Last summer I spent one and a half months living on my own in a half-empty apartment, sleeping on a mattress on the floor, my social life dictated by the infrequent trains that served my local station. That time passed so slowly; it felt like an eternity. In contrast, this summer has flown by. I can't believe that I've been here for two months and autumn is already on the horizon.
I've been very happy this summer. I've loved my living arrangements and will be very sad to pack my bags this week and return to my nomadic life. It's been lovely being part of a family while also having my own personal space. I enjoy eating with other people and hearing the sounds of their daily life going on around me. It makes me feel less alone. It's also been amazing eating their home-grown produce every day – tomatoes, courgettes, courgette flowers, pears, aubergines, lettuce; it all tastes so much better fresh from the ground/tree. It's made a big difference not being reliant on my friends for accommodation, transport and entertainment. I feel more independent. I've found my feet, made new friends, I love cruising up and down the Ligurian coast in my little English car.
It's strange to think that last summer I arrived knowing only Chri and up until then I hadn't seen him for 14 years! Now, thanks to him, I have a big circle of friends. There's Evelyn, a girlfriend like I've never had before, and who I haven't yet known for one year, who likes nothing more than doing girly things together. On Friday we stayed at home and watched hair-up videos on YouTube in preparation for the wedding I'm going to in Ibiza next week. (I think we've cracked a style that should work, although I could do with flying Eve out with me to recreate it for the big day because I'm not sure it'll be quite so easy on my own!). I have open access to her wardrobe and beauty products and she's constantly telling me not to wear all black, to experiment more with my make-up, to buy a new, more revealing bikini, etc etc. On Sunday night we went to her parents for dinner (melon and proscuitto, Ligurian style rabbit then ice-cream cake, all washed down with the red wine her father produces); they were so welcoming and hospitable and told me that their door is always open for me.
Then there's Matteo, who shares my love of travelling and experiencing new cultures. He's also a runner and, unlike Eve, has been to visit me in London so has experienced and understands my English life a bit. I love Matte's house, an old building in the heart of the village – maybe another of my havens. His parents have also opened the doors of their home wide to me and I really appreciated their hospitality too. Matteo has, perhaps more than anyone else, taught me to try and live more in the moment; not to plannify as we call it! And I've formed a special bond with his girlfriend, who I've only met a handful of times. She speaks good English and during a short car journey together we inexplicably did some mutual emotional story sharing. She has been through her own share of shit and is therefore perhaps the only person in my group of friends here who can really understand something of my experience. That's important to me.
Davide, an architect who also plays in a Blues band, is a one-off and never fails to make us all laugh. He should be on the stage really, he's quite the drama queen but all in the name of comedy. He plays his plastic fork like a guitar while queuing at the bar; he splashes you repeatedly with water while you're having a serious conversation about religion in the sea, maintaining a straight face for the duration; he bursts into song at random moments; he can make his bottom lip tremble dramatically when he pretends you've hurt him; he loves Queen. He is a proper gent, you can have interesting conversations with him and he's a very patient Italian teacher.
Gianluca is also a one-off, but in a completely different way to Davide. His humour is more base and he's inexplicably quite down on Italy generally. He is training to be a lawyer so lives at home with his parents. His mother seems to spend every waking moment cooking and we've spent many an evening at the beach, eating her torta verde and drinking a chilled bottle of white wine that Gianluca has brought along with him. He lives in the hills and has introduced us to a hidden beach on the Roya river that is amazing for swimming in the cool water. He also has his finger on the pulse regarding the dates and locations of all the village festivals, which is always good to know.
