Last night, Umbra hosted its first "Tandem" of the semester. Basically, Tandem is a biweekly occurrence. Any student from the program is invited to Il Barrio (the cool restaurant with the cushions that I blogged about last week) to meet with Italian students and talk. Half of the hour-long meeting is in Italian, and half is in English. It's a chance for both groups to practice another language.
Three of my friends and I sat at a table with an Italian girl named Giulia (Julia in Italian). She was hilarious. She told us funny stories about her family. She is one of four, and has only one brother who is thirty. I guess he is the typical Italian "mama's boy." Giulia kept saying that her mom "spoon feeds" him (that got us laughing) and is so concerned about his well-being whenever he gets home. I'm sure she was exaggerating, but we didn't stop laughing! She also jokingly told us to stay away from Italian boys. She wants to host dinner for us and introduce us to her really nice Italian friends! I think it would be an awesome opportunity for connections. (We exchanged numbers with her at the end). That's one thing I love about Italian culture. I feel like if you really put yourself out there, people reciporcate. For example, Giulia exclaimed that her English was "crap" but she completely showed us up as far as our Italian goes. In our defense, she has been learning English for a lot of her life. But still. It gave me more of an incentive to really practice. She understood us though, so I guess we're holding our own.
It was also really interesting to hear about some of the aspects of modern Italian culture that I wouldn't necessarily know otherwise. Giulia was saying that it is very expensive to get married here, as well as buy a house. A lot of people have to sort of choose one or the other, or at least sacrifice somewhere down the line. Interesting. This kind of goes along with many young Italians' drive to work and not be housewives. The notion of the ideal Italian woman among the elders in this culture is the woman that fits the domestic bill. It was interesting to hear Giulia's take on the growing desire among young women to break away from this.
I could probably write a blog a day solely based on how my ideas about what Italy would be have been completely wrong in many cases, but right in the best ways. More on this throughout my semester.
Unfortunately, I am writing today with a very heavy heart. I just found out this morning about the passing of my aunt in an email from my mom. This is obviously not the best way to hear such news, and I'm definitely feeling the grief. I feel like I've been robbed of hearing about so many deaths in person. Nothing from home seems real when you're a bit removed like I am. I actually had this discussion the other day.
I really can't find the right word to describe Auntie Cally. She was a musical genius. She could play anything on the piano without having ever looked at music. I mention this because she inspired me to learn to play the piano. I was five years old, watching her hands move up and down the keys. I wanted to do that. Music has been a joy in my life, and I have her to thank. She played for all of the major family events, namely, my mom and dad's wedding.
I've really learned to hate the past tense. Particularly "was." I imagine Auntie Cally in Heaven, playing the piano for my dad and her beloved sister, my grandma Ginny. So really, she DOES play the piano. Those who have passed never really leave us. I have been exploring these feelings a lot lately, particularly as I am learning so much about myself. I feel my angels all the time.
Sending countless prayers to my family today.
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