This is Halloween

A couple of the grad student Fellows here organized a Halloween event at the Academy, which was truly an epic event. I was drafted (willingly!) to be on the decorating committee, but also found myself on the unofficial buying-stuff, including candy, committee. It's not easy to Buy Stuff in Italy, which I should really explain at length in another post. But to be brief: there's no Michael's for crafts or Jo-Ann's for fabric or Home Depot for random building materials. Oh, no - you really have to hit the pavement, walk everywhere, and/or scrounge.

Anyway.

It was really a labor of love, and I think that I can speak for everyone when I say that the party was a rousing success. I helped decorate the courtyard and the main party room - and some of the people I was working with were incredibly talented. Betsy spray-painted a bunch of sticks black and hung them so that they were suspended over the bar. Jackie painted a wonderful pumpkin patch and gravestone area - and there were so many more great touches. I felt really proud of how things looked.

Indigo especially loved the "pumpkin patch" on the wall, and tried to pet the kitties. I guess she thought they were real. ;)

The first part of the party was geared for the kids It was very sweet: it started with a treat-bag-decorating activity, then the kids were invited to trick-or-treat inside the main Academy Building. After trick-or-treating was done, there was a pizza party, then time for the kids to either run around or have their own little dance party in the party room.

After the kids' party was the adults' party, and I think over 275 people showed up, from all the other Academies in town. I didn't attend, since I was tired and home with Indigo, but it sounded like a good time.

Indigo seemed to enjoy her Halloween. She tolerated her outfit (but just barely - I was fortunate to get a few snapshots of her with her witch hat on before she tore it off and never put it back on). She loved running around with the other kids before festivities started, and seemed to have fun decorating her trick-or-treat bag. Sadly, though, she didn't actually do any trick-or-treating. I'm not sure if it was because she was hungry, or tired, or just overwhelmed by the entire event, but she just couldn't deal with the crush of kids piling into the building to go door to door to ask for candy. I think it was confusing to her, and probably too chaotic. So we went back outside, waited for pizza, and watched it get dark. Indigo is, incidentally, fascinated with the dark, and gets so excited when she spots the moon. When she sees it, she'll point, and run towards it saying, "Come here, moon!" Adorable.

Too bad about the trick-or-treating, but I think she had a blast anyway, and probably doesn't know what she missed. And I wouldn't have wanted her to eat candy anyway, so maybe it was all a big win. ;)  Here's one last shot, of our little family.

Happy Halloween!

Something you'd never see in the US

I walk through the heart of Rome twice a week, because my Italian class is just off of Campo de' Fiori, home of the biggest outdoor market in Rome, and central to what is probably the city's biggest tourist area. The walk is actually really fun, mostly because I enjoy the company of the three friends who are taking the class with me, but also because it's good to come down off of our hill now and again to blend into the strange mix of Romans, pilgrims, tourists, and who knows what else.

I'd been to Campo as a tourist prior to the start of my class, so I'd already seen the strange motorcycle outfitted with...machinery?  I hadn't seen its owner, though, until I walked by with my friends the first week of our class. And then, there he was, sitting astride his strange machinery bike, whose machinery was whirring and spinning. I glanced at a a man standing next to him, who was holding a butcher knife, and I suddenly realized - this motorcycle was outfitted with a knife sharpener!

It was so crazy! I mean, this guy sits in the middle of a crowded piazza on a modified motorcycle, and sharpens peoples' knives! How does he do this? Does he ride from piazza to piazza on his bike? Does he have a permit? Do the police even care? Endless questions.

These pictures are actually here courtesy of the lovely Betsy, who was smart and savvy enough to have had her camera on her at the time we saw the man and his bike. ;)

Crazy.

