Buongiorno, Ciao, Good Morning!! Well it’s 2pm lol It’s time to update you all on how I’m doing and bring you (mostly) up to speed!! I am also going to post a vlog as well because you know, the power of my voice!! I know some of you love to read but most of you have told me time and time again to start vlogging SO I will give you what you want!! Corona (that’s what I’m going to call it since it sounds better to me) has everyone around the world in a full blown panic and now it seems the past week it’s REALLY hit everyone in the US with the reality of a “lockdown”… Here in Italy we’ve been dealing with corona for almost a month now so maybe now I need to send all those “hey are you ok” texts to my friends…
I’m writing from my living room, it’s a Bella giornata, very bright and sunny and it’s very quiet.. I live in the heart and centre of my city so to not hear anything even cars is kind of strange BUT welcoming! Even at the busiest hour it’s still nowhere near as loud as LA and NYC ever were and as much as I’m a city girl sometimes the constant humming of city sounds can be too much.. But so can silence… So I believe it was February 22 that we got notice that all schools would be closed. It was a week at home with Sophia. We caught up on some home stuff together. She loves to help me cook, we learned some new recipes together and I made her help me clean out the attic haha!! That’s actually how she spent her birthday lol I mean I am a clean FREAK with major OCD so trust and believe there really wasn’t much cleaning to do. I kinda just pick stuff up, dust it off and move it to another spot.. My home is always spotless! I always though I’d start a topless cleaning / organising / home decor business if the economy quit on me LOL still an idea… Everything was still open and we were out and about everyday. The weather has never been better!! It’s been really sunny and actually warm. Compared to the last five years that I’ve lived here this year was a very mild winter!! I remember driving back from Napoli last May and we still had snow AND it was snowing.. crazy! Now I know the news looks crazy. To be honest I can’t provide much insight on Milan or Rome. I am very far north in a different region. Milano is about three hours away and Roma is almost five so I don’t know what is going on there I can only say that my friends there are ok too and they have pretty much said what I’m about to say…. We went into complete isolation about two weeks ago. It’s been very quiet which I find really nice:} I’ve gone out for groceries and to the pharmacy. No one is hoarding anything and the shelves, fresh fruits, veggies, everything is still fully stocked. Everyone abides by standing one meter apart and people don’t push and shove to get things. My Salumeria is open and also our local Panne shoppe (bread) but we can get fresh Brioche, amazing quiches, and bread if we want. Theres TONS of toilet paper here but we have bidets my husband pointed out haha so not really an “issue” Also the first thing you see when you come into the markets are cases of water still and sparkling and it’s even been discounted which is great so people CAN stock up and they do but not to the extent of being greedy.
Now I moved to Italy five years ago and I can tell you there a HUGE cultural difference in how people behave here. There are always exceptions but I’ve found that here in Italy manners are VERY important and valued here. The upside of course is in social settings, and in most places people are always displaying their best behaviour. For example in a supermarket you don’t touch any fruits, veggies, bread without a plastic glove and people are pretty conscious of their space and don’t stand too close to you anyway. There’s also no one to bag your groceries YOU do that yourself so most people aren’t on their phones unaware, holding up the line, forgetting to already have their stuff bagged and money out and ready. I used to hate when I was grocery shopping in LA and I would be at the spot to pay and someone would be up on me instead of where the conveyer belt started to put your things on??? I mean it’s NOT your turn why are you on top of me….??? Of course Italians have also mastered insulting you and smiling at the same time so don’t think they are always on their best behaviour lol I also can’t stand how Italians can’t be direct in their communication….. There’s a lot of ” I don’t want to look bad” or I don’t want to be rude ” that makes it hard for them to really say what they mean… That’s hard for me because I am not only very direct but I’m a straight shooter. You can be straightforward without offending someone it’s definitely a fine line that takes time to master so I guess I’m going to have to do another entry about all the cultural differences that drive me crazy lol I’m very American still haha!!
