Driving through downtown Bologna reminded me of New York City. Before all of you think I’m cracked for comparing New York to Italy, let me explain. First of all, there are people everywhere; everyone smokes, everyone is walking a dog, everyone has shopping bags in their hands, everyone seems to be in a rush, and there are even bums begging for money. Aside from the people, the streets are lined with tall buildings with big windows, condo/apartment complexes on top of pharmacies, bars, restaurants, shops, coffee shops, etc. However – although I will forever love New York City, Bologna is far more beautiful for so many reasons (which I will get too soon, promise).
We pull up to the entrance of the condo and I must admit that I was confused at where we were. I guess my imagination conjured up something out of Under the Tuscan Sun and I was waiting to pull up to a beautiful villa on a couple acres of land. But, as mama taught me, you never judge a book by its cover, so I grab my bag and the baby, and follow Max inside. I give a “ciao” to the doorman who looked at me like I was an alien, which I technically am, got into the smallest elevator known to mankind (which will be the death of Nicole), and arrived on the second floor. Upon entering, I was immediately greeted by a tiger kitten (thank GOD) and was shocked that the inside was as beautiful as it was. Living room with balcony to the left, kitchen with balcony to the right, marble floored hallway with two glass doors leading to three bedrooms; Giorgio’s, Max & Vikys, and mine. I unfortunately don’t have a balcony off my room like the rest but hey, a nice big window works for me! I put my bags in my room and after a little tour of the house; George, Max and I went on a walk to the grocery store and took a little tour of the downtown area. I was literally in shock at everything I saw. From the size of a bottle of water in the grocery store, to the different shops everywhere, to the church in the Piazza Maggiore and the section of town with my favorite designer boutiques. Although I was in awe at everything I was surrounded by, I was also freaking out about getting around by myself. There are little side streets everywhere, this is going to be worse than NYC, I kept thinking, but I made myself breathe and just take it for what it was worth.
After getting back, Max (who is a phenomenal cook) made spaghetti with a carbonara sauce, mmmmmm delish! I unpacked my things and tried to settle down but I was starting to panic. At this point, I hadn’t met Viky yet, she had a meeting for work in another part of Italy and wouldn’t be back till Friday afternoon, so I was definitely feeling very abandoned. It was disgustingly hot outside and there was no air condition and no fan, and even with my window fully open, there was no breeze. How am I supposed to sleep without a fan on? What the hell am I going to do!? I shook it off, only moments before finding out there was no internet either. No AC, no fan, no internet, HOW AM I GOING TO SURVIVE?! I was a mess and literally didn’t know what to do so I did the only thing I do best, crawl into bed. Woof. I finally had a free second to think and then my emotions went haywire. All I could do was cry; I don’t even know why I was crying. I couldn’t put into words what I was feeling, which made it worse when I called home because my mother had a panic attack wondering what the hell happened to me. I was so mad that I couldn’t get online, how was I going to keep in contact with my friends and family? And I was more frustrated that it was so hot and I couldn’t go anywhere to escape the heat. I had written off coming back after Christmas, if I even stayed that long to begin with. I swore this wasn’t for me and I couldn’t hack it. So, I cried to my mom till I fell asleep, having one of the best night’s sleeps of my life, thankfully. I woke up Friday afternoon to a phone call from my parents at 12:45 making sure that I was still living. I didn’t want to get out of bed, but I jumped in the shower, put a smile on and went to hang out with Max and George for a little. Then, Viky finally came home, and that my friends, is when I realized that I was going to be just fine and that I was going to give Italy the chance that it most definitely deserved.
* * *
Meeting Viky was exactly what I needed; it was like the final piece of the puzzle of being here. We kept Friday pretty low key, took Giorgio to the park and stopped at the local gelato shop on the way home. Let me just tell you – I love ice cream more than just about any type of food or beverage, in the world, and I had this concoction that I literally can’t even describe to you because that’s how amazing it was. I honestly don’t even know what was in it, Viky picked it out, but what I do know is, the cone was filled with Nutella (those who know me well, know that Nutella comes in at a close second next to ice cream) so you literally had deliciousness till the very last bite. That snack was enough to keep me smiling for the rest of the day.
I need to try and explain how hot it is here. Remember that week back in July, (Nicole, Cassandra, Val & the rest of my NYC Dreamers – I know you remember this week..) where it was at least 98-100° every single day? Yeah well, that’s what it’s like here, except the nights do not get any cooler. Need I remind you that I have no air conditioner and no fans? Those who also know me well know that I do not do well with heat like this. This heat isn’t like the heat in Vegas; this is wet, muggy, can’t-do-anything-to-get-comfortable type of heat. I was forced to sleep in my birthday suit, with a cold wet towel on the back of my neck to try to keep my body temperature at a normal degree. Mind you, I have been showering at twice a day and applying deodorant like it’s going out of style, and I still smell like shit. I guess that’s Europe for you though. I never got why the Europeans smelt so bad… but honestly, if this is the worst thing that I have to deal with, I’ll take it!
I literally have to pinch myself every time I walk outside. It’s hard to believe that I am walking the streets of Bologna, Italy. I don’t feel like I’m in a different country – I guess because it’s so similar to NYC that I’m just used to my surroundings. It doesn’t even faze me when everyone around me is talking to each other in another language (I have my gay bff’s at Solstice to thank for that!). Once I get off the busy main roads and find myself wandering down side streets taking me closer to beautiful Italian architecture, I am constantly asking myself, “Is this real life?!” And then I snap out of my daydream and say, YES, YES IT IS! EMBRACE IT JESSICA LEIGH. THERE IS NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT.
On that note – I have so much to explore and the last thing I want to do is sit in this room. I’m in Italy for goodness sake! Don’t fret – many, many, manyy more blogs to come!
Best wishes & God bless!
Best wishes & God bless!
xoxx - JLI
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