Today was not a very good day

Yesterday before school I saw Indigo limp, briefly. I thought I had put her shoe on incorrectly (sometimes she curls her toes and the shoe doesn't sit right on her foot), so I took it off and put it back on, and that seemed to help. But after school the limp was back, and much more pronounced. In fact, it was not so much a limp as - a strange stiffness to her gait. She was walking with her right leg out at an angle, with the toes pointed in. Concerned, I called Josh and he came home to take a look. She didn't seem to be in any pain, and did not react when I gently pressed along her leg, rotated her ankle, moved her foot up and down, and bent/extended her knee. There was no swelling or marks of any kind. We decided to let her sleep on it and see how she was the following day.

Today the stiffness/limp seemed a little better in the morning, but it was definitely still present. I took her to school as normal, and talked to the teachers there about whether she had fallen or gotten hurt the previous day. They said that she hadn't, and had in fact been wondering about her limp, and meant to ask me about it. She was crying and clingy this morning, which is unusual for her, so I feared that whatever was wrong with her leg was starting to pain her, even though she wasn't able to really tell me that it was.

I talked to some of the other moms here, and they helped me decide to take her to the children's hospital up the hill. They have a walk-in clinic there, as well as an ER. I tried calling the hospital to figure which I should take Indigo to, but the receptionist spoke only broken english, and I barely any italian, so I decided to wing it. I then did the thing that no one - especially a mom - should ever do, and looked up Indigo's symptoms on the internet, to try to figure out what might be wrong. Maybe it was foolish, but it made me feel better prepared for some of the possibilities. I thought that the most likely culprit was toxic synovitis, which is just a fancy name for hip inflammation that follows a viral infection. Indigo's had a cold for several days, and her symptoms seemed to match up.

Josh and I picked up Indigo after school and rode a taxi to the hospital. We went to the clinic and a pediatrician before being directed to the ER, kindly escorted by a volunteer who spoke excellent english. We were at the hospital for nearly four hours. Her walk had deteriorated - to the point that I was fighting tears whenever she would walk. Her leg was sticking out to the right at an alarming angle, and she had become clumsy, and kept falling down. She was terrified by her examination in the ER, and quite clearly felt some pain when the doctor rotated her hip. She was equally terrified by the ultrasound (and also by that time, exhausted and hungry - the snacks I had brought were not nearly enough).

Turns out my internet sleuthing was right on the money. The doctor's english wasn't perfect, but he essentially said that her hip inflammation was due to a virus. He didn't see signs that anything else was wrong (scarier things like meningitis or bone fractures), and told us to give her ibuprofen for the swelling...and to not let her walk for 5 days. At all. I have no idea how we're going to keep our energetic (and otherwise very healthy) child sitting down for the next 5 days. And I need to find her a pediatrician, to have a follow up appointment next week.

So the upside is, she's fine. It's nothing serious. It was just a terrifying, heartbreaking, exhausting day, and the next bunch of days are going to be a challenge. Poor little girl.

Le tre amiche

As I mentioned in my last post, we had two of our friends visit us in our Rome home recently. Rachel and Lo spent just over a week in Italy, spending time with us during both weekends and traveling together to other cities in between. It was so lovely having them here, and Indigo was beyond ecstatic that Auntie Rachel and Cantaloupe (her attempt at saying Auntie Lo) had come to see her.

Lo and Rachel, with the Eternal City stretched out behind them

The day after our adventures at the Vatican, the three of us decided to do one of Rick Steve's (forever altered in my mind now to Stevie Nicks, as he was called by some obnoxious American tourists) walking tours of Rome. We set off down the hill and through Trastevere, crossing the Tiber River into the heart of Rome.

Our first stop was supposed to be Campo de Fiori, home to Rome's largest outdoor market. But the thing about the city is, it's filled with hundreds of tiny, twisting, cobblestone roads that seem more like secret passages than honest-to-goodness roads. So it's quite easy to end up someplace entirely unexpected (although probably delightful).

We ended up, unexpectedly and delightfully, at an excavation site, and peered in. I think it was Rachel that noticed the first cat, then the second and third - and then we realized that there were at least a dozen cats lounging amongst the overgrown grass and broken columns and stairs. We had happened upon a cat sanctuary. There was a little office down inside the site, with instructions to ring the bell if interested in adopting a cat. The Italian government, by the way, pays people to feed the cats in their neighborhoods. It's actually a real job, and it's brilliant. Rome does not have a rat problem; the people take care of the cats, and the cats take care of the rats. Why don't we do that in the States?

