Archive for November, 2009

Tina Tangos: On Being Authentic

Please welcome the lovely Tina of Tina Tangos for her thoughts on being authentic:

Tina in PerugiaThis is my fourth time being an “expat,” and my second time living in Italy.  My first time living abroad, I was an au pair in Switzerland.  I was 24 at the time, and I did it not only because I had always wanted to live abroad and wanted a different experience, but I also did it because I envisioned myself at dinner parties as a “grown-up” later in life, smugly saying, “When I lived in Europe…”

During my time in Switzerland, I had the chance to visit Italy several times.  I fell in love with the streets, the architecture, the food.  What fascinated me the most was the way people dressed and carried themselves when they walked, and the fact that their daily lives took place on this very soil.  I wanted to live in Italy and I wanted to be one of those people.

Upon my return to the United States, I wore interesting scarves and pointy-toed high-heeled shoes and never left the house without my sunglasses.  I would play Italian pop music on my Discman (yes, those were the pre-iPod days) and strut down the street as though I were in Rome and not Seattle.

Finally, in 2006, I got a student visa and went off to Perugia.  On one hand, I flourished in a lot of ways and my Italian went through the roof. I felt free and whole. On the other hand, I was so impatient to mold the experience into how I had fantasized it would be, that I made a bit of a fool of myself, and it even affected some personal relationships.

Due to a matter of the heart, I ran away to Argentina.  Living in Buenos Aires is what finally did it.  It’s a tough, huge city where people have their own problems to worry about and aren’t concerned with you.  I learned a lot about just doing what I needed to do, and I fell into Argentina’s daily life.

That’s when my Italian citizenship was finally processed.  It’s also when my life fell apart in Argentina. My heart broke.  Everything broke (even my bedroom door – it just fell off!)  It’s also when a relative offered to buy me a one-way ticket to Rome.  It seemed like all the signs were pointing me back to Italy.  So, I went with the current, and here I am, in Perugia again.

I’ve been here almost two months, as an Italian.  I realized the other day that it’s already the best and most authentic living-abroad experience I’ve had yet.  And not just for the obvious reason of being able to legally stay here forever (which does help).

Why then?  Because I didn’t force it to happen – it happened for me when I stopped swimming upstream.  Not only that, after all that living, and after my Argentinean experience, I simply couldn’t care less about fitting in.  I am who I am, and I’m proud of my experiences.  My Italian has changed – I have developed a strange accent, I accidentally say Spanish words, and I forget to use “lei” instead of “tu” in appropriate situations – and people still embrace me.

It’s great to assimilate into a culture, and I highly recommend that you do – but I’ve learned that it’s also important to just be who you are, even if it isn’t the “norm” in your adopted country.  The more authentic you are, the more your new home will embrace you.

Tina Ferrari is a translator, tango dancer and part-time writer based in Perugia, Italy.  She writes at AffordableCallingCards.net, where you can buy affordable calling cards to Italy, as well as on her own blog, Tina Tangos. Comments are always welcome!


Love Thursday: Acorns of Love

The Mystical World Wide Web says:

The Acorn has also been associated with couples and love divination.

Dropping two Acorns into the same bowl of water will provide the inquirers with news.

Should the Acorns float together then the couple will marry, the reverse being true if the Acorns drift apart.

So what does it mean when you’re out walking with your beloved, as P and I were about a month ago, and you stumble upon this–two acorns physically merged together?

Acorn love

Well today it means I’m missing my P big time.

Happy Love Thursday everyone and

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans!


Fall 2009 in Badolato: Photos You May Have Missed

If you’re also my friend on Flickr, you may have caught these photos, but since my Facebook/Flickr connection doesn’t work well (or at all), here are some pictures from this past fall in Calabria:

Come on in on Flickr

Bunches of pretty on Flickr

Old Wine Barrel on Flickr

Chicory flower on Flickr

Pick a pepper on Flickr

Pom on Flickr

View from our garden on Flickr

Have a great week!

Are my fellow Americans ready for Thanksgiving?


How to Launch a Debut Novel in the US from Abroad

Oh don’t I *wish* I was the author of this post and writing from experience? Someday!

As it were, you’re about to read the outstanding advice from Kristin Bair O’Keeffe, author of Thirsty and an American who has been living in Shanghai, China since April 2006. This post is part of the WOW Blog Tour, but, to be clear, I’ve received nothing in exchange for giving Kristin some time here. I just like to show new authors who happen to be from Pennsylvania and live abroad (ahem) some extra love sometimes.

