Okay, I will be real with you all. I really thought that just simply living in another country would help me become fluent in another language naturally. While that may be true in some cases, when you work in English, live with English-speaking roommates, and spend an entire nationwide lockdown guarded against human interaction and then transition into a world where human interaction is minimal….well, you can connect the dots here, I am not fluent in Italian.
Experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic in a foreign country away from everything I’ve ever known has been an adventure, to say the least. I remember in February there was talk at the office that people would start to work from home, but it would probably be no more than a month because it “wasn’t that serious” — HA. I even remember people joking about it. Little did we know this was going to be a life-changing event that put a major halt in all of our lives.
So, before I told you how to pack light but NOW I want to tell you how to pack everything you need using as little space as possible. I don’t know about you but when I go somewhere, if possible, like to bring everything I want and need for me to be comfortable.
For my first 8 months of living in Rome I was ballin’ on an intern salary. I was grateful for that, don’t get me wrong, as my organization is the only one in the UN that pays interns anything at all! But it did mean that if I wanted to explore, I was going to need to spend as little as possible. Since being here I have been able to explore some corners of Italy, Spain, France, and Croatia, and I am looking forward to when it is safe to mark more countries and cities off of my bucket list!
2020 has thrown us more than a few curveballs and if you are anything like me, this whole staying-in-one place-alone-for-long-periods-of-time thing is just not cutting it. It’s been hard on all of us! Until the day comes that we can all go about our lives again, free to roam and live in the moment, we are going to have to get creative.
As someone who has lived in Rome for a year now, it was definitely trial and error when figuring out the best ways to explore the city, but I think I now have it figured out. I remember the very first day I was here, I hopped on a random city bus and sat by the window to see all of the sights and to get a feel of the city – I will never forget this moment for many reasons; 1. After we had gone through the entire city I had to figure out how to get back and I ended up getting on the wrong bus and going completely in the opposite direction all alone! 2. The roads in Italy are insane. I mean like hold-on-to-your-boobs-because-you-are-going-to-lose-one-of-them kind of crazy. So, while that was an interesting experience, let me tell you some of the better ways to get around so you don’t end up like me 😉
Ladiesss, this one is for you! If you are like me, you have a different pair of shoes in mind for every outfit you want to pack. For weekend getaways it can be so difficult to pack light! Sometimes when I travel with my boyfriend, Francesco, I don’t know how we are getting around and it makes the most sense to only bring a backpack. For example, when we went to Ischia, we were traveling around the island by scooter so there was no way I would have been able to bring a rolling suitcase. But I still wanted to look CUTE! So how do you pack for something like this?
Living in Italy used to be scary and a bit of a culture shock, but once you know the Italian way, it becomes much less intimidating and a lot more fun! I have lived in Italy for a year now (I cannot believe it has been a year) and I have learned a lot about myself, life, and culture. I definitely don’t live exactly like an Italian, though: I work completely in English, I work with people from all over the world, and so far, I have lived in 3 different apartments…going on 4.
Hey! It’s been a while! Hope you are doing well during these crazy times — hang in there, friend. A lot has happened since I last posted. I want to start back up and keep up this blog even with the virus among us and I want to still be able to share my adventures and experiences with you! I also promise to post more Italian recipes as well in the near future 🙂
Guys. Making delicious homemade pasta is way easier than I thought it was going to be. Now, I am sure there are other more intricate ways of making your own pasta, but this one turned out great and I can’t wait to make it again!
Redhead, Set, Go 