Bormio

Well, I am feeling like a true Italian.  

The Davini's took me to the mountains with them, for a long weekend, to celebrate Carnevale (aka Mardi Gras, aka the beginning of Lent).  Most Italians spend their summers at the beach and their winters in the mountains.  That is just how it is.  Usually my host family goes to the famous Dolomiti, but this time there was not enough room so they settled for Bormio.  It is a small town in Valtellina, which is a large valley in the region of Lombardia.  It is known for its spas, natural thermal baths, wine, and bresaola (an air-dried, salted beef that has a sweet scent).

Now, if any of you know me you would know I cannot handle the cold..but with a view like this you can withstand anything!  Enjoy the pictures!  I only wish you could also breathe the fresh, pure air along with it.

Bormio

Matteo, hitching a ride to the top

Energy break!  We spent the vacation with the Davini's good family friends.

Closing le piste (the slopes)

 On the first day we had quite an adventure!  I was not skiing so I took the funicular up to 3,000 mt. to take in the beautiful scenery.  When I came back down it was 4:45 and the slopes were about to close in fifteen minutes.

At exactly 5pm Simone calls me and says "Isabel, I need a favor.  We took the wrong path.." and my phone died. 

I kept my cool and asked to use the bar's phone.  They were closing so they pointed me to the police, who were getting ready to head out too!  I marched in and said "C'e una famiglia ancora nelle montagne!" ("There's a family still in the mountains!").  So two officers hopped on their snowmobiles and sped off.  They arrived ten minutes later with Simone and Fabio (Simone's good friend).  What had happened was they had accidentally taken a wrong turn and ended up going down a black slope, which is the most difficult!  Matteo had to lie flat to make it safely down and Daria rolled!  No one got hurt so we can laugh about it now.  We had driven up the mountain and they had skiied further down than where we parked, so the dads and I drove down to gather everyone else.  Those are memories right there.

Ancient houses

I spotted this woman in the window and she gave me a perfect Italian moment to capture, from her handkerchief to the little shrine to Mary.

Where do you want to go?

An old shoe shop

Hotel Baita Clementi

Such a cozy place even with the snow!

We got to spend our last day at the thermal spa.  We returned to Milan yesterday evening and you can only imagine how I am missing that clean air!  It was an absolutely marvelous vacation and I really really hope I can do it again.

C'è la fatta!!!

I DID IT.   I REALLY REALLY DID IT.

I managed to get my last permit to wait for my citizenship to process and I have the snapchat to prove it.   :D

Can you believe it?

I could not have done it without the help of so many nice Italians, helping me along the way.  Considering the plans I have for my future I am not able to send gifts to thank them all, but I want to at least mention them.

First off, the Comune of Grottolella.  That would be the town hall of where my family originated.  I began calling them to start the quest of collecting every one of my ancestor's documents in May of 2014.  Grottolella is a tiny town located in the region of Avellino, close to Naples.  This means they speak a different dialect of Italian.  All the Milanesi (people from Milan) warned me that I would not understand a thing but I did not listen.  I had to try. 
I ended up calling them at least every other week to check up on the search, and they got to know me fast.  I spoke slowly, they followed along, and we had no problems with communicating.  :)
I cannot wait to visit the town one day and show up with a huge bottle of wine for them.  Then I will start my new adventure of finding out if I have any relatives there!

Next, my American family.  I LOVE YOU ALL!  Dad, Mom, Nonni, Uncle Michael, Tina B. (my Pap's cousin and my only family member in the U.S. that still speaks Italian), Grammy, Aunt Mary, Bianca, and Catherine.  You guys did everything I asked and I hope I will get to thank you properly one day.  <3

The staff at the foreigner's office at the Comune of Milano was so patient with me.  One week I went to them every single day and they were STILL not tired of helping me.  They had pity on me and overlooked discrepancies in the documents and are the ones currently processing my citizenship!!!

Next shout out goes to my host parents.  Every night, no matter if they had a pesante (hard) day at work, they would ask me how I am progressing and share with me whatever advice they could.  They do not know how much that meant to me.  

I cannot forget the American teacher I met through Daria's friend at our church.  Her name is Michele S. and she was willing to meet me two times and even let me bother her at home on a Sunday, to answer my endless questions on how she obtained her citizenship through her Italian ancestors.  She was great!

 I want to thank the Carabinieri at Via Novara (via = street).  Especially my friend I made, Domenico!  He personally guided me through renewing my permit both times and let me skip so many annoying little steps in the process.  He even allowed me to text him during his vacation with my random questions.  
And for the record, we are indeed just friends.  I will admit he did invite me for a coffee but, in Italy, that means absolutely nothing!  Haha they simply prefer having a friend tag along.