More on Kristin:

Kristin Bair O'KeeffeAside from being a debut author, Kristin is also a voracious reader, a happy mom, an engaging teacher who believes in “telling the best story you can…believing in your writing…and working your arse off,” a fierce advocate for the end of domestic violence, and a writer who spends as much time as possible in writerhead.

To find out more, visit ThirstytheNovel.com or Kristin’s blog at KristinBairOKeeffeBlog.com.

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How to Launch a Debut Novel in the U.S. from Abroad

When I signed a publishing contract with Swallow Press in 2008, I (like most first-time authors) was over-the-top excited. I yelped…did a jig…and wore a sh*t-eatin’ grin for weeks. At some point (between jigs) I realized, “Holy schmoly! My debut novel is going to be published in the United States while I am living in China.”

This sobered me up real quick (temporarily, at least). Anyone who has published a novel knows how hard it is to get their book into readers’ hands if they are actually living IN the United States and are able to communicate easily with bookstores, publicists, editors, and most importantly, potential readers. How the heck was I going to do it from the other side of the world?

Good question.

First, let’s look at my challenges:

GEOGRAPHY: Now, pull out that globe you used in high school geography class. That’s me in Shanghai, over there on the east coast of China. I’m waving! “Hello! Ni hao! Ni hao!”

And over there…yep, spin that globe…all the way on the other side of the world in the United States…that’s where my debut novel Thirsty was published on October 1, 2009.

ThirstyTRAVEL: To get from Shanghai to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (where Thirsty takes place), I have to take a 13.5-hour flight from Shanghai to Newark. Then a 3.5-hour flight from Newark to Pittsburgh. That’s 17 hours in the air, PLUS an endless number of hours spent taxi-ing on runways and eating awful food in various airports. That doesn’t even count the time spent getting to and from airports. Total travel time? With no glitches, at least 24 hours. (Tired yet?)

CHILDREN: I have a 21-month-old daughter who goes everywhere with me. She is energetic, chatty, stubborn, hilarious, prone to kicking the seat in front of her on an airplane, and at the age when all she wants to is RUN. Enough said.

TIME ZONES: Right now (as I write) it is 6:35 a.m. on Friday, November 13 in Shanghai. At this same moment, it is 7:35 p.m. on Thursday, November 12 in New York City. (Yes, it’s the day before. Weird, huh?) We are 13 hours ahead of the east coast.

INTERNET ACCESS: Because I live in a country that does not allow free access to the Internet, I am blocked from all the sites I need in order to interact with potential readers, including Facebook, Twitter, my own blog, YouTube, and many other writer-related sites. (Gggrrr…grumble.)

Hhhmmm. That’s a pretty comprehensive list of the challenges I faced. Here’s how I managed them:

STAY AWAKE! In the months leading up to the launch of Thirsty, I had to set up readings and book signings in the United States. To do this, I had to talk to events coordinators and bookstore managers from Shanghai on U.S. time. That means I was calling them at oh, say, 11:00 AM their time, which was (while Daylight Savings Time was still in place) 11:00 PM my time. Inevitably three out of four would say, “Oh, I’m interested, but can you call me at 2:00?” Yes, that meant 2:00 a.m. my time. (And I did. How did I stay alert? By hopping up and down and chomping into a lemon slice just before making each call.)

CLOSE THE GAP: Early on I decided that the only way to properly launch my debut novel was to be in the United States at the time of publication. So despite the cost, the debilitating jetlag, and the time spent, I (along with my husband and daughter) flew to the U.S. in late September.* My daughter and I stayed for about six weeks; my husband flew back to China after two weeks.

SAY YES! While in the U.S., I did as many events as possible. I attended a convention of independent booksellers. I did readings, book signings, and radio interviews. I even spent two days at my high school alma mater (shout out to Bethel Park High School!) chatting with the creative writing students about writing, publishing, life in China, and other cool stuff. My motto? If someone offers an opportunity, say yes.

HELP? If you can, hire a publicist. I did, and it gave me a voice in the U.S. I wouldn’t have had otherwise. This can be expensive, but it’s worth it.

SHARE THE CULTURE: When I hosted an online giveaway of cool bookmarkers created by a Shanghai artist, I got loads of visitors to my blog and to the Thirsty website. It was a great way to share Thirsty and a bit of China.

