The Road Home

One cannot have a 28hour day with limited sleep and upon arrival at her destination not be slightly delusional or have a brain on overload. Time to download so I can try to get to sleep!
<- I started my day,  0600 CET in MdP I looked like this.

I eventually made it to Monterey 2117 PST where my parents were waiting for me with hugs and drove me home to meet my little brothers. Finni (pictured here ->) took to me right away. Tucker? Well I now know how visitors feel when Nico stalks them, but I'll win him over. Mark. My. Words.

And yes.
You knew it was coming- it always does.
International travel is always an adventure but compounding it with the fact that this is the first time in 12.5 months I've stepped foot on American soil? Momma mia, let the reverse culture shock begin. Not to mention the "well, it's not like this in Europe" comments...

#1 Why did it have to rain this morning making my last Naples drive for a while such a mess? Even more bothersome? The fact that it didn't really bother me. The shocker? On the drive home. The reflective lane dividers on the drive home AND people stayed in their lanes!

#2 I know it's typically Americans that get the back rep for "ugly traveler status", but fellow Americans I tell you that this time around that it was a German man on my Naples to Munich segment. With his shoes off, multiple special requests before the plane was loaded, he felt right at home to remind the 2 Italian men next to him that they weren't the only ones in the exit row. Yeah, apparently all the leg room in the world didn't make up for the fact that the guy in the middle seat was claiming the arm rest? When we landed, besides making the comment about Italians never listening or waiting to remove their seat belts (as mine was already unfastened) he acted like he was in no hurry. So then, can someone please tell me why he got on the girl I was sitting next to case about rushing him when his long reach and ample space to manuever his bag? This was after the 4 immendiate rows around us had all helped with the luggage switch since our stuff was all mixed up. Yep. Jerk of the day goes to him.

#3 Stanley injury (round 2) was great practice for sitting and doing nothing but watching movies for 10 hours at a time. I only took a few naps in between all the movies I watched on the long haul. 42 hands down was my favorite one I watched and it's on my "need to acquire" list despite having to look at Dodger uniforms the whole film.

#4 Only in the US do citizens holing passports for the county of entry have longer lines than its visitors. And yes our lines are way more diverse. And yes, the number of people working vs the number of podiums was a terrible ratio for us travelers.

#5 SFO Immigration people rock! Why? I only have 1 more unstamped legit page (cause everyone knows- expect for Russia- that those pages aren't for stamps). I hope Munich pulls through for me on the return flight, but if they don't I'll need a travel adventure buddy to a non EU country out/back before 23 January.

#6 Security lines suck in the US. Are we paranoid? Untrustworthy? Maybe, just maybe, if we didn't play world police we wouldn't have these issues? Is this the delusion kicking in???

#7 I'm sure seeing more orange and black than red and gold...and it's a beautiful thing. I do love my fellow SF Giants fans.

#8 Sitting at SFO, listening and observing...momma mia...I'm sure not in Italy anymore. No- I'm not being a European snob. I'm just saying that all of this seems so strange and I'm annoying by 75% of it but I think that is because I can understand the conversations happening around me.

#9 No matter how many times I see them- the stacks of the Monterey Bay Aquarium are a beautiful sight to see.  

#10 Even better than those stacks? Seeing my parents waiting for me as soon as I turn the corner. Every time. Traveling is 1,000,000 times better when you have someone(s) you love waiting for you on the other end.

Phew. Okay. Now I can go track down a cat, maybe the one meowing in the hall and get to sleep before my body realizes what time it is back in Naples....

Mama Mia, I'm Not in Naples Am I?

It keeps on happening. 
I think I'm settled in and then *BANG* out of nowhere something hits me.

It's like the place I've called my home for um 26.5 years is a completely foreign land to me and in this land there are strange and mysterious things.

