I am in a reflective mood this morning.... bear with me.
Yesterday was of course, May Day. A day of bonfires, protests and agitation. For Us? It was another day off in the Italian spring holiday extravaganza. Seems we have had an awful lot of holidays one after the other. Next one in the line up....Festa Della Repubblica, June 6th! Woo Hoo! Italians work hard all winter, warm up the holiday season in spring for the coast through summer.... Ahh... La Dolce vita!
In Italy, life revolves around the family. It is the single most important aspect that holds people together. Me? My family is spread thin and in the U.S. of A. Sam's, they are all over Europe. I have to admit, when the holidays do come around, I get fed up when my Italian friends or acquaintances start asking me if I am going home to "my people". I consider my self home where ever Sam and the girls are. Not where I was born. By Sam and I choosing to live that way we do - I have learned to rely on myself. A very important lesson in life. Also I have learned to rely on the kindness of strangers. With that philosophy I have knitted together a sort of family everywhere I have lived, even here in Chiavari.
See this photo? What a great still life of my existence it is. In it you see that picnic table? My dad bought that for the girls many years ago when we lived in Coronado, CA. It has made 3 moves and now lives with the Lewis Family in Chiavari who first extended a helping hand to us 6 years ago when we arrived in Liguria. That straw bag? Was purchased by me a few years ago on a trip to Nice -the mother in law has one too, I bought her one and me one, I take mine with me as I travel all over the globe. The wine, Dolcetto di Alba, is right from the zone in Piemonte where Sam and I spent Saturday looking at properties - who would have thought we would want a house in Italy? Ian, our trusty friend is looking at the photos of the wrecks we saw Saturday while Sam bbqs on his grill with the help of Sara Costa, Joanne's daughter. We were 3 families yesterday. The Lewis', The Costas, and The Crockfords. All ex pats. All married to someone not from our country and not living in our countries. We stick together, rely on each other, and somehow we have managed to stitch together a loose knit extended family. I have a good life here. Everyone that knows me says that. But, like anyone anywhere, it has it ups and down. Without my friends, life would be a lonely existence. Where would I be without the kindness of strangers?
Krista
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3 comments:
Maybe there's a reason why the call sign for help aboard airplanes and ships is "May Day".
Otherwise, Krista, you never have to worry about being alone because you are the kind of person that leaves a trail of loving friends behind each adventure you embark upon. Whether its on the east or west coast of the U.S. or somewhere on the European continent. Even dear old mommy -in-law can't help but love you. Amazing though how what we plan for our life is not usually how it turns out. I,for one, am learning to take life one day at a time and enjoy the fact that I am healthy with 2 healthy children; friends that care for me and friends that I care for. As long as we are with the ones we love and remember fondly those that move on, either to Italy or in memory, we can be assured our adventure on this planet is a smooth one.
Ok Susan, you asked for it:
Here is the origin of the word Mayday.
Mayday is an emergency code word used internationally as a distress signal in voice procedure communications, derived from the French m'aider. It is used to signal a life-threatening emergency by many groups, such as police forces, pilots, the fire brigade, and transportation organizations. The call given three times (mayday, mayday, mayday...) in a row indicates significant danger (for example, a threat to life).
Origin of the word
M?aider is the infinitive form of the reflexive verb "help me" within French syntax. However it isn?t used as a stand-alone imperative command. This has led some etymologists to claim that what the convention really meant was an abbreviation of the phrase, "Venez m?aider" ("Come help me"). M'aidez (which is not gramatically correct either) is considered an acceptable alternative. In both cases, however, mayday must be considered as a rather crude English phonetic representation. It should be also noted that while in English the phrase is only used in distress situation, in French it carries no more sense of urgency than its English translation "help me". What French people in distress actually shout is, "Au secours!".>
Merci beaucoup!
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