“HI! I’M WWW._________” Have you heard? These days an author needs a strong Internet presence no matter where she lives, but because I live so far from my target readership, it’s even more important for me. By using a VPN (Virtual Private Network), I’m able to access almost all sites from which I am blocked in China. (Of course not all VPNs work here…I’ve been through a number of them.) Check it out:

BLOG At “My Beautiful, Far-Flung Life,” I write about Thirsty, writing, my path to publishing, motherhood, wacky things in China, cool things in China, and more.

THIRSTY WEBSITE: I found a terrific website designer in the U.S. and together we designed a pretty cool site. (TIP: Writing copy—good copy—for a website takes time. On each page, you are telling a story—about you, your book, etc. Give yourself loads of time to write before launching the site.)

TWEET, TWEET: Via Twitter @kbairokeeffe I’ve connected with lots of readers and writers. I’ve made friends, hosted giveaways of Thirsty, and built up a fun community.

VIDEOS: Guess what? People love to watch stuff. Luckily I love to create stuff. Thus far I’ve done a video interview, created a book trailer, and said yes when the books editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette asked to do a webcast interview with me.

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER: Yep, I’m on Facebook, too. (Are you catching on to the theme here? Connect, connect, connect.)

Whew. I’ll stop there. Yes, there are lots more ways to get your novel noticed (Good Reads, Jacketflap, blog tours, etc.), but you get the picture. My final bit of advice to writers launching books from overseas? Do the celebratory jig, get ready for a hell of lot of wonderful work, and keep the lemons close.

Now…off to recover from jetlag.

*I’d like to offer a formal apology to the man who sat in front of my daughter on the flight from Shanghai to Newark on September 26. I realize that she kicked the back of your seat at least 2,858,367 times over the course of the 13.5-hour flight. Good karma coming to you for only scowling, not yelling or throwing your shoes at us.

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Thanks Kristin, and best of luck!

If you have any questions or comments for Kristin, please leave them here!


Three Questions with Tania Pascuzzi of Cooking in Calabria Tours

100 Place in Italy Every Woman Should GoIf you haven’t run into Tania Pascuzzi around the Interwebs yet, let me introduce you.

Tania is an Aussie from Calabrian parents, and she runs InItalyTours.com, which offers a variety of tours throughout the Bel Paese, including several in Calabria–one in particular that you can also read about in Susan Van Allen’s book, 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go.

Wouldn’t this book make a great holiday gift for the Italophile on your list? Get a sneak peek of what Van Allen has to say about Tania’s cooking school in Calabria at Divine Caroline.

Now, as I was exchanging emails with Tania, I found myself wanting to know the answers to questions you may have as well, so I asked Tania if she wouldn’t mind an interview. Enjoy!

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Tropea1. What inspired you to come to Tropea/Calabria and start cooking tours?

I had no intention of staying in this region. I had lived and worked in the fashion industry in New York City for 13 years and spent my vacations in Italy.

Somehow I decided I wanted to live in Italy. I took the CELTA course to teach English in Rome and lived there for 6 months but could not tolerate a teaching positon. Just wasn’t me.

I returned to NYC for 6 months and had an idea to create a small business involving tourism. Given that I am from Italian/Calabrian parents, I thought it to be a great idea to focus on food and wine tours. My mother is an amazing cook and having the knowledge of real Italian cuisine behind me, I got the idea to share this with visitors of italy.

I started in Positano and had a plan to start my project there. I had to go to Calabria to apply for my citizenship and was to learn that these things don’t happen overnight so I stayed waiting for months in Calabria. I ventured into the region to find the most amazing places and when I finally visited Tropea , I did some research and noticed that not many tour operators had organized cooking tours there.

I was amazed at the beauty! I am a person who is only influenced by beauty so it really impressed me and at the same time had me question why it was cut off the tourist map. So I decided to stay and do some research. I found a place and given that the people had no idea what a cooking class to foriegners entailed, I spent days teaching the local women on how to organize and teach my potential visitors.

Fresh ingredientsI was in search for cooks: the signore of the town — not chefs because I knew that the local women of the region were the real masters of authentic Calabrese cuisine, not prententious just real people and with a knowledge on how to cook and also grow good healthy food that can cater for all types of food lovers (vegetarians, seafood/meat lovers) and generally people who appreciate good cooking, good wine and good company.

