I'm going to Milano tomorrow with my sister, Linda, and Giulia came home this afternoon and had bought me a wonderful purse for absolutely no reason at all. Oh, glorious day!
SHIT I HAVE ACCUMULATED THUS FAR:
Also, you know, a family and the like. But, who needs real relationships when you can fill the void with mindless material garabage? I have actually decided to no longer associate with any of my friends, including you, Lucas, to opt instead for the company of cleverly decorated bags of sugar, available for free at any local grocery store.
I don't need you, see? I've got John Lemon, and he's a real musical genius.
Moving forward, I've noticed that my family seems to have an innumerable amout of cats. I say innumerable not because there are so many that I simply can't count that high, but rather because the number is never the same. I got here and they had four cats, and one day, I looked around the room and counted five. this morning, there were only three and after lunch today, six tails twitched irritably 'neath a food laden table top. I have no idea how many felines actually lay their furry heads down in this 'hood.
These are the cats that I am absolutely positive of their existence:
This is Mama. She abhors my very existence and, yes, she always looks at me that way.
This is one of my favorites. Her name is Lulu, and she lyyykes me.
I don't know this cat's name. I do know that it eats Giulia's hair extensions, which are constantly littering our stairwell.
This is my other favorite cat, Miu. She sleeps next to my head at night, and once I dreamed that I was suffocating because she was sleeping on my face.
Finally, this is Tobia. He has stomach cancer, and all mourn his imminent demise.
I find I quite like it here. All any one drinks is water, but my Mama buys me juice boxes. She was going through the pictures on my camera and she saw I had taken a picture of the Pear juice.
Mama: "You Lyka?"
Me: "Oh, I'd just never seen pear juice before, especially not in a box. I thought it was rather strange."
Mama: "Yes, but you lyka de pear juice?"
Me: "Sure, I liked it. it was very good."
well, sure enough, the next day she returns from the store laden with a box of pear juice boxes, a box of peach juice boxes, and a box of apricot juice boxes. My heart rejoiced!
every time I make the slightest mention of having an affinity for any sort of food, she runs right out and buys it. They think that I eat nothing. She introduces me to people sometimes as "Ginny, the American girl who eats like a bird."
one thing i did not consume in a bird like or even a feminine sort of manner was this:
the Italian know how to serve dessert. and, let me tell you, dessert is all they eat here. Cake for breakfast, after lunch, for every snack, and with dinner. Cake, with a side of Nutella, naturally. And, it is delicious. I have never feasted upon such delightful dessert. However, if I do become obese and obscene looking, I will not blame the decadent sweets, or my inability to eat reasonable portions, but rather the fact that they only drink whole milk here. I have not had a drop of low fat sustinence since my arrival. This is why I am huge and fat.
Something I find incredibly ammusing about my many conversations with my Mama is the language barrier. It's truly hilarious actually. Every other commercial lately is advertising this new McDonalds sandwich, whose name I cannot pronounce the name of for the life of me. However, my host mother and I had a fabulous conversation about it.
Me: "Mama, what kind of sandwich is that?"
Mama: " Ahh, it's an Italian sandwich, very specific to our region. It's filled with marshmellows."
Me: "Marshmellows? Isn't it a chicken sandwich?" I was trying very hard to be socially conscious and diplomatic whilst simultaneously disgusted.
Mama: "Yes, yes. It's very Italian. We eat marshmellows with many dishes. Maybe it is not an American thing."
Me: "We're talking about the white, squishy things, right?"
Mama: "Yes, maybe American's don't put them on sandwiches. They grow here all the time in Italy during the rainy seasons, especially in the forests."
Me: "Um, Mama, do you mean mushrooms?"
Mama: "Yes, yes! Mushrooms. What are marshmellows?"
this sort of conversation happens at least three times a day.
oh, and about your shirt...
This thing is always on top of our television. this is probably why I don't watch television. That, and also everyone mind as well be speaking Newspeak for all I understand of it. I'm not sure what it is. Any suggestions?
Oh, hey, they have tacky wild bird clocks in Italy too! Wanna know what's more frightening than a pre-menstrual history teacher in kitten heels? Being jarred awake at 2am every morning by the soothing mating cry of the Cuculo bird.
Wanna know what else they have in Italy? Really anachromic shrines to Jim Morrison at the top of their staircases. My "what in holy fuck" alarms were going off when I first saw this as well. Notice the nipples though, yeah? Totally striking.
Well, I do believe that will be all for now. I miss&love you.
ginny.
Post script:
I'll leave you with this. Trici-truck? I think so!