Andrea (a boy, the equivalent of Andrew in English), is an accountant. But he's not dull. He loves art and reading and the theatre, which I thoroughly approve of. It's nice to find a man to share those things with. He has been my personal guide to the area this summer and knows all the best places to go. We've been to an open-air cinema in a garden with the mountains as a back-drop. We've been to an open-air theatre in a village in the hills to see a Moliere play. We've been to nice restaurants and nice beaches away from the main drag of private beach clubs, and we've been to the best gelateria (or icecreameria as we christened it) in the whole of Liguria (his claim, not mine) and sampled their pine nut ice cream. Last night, on his recommendation, I took myself off to a little village down the coast for a wander on my lonesome. I looked around the church, had an Aperol spritz in the piazza while the sun set then wandered the little alleyways until I stumbled across a small photography exhibition. I ended up chatting to the photographer for an hour or so and loved every minute of it!
And, speaking of friends, Barbara just called me. She's from this area but now lives in Milan and she's here on holiday this week. She's off to Juan-les-Pins tomorrow with another friend who I've met once before and they wondered if I'd like to join them. Perfect timing as I'm off to Nice this afternoon because Chri, Eve and I are going to the Madonna concert there this evening!
Anyway, hopefully that gives you a flavour of some of the people I've met. It's not always easy to express ourselves with the respective language barriers, but somehow we find a way and all get on well. Nobody treats me like an outsider because I'm English. People are patient and inclusive and kind. In fact, despite the language barrier and the cultural differences, I feel like one of them. I don't see myself as different just because I'm from a different country. I guess friends are friends, whichever country they are from.
On Sunday I'm off to Ibiza for a couple of weeks. T's step-sister is getting married so I'm super excited about that. It will be so nice to see T's family again and to catch up on all their news. Eve, Massimo and Elvira are joining me for the second week. It's looking unlikely that Chri will be there, which I'm not very happy about, but wait and see. Then I'm back here for six days before heading back to the NE to see my precious family. The Great North Run is looking unlikely this year, due to a persistent knee injury, but I'm really looking forward to being back in the NE and seeing everyone again. And who knows what'll happen after that. As Matte has taught me, I'm trying not to worry about that too much right now so as to make the most of today, but I'm not good at dealing with uncertainty. My heart tells me to stay here where the quality of life is good and I've got a lot of single friends. My head tells me I need some stimulation and a 'proper job'. Any advice appreciated!
I've been very happy this summer. I've loved my living arrangements and will be very sad to pack my bags this week and return to my nomadic life. It's been lovely being part of a family while also having my own personal space. I enjoy eating with other people and hearing the sounds of their daily life going on around me. It makes me feel less alone. It's also been amazing eating their home-grown produce every day – tomatoes, courgettes, courgette flowers, pears, aubergines, lettuce; it all tastes so much better fresh from the ground/tree. It's made a big difference not being reliant on my friends for accommodation, transport and entertainment. I feel more independent. I've found my feet, made new friends, I love cruising up and down the Ligurian coast in my little English car.
It's strange to think that last summer I arrived knowing only Chri and up until then I hadn't seen him for 14 years! Now, thanks to him, I have a big circle of friends. There's Evelyn, a girlfriend like I've never had before, and who I haven't yet known for one year, who likes nothing more than doing girly things together. On Friday we stayed at home and watched hair-up videos on YouTube in preparation for the wedding I'm going to in Ibiza next week. (I think we've cracked a style that should work, although I could do with flying Eve out with me to recreate it for the big day because I'm not sure it'll be quite so easy on my own!). I have open access to her wardrobe and beauty products and she's constantly telling me not to wear all black, to experiment more with my make-up, to buy a new, more revealing bikini, etc etc. On Sunday night we went to her parents for dinner (melon and proscuitto, Ligurian style rabbit then ice-cream cake, all washed down with the red wine her father produces); they were so welcoming and hospitable and told me that their door is always open for me.
