Sometimes I can't believe I live here. I'm anxious to get out for the afternoon and take some photos so I have a bunch to paint from. Problem is, I'm always to wussy to take my camera with me for fear of looking like a geeking-out tourist. Hmmm. Probably my English would give me away before my camera would. It needs to happen though. Soon.
We were at the post office yesterday waiting for them to call C20, our number, so we could go and get our permesso di soggiorno. While we were waiting, a cute mom, her sister and her baby boy Marco sat next to us to wait for their number to be called (an A number. All of the Italians had A numbers to see someone at a different window about something else. The A numbers went quick. I wanted to be an A number after we were there for over an hour before our C number got called).
She asked me how old Ada is, a question I'm really good at answering now.
Sette mese. E tuo figlio?I've just resigned to introducing her as Ada here (pronounced Ah-dah, rather than Aid-da). It's just easier. Otherwise people give me a look and then I spell it and they say Ah-dah anyway.
Nove mese.
Come si chiama?
Marco. Lei come si chiama?
Ada.
Eh?
Ah-dah.
Ahh! Ada.
Si. Ada.
(Tangentially, my name is even harder. Church was so funny. Come si chiama? Paige. Apegia. No, Pay-juh. Ah, Paygey. Sure. Mike's converts from Chile call me Peggy. Maybe it should be my international name).
With most babies Ada has met, she's been the over-eager friend type. Really into what they're interested in, inquisitive to a fault, maybe a little grabby. Excitable. Squeally. They're not really sure what to do with her.
But when Ada met Marco. . . Oh, Marco. He was different. With Marco, a young Italian bimbo with great, long hair, and brown eyes framed with enviable eyelashes, Ada was perhaps a bit smitten. He smiled, she played coy. He made a little chirp, she stayed quiet. Reserved. Very unlike her usual I WANT TO TOUCH YOUR FACE AND GRAB YOUR SHIRT WHILE I MAKE THESE LITTLE EXCITED NOISES (that sound sort of like squeaky brakes . . .) It was darling.
And the sister? She made me miss mine.
On a related note: We're officially residenti di Bologna!!!
5 comments:
Don't be afraid to take lots of pictures. I still do it and I've been living in Torino for almost 3 years. It's probably the best way to get to know your city.
I remember sitting in the post office lots of times. The "A's" aren't just for Italians. They just divide the letters up for different jobs like packages, permesso's etc. If i remember right "A" is the sweet letter to have though it is used for businesses cause wierdly in Italy you pay a lot of bills at the post office. The Questura at Bologna is awfully slow though at least it was when i was there. But i have heard the permesso process has sped up so maybe you will get yours before you leave. We had missionaries that started in Bologna and wouldn't get their's until after they were home.
What an amazing adventure Paige! So excited to see new pictures, and this new little life of yours. Enjoy this little while with just you, your hubby and that sweet baby! You will learn to love like no other. :)
beautiful!!!! i am totally jealous. that is NOT what i see when i walk out my front door :) glad you guys made it safely; what a fun adventure you are on!
i get butterflies every time i read one of your posts! this whole thing must seem a little surreal.
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