Basically I was inspired by the actual place in that doing up an itinerary for food and wine lovers, it also accommodated for a relaxing vacation, i.e., one where you are not running around visiting museums and churches only to find yourself exhausted and ready for another vacation.

Here we have the beach and beautiful nature, hills and mountains…so many beautiful hidden beaches can be found here to relax on aside from the main beach of Tropea. The area offers good food and wine and a chance to be part of the culture and not just feel like a tourist.

2. What can someone expect from your tours? Do they get secret family recipes?

Our visitors can expect a real experience of the region. Our tours are so personal that by the time our guests leave, they have made wonderful friends in us. We personalize our tours in such a way that one can feel welcome and at home and also get the chance to see undiscovered places within the area that cannot be reached alone. They can also expect to be guided by an English speaker which is a rare find in this region.

We offer cooking classes that really end up being a big festa with plenty of food and wine and knowledge of recipes that our guests can take home with them.

OvenWe use local real people from the town who are always delighted to have guests from overseas. I use local women from the area for our cooking classes who have the knowledge from past generations of traditional and authentic recipes. Our guests can expect to make at least 6/8 recipes in just one cooking lesson.

We do our classes in an outdoor kitchen with a woodbrick oven, outdoor grill; even the stove is under the veranda with plenty of wine — a perfect setting during the summer months. We pick fruits and vegetables from the garden and cook many recipes. We then dine under the stars till late in the evening.

As for secret family recipes, yes! During a cooking class we have our guests participate, so they have hands on knowledge and given that Calabrian women rarely measure and weigh their ingredients one gets inside information by the use of the senses…how things feel…watching our cooks work instinctively is an unforgettable experience so by being there you can understand as opposed to reading instructions. We make up a recipe book with all recipes made during a class, but to actually partake is a different experience and one has that to take home with them.

We also take our guests to places that can not be reached by traveling alone. We drive them to beaches that are hard to get to unless you have a car and the knowledge of where they are. They visit food producers of the area  and they also can go fishing  with a local fisherman and cook on the boat from the day’s catch  They also have a wonderful dining experience as I oversee every restaurant in the town and surrounding areas. I am forever trying to create unique excursions, and I drive the locals crazy with my ideas…ha ha ha….

Mangia mangia!We create our itineraries in such a way as to not bombard our visitors with too much to do. We make sure they can enjoy the beautiful beaches along the coast and at the same time explore areas rarely visited and taste cuisine that is rarely offered even in the local restaurants of the area and to also meet the wonderful people whom we call our close friends in Tropea.

Although most tour operators don’t come here, when I speak to Italians from all over the country, their response to Tropea is always, “Che posto bellissimo!!!” It is the northern Italians themselves who flock to our beaches here in the summer. Hopefully that will catch on with the foreign traveler.

Hopefully, with my small role and given that I live here and am here personally for my visitors, this will change the stereotypical pretense that exists today. What makes our tours special? They are intimate, sweet and special and to add to that they are set in one of the most beautiful beach towns in Italy: a secret jewel, Tropea.

3. What is your favorite aspect of doing tours in Calabria?

Port sunsetI love every aspect. I guess my favorite is having people come to us. I love meeting people and I love that everyone who has been here with us to date has been so amazed and happy with what we do here. That really pleases me. My goal really is achieved when I know that my guests have had a great time with us.

Another aspect that I like is when the season ends, I get to explore and research beautiful areas and things to do for my guests. Calabria is a big region so there is a lot to discover here.

I recently discovered a picturesque town called Aietta which sits above Praia Mare. We are currently doing up an itinerary contadino style: life with real farmers, pastures and locals of the village.

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Thanks so much for answering my questions, Tania! In bocca al lupo!

If you have any questions for Tania, feel free to leave them here or visit her at InItalyTours.com.

[All photos throughout interview text are courtesy of Agnese Sanvito. Photo Antonello, In Italy Tours.]


Michelle KaminskyMichelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived. 

Calabria Guidebook

Calabria travel guide by Michelle Fabio

Recipes

 

Homemade apple butter
Green beans, potatoes, and pancetta
Glazed Apple Oatmeal Cinnamon Muffins
Pasta with snails alla calabrese
Onion, Oregano, and Thyme Focaccia
Oatmeal Banana Craisin Muffins
Prosciutto wrapped watermelon with bel paese cheese
Fried eggs with red onion and cheese
Calabrian sausage and fava beans
Ricotta Pound Cake