Funny Story (Alexis' Version of Italian)

So many of you know that I studied Italian for the first 4 weeks of my stay. So, into the second week, after we'd learned how to say plate, cup, knife, fork, spoon, etc, our instructor holds up flash cards of items we've learned, and we have to recite the name in Italian. So she holds up a picture of a cup, and I proceed to say "cazzo" with all the confidence I can muster. Well, by the looks of the expression on her face, you would think I slapped her. She said, "Alexis!!!!! Don't ever say that word again!!! Ever!" Ok, so now, I have a stunned look on my face - what the hell, all I said was cup, in italian. My instructor is still trying to recover from the shock, and I'm still sitting there dumbfounded. She proceeds to tell me, that no only am I not saying cup, but I am so far from it, it's not even funny. She tells me that what I'm saying is "prick", well, the literal translation is "dick", not cup! Cup is tazza, which, to my defense, sounds, or rhymns with cazzo, right? I told her this never would have happened if they had taught me the curse words FIRST, then the other stuff. I can remember curse words!!! Duh!!! *smile*

Mami Camilla Photos

Here are a few photos of the Mami Camilla compound.

Ischia Photos

Ok, so Ischia was an adventure. Not much English spoken there, and we basically were trapped on this island for 7 hours. There is only one ferry over, and back each day (9:30 AM departs Sorrento, 5:30 PM ferry leaves Ischia). So, when we arrived, none of us could read, or speak Italian, so we basically hopped on a bus thinking it would take us somewhere interesting. Let's just say, the bus took us to the top of the mountain, and brought us right back down - seems out of the 15 buses, we picked the most boring one. Then, while on the bus, we were befriended by a gentleman who felt it was his duty to point out a few sights to us. Oh, did I mention that he only spoke Italian, and the little old ladies on the bus kept looking at us, then him, then making motions to indicate the guy is nuts. He was very adamant in his overview of sites. The kicker for me was, there was a man on the bus with his dog. Obviously the dog had been on the bus long enough and decided to relieve himself on the bus. The man hits the dog upside the head and says "Stupid dog!" Rightttttt, like the dog choose to get on the bus for a long journey. Funniest thing in the world to me. Oh, since this was during the time I was suffering from a cold, and my nose was slightly out of whack, the two other girls with me had the pleasure of experiencing all the bodily smells associated with a packed, over-crowded bus on a very hot summer day. *smile*

Anyway, below are a few pictures of Ischia. Nothing overly exciting, since again, we ran into the wall that is siesta. And this one was the worst of all since, there was nothing we could do from 12 - 5, since everything was closed, and our boat wasn't slated to leave until 5:30 pm. We sat on benches looking like refugees awaiting US-intervention. Oh, the fun I'm having. :)


Our boat to Ischia

Alexis before the trip begins. The staff passed out barf bags before we got underway, let's say when we arrived in Ischia, I needed to rest for 20 mins. My stomach did not feel good at all.


Alexis & Haley on the bus up the mountain (after the conversation with the crazy man)
This is Cami, just enjoying being in Italy, no matter that we have no clue where the hell we are going.
Ok, WTF!!!! These gold shoes were everywhere!! Is is just me, or are these FUGLY!!!!! Oh, the pictures were taken on shoes in two separate stores. And there were more, but there were the most offensive to me.
You wouldn't have believed the name of this store without a picture!!


This is what you get when you order a green salad. For those of you who notice that there is pepper on the salad, that was added by Haley. Green salad means lettuce only. Who knew!

A very good meal indeed. The only redeeming point of this whole day.

Photos of my Humble Abode

Here are a few photos of my abode, as well as photos of the view when I open my door daily.





Enjoy!

Where Have I Been?

The pictures on the left are of me after "fixing" my camera; I needed to see if the damn thing worked, right? Forgive me for looking a frightful mess, but it was 3 AM afterall.