• Laundry machines here fit more than 2 outfits at a time. And...get this, can wash and dry all those clothes in just about an hour.
• Loud beeping trucks come by once a week to collect garbage and recycling we've collected in city provided cans. (Okay, so in MdP we have mini trucks coming by daily, but I just never see them, let alone hear them since I'm already at work.)
• Should food scraps find their way in the sink at a flip of a switch they are pulverized and washed down the drain. (Good thing my family composts the large stuff so that still feels "normal.")
• Browsing all the other options in the store I get overwhelmed...especially when I see the price! Neeks' 5 pack of mice are a whole dollar more at Walmart! Speaking of shopping, it's so nice not to have to do the "so that's how many dollars" computation in my brain before deciding on an item. 

Ugh, it's good to be back- honest. Just taking even more time to adjust this time around and I'm not even jet-lagged. Well, I am but so much to do that my sleeping hours are restricted so I had to work through it. The cure for jet-lag perhaps?

We Meet Again Jetlagg

The last 48 hours have been....well, I'm not sure how to describe them especially right now when all my jet lagged body wants to do is sleep, but for some reason I can't manage to stay asleep for more than 5 minutes. And 5 minutes isn't even a cat nap. So you know, if this post doesn't make any sense it's because I'm walking around in a dream cloud.

Yesterday was spent re-adjusting to a lot of things as we drove up to San Jose to pick up my sister and my soon to be brother in law. Everything just seemed so different and not just due to all the road construction and business changes along the 101 corridor. Cars went the speed limit. Those that didn't go the limit were pulled over by the CHP and ticketed. Cars stayed in their lanes, even when we were at a standstill. Cars were freaking HUGE.

Target seemed to have more options than I remember and then I went into shock when I realized that just because I didn't see what I wanted on their shelves, there were other stores I could find it in.

Sitting in a French/Vietnamese restaurant for lunch with my family I squealed with joy when cilantro was served on my shrimp crispy crepe. CILANTRO! My taste buds joined in the celebration as they tasted something other than tomatoes, basil, or olive oil.

My brother being the awesome brother he is, even took the exit allowing me to have my first milkshake in I can't even tell you how long from In-N-Out. Actually, it was probably on 31DEC11 now that think about it...all I know is the vanilla shake was amazing and guilt free since as I consumed it my bridesmaid dress was at the tailors being taken in.

Running along the hills this morning, on a trail, felt like I was back in nature. The cold morning air felt fabulous and caused me to run too fast the first mile- oops. On the way back, other runners and dog walkers all passed, each responding to my "good morning" without a "what in the world is she doing" look on their face. I didn't have to worry about cars. I didn't have to avoid trash piles. I just was on the look out for wildlife- bunnies, hawks, birds.

Am I happy to be home? Yes! Is it clear that life in Italy isn't the same as it is here? Um, yes. Do I prefer one to the other? I don't think so. And if you Italian folks are concerned that I'm not going to return...my cat is in Italy so you better believe I'll be back.

Barcelona Part Uno

Living in a place like Southern Italy, you have to adapt or you will be miserable. There have been several instances where people have mentioned that Italy Katie is different and I'm okay with that. Change is crucial, especially when you were stuck in a stagnant place like Monterey. I know I'm changing with each challenge that gets thrown my way (and there are a lot). Last Friday headed to Barcelona though mid flight I realized that my "just go with it/little planning" plan may have backfired...even when I caved last minute and picked up a tour book from the library.

See, the plan was to meet one of my friends out there. Flights were purposely picked to arrive within an hour of each other so we could link up and then find the hotel. Well, that's a great plan if both flights land in the same terminal. Not completely freaking out when I realized the different airlines did in fact arrive in different terminals, I caught the shuttle down to the next terminal where his flight had arrived 45 minutes prior. He of course was no where to be seen, and so panic began to set in.

What kind of idiot travels without getting his number from the email? Why don't I have a copy of the hotel reservations?  Do I even know the name of the hotel? What am I doing here?

Luckily, I have amazing friends that look out for me and as I waited to get back on the shuttle (thinking maybe we crossed paths?) I frantically texted to see who was up and willing to hack my email for info. Paranoid or maybe just observant I watched out the window and guess who I found? Yep. I actually snuck up on him because he was too busy trying to figure out how to get into town. Seeing a friend after a while is always a fabulous event, but finding one when you're near panic, in a new country, exhausted, and it's almost midnight? Dare I say priceless? And yes, hug worthy.

