I love that expression "flotsam and Jetsam" I think partly its the sound of it. I think it sounds like Lego falling from the sky into ice-cream or a swimming pool in summer. Maybe, today, it's the image that best describes and introduces my current status of brain and heart. In a good way! This is what it really means, just out of interest, in the spirit of 'le parole deliziose': flotsam and jetsam
Where to start, ok, so: In the little spaces of time between work-shmerk, a bit of running, my adorable family which includes my lovely marito and "mio piccolo" anche "noi piccolo" a tiny cute boy called Babacino, who is ONE year and 2 weeks old, and life in general, in London, I have been slowly but surely immersing myself as much as I can in Italian-ness and Sicilian-ness.
NEWS! :Our little family, have finally decided to bite the bullet and move our toys and story books bicycles and crayons, and what not, down south a bit, to-o-o-o-o Sicilia!! Palermo to be precise. The land of Fichi d'India's, cannoli, arancini, mountains of oranges & lemons, olives, loquats!(nespolo), melanzane, finnochio, gelato, amazing torte, caffè, millions of types of bread,the sea, mountains, sunshine, hundreds and thousands of years of visible beautiful history and nice warm family family family, and where kids rule for sure!
[Sicily, Palermo precisely, is where mio marito is from and kind of lives, when he is not spending most of his time here in London living with me and Babacino, making us delicious yummy Italian and Mauri-esc very edible and moorish creations! His whole family is truelly Sicillian, they've been there for 400 years! starting in Palazzo Adriano]
Mauri's family LOVE Babacino, so it will be wonderful for him to grow up with such a loving nurturing family and community
And that, in itself, is precisely what constitutes some of the loveliest and also somewhat challenging [there is the `small matter` of me finding a way to make money, and conversing in a new language, all at the same time!] findings of the "flotsam and Jetsam" in my brain right now!
Something I typically do in my various "emmersions" in life, I've had lots, is that I especially go in search of stories of real live people who've done (or made, because a lot of what I like to do is make things) similar. Maybe it feels as if its a sort of a licence to be sort of thing. or something like that!
I found a lovely little blog last night of an American in Calabria, which strictly speaking, although South of Italy, is not quite as South as Sicilia, but almost almost. I think it definitely qualifies for my `like` emmersion thing! and she talks about JUST that. So, it is in my collection, the start of my collection, guarda!! bleedingespresso - start where you are
AND I found lots more lovely stranieri blogs! but I will add those another time. They are realy quite a cool bunch of blogs for me to look forward to!
I have a lot of language sites too for language learning. Firstly, by the by, thank you to the Internet!
I like Duolingo and Babbel particularly, as well as the lovely Learn Italian with Lucrezia. Some of her videos are still a bit advanced for me, adesso, but are great for "a video a day", and to get used to sounds and sentences and the rhythm of Italian from a real Italian. I think I am really starting to get into this playing with Italian language, I hope I can keep going, with gusto!
ANOTHER really fun thing, which is definitely part of "emmersion" is: Before work, if there is time, I read one page a day of a book, its a learning thing. It was Mauri's idea, and the ritual goes like this:
I read the page, Mauri helps with procunciation.
I try to translate as much as I can. Mauri corrects and helps, and what is especially good is that he can enlighten me about all the myriad of wonderful idioms and expressions that are so much a part of Italian, full of imagery, crunchy moorish words, and history. On top of that Mauri can usually link words back to Latin and so it is quite an education. I hope that over time my memory improves a bit! That would certainly help!
This is our book at the moment: Bibs
I want to start a blog, a new one, about Italy and operation emmersion! if the blog could be a manifestation to myself of self discipline of "stuff to achieve and do" and of the joy of the ride,that would be kind of cool. I`ve learned that journeys, of all kinds are better LIVED than endured to obtain an end result. End results are seldom sustainable happyness pills, its all in the journey and now.
Reminds me, there is a wonderful book I read years ago, which I carry with me somewhere inside myself, when I remember! Its about art and creaivity but art is life, so, it applies directly to life. It is a great way to soften the path and give permission to play and make mistakes that can be transformed and turned around and made useable. Note to self to re-read, just bits. Books have a way of coming back to us at times when there is a need, they are quirky little creatures, books!
Here it is Trust the Process Sean McNiff
It would be awesome to connect with some of the other Sicilian and Italian expat bloggers, I am enjoying their posts a lot. I think Ill add the links next time.
So, I need a name, and in my blog, I need to write things like:
- what I am learning about Italy and Sicily and the culture
- what I am learning in my self and Me and Mauri Italian Lessons
- what is happening with our plans for moving!
AND any other little interesting or fascinating things about the whole topic.
[Part of that idea, I got from another amazing book Ive been reading for a few months now called La Bella Lingua by Dianne Hales. Highly recommended, both or the really fascinating information as well as the enthusiasm, ideas and encouragement that seeps from the pages]
Of course, I will keep living in drawings and my other blogs.
I NEED TO NOT TRY TO MAKE PERFECT OR DETAILED POSTS. JUST POSTS.
Remember Sean McNiff.
For now I'm going to keep this post on livingindrawings and when I think of a name for my NEW blog, then I shall copy it, and it can be a start!
So, what I need to do as a kind of overall thing and framework...I need to get really creative and figure out and play with the Flotsam &Jetusm of intrigue, excitement, trepidation, maybe a little fear and vulnerability, expansiveness and and and which is flying round my soul, my head, my feet.
Earth and Ground. I think a blog will help and work well. [as I tend to lose bits of paper and files saved on my computer. Enough broken crashed computers has taught me this!]
There is a wonderful quote I also found in my recent searching ramblings, which comes from a link in Bleeding Esspresso's blog, again, mighty thanks! It comes from Pema Chordon and I've just ordered her book off Amazon
"If we want there to be peace in the world,
we have to be brave enough to soften what is rigid in our hearts,
to find the soft spot and stay with it. We have to have that kind of courage
and take that kind of responsibility. That`s the true practice of peace."
Pema Chodron
I think any kind of change, can often stir quite a lot up around older life patterns or experiences that we neatly pack away. We have to look at all of that stuff, if we want to do change properly. Im going to try!
Ok, leaving all the serious stuff for a while. For my next post, iether part of the new blog or this practice space, I will think of a name for my blog, and start storing some places to visit.
Eventually I might even be able to connect with these "stranieri" myself!
As you can see, and appologies for repeating myself profusely in this post, as it turns out! I am trying to find all sorts of ways to get in the part of my brain that best absorbs Italian. At the moment, TBH, I am finding it quite difficult even though I love love love the sound and the imagery and the whole way Italian works, or the bits I sort of understand so far. Its way less linear than English and way more complicated! but its steeped in depth and colour and quirks and humour. I am trying. watch this space. Today I sent an entire text message to mio marito, IN ITALIAN, whilst running a lovely 50km trail in the Chilterns. Of course, I COULD have been learning Italian instead, but.. its all about balance. Another message for the emmersion!
back to 12th July:
Oops, I think I need to make Babacino's lunch now before he wakes up, and then its off to collect mio Maurito: Maurizio Crispi, who I called Mauri, from Liverpool Street Station after his little jaunt to Italy! YAY welcome home, me and Babacino are molto felici. And tomorrow we can read more of Bibs!
and 19th July:
Maybe tomorrow I'll try to add some pictures! and make sure all this writing makes at least some vague sense! ciao a tutti...
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