Then there's Matteo, who shares my love of travelling and experiencing new cultures. He's also a runner and, unlike Eve, has been to visit me in London so has experienced and understands my English life a bit. I love Matte's house, an old building in the heart of the village – maybe another of my havens. His parents have also opened the doors of their home wide to me and I really appreciated their hospitality too. Matteo has, perhaps more than anyone else, taught me to try and live more in the moment; not to plannify as we call it! And I've formed a special bond with his girlfriend, who I've only met a handful of times. She speaks good English and during a short car journey together we inexplicably did some mutual emotional story sharing. She has been through her own share of shit and is therefore perhaps the only person in my group of friends here who can really understand something of my experience. That's important to me.
Davide, an architect who also plays in a Blues band, is a one-off and never fails to make us all laugh. He should be on the stage really, he's quite the drama queen but all in the name of comedy. He plays his plastic fork like a guitar while queuing at the bar; he splashes you repeatedly with water while you're having a serious conversation about religion in the sea, maintaining a straight face for the duration; he bursts into song at random moments; he can make his bottom lip tremble dramatically when he pretends you've hurt him; he loves Queen. He is a proper gent, you can have interesting conversations with him and he's a very patient Italian teacher.
Gianluca is also a one-off, but in a completely different way to Davide. His humour is more base and he's inexplicably quite down on Italy generally. He is training to be a lawyer so lives at home with his parents. His mother seems to spend every waking moment cooking and we've spent many an evening at the beach, eating her torta verde and drinking a chilled bottle of white wine that Gianluca has brought along with him. He lives in the hills and has introduced us to a hidden beach on the Roya river that is amazing for swimming in the cool water. He also has his finger on the pulse regarding the dates and locations of all the village festivals, which is always good to know.
Andrea (a boy, the equivalent of Andrew in English), is an accountant. But he's not dull. He loves art and reading and the theatre, which I thoroughly approve of. It's nice to find a man to share those things with. He has been my personal guide to the area this summer and knows all the best places to go. We've been to an open-air cinema in a garden with the mountains as a back-drop. We've been to an open-air theatre in a village in the hills to see a Moliere play. We've been to nice restaurants and nice beaches away from the main drag of private beach clubs, and we've been to the best gelateria (or icecreameria as we christened it) in the whole of Liguria (his claim, not mine) and sampled their pine nut ice cream. Last night, on his recommendation, I took myself off to a little village down the coast for a wander on my lonesome. I looked around the church, had an Aperol spritz in the piazza while the sun set then wandered the little alleyways until I stumbled across a small photography exhibition. I ended up chatting to the photographer for an hour or so and loved every minute of it!
And, speaking of friends, Barbara just called me. She's from this area but now lives in Milan and she's here on holiday this week. She's off to Juan-les-Pins tomorrow with another friend who I've met once before and they wondered if I'd like to join them. Perfect timing as I'm off to Nice this afternoon because Chri, Eve and I are going to the Madonna concert there this evening!
Anyway, hopefully that gives you a flavour of some of the people I've met. It's not always easy to express ourselves with the respective language barriers, but somehow we find a way and all get on well. Nobody treats me like an outsider because I'm English. People are patient and inclusive and kind. In fact, despite the language barrier and the cultural differences, I feel like one of them. I don't see myself as different just because I'm from a different country. I guess friends are friends, whichever country they are from.
On Sunday I'm off to Ibiza for a couple of weeks. T's step-sister is getting married so I'm super excited about that. It will be so nice to see T's family again and to catch up on all their news. Eve, Massimo and Elvira are joining me for the second week. It's looking unlikely that Chri will be there, which I'm not very happy about, but wait and see. Then I'm back here for six days before heading back to the NE to see my precious family. The Great North Run is looking unlikely this year, due to a persistent knee injury, but I'm really looking forward to being back in the NE and seeing everyone again. And who knows what'll happen after that. As Matte has taught me, I'm trying not to worry about that too much right now so as to make the most of today, but I'm not good at dealing with uncertainty. My heart tells me to stay here where the quality of life is good and I've got a lot of single friends. My head tells me I need some stimulation and a 'proper job'. Any advice appreciated!