It all worked out. (This time and yeah, USA Katie tendencies will be sticking around on trip planning for just a while longer...)

The weekend was fabulous but throughout the trip there were several things that just made me say "we're not in Italy are we?" Since he's been living in Europe too there were several conversations of "what do you mean it's not like this in Italy?" Which would then lead to the "I know, you only saw Rome and Rome isn't Naples." (Which a couple from around Rome while at La Sagrada Familia totally confirmed by their reaction when the heard I was living in Naples...)

I love Italy. I really do. But sitting outside at a cafe sipping sangria while birds chirped, cars obeyed traffic signals, and leaves floated in the wind just felt like home. Don't interpret this wrong- it didn't feel like the US. I could still tell I was overseas due to the levels of smokers, attention to detail in architecture, and the "all the time in the world" mentality.

But then on our adventures things would transport me back to Naples, like a car parking in a spot that required full bumper contact. Of course everyone stood looking on in horror while I just continued to walk down the sidewalk. Totally normal in my world.

What wasn't normal? The huge parks in the middle of city. Trash cans every corner with 99% of trash actually in them, not on the ground. Cars passed without honking. The plethora of cuisine offered by the restaurants lining the streets. Streets truly meant for driving "normal sized cars" and sidewalks for more than a single file line of pedestrians.

Several times, especially when crossing streets, I realized I was very paranoid to cross until I not only saw the "green guy" but also double checked for cars up to 10 seconds after the light change. Jaywalking? I don't think I did that until Sunday afternoon and even then I wasn't happy about it.

Language was another huge thing. From day one of Italian class, I've had to train myself to remeber that just because it's not English doesn't mean that Spanish will work. For months I've been trying to replace the few Spanish palabras that remain from my high school days con italiano. I'm happy to report that the change is taking place. When trying to do the simplest of order (ie for coffee) latte came to mind rather than leche. Small is now piccolo, not penqueno. There were so many other instances that I caught myself translating between English, Italian, and Spanish each night to try to straighten my brain out. Even numbers threw me for a loop. Then again, with Catalan who knows what you're really hearing...

After getting back to Naples on Monday, I thanked the gas attendant with a gracias. Go figure since I think just about everyone in Spain got a grazie. Now he really thinks I'm crazy.

One thing I found that still (yep, still) hasn't changed is my jumpiness with lizards. By "stick lizard" sighting three one afternoon I think MAJ545 was seriously questioning how sane I was. One day I'll get over it. Maybe. 

Calcio a Napoli

Ieri sono andata mia prima partita di calcio!

And even after being surrounded by Italian speakers for 3+ hours, my Italian skills still leave much to be desired. But hey, I was able to communicate enough with the pizza delievery guy when I got home to tell him I went to the game, and that I was disgusted that they blew their 2-0 lead to end in a tie.

Okay, maybe not all of that was spoken Italian but I'm pretty sure my comments regarding the score and my expression both on my face and the tone of my voice let him know how I felt about it. I think he was impressed because he told me that some game would be on the TV tonight starting at 730 and said I should come watch it in the pizzeria. I may start hanging out there once a week...it's so much fun. Like every game is a do or die situation. And everyone gets into the game. EVERYONE. I've mentioned how in the past I've noticed a slowing in food service because Napoli was playing- right?

At any rate, yesterday was one of those "hey, why not?" moments in action when earlier in the week my coworker had asked if I'd want to go go with to a game with his friends and family. Um soccer in Italy? Yes please! I mean, with opening day just over a week away and me an ocean (which may as well be forever away) I have a whole lot of sports enthusiasm to share, even after coaching the kids.

