Reading andromacha's journal

So, as some of you already know, I am writing on Nao from a location different from Italy: South Carolina.
I arrived here 8 days ago, leaving from Turin, stopping in Rome and then finally landing in Atlanta after 10 hours and a half of flight.

Hawkeye came to pick me up at the airport, and then we drove about 2 more hours to get here in Anderson. One of my suitcases was lost, but we fortunately got it back right the day after (using the Delta lost and found service or something like that).

What can I say... hmm guys never ever fly from Europe to America using Alitalia or Delta. The flight over was kinda nasty: the food was even worse than normal, and guess what? If I wanted to get a beer or something alcoholic I had to pay 5 euros or 5 dollars! Isn't it crazy?! I mean, last time I flew with Lufthansa and they even asked me if I cared for a beer! (which was my favorite Beck's btw). This time they announced that if you wanted alcohol you had to pay for it. And I even paid something lik 900 euros for the plane tickets!

Other than that, the plane was old, they showed bad movies (like kids' movies) and the crew (who was supposed to speak also Italian, since afterall it was an Italian flight) was pretty ignorant of my language.

The good part is that there was a group of people sitting basically around me who were nice, and I could chat with them about this and that for a few hours. This helped me out with spending time and not get bored. It was a group of people who was participating to an organized trip in the USA. Supposedly they had to take another plane for Denver, but it seems that in the end they couldn't because they were all on a waiting list. I met them again at the airport after customs and they said that they had to stop there for the night.

Anyway, sorry if this post is kinda long... probably I bored the ones who have read it because it was written by me, eh? Well, I just wanted to let you guys know that I am fine, that everything here is great and that I am having a good time.

Un bacio è un'apostrofo rosa scritto tra le parole "ti amo".

Atlanta... they weren't on a speech or debate team were they?

"Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think."

Hey, nice to here from you finally! :)
Good to know you're okay.

Uh, I didn't know you're a beer drinker ;)
Anyway, here it's usual to pay for alcoholic drinks, no matter where you fly to. ;)

Keep us updated with what you'll experience in the US! I'm curious!

"Sie wollen nichts anderes. Sie wollen kämpfen! Sie sind Soldaten! Fucking Wahnsinnige!" - Noel G.

So, here I am at the few last days of holidays here in the United States. I have to say that I feel a little sad to have to leave Neil once again, but I am confident that these 4 months won't be very long or very hard.

I also hope that with all the things that I will need to do for my last exam and my thesis, I won't have too much time to relax and think about 'what if my beloved were here with me' kinda thing.

I have loved staying here I have to admit. Every single day was a joy... seeing my adorable little nephews grow and being so adorable. The youngest one, Ian, has just turned 1 year old; last Saturday we celebrated his birthday with a nice party, and a few days before then he started finally walking... he is just so cute!! I know I will miss them all. Not only the kids, but all of them.

They are just so lovable, and always nice towards me. I realize that I am very lucky, because it's not that every mother-in-law loves her daughter-in-law and is happy about everything that the latter does. Well, mine is just like that though. She always compliments my cooking, she makes me feel at home, she fills me up with compliments which are always heart-felt, and I mean... she's really like a second mom. That's why when I talk to her or my father-in-law, I always call them mom and dad. I know that they aren't my own, but I do feel like they could as well be my own. Isn't that a very nice feeling?

Anyway, for now I don't really know how to update us about the trip until I get around to scan some pictures so that I can post them here. I will post pictures and details shortly, I promise. In particular, I will already give away the fact that you cannot miss me and Neil driving a canoe!!

Un bacio è un'apostrofo rosa scritto tra le parole "ti amo".

Oh there are much more scandalous things to tell than that, my dear. >:)

I am sorry to see Elena go. It is just a shame. I know I will see her in 4 months or so, and for this reason, it is not so unbearable. I hope that this trip has been nothing short of heavenly for her, and I hope it will be something for her to treasure for the rest of her life.

"If I die of a heart attack eating bacon, I'll be a happy man." -My father

Sooo, I am finally back to Italy... not that I was so much looking forward to it, but it was necessary to come back. There is still too much stuff I need to do in this country, or even better in this continent, the old, loving Europe :)

The jet-lag is pretty bad, probably even worse than the other previous times. Yesterday I woke up at 3:30 pm, after having slept for 14 hours without interruption, and the result was that last night I managed to get some sleep only at 4:30 am. This morning I got up at 10, so that maybe I can finally have the best over this jet-lag and adjust myself to the new schedule.

The flight over was a nightmare. I arrived in Rome just fine: we arrived even earlier than what it was anticipated, but then the plane to Turin was late... oh so late! 20 minutes delay because they said that it was not ready yet, and they had to clean it, and then, when we finally got on the plane, we had to wait about an hour on the airport track before taking off. There was a line of about 12-14 planes before ours. I dozed off for like half an hour, but then the guy who was sitting next to me kept talking and talking, and eventually I was obliged to just stay awake and have a little conversation with him.

The best part is our arrival in Turin. They are making changes to the airport and whatnot in order to be ready for the winter Olympic Games of 2006, and this resulted in some major delay with the luggages which we got after another hour. In other words, the whole trip cost me 14 hours and... "hey Elena, welcome back to Italy!"

Un bacio è un'apostrofo rosa scritto tra le parole "ti amo".

I will already give away the fact that you cannot miss me and Neil driving a canoe!!

Wait. I have to see pictures of that! Do you mean that you were 'riding' in a canoe, or was this canoe mounted on a trailer, and you were actually driving it? I'm sorry, the visuals on that one just made me have to respond. Heh, he, hehe, he...he, he. ;P

Anyway, I am glad to hear that you and Neil had a great time with his family. It sounds like you two have an awesome relationship, and it is very, very cool that you get along great with his parents. Extended family that you truly like is always a plus! I hope the next four months pass by for you in happiness, and that Neil can finally come to Italy to be with you. I love it when couples are happy. I think it makes the world a better place, because there is more love in it.

Okay, I know that sounds sappy, but I think it is true. :-)

If mountain goats like living at high elevations, why do none live in high rise apartment buildings?