Parlo Italiano....

I have been practicing my Italian by using the website LearnItalianpod.com. I really like it. I am able to comprehend the intermediate levels so I am now working on my pronouciation which was always a problem for me. I try to translate my thoughts into italian. Like when I think of decribing a person from afar... Lei e bella e grosso. OR something else. That isn't a fair statement. Ha! Yeah I wish I spoke it better. I try to listen to Nek, Jovanotti, and Negramaro. And I love there music so it is good. I hope once I get over there it will just hit me again, like I never left. I will pick up where I left off. Let's hope!!

I WANT SO BAD TO BECOME FLUENT!!!! I LOVE ITALIAN, EVERYTHING ITALIAN!!!!

TI AMO ITALIANA!!! VOGLIO CORRENTE!!!!!

I'm not sure if that is correct but what the hell.... :-)

What Kind of Art Best Describes You??

You Are Best Described By...

Farbstudie Quadrate By Wassily Kandinsky

What Famous Work of Art Are You?

Thinking Positive....Being Proactive

That is my goal. I am saving all my money's from my small paying job and I am also applying at resturants to be a server. The fastest way to get cash is to be a server. I am not going to think of it as a bad thing and how I didn't like working at Rainforest Cafe before when I first left college. It is just a segway until I find a life that really challenges me and a life that I am striving for. A life in Italy! I am keeping my mind busy by working on projects, putting together collages of Italy, doing something that doesn't let me overanalyze my job right now. Ya know? I hope someone out there understands what I mean, if not it is ok. I just want to pass along the thought of just keep positive with a long term goal in mind. Let it be choosing a better job, finding a better exercise schedule, or in my case, moving to a different country.

As my wise professor and friend said to me once, "The royal road to achieving genuine satisfaction in life is going the bloody hard way". I LOVE LOVE LOVE this quote! Something to think about, because most people aren't happy with their jobs. What I say to these people is then do something about it to change your career or direction in life!! What are you waiting for??

Life is too short to waste it unhappily.

a presto

I sent it!

Yesterday, I sent the letters to the Comune's of my great-grandparents to obtain their birth certificates. It took a while but I did it. The post office in my town didn't have the IRCs so I had to travel to another town. Well now we will wait and see if they will send me copies or the copies of the originals so I can go to the consulate and finalize this.

Cross your fingers for me!!

Info on Interviewing in Italy

You want some tips on interviewing and the process, go to Emma Bird's blog. If you click on Emma's How to Italy under "blogs I like" on this page you are half way to meeting an amazing person. Emma is great friend of mine and also a great motivator for me. She is my constant support system when wanting to finalize my dream. Hope this helps all you Italian lovers out there.


The pictures above are of my friend Simone after Italy won the World Cup....How exciting huh??? Wish I was there Simo!!


a presto

CAMPIONI DEL MONDO!!!!!!!!

BRAVISSIMMO, BENESSIMA, BELLISSMO!!!!!!
YOU ALL DESERVE IT!!!!!
TI AMO TUTTI!!!!!

FORZA ITALIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FORZA AZZURRI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Summer Reading, Applying for Citizenship, Weddings

I am reading a great book right now by a friend by the name of Dario Castagno. It is called A Day in Tuscany. It is superbly written and gives you a great laugh. I actually catch myself laughing out loud. His first book was the same way. Too Much Tuscan Sun, was a rollar coaster of weird and obsure tourists he catered around the Chianti. A must read and a touching story. I recommend reading both of these fabulous books. You won't regret it.

I am in the process of obtaining Italian citizenship, alas I am missing some papers that is over the pond to prove I am of Italian descent. I am writing letters to the Comune's of Toano and Montefiorino to ask them to send me authentic birth and marriage certificates of my great grandparents. I hope to send those out this next week.

