It's kind of a funny thing, when I go home to visit my family and friends, I'm always very happy but I also feel like I'm looking for something, though I don't know what it is and I regularly come home without having found it. Anyway, among my friends and colleagues here, I'm known as 'the Italian'. Everybody knows that's where I'm from and it has become sort of a running joke. I don't mind. Trouble is, when I'm over there everybody refers to me as 'l'Americana', which after careful translation form Google translate, I can tell you it means 'the American'. So, when I'm here, I'm from over there, and when I'm there, i'm from here. It's enough to make your head spin. Truthfully, I don't know anymore what to think about this. I've been here for over 30 years now (yes, I came when I was 5, on my own....), so I do think of this country as my home, but part of me still thinks of Rome as my true home, though to be honest, I hardly recognized it this time around. Sometimes, it even feels like not having a home at all.
The city of my youth is long gone, and I think that is what I go to find, and that is what leaves me empty handed each time. While I was over there, I stayed with my sister, and we were talking about our future, as in what will we do when old age will be upon us. I have often said that I would like to retire and move back home, if my husband were to kick the bucket before me ( I know it sounds mean, but I'm just being realistic). After all, I have no family here and very few friends, but I'm afraid that it might not be such a great idea, mostly because the place I would be retiring to would not be the same place I left so many eons ago, so it would be like going somewhere almost totally new and foreign to me. Maybe it's just me, I'm getting a little weird cause this week is my birthday, I've been 35 for so many years, I've forgotten my true age and I can't remember where I hid my birth certificate....Oh well, enough pop psychology for one day, here's some pics I took on my trip, hope you'll like them!
Marche region, little town named Comunanza...
The main church in my dad's hometown
Medieval fortress built on Roman ruins - Urbisaglia
Cool roof garden with view...
Italian countryside
Somewhere downtown Rome
In the middle of the city, near a train station...
You have a split personality -- the Italian and the American. People in both places probably think you're exotic and fascinating because you come from another land.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I know what you mean about being L'Americana. My wife is Mexican but was born here, so in Mexico she's just the white-washed American with an accent, and here she's still always labeled as Mexican because her skin's brown.
ReplyDeleteAlso, that Italian countryside looks heavenly.
Ditto. Love the countryside. Welcome back.
ReplyDeleteIt's tough being from two worlds. I believe "home is where the heart is". Or, in some cases where Mom is. Some say you "can't go home", and there are others are contradict that. Wherever your heart is happy, that is home. Even if it's Tahiti.
ReplyDeleteLoved the pics. :)
The pictures are beautiful. If your husband does kick the bucket before you, I think you'd adapt quite nicely to all that gorgeous scenery...I do that husband kicking the bucket before me first thing too... :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures. You can always go home again, but it's just never the same anymore.
ReplyDelete