It's been a while...

Apologies for the lack of communication over the past 2 months. There just hasn't been time. Work has been hard and time consuming, and we have had massive housing problems. But, the good news is we are finally settled in Rome, completely unpacked, and having fun making our 'first' home. (Even though it is technically our third)

Our "oasis in the city" and our "escape from all the stresses of living in a foreign country" turned out to be the biggest stresser of all. After about a week of being there and waking up wheezing every morning I knew it wasn't good. There was muffa, or mold, in our apartment. And to top it off the toilet didn't flush properly. It just filled up with water and slowly drained, which isn't a romantic way to start a marriage. We had to get out. We waited until the end of October then moved in with a good friend, her roommate, another colleague from work who was staying there while her in-laws were in town, and Dante & Bob, the cats. For those of you not counting, that is 5 people and 2 cats. While there Jim made it his full time job to find an apartment. We found a great place in Testaccio, but the owner at the last minute decided he wanted a year's worth of rent up front. Yup, a mere €15,000. Obviously that wasn't going to work. The next day Jim went and looked at another apartment in Monte Verde. He called me at work and told me a little about it. I asked him if he liked it and could see himself living there and he said yes. So I said take it. The next day we went and signed the lease and paid the deposit and moved in. It is a great little find. It is on the ground floor, so we have a nice patio, about 40 sq. meters. And it is 2 bedrooms, so we have plenty of space for guests to come join us.

We've been living there about 4 weeks now and we are loving it. Having a place to unpack our stuff and settle in to has made all the difference. We've even made a journey to Ikea, and when I say journey I mean it. To get to Ikea you have to take the 8 tram to the Trastevere Station, then take the #3 bus to Piramide, then get on the blue line metro to Termini, then switch to the red line and go 15 stops to Anagnina, then take another bus that stops near Ikea. That's about an hour and a half one way. And going home was even worse because we had 2 big blue Ikea bags full of stuff, plus is was pouring rain. But, it was worth it because we now have sheets and pillows and a few other necessities. We've also had out first official guests. Mariah and Matt came and stayed with us for about a week and a half and we had a blast! It was so nice to have family here with us.

Tomorrow I'm heading back to the States for 10 days to regroup and recharge. I think it is funny that I've spent about 14 years trying to get out of Auburn, and now I want nothing more than to be home with my family in Auburn for Christmas.

And, I promise from now on to do a better job of updating this blog. :-)

Como se dice...

Here are some words that one wouldn't necessarily need to know in Italian...unless you are living here.

plunger = un sturalavandini

lotion = fluida corpo

clothes hanger = gruccia per vestiti

Exhaustion

I've been in Italy one week and I am EXHAUSTED. My head hurts, my body aches, and I feel like I could sleep forever.

I think it may have something to do with the fact that in the past 4 months I've graduated from college, planned a wedding, lost one of my closest friends, got married, moved overseas and started a high pressure job.

Exactly 7 days ago I was somewhere over the Atlantic drifting in and out of sleep, sitting next to a 14-month old semi-sleeping, semi-cranky baby. After a little over 9 hours the plane screeched to a halt at Fuimicino. I went though customs, collected all 150 lbs. of luggage, hailed a cab, and hauled my belongings to Angela's apartment. Then I ran to the store to get a few toiletries -- which I must say isn't an easy task. Como se dice 'lotion' en italiano? I tried to look for key words that I knew, but I never did find it and still don't have any. The sad thing is I just haven't had the mental energy after work to drag myself to a supermercado or farmacia to find some. Maybe this weekend.

I had Sunday to rest, which I am so thankful for. I slept until noon and only ventured out for some Chinese take-out. That one teeny, tiny day of nothing gave me just enough strength to make it through my first week of work.

Work is stressful, full of challenges, and is honestly quite intimidating. This is a real, grown-up job. I can't forget to set my alarm, I can't miss the train, I can't skip work because it is raining. This is not college and I am not an intern. I just keep reminding myself that this is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing and that I am fully capable of succeeding.

Monday evening I had an appointment with Joseph, the realtor, to see a little flat in Trastevere. I walked up to the door and before it even opened I was in love and I knew it had to be home. We are paying an obscene amount for rent, but it will be our oasis in the city. It will be our escape from all the stresses of living in a foreign country and it will be my refuge from a hard day at work. I'm moving in tomorrow and I am happy to have a few days to get it set up before Jim arrives.

I cannot wait for Jim to get here. I am so ready to finally be able to relax and enjoy married life. I'm excited to not be living out of boxes or suitcases and I'm ready to stay put for a while.