You're happily settled in to your routine abroad. Suddenly, as the tip tap of your shoes echoes through the historic center of a picturesque Italian town, a scent or sound sneaks up behind you and brings back vivid memories of home in an unexpected nostalgic instant... and depending on your hormone levels, it might even make you cry!
Yes, you shake your head in disbelief. Since you are quite happy and the funny thing was that before you left, you couldn't get enough of the country you were moving to!
Aaah, that's the way it works sometimes! But at least I was happy to know that I can still watch my favorite shows online!
Of course, in the end, you will still be sitting in centuries old apartment building while a cute guy stares at you from the window a few feet in front and Italian sirens merge with passing Italian conversations on the street below. But if you close the blinds and put on earphones you might be able to transport your self for a few hours to your other far away "home".
Now, if I could only cure my burrito food cravings in Rome, that would be great!
21 comments:
Hi! I totally identified myself with your post. For instance, I started noticing how much I loved Salvadoran food when I came here, and how much I miss it. I also miss the fruits, the beach, the lagoons, the birds, the volcanoes... :) But I am happy where I am. Where I am is where I should be ;) It is another stage in my life and I am enjoying it. I suppose that's the way nostalgia works, because if I had to leave Malta to go to another place I would certainly think of Malta with longing. I loved malta since day one. I love my country too. I love them both :)
Hi, unfortunately most sites' (like abc or nbc) web episodes are unavailable abroad... don't know about joox though, I'll try that one out.
Enrico (from Italy)
I get fierce food cravings here. There is only so much pizza and pasta a girl can eat. I often crave spicy food and have found a fantastic Indian restaurant here in rome (Himalaya's Kashmir on Via Principe Amedeo near Termini and the markets) and also a great Ethiopian (Africa on Via Goito or is it Gaeta?). However there are certain things you just can't get here so i cook them myself - namely, a good hamburger (not available anywhere in Rome apart from my house!), burritos and Pad Thai. BTW - if you need cilantro and other ethnic ingredients in Rome - the Piazza Vittorio markets are a great (and cheap) resource.
Kataroma
well darling, every time I drink a tequila I close my eyes and all the sudden I feel like I'm back in Mexico...EVERY TIME!!
yesterday I went to the mexican consulate and obviously I found a lot of mexicans and it was so beautyful to hear a little of mexican (yes; mexican, not spanish lol) spoken...snif...
bacioni bella!
Ciao Delirante :)
We do love them both! I wonder if being an expat means having a little bit of nostalgia here or there...then again, there are also so many joys that it's more than worth it! I'd take it all anytime!
Enrico, ma stai scherzando??? Sul serio? The abc.com's web episodes are unavailable abroad? :(
Kataroma -Piazza Vittorio markets? Thanks for the tip!!! I'll be at that market weekly, I can see that already :)Spicy food is also definitely my favorite, so I'll have to try the Indian restaurant, too..
Ciao Irenita!! I know you speak Italian and Spanish, but it always catches me by surprise to hear your great English! :) Yea! I saw your pictures of Milano! Very pretty :)
Reed and I are huge fans of Big Brother. It would be nice to be able to watch it in Italy! By the way, thanks for mentioning our blog in one of your posts last week. I just saw it today- I'm not on the computer as much as I used to be now that I only have days to get everything together for the move!
Ciao Ashley!
Yes in 5 days you'll be leaving for Siena, Italy!! :)
Chris and Erin leave for Florence today!
Exciting stuff...
Ciao Farfallina,
purtroppo è così. Sono un Lost-dipendente e mi sarebbe piaciuto scaricare gli episodi dell'ultima stagione direttamente da ABC, ma il download è consentito solo sul territorio degli Stati Uniti, credo per problemi di diritti televisivi...:(
Enrico
Ciao Enrico!
Eh! infatti! ho parlato oggi con un amico in Norvegia e mi ha detto lo stesso! Che ABC solo funziona sul territorio degli Stati Uniti!