I have a very good friend's wedding that is coming up in August. I bought a plane ticket to attend the wedding because driving these days is soooo expensive even when it is going from IL to MN. So then I started thinking about money. OK, now I am not by any means wealthy, but for some reason I feel that I should be able to fork over some spending money to attend this fabulous party. Alas I am also trying to save, save, save for my ticket over the pond, AND paying off my credit cards from the previous summer when I was in Firenze. So it all comes back to my job in which I don't get paid as much as I hope. THEN, I start telling myself well you need to quit then and find a better paying job, or get another job Katie. (Essentially I am a bit of a thinker and analyzer when it comes to my life choices), But who isn't. To calm myself down I think, My job is adequate and I like the people, I know what I am doing and I am learning and networking at the same time. Everyone in my office knows I am the Italian Fan. If anyone mentions Italy they ask, have you spoke to Katie? HAHA! Very nice! I have made a name for myself there. They will never forget me when I leave.

My money issues I think, well once I do get a job in Italy, I will be paid in Euro and then I can pay off my credit cards hopefully a little faster because of the exchange rate. And the most important thing is that I am Happy right now. I spend time with my Nana and Papa as much as I can, My sister is due in August with my first niece or nephew, and I am planning a life for myself that no one in my family has ever dream of. I am so driven and determined that I can't sleep. I am up late tonight cuz I just wanted to get this off my chest so I just put all these thoughts I randomly have into perspective. My life is just how it should be. All that stuff I mentioned above are things, things I will pay off and I will get a better job. None of it compares to a life being brought into this world in which he or she will have an awesome, Italian-speaking aunt, who will love it so much. (and will teach it all the Italian it's parents won't know) haha!

La Vita e Bellissima!!

PERFETTO GIORNO!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY MY FELLOW AMERICANS!!! IT IS A GREAT DAY TO BE AN ITALIAN-AMERICAN!!

A PRESTO

VIVA ITALIA!!!!!!!!!!

BRAVISSIMO!!!
BENISSMO!!!
PERFETTO!!!!

ITALIA IN THE FINALS 2006!!!!

I WISH I WAS THERE!!!

TI AMO DEL PIERO E PEROTTA!!!
BRAVO AMICI!!

BUONA FORTUNA!!!

Nana and I

My Nana is my best friend. We had our weekly chat by the pool today. I enjoy her company so much. She is the reason I am tied to Italia. She was born in a little town called Farnetta outside of Modena. She loves to reminise with me and describe the lunches her Mom and Aunt used to make for her when she very young. Nana smiles while telling me about all the fresh flowers her Mom grew all around her house. She says, "You are so much like my mother. You both love flowers and love to cook." In a way I am like you as well Nana. She is a terrific cook. Nana can make any pasta dish from memory. Let it be from her mother or a recipe her grandma used to make, she remembers it all. She hardly ever looks at her old recipes. I am so lucky to have my Nana in my life.

Today we talked more about my personal life. She says, "Katie, I married way too young, I am like you, I wish I could have experienced more and traveled more.
I was an adventurous girl but I couldn't do any of that after I got married. Oh to be young again!" She expresses with a smile.

Then she brings up my Italian beau, that I honestly can't get out of my head. I met him last summer while I was studying. I definitely felt the tingles when we hung out and I know we had a connection. A girl knows when a guy has feelings for her.

"You must go back and tell him". Nana says with a smile. "He needs to know."

Yeah except that my beau and I are both afraid of getting hurt and very stubborn. Not a good combination is it? I wonder who will make the first move......

Is that English?

Your Linguistic Profile:

65% General American English

20% Upper Midwestern

5% Midwestern

5% Yankee

0% Dixie

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

This is the type of English I speak, ever wondered what type of English you speak, click on the link.

A presto

Bellino Totti

Even though I was torn between the two teams today, I am glad Totti put it away for the Italians. The Aussies are a great team and I can't wait to see them in the next World Cup.

Francesco Totti is great! Azzurri e perfetto!!!

Una Bacione!

The Job is Mine

I got the job. Yeah for all that they gave it to me anyways. All the staff is happy that I am staying, which makes me feel good. So unless I find a job sooner, I will be with them until the end of December. I am patiently waiting to hear back from Emma to see if she picked me to come and work with her in Sardegna. Wishful thinking I'm pretty sure. I am not getting my hopes up because I bet there are plenty of others that applied.