Another gem we found was this tiny church seemingly squished amongst the buildings in the piazza. There must be hundreds of these little churches scattered about the neighborhoods of Rome. I find them utterly charming.

We finally made it to Campo de Fiori, and were aggressively propositioned to by several Italian men trying to get us to eat at their restaurants. One sang "Born in the USA" and tried to give us kisses. Another danced for our favor. Rachel, being the most immune to this kind of persuasion, steered us to a little place where no one was pressuring us, and we discovered the eighth wonder of the world: zucchini fritters. Honestly, they're really hush puppies with an almost token amount of green in them, but who cares? They count as vegetables, right? So. Good.

Onward, then, to Piazza Navona, which I immediately fell in love with. Possibly because of the trio of Baroque fountains there. Possibly because of the two amazing toy stores there. Possibly because it is the site of the annual Christmas Market, which I am so excited to take Indigo to. Maybe I just really like this guy to the right. Can you blame me?

We lost ourselves again, but eventually found our way to the Pantheon. I admit to being incredibly naive here, but I had thought, illogically, that it would still house the original pantheon of Roman gods. No, of course it doesn't; it was silly to think that it wouldn't have been converted to Christianity long ago, with the original heathen statues and art destroyed (sob). But I was disappointed nonetheless. The structure is breathtaking, of course - completely unbelievable, really. But disappointingly Christian. Ah, well.

The outside of the Pantheon

We saw the Trevi Fountain, of course. And the Spanish Steps. And a million breathtaking buildings, ruins, obelisks, architectural elements, fountains.



Santa Maria Novella

The age and history of Rome is amazing, but Florence - Florence is simply gorgeous. I took the high-speed train (we really need to get that mode of travel in the US!) there to meet Rachel and Lo, who had been visiting Venice, and the three of us spent the day "swanning" around (as Lo likes to say), looking at art and architecture, and having a lovely time.
There were so many beautiful buildings and artistic touches, everywhere. The Basilica of Santa Maria Novella is covered in stripes, but it's not painted - the builders actually used different white and green stone to achieve that look. I found myself wishing that I knew more about art history, so that I could identify all the things that I was seeing. We also went and toured the Uffizi Gallery, which houses a huge collection of amazing art, but probably most famously Botticelli's Birth of Venus. It was a thoroughly enjoyable museum experience, because the gallery limits the number of guests who can enter at one time, so it does not get overcrowded.

We walked through the city, and personally I loved the smaller, more intimate feel of the place, as compared to Rome. I love Rome as well, but Florence feels so much more manageable. And I felt like I had a good sense of the place, even after just 9 or 10 hours there. I still don't feel as though I have a full grasp of Rome, even after being here a month, but I suppose that's because it seems so vast.

We walked over the Ponte Vecchio, and did some shopping. Florence is famous for its leather, and we found several shops to peruse. One in particular was quite nice, and we had a nice repore with the shopkeep - and I ended up haggling a little bit to get a better price on a leather bag (not for me, sadly). But still! I haggled. Then we had a delicious dinner as night fell, and a beautiful walk back to the train station to catch a train back to Rome.

The Arno River

Then alas, came Lo and Rachel's last day with us in Rome. They went to Ostia for the day, which I regret missing, but Josh and Indigo were both sick at home. I went out for one final dinner with my ladies, and had some of the best pasta I've ever had in my life. (Some day I will write a separate post devoted to the food I've had here in Italy, I promise). A last walk around the heart of downtown, then we caught separate cabs and went our separate ways, me to my new home and they to their old. I look forward to catching up with them again next June.

Arrividerci!