Ok, let me begin by saying, sorry for such a long delay between posts. You'd think I was off doing/seeing something exciting and new. Well, not quite. Since being in Italy, I've learned a few things about myself. Namely, traveling alone sucks; at least for me it does. I've realized I like having someone else along to enjoy the sights with and share funny/unique experiences with. Yes, there have been a few people I've hung out with here, but, they are of the mindset of trying to "boil the ocean". Meaning, they have ants in their pants and can't sit still; they must see EVERYTHING withing Europe within this 12 week period, because, using their words "I'm never going to get to come back to Europe again". See, that's where I have an issue. I know for damn sure Ill be back, and I don't feel the need to try to squeeze all of Europe, which I know you can not do, into a 12 week period. Hell, you can spend 12 weeks roaming Italy alone and still not see everything. Plus, I guess my mindset is slightly different from a 21-year old's. Not that they are bad kids, it's just after the hellish year I've had, juggling both school and work, this is a treat for me to stay in one place, doing nothing but thinking and relaxing.
Another fascinating thing I've learned about Alexis, is she really, really, appreciates being an American citizen. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with visiting other countires, and even living there momentarily, However, I at least know most of the warts the U.S. has, here, especially in Southern Italy, if you aren't a local, you are in essence, not worthy. The folks here at Mami Camilla have been great, but once you step outside the "compound" into Sant'Agnello or Sorrento, things are a little different. Someone, and I won't mention names to protect his identify, but he knows who he is, told me that once in Italy, I'd be the belle of the ball with the Italian men, since my look is "exoctic" (meaning they don't see many black girls here). So, me, being the sucker I am, believed him. So, upon my arrival, I expected a Italian men swooning at my sheer presence. Yeah, no!!!!! The reality of it, yes, they look, along with everyone else, especially the little old ladies & men, but because of my "exoctic" look, but because they are trying to determine what the hell I'm doing here. To date, I've seen only 3 other African-Americans, and I'm not 100% sure of the American bit, but they looked like me, so, I'm claiming them. Everywhere I go, people stare. I guess I'm used to it from being in the States, but at least in the States I can understand the mumbles as I pass by. Here, I don't know if the mumbles are friendly or foe. So for the most part, I'm on the compound, reading.
I've not had much of an opportunity to explore the city much due to a few factors. First, for 4 weeks, I had my Italian language class in the mornings, then cooking in the evenings. So, by the time I was done with Italian, the shops would be closed for siesta (which begins at 12 or 1 until 4 or 5 - hours vary from store to store). Once Italian class was completed, I figured I'd be able to, before siesta at least, explore Sorrento - again, Yeah, no!!. What happend you ask? Well, it seems as if my cooking at Mami Camilla was only to last 4 weeks, then after that I was to begin working in a pastry shop in town. Oh, I failed to mention that "town", i.e. Sorrento, is a 20 minute walk away from Mami Camilla. Oh, it's a FUN walk with the humidity at 100% and temps in the high 80's - low 90's. The whole working in the pastry shop thing was a little unexpected, to say the least, it was a little unsettling. On top of that, since I was no longer cooking at Mami Camilla, I was also explained that my dinner was no longer included. I'd have to either pay Mami Camilla for dinner each night, or fend for myself. Once I calmed down, and looked at the situation rationally, and realized there really wasn't much I could do to change the situation, I went with the flow. So, for the next few weeks, I'll be working in the pastry shop. The good thing about working in the shop is that I determine my hours. If I want to work 2 hrs, 5 hrs, no hrs, then it's up to me. As of yet, I've not opted out of not working, but it's always an option. I've been working 4 - 5 hours per day, which again means that by the time I'm done with work, shops are closed for siesta. Siesta is a 4-letter word to me now.
Anyhow, that's what I've been up to, trying not to be too homesick, but dammit, there are things I miss. Oh, I did forget to mention on thing, where I am, since it's so traditionally Italian, there are no other food options other than Italian. So of course, my taste buds are craving sushi, Thai, Indian and Mexcian!!!!! I miss America. lol :)