I am Confused

Today, I told my boss that I won't be able to stay as a receptionist. I just have too much drive to just sit around at a job that doesn't challenge me in a way I am striving for. Assuming I would not be with them next week, I told her that my temp agency has found me a job that starts next week. And her jaw dropped, and was like no we haven't even offered her the job. Who knows if she will accept it. OK. So the day before she pretty much told me that she found another person, making me think that she will start next week. BLAH! My tenative last day of work would be July 3rd. I was so ready to move on but apparently they thought I would reconsider and stay with them forever. What can you do?

No Job For ME

Today I am going to tell my job that "no I don't want to be a receptionist for the rest of my life". Yesterday my boss asked me to explain why I want to be a "free bird the rest of my life" cuz they believe that I am perfect for the position. She is like "you never stayed in Italy for very long, so is this a vacation you are thinking?" At that moment I was very irritated with her and how she could think that because I talked about italy for so long that it is a joke or something. So I told her I didn't feel comfortable talking about that right now. She told me that I would need to give her an answer today because they found a replacement for me.

I am going to tell her. I frantically looking for a job to start next week. Good news: I can leave a little earlier to Italy. I emailed all my au pair agencies yesterday to see if they could bump me up to leave October.

What If...

What if I never went to Italy in the first place? I refuse to think of how my life would be if I never ventured.

I am in the process of getting my citizenship. I already applied but needed the original birth and death certificates of my great-grandparents. My great uncle Lorenzo is going back to their birth towns to get them for me. He is an amazing man. My Nana and her 3 brothers were born there and she hasn't been back in 53 years!!! She married an American. My Papa, no one else like him.

It is nice to have a special bond with her. She calls me her "true Italian granddaughter". I went to her pool this weekend and we had a great chat. Talking about life, love, and loss. She is so funny and my best friend. She knows more about my passion than anyone else. Alas I must not tell her yet I plan on moving there because she isn't too keen on me leaving,again.

She explains, "Wait til after I die, so I can watch over you."

"NANA!!!!"

Little does she know is that my cousin, Alina, and I are planning a trip for her to go back to meet up with her brothers in Lago di Como. Bravissma!!

Focus Katie Focus

I realized today that I need to focus on my dream. I keep getting distracted by what my friends are doing. My younger sister got a job right out of college and will be get paid more than I got when I worked at Motorola. I am proud of her. But that is not me. I am not a corporate girl. I hated being under all those rules. I always broke the rules there. Mark and Terry know that very well.

I got a phone call from my great friend Maggie the other day, I was happy to hear from her. She told me "Katie just go to Italy now." I'm like, "I can't, I need to save more money."

She replied back "Don't give up, you will be there soon".

She is the only one I can talk about my dreams and she knows exactly how I feel. I met her back in February 2005 when I visited Florence for 2 weeks by myself. I stayed at the Villa Bonelli in Fiesole where I studied when I came in 2002. Bob, the director, was happy to see me and promptly invited me to the dinner that evening with the new students. I sat next to Bob and a few other students from SMU. As the started serving dinner to us, here flys in a dashing, gorgeous girl and sits right at the end of our table. She looked nothing like the Minnesotan students sitting before me. I had to ask. "What school are you from?"

"I go to Lewis University, outside of Chicago" she said smiling. "I am from Crystal Lake."

"Excuse me??!!" I said, wideyed. "I am too!"

"Really, what is your name?"

"Katie Greenaway."

"OH MY GOD, you are Emily's sister. I played volleyball with her!"

Since then we have been inseparable. She is a great confidence in my life. We have such a connection when we are together. She once told me, 'anytime I am around you, I see more Italian things than I would normally see.' We were walking downtown one day and she noticed this Italian sign that she never noticed before, and she walks down that street all the time. I am obsessed with anything and everything Italian. If there is a special on the Medici family on PBS my Dad knows to tell me.

a presto!

Benvenuto to My Blog!!!

I decided to start this blog to chronicle my journey towards my dream, ITALIA!!! I hope I can meet some people and gain more knowledge of living in the the most enchanting country. Feel free to email me or comment on this wonderful blog.

A presto!