The Holy See

I made two trips to Vatican City in the past week. The first was with Josh; we had a free morning together and decided to stroll up there so that I could have my first look. We weren't planning to see the Vatican Museum or anything; we just wanted to take a brief look around. Despite being a lapsed Catholic, I admit that I felt a curiosity - no, a yearning - to see St. Peter's Basilica for myself.

It's an easy walk from the Academy to the Vatican. It's only about twenty minutes, with some of the loveliest views of Rome along the way. The journey ended with us cutting through a bus station, taking a few escalators down the hill and then...we were in Vatican City.

I was overwhelmed. I felt tears threatening, but I could not say exactly why. The enormity of it all just hit me - I was in the holiest place in the Catholic religion, and my emotions just bubbled over. I don't even know if I believe in God. I certainly don't agree, or particularly like, the Catholic Church. But clearly, obviously, it meant something to me, since all this unresolved stuff rose up from my chest, choking me. I was brought to tears. And this was just from setting foot in the City. I hadn't even looked at St. Peter's yet.

My first view of St. Peter's Basilica

I willingly allowed Josh to lead me to St. Peter's Square, glad to have someone else propelling me along so that I could simply look. A large crowd was amassing in the square, and after consulting our guidebook, we learned that the Pope conducts public masses on Wednesday mornings at 10:30am. We were going to see the Pope! We circled around and got in line to enter, waiting our turn for security guards to check my bag and to run metal detectors along our bodies. Then, we were in. Simple as that.

It was an interesting mix of people, there. It's a huge tourist draw, of course. But I've become accustomed to seeing mostly Italians (since we don't live in a touristy area), so it was neat to see people from all over the world. We had gotten in just minutes before the mass was to start, and we could see the Pope arriving in his Pope Mobile, flanked by guards all around, projected on four large screens around the square. I was surprised when the vehicle began to make its way through the square, rather than just going up to the dais. I suddenly got excited. I was going to get close to the Pope! And indeed, I saw people in front of me begin to run to the right, and Josh and I ran, too. And I saw him, barely lifted above the crowd, scarcely thirty feet away. The Pope.

Needless to say, I cried again. But at least I was not alone; I saw several other people wiping their eyes, too.

The following Saturday, I returned to the Vatican with some special visitors: Rachel and Lo (more comprehensive post about their visit to follow)! We decided to see the Vatican Museum, including the Sistine Chapel, and the inside of St. Peter's.

On the whole, our tour of the museum was amazing, but I have never in my life been in a museum that was so densely packed with people. It was insane. The sheer number of people, including large tour groups full of people that stood around and blocked all available paths, was just staggering. At times I ignored the art and just moved, because I needed to get a little space to breathe. My agoraphobia isn't as bad as it used to be, but I was still pushed to my limit.

Wall-to-wall tourists

I took pictures. Many, many pictures. But at some point I think my brain got a little overstimulated by all the art, and I put the camera away. Here's a random mish-mash of photos I snapped:

I took none in the Sistine Chapel, of course, because it's not allowed (well, no flash photography, anyway). None in St. Peter's Basilica, either. I suppose I felt, in both places, that taking pictures was disrespectful, since they are both holy places. I also felt that no single, or even collection, of photos could do justice to the entirety of what I was seeing and experiencing. I was not in the Sistine Chapel for long, as it was too crowded for me. Rachel, Lo and I sneaked out the tour-only exit, pretending we were with a tour, so that we could bypass the hour-long-wait-line outside for St. Peter's. Ha! Rebels. It was totally worth it, since it was 90 degrees that day, and there's absolutely no shade anywhere in that square. St. Peter's was impressively overwhelming, and I was moved to tears again by the sight of The Pietà.

Afterwards, we had some lunch and gelato.  And friends, if you ever go to the Vatican, you simply must go to the Old Bridge Gelateria. I have no photos to share, alas, since our gelato cones were enormous and there was no way that I could both handle that melting monstrosity in the 90 degree heat and manage to snap a picture of it before it melted all over me, my camera, the sidewalk, and the nun next to me.  Suffice it to say that it was heavenly.