Welcome/Benvenuti!
Well, once again I’ve done it the hard way. Instead of easing myself into this whole thing, using a basic Blogger template, I’ve gone and found one on my own–only I have absolutely no idea about html thingies and whatnot. So this has been a fun past couple of hours!
But back to the basics.
I’ve been sitting on the sidelines for far too long on this blogging thing, but it wasn’t entirely my fault. I’ve been living in a medieval village with shoddy Internet access. We’ll call it “dial up.” I put off even getting it in the house for a while, but finally decided I needed to keep in better touch with all my English speaking friends, and so, I got my very own phone with my very own line. Well, it’s really more “ours,” as it is under P’s name.
And who’s P you Nosey Roseys are surely wondering? I’ll spare you the gag-me-with-a-cucchiaio cutesy nicknames and just leave it at this: he’s my beau. A year and a half and counting. He speaks no English so the chances of him happening upon this blog and discovering what I’ve written are none to none. Although pictures are fair game.
No matter, though, as I’m a good fidanzata, I think, and I’m not one for airing dirty laundry. In fact, I hate hanging out clean laundry–and apparently I don’t do it correctly anyway–but that’s a story for another entry.
Ooh! Material! I have some!
The only other thing I’ll mention now is that I’m a writer, and that was the main impetus to start up this bad boy. If you want to get right down to the pit o’ the peach (90210 fans, I know you caught that!), I’m just jealous that other aspiring authors get all kinds of valuable practice and feedback every day while I just talk to my computer. And he never answers. Stronzo.
Hey, does it annoy you when people throw foreign words into their conversations? Sorry about that. It’s kind of hard to only think in one language now, so I like to believe that I’ll be giving my readers incentive to learn some Italian. And you know, if you’re planning a trip here, “stronzo” ain’t a bad place to start.
So, folks, I’m in. A joiner at last.
Now let’s play nice.
16 Beans of Wisdom to “Welcome/Benvenuti!”
Michelle 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
Recipes
Yaaaaay she’s blogging, and I get to be the first to comment! Two thumbs up!
Don’t look at my blog. It is now defunct an waiting for me to nurture it again. Maybe one day! Anyway, I know HTML (saw your cry for help on expats), and would like to help you if you need it.
I don’t dislike it when people mix two languages as long as I know both of them. In your case, you’re in luck. Plus I’d be a hypocrite if I said otherwise as I do it all the time myself. Chi se ne frega?!
Ooh! Two comments the first time I’ve obnoxiously checked. I can already tell this is going to be a wee problem….
Complimenti Annika for getting here first; a prize is in the works.
And Tiffany, thanks so much for your offer to help. I’ll be sending you a message with specific questions shortly 🙂
Happy blogging Testa.
Very well, and so it has come down to this! All along I thought Miss “bellezza americana” (herein referred to as “villager”) was just plain busy with work to write back to then ultimately find out – with great displeasure, I might add – that she is messing around with bloggers and html, instead (BTW, you are going to go the extra mile, you might as well learn php :). I have another theory as well, but I guess I’ll spare the cyber community for now.
Merde, it’s ok to mix up two or more languages at once, but please – villager – don’t teach people bad Italian words :). We are more refined than that. Afterall, we Italians are supposed to be refined, or so I wishfully think.
Anyway, interesting story. The more I am in the US, and the more I think about it, the more I wonder if the “American dream” isn’t – actually – in my homeland 🙂
Anyway, I am going to leave you with this song excerpt:
” Tu vuò fa l’ americano!
mmericano! mmericano
siente a me, chi t’ ho fa fa?
tu vuoi vivere alla moda
ma se bevi whisky and soda
po’ te sente ‘e disturbà. “
Saluti – Bis Spaeter – A bientot – So long.
Giorgio
P.S. Where are the juicy dirty details about your life?
Complimenti!!! Just added you to my favorites…..now I just need to figure out how to not be an “anonymous” commenter.
How’s the chocolate holding up?
Abbracci,
alexmom
So now I have to learn about blogging and all that other fancy schmancy internet stuff just so I can keep current with my favorite Italian citizen (and best ex-clerk EVAH).
As always, I’m “mama” proud. Keep up the writing!
– K
I’ll join up later
Ciao From Atlanta!
One more blogging in – my first – and wishing you a very joyous time of year, along with your newfound internet skills. Your balcony photo looked so familiar…the same as my desktop pic, from one of my trips there. People always ask.
DL should be hosting Nick Iannone and wife right about now, finalizing them as the next/newest community members. If you see him, let him know I said hello. Still trying to see when the next op will crop up for me, no time soon though.
I’m ‘anonymous’ right now, ’cause I’m at work, but I’m readily indentifiable as Jack. Hope all else is going well for you. Mo’ Lata!
Great to see you blogging, its all fun.HTML….it will get easier,lots of trial and error.
Giorgio-you’re looking in the wrong place for juice, unless you’re looking for a spremuta. Thanks for the song. There’s a woman from Napoli here that walks around singing that actually. I mean, not to say that all people from Napoli walk around singing…geez…
Jack-DL says Nick arrives today, so I imagine I’ll run into him shortly (don’t know if Cathy’s coming?). Their house is amazing from the outside; you’ll have to see it soon.
ShirleyM-thanks so much for the words of encouragement. I’m actually having quite a bit of fun learning these codes. You’re right that trial and error is key.
Thanks for stopping by everyone!
Ha! Stronzo. I definitely know that word. And yes, I found several such words/phrases were needed when I was traveling through Italy. About the only thing I ever picked up from my grandparents when they spoke in Italian were the bad words. I still remember a number of them to this day. Sadly, what Italian I picked up again during my trip there years ago has been mostly forgotten with no one to practice with. Although, I do read it better than speak it. I swear I’ll learn it the right way one of these days! So toss in as many Italian words into your blog as you’d like. I look at it as a challenge to refresh my knowledge and embrace my heritage. 🙂
Christina
Very impressive…in fact, eccellentissimo! Yes, Scranton, PA, USA has officially joined this party? My next step…creating an identity.
Keep up the good work!
JT
Christina, glad to see you’re embracing the Italian challenge. The bad words always come in most useful anyway, so you’re more than halfway there 😉
JT, glad to see you and Scranton PA in the mix; hope you’ll be stopping by frequently.
I love mixing languages. It’s how I pretend to have some sort of foreign languages skills. I’ve gotten pretty good at speaking a mix of English/German/Spanish. Germenglish, I like to say. Perhaps reading your blog will let me add some Italian into the mix. 🙂
Bella! Duly impressed and wanting, now, to get my dual citizenship as well. Can I do this while living in Germany with my Austrian husband and not have to give up US citizenship?
Will read daily. Ciao, cara mia und bis dann….vielleicht nach Weihnachten!
Wow, two Austrian-linked readers in a row. We are *so* European around here, aren’t we?
Btw, yes, “anonymous” you certainly can get your Italian dual citizenship married to your Austrian husband while living in Germany and not lose your American citizenship. Isn’t this fun?