Well, ABC might not work outside the US, but joox.net has some season 2 and most season 3 episodes to view. You don't have to download them at all, just play! :)
Nice blog yourself.
However, I solve the problem of Television by downloading the entire series on a torrent site.
Then I watch them on my PSP on the train.
Watching Grey's anatomy is so great that it is an international activity . I can understand why you miss so much your burritos but italian cooking is also wonderful.
Mélanie
I'm afraid that in my case it's a matter of "...if only there was high-speed internet connection here." Dial-up really sucks!
But anyhoo, if there's anything that I crave....it would be more for the desire to be back "home". ;-)
BTW, regarding your comment on the panna cotta -- I'd eat that stuff for breakfast EVERYDAY if I could!
We're kinda global over here! I have "cable" (sky) and with over 300 channels to choose from, they are almost ALL in both languages. There's a switch on your remote control so you can listen to any television programme in the native tongue (be it english, french or whatever). Movies? DVDs.
Plenty of fakey mexican restaurants over here too, unfortunately!
I know the feeling. After about 8 years I had a craving for a McDonald's anything (horrendous, I know) but at that time there was only one fast food place in Italy, Burghi. I am not saying it was a good thing to desire simply that when away the simpliest of things become important.
I was also going to tell you about ABC.com not working here in Europe, but I'll spare you the spoilsport thought. I think there might be interesting to hear McDreamy in Italian, don't you think? Or, if you moved to Portugal, you could still hear his real voice because we don't do voiceovers, we read the subtitles.
I'm sure I'd have insane cravings if I moved out of my country and I can even antecipate what they would be...the sun and soup. :)
Great post!
It's so much fun to read about you planning your new life in Italy. Sounds like you have everything covered, good on you!!
The only thing l remember craving was having my own internet service!
italy is getting "global" as the rest of the world... you'll be very lucky to find that you'll be able to watch what you used to watch at home, just get "sky"... maybe the new episodes are old about a year or less, but they are always new for us. when i arrived here the first time, sky didn't exist, anyway, i didn't have a tv. as well, you'll find someone (friend or coleague or whatever) that can provides "pirate" episodes in original lenguage... this way we watched heroes almost as the same time it was being watched in the usa.
italian television is really bad : P
some movie theaters offers films in original language.
I think this hit while I was taking a class in Prague and knew nobody. We could only watch BCB news and about 3 other stations. We had no internet (2002) in the building yet. I had to go to internet cafes a lot because I was missing my friends and it was hard being there not able to speak the language at all...
Contamination -sounds cool to watch shows on PSP on the train :) I just have my humble laptop :)
Mélanie -Oh, Italian food is great! but like Kataroma said "There is only so much pizza and pasta a girl can eat" :)
Rowena -you have dial up? Ooops, maybe I should simply my site. I wonder if my youtube videos make it tortuous for you to load this page!
Ciao Julia and Diana! :) Sky sounds like a good idea... I'll have to look in to that. Though I wonder how much time I'll have with Grad school... I might have to settle for a show online once in a while :)
David, YES, when away the simplest things we took for granted at home suddenly become important since they remind us of "home" :)
Devil mood, hehe... yeeea, I heard from several sources at the same time that abc.com doesn't work abroad! That was sad, it burst my bubble! :) It's okay, joox.net has been working great!
Cleopantha -I can see why you would miss your own internet service! I love fast internet! :) It's #2 on my priority list! (#1 is living in the historic center).
Expat traveler -Grey's Anatomy? :) I love that show... Your Prague experience sounds nostalgic, but very interesting!
Well, if your taco cravings become too much you can always come down here to Napoli and I'll take you on base to the Taco Bell. : )
Grazie Gallivanter!
One day out of curiosity I might have to take you up on that!
Meanwhile, I'm hoping the Piazza Vittorio markets have enough ingredients for me to cook diverse foods at home :)
Rome is international, there should be a wide range of foods, right? I know in Siena I had a looot of Pizza and Pasta!
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