Christmas Time

Well, the holidays are here and I thought I'd update our blog.
Ben and I have had a few visitors in our new place. Heidi, Michelle, and Ben's mom. It's been fun to show our friends our new town and introduce them to our friends. We had a house warming party that was really fun.

We spent our Thanksgiving in Virginia with my family and enjoyed spending time with them.
Ben is still liking his job at CDW and I am still not working, which is frustrating.

We are really grateful for all of our new and old friends this Christmas season and for our families. Also, it is great being back in America for the holidays, even though we miss Italy sometimes.

Merry Christmas Everyone.

Pine Street

Here are some pictures of our new apartment. We are slowly getting furniture and putting up pictures and it's looking good.
Ben's enjoying his work and I'm still looking for opportunities.
We are really thankful for our new friends and all the things God has given us.

A New Hometown

It's been quite a summer! After returning to the states, we travelled around staying with family and friends in New York, Virginia, Tennessee and Mississippi. Ben started searching for a job as soon as we returned, but when nothing really promising was happening and we had lived with other people long enough, we decided to find our own place somewhere. And it turned out that we found a great sublet in Philadelphia for this month. Within a week of moving there, Ben was offered a position at CDW, an IT company, here in Philly and he accepted it! So, here we are in Philly.

Philly is a nice city and it's close to DC and New York. We've already met some lovely people from church here. Ben starts his new job on the 17th as an account manager to medium and large businesses, selling IT solutions. We are so grateful for this job. I don't know what I will do here, but I've taken some dance and yoga classes already.

I turned 27 this past weekend, and we went to NYC to celebrate my birthday and Ben's new job. It was so fun seeing everyone and going to see Mary Poppins on broadway.

As of now, we are looking for apartments and getting our stuff out of storage in Memphis (very excited to see all our stuff again.) We wish you all a great fall, what a wonderful time of year!

We're back!

We are back in the USA!
Our trip home was full of disasters. We got stuck in London for a day and a night and then when we finally arrived at JFK, none of our bags had made it. Thankfully, the cat had flown by himself the day before we left and arrived safely.
We stayed with our gracious friends Daniel and Amy in NYC and were just estatic about being back in New York. It really is the best city ever and so nice to do familiar things, like go to the deli and get egg and a bagel and coffee, speak english, and run into people on the streets. We waited for our bags to make it while we hung out with friends and walked around the city. Some of our bags were delivered, and then we ended up hunting down the rest at the airport.

When Ben found them, we left for Virginia to stay with my famliy. So that's where we are now and it's great. The grocery stores and tv channels here are so overwhelming to us in the amount of choices. Everything is so much easier here than in Italy and nice and convienient.

Next stop, Tennessee, to see Ben's family and go to the lakehouse.
Oh, and we got new cell phone numbers too

646-306-0902, Melissa
646-306-0913, Ben

New Blog

Welcome to the the new blog. I transferred all the old blogs to this site, but haven't got the pictures on yet.

Well, the countdown continues until we return to the states. Ben is doing a crazy amount of projects for his final week of classes next week. And then he has a week of finals. I am going a little crazy, with having nothing to really do and wanting to be home, but it's alright. I know I should savor times when I can relax.

Luckily I have Kato, our cat, to keep me company while I am here alone. Ben and I are so glad we decided to bring him. He's so fun and sweet to us. Yes, I know that most of you reading this don't agree, but we really love him and are grateful for him. Kato has a new friend/enemy (sorry Chloe) named Giga. She's the neighbor's cat and comes over to Kato's balcony so they can stare at each other and sometimes cry and hiss. And while Kato is a giant beast compared to Giga, she is nimble, and Kato is not, so we're not sure who would dominate in a fight. But we're not about to find out and we try to keep them apart.

Ben has a friend at school, Silas (from Kenya) who owns a fish business. We got some of his mussels and tuna when my mom was here and it was awesome. Ben had the idea to have a fish/sushi party for his classmates. So last night we had this big party at one of the professors apartment's. Ben and I made sushi with fresh tuna and Silas and his wife made unbelievable scallops, shrimp, mussels, whole fish (which i now now how to cook, eyes and all), smoked salmon and fresh salmon and tuna. The food was amazing, but it was a lot of work. Everyone had a great time.

Another event coming up is the glorious 30th birthday of Ben! Yay! June 25th!

I can't tell you how excited I am to see friends and family in 2 and a half weeks.

