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.