they also had tandoori chicken wings, spicy chicken burgers, and onion rings! I felt guilty to be so excited at the sight of all this fast, fried food, but it was uncontrollable.

So last Sunday evening, I was conveniently "not in the mood to cook". I took out my handy flyer and passed it to Emanuele. I was once again surprised to hear another person say, "I've never tried fried chicken", but he was up for it. Hells yeah! I know, I know. Fried chicken doesn't really do a body good, but when you live far far away from home and you need something other than pizza, roasted chicken, veal cutlets, wild boar, artichokes, bruschetta, etc, etc, then.....

.....THE CHICKEN HUT is where it's at. Well, at least it is for me. For now.

Via Porta S Giovanni, Terni, 05100

ps. The spicy chicken wings did not disappoint.

xoT