As of now to date everything here is very good. My family is great, I’m great, we feel great. It may drive people crazy to stay home but we are ok and catching up on many things that normally don’t fit in our everyday schedule!! I am going to post some of my healthy tips and things, remedies I like to use that I hope will help you too!! My husband is a criminal defense lawyer and he’s still able to go to work everyday. Criminals don’t take any days off AND they need their lawyer!!!
Things you can do at home yay!
- READ!!! Heres a great list of books I’ve read recently : The Humane Economy by Wayne Pacelle, The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout ( I’m actually looking into getting another book from here I like her style of writing!)The Atlas of Cursed places Olivier Le carrer (I got this as a gift and you all know I love anything related to travel), Every Frenchman Has One by Olivia de Havilland (This is one of my fave books:} Not just one of my favorite actresses but I LOVE that she’s 103!! She was born in Tokyo and she later spent her life as an expat living in France after retiring from Hollywood :} I relate to a lot of this book just Italian style!!)
- Learn a new language! Ok not super easy LOL But I’m working on my Thai! I was fluent until I was five then when I started school my mother stopped talking to us in Thai and we all learned English..I was in ESL and went to English Language classes with my mother at night so she could learn too. I’m sad that we still didn’t speak Thai even at home though so I’m hoping that the 100 words I know I can turn into sentences.. at some point LOL I’m still trying to become fluent in Italian! I’m about 80% there!
- Learn a new skill! Instead of binge watching shows try to keep your brain active by learning a new skill. For me since I’ve always loved gardening I’m actually learning news ways to grow food and herbs (NOT THAT HERB LOL) indoors in a container garden.
- Don’t forget to exercise! Meditate, Tai chi, yoga all of these are GREAT for relaxing and stress relief plus help keep you flexible and your immune system strong! Check out this channel Boho Beautiful on Youtube She’s RAD, her workouts are super short and she’s beautiful. I love listening to her talk she seems super grounded plus these are the same pilates and Yoga workouts I’ve been doing for years and they are great for your body and mind:}
- I LOVE my essential oils. Peppermint oil / Lavender Oil, Tea Tree oil, and Oregano oil I ALWAYS have these four at home or on me. I use Coconut oil as a Carrier oil meaning oregano oil itself will burn so I put maybe 3-4 ok 5 drops in my palm and mix in some coconut oil and rub it on my feet then put on socks. This also is effective if you do it with Vicks Vapor Rub. Oregano oil is POWERFUL This brand Oreganol has a dropper and I mix it in a glass of water (6-8oz) when I’m feeling sick AM/ PM. It tastes like crap just a warning but it works. Peppermint oil I use 10 drops in a water bottle and mist it all over my bed, and room, 20 drops if you want it more powerful. Tea tree oil I mix in a water bottle and mist it in my shower, it’s effective in killing mold. I travel a lot so I always use some in my hotel shower it’s like a natural antiseptic. I use peppermint oil probably the most. I like to just put a few drops in my hands, rub them together and inhale the smell. It’s great for headaches too, one whiff of peppermint oil or put a dab on your earlobes, forehead, or massage a few drops in your palms them massage your scalp. The pain relief is usually instant for me.
- I make a “tonic ” of Hot water, juice from half a lemon, sprinkle of cinnamon and small teaspoon of honey. I also chop up ginger maybe 3- 4 slices or small bits and put it in. after I’ve sipped all my tonic I will eat the ginger. Now if you’re not used to eating ginger start with one piece and stay with that. Ginger is hot and spicy. I find that eating it AFTER I’ve sipped my tonic softens it a bit but it still can be strong. Ginger is good for your stomach and has anti inflammatory properties. You can also just do hot lemon water if nothing else. I drink only hot lemon water all the time and a lot of time in the Morning first thing when I wake up. I drink coffee but not a lot. I’m good with one espresso (no sugar) in the AM and maybe one around 1 pm. I NEVER drink anything with caffeine after 5 pm but thats just me….. I hope you guys are doing ok out there! Being home is a good thing. Above all try NOT to panic, keep yourself healthy and hey if nothing on my list appeals to you then use this time to catch up with friends (return those texts!! LOL) or who better than yourself:}}}} Love you guys XO Tera
A Casa Mia