A visit from mom

May 31, 2007

Our travels continued when my mom and Walter, her husband, came to visit last week. We spent 2 days in Milan and then went to Cinque Terre, a group of towns on the Mediterranean. It was really beautiful there and we had such a fun time exploring all the little towns and eating really good food. We even hiked from one town to another and loved seeing the ocean and the cliffs. After that, we went to Bellagio on Lake Como. It rained a lot while we were there, but our stay at Hotel Belvedere was wonderful. It is so fun to share our Italian life with friends and family from home. My mom and Walter really got to see what it was like to be here and deal with the quirky Italian ways. And as with all our visitors, Ben and I are so grateful that they came to see us, it really makes us happy.

Now, we have one month left of being here and are deciding what are next steps will be. Hopefully, we will be coming through New York, Washington, and Memphis/Pickwick during July while Ben continues to look for a job. I have realized in the last month that Milan has become a home for us, even though it's not the best. And while, i don't think i'll be very sad to leave it, we've made a life for ourselves here and I feel proud that we've accomplished that. This next transition to wherever we end up seems even scarier than the one we made moving here. But we're praying that the next place we move is full of friends and opportunity for both of us.

Ben is very busy right now with school and I am not doing much. There's always possible performances for me, but one never knows with this group. Happy June to Everyone.

I love Paris in the Springtime?

May 21, 2007

Paris Trip: May 16-19, 2007

High Points: Riding bikes through the city, Wandering through St. Germain, St. Michel and Monmartre, Yummy Coffees, French Onion Soup, Crepes, Sunny afternoon in the Luxembourg Gardens, Watching Spiderman 3 in English, Stores on the Champs Elysee, Seeing famous art at the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay.

Low Points: Freezing Temps, Constant Rain, Disgusting Hotel in shady area, Overcrowded sights like Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur and Versailles, the very long bus rides to and from both airports.

Odd Points: The sun didn't set until after 10pm, we heard more americans speaking english than we'd heard all year and food and drinks are way more expensive in Paris than in Milan. We also saw men dressed as strawberries, a lot of steller mullets, Santa, in disguise walking through Versailles, and kids giving away free hugs under the Eiffel Tower.

French it Up!

May 14, 2007

I know it's been a long time since our last blog, but there wasn't anything really exciting to report. Ben's been working hard at school and we've been hanging out with friends. My dance company has been wishy washy about things, but I have a show tomorrow with them and maybe one in early June.
We went to Southern France this past weekend, be the real fun began the day before, when Ben was given free tickets to Beyonce's concert here in Milan. It turns out his school gave Beyonce on honorary masters. Why?? We don't know, but her dad came to ben's school to talk to the students and gave them all free tickets. The show was great and it was fun to go with all of Ben's classmates.

So, the next day we rented a car and drove to France. We stopped by San Remo for a little while and then got really lost. There were a lot of tolls and 124 (we counted) tunnels between Milan and Nice. But we finally got to our bed and breakfast in a town called Ventabrens, outside of Aix-en-Provence. It was a beautiful house and the hosts were really friendly and helpful. We went in to Aix for dinner and had an elaborate meal. The weird part about the town was that, walking down the street, there were so many americans speaking english. We guessed that since it has a big university there, they were studying abroad or something.

The next day we drove to the Luberon Valley and to a town called Gordes. This town is really spectacular and unique. It is built into a giant rock and the buildings are the same color as the rock. It was really pretty and overlooked the whole valley with vineyards, lavender fields, poppy fields and more. This land was really amazing and we were blown away by the beauty. We then drove to Rousillion, which is a town that is built on these bright red and yellow rocks. A lot of pigment for paints are harvested from these rocks.

After that we decided to take the scenic route to our next town which was Nice. That turned out to be a bad idea, as it took us through the French Alps and took forever. The drive was really fantastic, scenery-wise, but it was very tiresome.
We got to Nice and had a great dinner on these picnic tables in a little square. I had Moules Frites (mussels and fries) and a local dish called socca which is chickpea flour and olive oil tortillas. Nice also has a lot of tourists, but it was still fun because the night life is really exciting.

The next day we spent on the beach, which is so beautiful. It has no sand, just rocks, which is pretty uncomfortable. And there were a lot of topless ladies! The water is so blue and clear and wasn't that cold for so early in the year.

All in all, it was great. We really liked Provence and the Riviera and they are places we hope to come back to. We could really tell a change when we got into France. It felt less hectic, more calm and relaxed. Apparently, France and Italy have the same population, but 
France has double the land. I am really glad we got to see the country side and get a good rest from the cities.

Up next, we go to Paris. Au revoir!

