Today is Christmas Day. Last night I went to V’s for dinner, which was nice, but exhausting. Trying to communicate with many people in a language that is not one’s own is hard enough, but trying to understand family traditions, and navigate the lines of courtesy is very, very draining. So I came home last night, to my cold apartment and found, to my utter joy, the heater working. Happy Holidays to me. I went to sleep around 2:30am, snuggled in warm blankets, and slept soundly and warmly until about noon. When I woke up I made eggs, which is the only food in the place, and then went out for a walk while some movies were downloading from itunes.
It was a nice walk around the Arno and my new neighborhood. I took the time to take some photos, which I love to do, but which makes me feel awkward in a city of so many tourists. I like to seem like I belong here, and it seems that with my camera out, I stick out like a sore thumb. But since there weren’t many people out today, I gave myself a break and went for it. As I was heading home, a man stopped his car abruptly, jumped out and came to my side of the street. He saw my camera and offered to take my photo. I wasn’t about to put my camera in the hands of a stranger who could easily take off with it, so I declined. And then he started to talk to me. Now, it seems I am a magnet for creepy men. Any time I am alone, I inevitably encounter them, and while minding my own business, they begin to talk to me. Since I am a person who likes to believe in the good of others, I usually talk to them. This is always a bit strange. I should just tell them that I am happy to be alone, and prefer to continue that way. But I believe in Fate. And what if one of them had something important to tell me? So I play along. I have not heard anything of much importance yet, however.
After I left the man at the side of the river, I headed home. I spent quite a bit of time watching movies, and then headed to the pub around the corner where my friend B works. I met V and we ate hamburgers and chips and had a couple of drinks. I spoke to B, a Brazilian, and another Brazilian girl who works there. It seems, as expats, we all have something in common: Christmas is a sad holiday that is often spent alone. We, the new expats, have no family, and few friends with whom we can share the holidays. So they, like Cazzatore and all of my housemates, go home for the holidays and we stay behind to babysit the city of ghosts.
And now, as I get ready to sleep, I am happy to leave this holiday behind and move into a new year. I am lonely, yet hopeful. For happiness comes again, perhaps when we least expect it to. Suddenly we let forth a true, deep laugh, out of nowhere. Then we know it’s going to be okay.
Merry Christmas everyone, and Happy Holidays.
1 Comment
“I am lonely, yet hopeful. For happiness comes again, perhaps when we least expect it to. Suddenly we let forth a true, deep laugh, out of nowhere. Then we know it’s going to be okay.”
Yep.
December 30, 2008 at 12:29 am