No, the stadium isn't new. It looks like it belongs in Naples with its cement construction, plastic backless seats covered in...well,  I really don't want to think about it...if there was a score board, it must have been on the overhang above our heads. Along the field advertisements of their corporate sponsors flashed but they were easily ignored while you watched the two squads run up and down the field. No jumbo-tron. Just a PA system blasting music and a guy talking in Italian. I'd call it a no frills stadium with limited concession stands selling only chips, crackers, and soda. Wait. I mean them and a bar, but the Italian variety- not American.

You tracking or did I just lose you in the shock that alcohol wasn't sold within the stadium? 
Talk about culture shock!

Our seats were in the "family- friendly section" meaning that we were surrounded by mainly sons and dads that all had their Napoli blue scarves, flags, shirts, and hats on. Don't read this wrong- they were still very much into the game: screaming at bad passes, sighing in agony over missed shots, booing the visiting team. I only mention this because up in la curva (the upper curves) were the crazy, fan waving, continually standing, ruckus generating fans. It was amazing. Like even more intense than my beloved SF Giants bringing the first World Series title home a few years back.

After the jeers from the visiting team (more about them in a minute), the announcer man read off the numbers of the Napoli team and the crowd would shout the players name. Talk about knowing your team! Luckily for me, I knew enough of the sports cheers to figure out the various chants and after I figured out that they weren't doing the Braves' tomahawk but rather throwing both hands up in cheer, I joined along. I did of course have to stop screaming in English because well, I pretty much already looked 100% American and didn't want to bring too much attention.

As for the Catania fans. Well, within minutes of entering the stadium I picked up on a "special section." Maybe because it was void of Napoli blue, and in its place were dark blue and red. Maybe it was due to the fact that a very wide section of stairs separated that section of seating from the surrounding two. Or maybe, just maybe it was the fact that both the upper deck and lower deck were completely inclosed in netting. Yes, netting. Although it was suggested that it's there to keep them from throwing things onto the field...I can't help but think it's to keep them safe from the home team's fans. Just in case though, there were a surplus of neon yellow attendants also in this section.

We had to wait until the second half for the first goal of the game, although Napoli had plenty of attempts. It worked out because after the half, they were shooting on our end of the field so we saw them up close. Of course after they took the 2-0 lead, Catania scored 1. And then as we were all really hoping we could see a clock they scored again, tying the game.

What's the point in playing if you're just going to tie at the end of it? Gimme more time on that clock! Gimme a shoot out! Gimme a penalty count per side and award the "nicer" team the win! Gimme something other than a stinkin' tie!

Seriously. For a sport that has such a huge following that work hours are arranged by game times, that players are talked about like family members, that everyone plays how is it that these fans can leave knowing that their team tied. Granted, they didn't lose, but they didn't win either. This honestly may be the one thing that prevents me from being a true soccer fan. I just can't wrap my head around it. I honestly think I'd rather take a loss than a tie. Yes, I know I'm competitive, ma no lo so! 

Reverse Culture Shock: Running

Rio Resolution Run 2012

Yep. Even something as primative as running is different here in the states. Although I'm still on the fence as to which country I prefer it in (I just love it anywhere) my running around has been refreshing.


Shocker #1: I actually had options of where to run! It's amazing just how many more options you have when trashfree sidewalks and wide streets are available. The backroads and hills although challenging were also a nice change of pace. Even with all the options I still love the rec trail the most. As I covered my miles along the water, I was in awe that the harbor seals appeared to be in their same spots on the beach when I left them 7 months ago.

Shocker #2: Runners passed are not in running club warm ups but in shirts from previous events and have a ton of technical gear hooked up to them. True story, most Italian runners don't rely on the iPod because they are normally running with a few others chatting as they tear up the streets. I do love my running accessories- they help me get out there. Don't you see that great watch on my wrist and iPod on arm?

Shocker #3: Everyone is out there running! Nina totally kicked my butt on motivation to get out there, especially in the cold evenings. When she manged to convinced me we saw a ton of people...probably more women than men which is unheard of in Italy. It was nice being able to get out a short one sylable hi rather than a buona sera, especially near the end of our run when it hurt to breathe.