Zinkwazi

April 16, 2007

Ben and I had a wonderful time on our trip to Zinkwazi Beach, South Africa. We flew from Milan-Lison-Maputo, Mozambique-Johanessburg-Durban. We joined my sister Fiona and her 4 kids (Mitchell, age 12, Lauren, age 10, Max, age 4 and Scott, age 3), plus another friend of Mitchell's, Alex, at their beach house. It is a spectacular house and has already won Best Home for it's region. It's on the beach, has two pools and is very peaceful and cool. The week before we arrived, there had been a mini tsunami that had washed out many decks and beachfronts in the area, but Fiona's deck and beach was fine. The beach there is so wild and rough. The waves were huge and beautiful.

We spent our days at the main beach, or right in front of the house, playing an insane amount of table tennis, watching kids movies, and hanging out with everyone. Mike, Fiona's husband is climbing Everest (again) right now and just got to base camp. Fiona is going to meet him at base camp on his way out in May.
We had dinner a couple times with their friends in the neighborhood and it was great to be with other english speakers and have a good time. One day we went into Durban to a water park/aquariam called uShaka. It was a lot of fun and beautiful too. The weather was perfect most of the time, except 2 days that were grey. The kids were lots of fun and it's neat to see them grow up. As we do not see them but every couple years, we can really tell how much they've grown. All in all, we had a very relaxing, luxurious time. We are so grateful to have gone there for a much needed Italy-free break.

A Performance to Remember

April 5, 2007

Hello All! It's been a busy couple of weeks for Ben and I. Ben's parents came through town on their fantastic European adventure and it was so great to see them and see how much they were enjoying Italy. When they left, I started my two week run at Teatro Out Off with my company, Corte Sconta. The shows were great and it was an all around good experience.
Ben had his final exams for his second term and started his third term where he will be specializing in marketing. He had his first week while our friend Heidi was visiting us from New York, with her friend Stephanie. It was terrific seeing them and getting to hang out. We showed them around Milan and went to Como for one of the days. It meant a lot to me that they could see my performance and see what I've been working on.
Tomorrow, we leave for South Africa for some relaxation and sun.

Happy Easter Everyone.

Busy Bees

March 19, 2007

Well, life is moving fast for us here in Milan. The weather has been warm and sunny (although not today) and I have been very busy with rehearsals. The situation with the company has become much better. After that first week, I haven't been very sore and I feel like I'm understanding the work better. Even so, being with these people 6 hours a day is stressful because I am trying to understand what they are saying and what is going on at all times and that takes a lot of energy. I now understand the ways they work and most of what is said, but there are still those cultural differences that I'm unsure of. Living in a foreign country makes you realize how disconcerting it is not knowing what to do in every situation, having to always be aware of what others are doing and try to figure out yourself.

I like my fellow dancers and they are being nice to me. Somedays they help me practice my Italian which I am getting much better at. This week is the last week of rehearsals and then we start performing March 27th until April 5.
After that, we are off to South Africa to visit my sister, Fiona at her beach house near Durban. Ben and I are so excited to go and relax with family (and people who speak english).

Last Saturday, we went to Bologna for the day. It was a great city and had a lot more interesting architecture and character than most other Italian cities we've been. We didn't do much that day, but sit in the main piazza and watch people and eat. But it was fun. After a while, doing the touristy things get old in these northern italian cities, so it was nice to just take it all in.
Being busy, for me, has really helped me be happier here, although sundays are the days that we miss home the most.

Marla and the New Job

March 3, 2007

Our friend, Marla, from New York came to visit us right as both Ben and I caught the terrible flu that is apparently going around the world. She was in town for Milan's fashion week and she walked the cat walk in about 12 shows while she was here. It was fun to get to see her when she returned from the shows, with crazy make up and hair. We loved having her here!
Ben and I recovered while she was still here and we got to spend time with her, including Carnivale. Her driver, Ricardo, took us to Varese, a town outside of Milan the day of Carnivale. All the children were dressed up in costumes and there was confetti and silly string littering all the streets. There were games and clowns in the streets and a parade here in Milan. Ricardo said that not a lot of people celebrate Carnivale anymore, except for kids.

After Marla left us, I started my new job dancing for Corte Sconta. It has been frustrating time so far. The language barrier is hard and it is just a different way of working than I'm used to. Everyone is allowed an opinion and I just want to go crazy when 5 people are telling me different things to do, most of them in Italian. And they talk so much and their concepts and ideas are sometimes impractical. The dancing itself is cool, but really hard on my body. I have been so sore this week, and it doesn't seem to be getting better. I think it's going to be a long, and confusing 3 weeks before the show.

It looks like spring has come to Milan and the weather is nice and warm. Ben's been riding his bike to school and continuing to work hard at his classes. Tonight he goes to the Milano Vipers hockey game to watch the league playoffs!