The translation place I used was so fast and cooperative!  I was required to present the original document, the Apostille, the translation of the document, and a copy of all that to the Comune of Milano in order to apply for citizenship.  The day I picked up the documents from the translation place and took them to present to the Comune, they could not accept them because it was too disorganized (keep in mind I had twelve documents to present) so I ran back to the translators and in two hours they had helped me to put it all in order.  The next day the Comune accepted them!

And finally, Buddy, my Philippine friend from a small traveling company that also deals with citizenship.  He gave me all kinds of great advice and was genuinely trying to help me out..even with finding work!

I want to remind you of my greatest discovery throughout my reasearch; that our last name was actually Spiniello until my great-great-grandfather, Domenico, arrived at Ellis Island in 1896 and, with the overwhelming amount of passengers, did not have time to spell it out correctly.  The funny thing is that Spinelli is one of the most classic Italian last names, still to this day and I have to admit having my last name helped me out the most.  All was meant to be.  It is as if someone had this already programmed for me.  Grazie mille to whoever that may be.  ;)

Please get in touch with me if you want more details!  My email is imspinelli@yahoo.com

Un bacione. XOXO.

Qualcosina

I stumbled upon this article and needed to share it!  This American woman has been living in Florence since 2009 and decided to write the top 10 things Americans need to know when eating in Italy.  I could not have made a better list, myself.  She is just leaving out one thing.  Italians eat cake with their hands since icing does not exist here.

I hope it can give you a good laugh! 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/whitney-richelle/americans-dining-in-italy_b_4097722.html

Unfortunately for me, I am just finding this now after I have been living here for a year and a half.  Due to my ignorance,  I have experiences of my own.

~ Although you know I'm trying so hard to not seem foreign, I could not give up my eggs in the morning.  Of course I attempted to follow their diet, during my first three months here, but cookies and espresso will never cut it for my favorite meal of the day.


~ During the Lenten retreat last year, I shared our made up Italian dishes with the youth group.  Their reactions to fettuccine alfredo, garlic bread, and pepperoni pizza were PRICELESS.

~ There have been numerous occasions where I had pieces of fruit flying around, as I tried to peel it. Really embarrassing.  It makes you feel as if you have been eating fruit wrong your whole life.


I would never trade these experiences for anything in the world, though!  They make great memories and even better stories.  Buona giornata!  Have a good day!

Allegrezza

I am happy.

So. So. Happy.

Want to know why?

1.  I have been able to renew my permit for another year and within three months I am supposed to have dual citizenship (this depends on how much time they take to process things and get me registered). 

2.  My appointment for residency is this Friday!  Then I am only required to wait to become una cittadina italiana (an italian citizen).

3.  The path is looking bright to teach English as a foreign language.  I have connections with a few schools and I see the need for madre lingua (mother-tongue) educators is increasing.  

4.  I have been asked to proofread the draft of book in English!  I am meeting the writer tomorrow evening and we will go over details of the agreement.  I'm excited!

5.  My host family is planning some awesome upcoming trips!!  I will give you the itinerary:  The Shroud of Turin, the mountains, Rome and Sicily.  

Yeah.  I have a couple things keeping a smile on my face.

....

On a different note, there had been something bothering me lately.  

I feel like I am too selfish in this period of my life.  I do not try to only talk about myself and I have been purposely focusing on avoiding it.  But it is sure is hard!  No one around me is doing the same thing as me or has nearly the same goals.  I constantly feel as if I must explain myself. 

A good friend of mine really helps me whenever I feel this way.  She reminds me that I arrived here alone and am trying to create a life for myself.  However I was rightly taught to never feel bad for myself.  I chose to do this and I am absolutely happy I followed through with it!  Just look how beautifully things are falling into place!  That is what happens when you follow His Will.

I must remember that I am not alone.  God is with me.  I have a family that loves me and supports me, friends that understand me, and wonderful Italians by my side who help me to every extent they are able.

How blessed am I??  I have never been a very affectionate person but I am trying harder.  Every one of you in my life is incredible.  I need to let you know how positively you have influenced me and important you are to me.  I need to try harder to reconnect with you.  How are you?  How do you feel today?  These are basic questions that have great meaning.  They mean "I love and care about you, and have been thinking about you."  And I truly do. I want you to know I think about you.

I will do my best to stay in touch and then let God take care of the rest.  He always has my back.  When I would get overwhelmed by all the running around I had to do for citizenship, I would go find a church and hide.  I would say a simple prayer and walk out totally refreshed.  I dare you to try it on your next giorno pesante (heavy day).  Then let me know after it works, and tell me why you had a bad day.  I promise I will try to just listen.  :)