Shocker #4: Events. Yes, there are multiple events I can participate in weekly but they just aren't the same. I think a lot of the convience is removed when I'm not fluent in the local language. Many of the events in Italy are small communities which isn't too different than the ones near home. The major difference though is in the participants. I think I mentioned after my first Italian event that everyone is so serious! It was nice to run in an event where I could look back and still see lots of people. It was also nice to not run in circles to get the distance covered. Even better? It was well organized- complete with photographers, timing chips, and real breakfast food!

Shocker #5: Fresh air. I know. I guess I'm getting used to the Naples crud because the first week I was out in the "fresh air" my lungs had a fit. Oxygen poisoning maybe?

Reverse Culture Shock: Laundry

I've been back in the states for just about a full week now and in true Katie O. fashion, I want out!

Don't get me wrong. Being with my family and friends through the holidays has been even more amazing than I though it would be. It's been a blast to visit my old stomping grounds, laugh with friends, and continue traditions and I'm beyond thankful for this opportunity. Really, I am.

But there are so many things here that are completely foreign to me now. Like right now I just sorted laundry with my dad and was in shock with how many clothes each load can have since (gasp) the machine can hold that much. Don't even get me started on how much faster the load cycles are or the fact that the dryer actually dries clothes and won't cost a small fortune.

One of my buddies in Italy posted the greatest link this morning and it made me miss Italy even more. You may think that I'm crazy for missing all of this but really you learn to accept it, adjust to it, and adopt it really fast. Your sort of have to...or else you risk missing out on a great adventure. And I guess once you've made that transition it's sort of difficult to transition back to "normal."

Oh well, one thing is sure- once Nini arrives tonight we can both relate to all this culture shock. Of course, she's a little more used to here since Roma (the one in Texas, not Italy) is little more similar to Salinas. But whatever. I'm just excited to see her since it's been WAY too long since last Christmas and we have lots of shopping to do!

Reverse Culture Shock: Driving

I've only been in Italy for a smudge over 6 months yet since getting out off that plane at LAX last week I feel like I'm a visitor here in the Golden State. Today I finally got behind the wheel as my brother lent me his car to drive into Salinas for an appointment and shopping...


Stop number one was to get gasoline. I had a momentary memory lapse when I couldn't recall my zip code associated with my VISA card to pump the gas! This of course was after I pulled out my book of NATO gas coupons. Oops. And although he said he only need a few gallons, I filled it up since poor Ravi hasn't had a full tank since before leaving Oakland and I figured Cami would appreciate a full tank. Hey, it's been a while since I've pumped gas...go big right?


Merging onto the freeway I quickly realized that I could use the big numbers on the speedometer rather than the itty bitty ones. Best part? I actually got to see the needle go past my normal 50mph mark. One good thing about driving on the tangenziale all these months makes 65mph seem fast! And yes, I do obey the speed limit to/from work since the cameras still make me paranoid! 


Somehow I managed to remember to pick a lane, stop at red lights, and watch out for cars in front of me rather than watching my rear view mirror for those flashing lights telling me to speed up or move over. Shocking? Yep. Another shocker were the size of parking spaces- they were so large! 


Yep. Perhaps the most foreign thing  of my entire driving experience today was the fact that it took me even less than what I have estimated for my travel time. In 20 minutes I was able to get to my destination. As in for the first time in months I was not only on time, but early! I was able to get there without gridlock, without cobblestone roads, without potholes the size of craters, and without ancient ruins along the side of the road. 


On my way home I had to smile as I saw a tractor on the road ahead of me, fields on either side of me, and a beautiful blue sky above. Not quite Italy now is it? 

Just When I Think I'm Prepared for ANYTHING

I don't know why this shocked me today at lunch, but it did. I mean let's face it- Chinese food on an US Navy Base in the middle of Italy already has more than enough warning flags. So why did I go? Well a new found friend had already been there and I was starving by 11:15 so really anywhere with food I was game.

Anyway, the translation is still up for debate so if you have some Italian skills- help a girl out! Google Translate just isn't making any sense but I'm just going to pretend it does and it translates to "the key to understanding is a smile."