Coastin'

February 12, 2007

As we explore more of northern Italy, we find more places that rekindle our admiration of this country. This past weekend, we went to Genova, which is on the Mediterranean Sea. Our friend Catherine invited us to come to her indoor track meet there on saturday night and we decided to make a weekend of it and check out the area. Genova is a hilly city with lots of the colored buildings like in Como. It has a big port that was fun to walk around and have dinner right on the water. We wandered around, saw Christopher Columbus's house (he was from there) and enjoyed seeing the ocean and all the unbelievably gorgeous yachts and sailboats.

Catherine's track meet was way behind schedule, so when we arrived, we got to witness a strange event of speed-walking, which is just hard to watch because you want to shout at them and say, "You know if you pick up your feet more, you could go faster????" We also got to see pole vaulting, high jump, shot put, and the 60 meter sprint before we got to Catherine's 800 event. She didn't do great, but it was so fun to watch and cheer her on.
So far in Italy, we've been to this track meet and 3 pro hockey games, which we actually enjoy. Of course soccer here is so popular, so much so that all the stadiums this week were empty because of a riot down in sicily at game where someone was killed and they banned all fans from attending games.

The day after, we took a train a little east to a small town called Nervi, which is right on the ocean, up from the Cinque Terre. There is a long walkway right along the water and it was so beautiful to watch the palm trees, water and huge rocks. The town was so tropical with hills in the background and the ocean below (and it was about 60 degrees in the sun). Orange and Lemon trees were everywhere (we picked an orange, it was not good). We ate lunch in a park filled with tropical plants and watched kids play soccer. I think it was the most naturally beautiful place I've been in Europe and we were happy to find it.

In other news, I have been offered a contract with the dance company i've been dancing with and will be performing with them for 2 weeks in March and April. I start working for them the last week of February and I am looking forward to learning their stuff.

A Better Italy

January 29, 2007

On Friday, Ben and I took the train to Torino. It is a great city and much more tourist friendly than Milan. The city, first of all, is set up like a grid, which always makes thing easier. The buildings are clean and bright. It's a pretty big city and you can see the mountains and hills from it. When we arrived, we walked around and realized that while we were there, it was the Winter University Games (like a university level Olympics). So there was tons of stuff going on and we went to an outdoor concert that night. Also, there at this time was a light art show going on around the whole city. So on each major street, there were different designed lights covering each block. We went to the big Egyptian museum there, which has one of the biggest collections in the world. It was very well done and we saw huge statues, human mummies and mummified cats and crocodiles. Torino just had a relaxed, but orderly vibe and I enjoyed it very much.
After that we took the train to Aosta, which is north of Torino on the border of Switzerland, in the Italian Alps. The train ride was beautiful the whole way as we watched the rugged landscape become snow capped mountains. The town was very nice and full of Roman ruins, which was neat to see. They were having a local festival that day and we saw lots of wood workers selling their furniture designs and also a huge tent of cheese, chocolate, wine and grappa. It was great to see parts of Italy that we prefer to Milan and to appreciate as an observer, rather than trying to integrate into a culture that is so different than our own.
This month has seemed so long, and I am glad to be moving into February.

2007 Begins

January 17, 2007

Well, the new year is here. And what has it brought us??
Firstly, it has brought us to say goodbye to Michelle and Melody, which set me into a couple days of sadness.
But then it brought us our friend Daniel to us from New York for men's fashion week. He has been for castings for the runway shows and we have been so blessed to have another visitor from home. He has been staying with us and making fast friends with Kato. He'll leave this weekend for Hamburg and Paris, and then be back with us at the end of the month.

Secondly, Ben got to do some great cycling in the first week of January (see pictures above). They rode to a place around Bellagio (near Lake Como) where there is a church dedicated to the patron saint of cycling. He had a great time with his friends, Patrizio and Jorge.
Since then, he's started school again, and is happy to find that he has 2 American professors, which seem to have it together. His classes this term include, International Business Law, Business Ethics, Managing People, and Corporate Finance.

Also, this month, I, Melissa, have been dancing everyday with a modern dance company called Corte Sconta. They invited me in December to take company class with them and I started to do that. This week, they invited me to start learning some choreography. They said that they don't have any contracts open right now, but the future is open. So, there is a possibility that I may get to perform while I am here. That was very encouraging, but in reality, so far, working with Italians is such a pain and the language barrier is awkward. But I am grateful to have this opportunity.

The one thing that 2007 hasn't brought has been letters. Our mailbox has been empty, except for one awesome letter from my Mimi. So please send us a letter or a card or something, please. Because we miss our friends and our family a lot and knowing you care means a lot to us.