Update 6/30

I realize that I've been writing more about my weekend trips than the actual nannying and the reason why I am here. :) I guess the weekends are just more exciting for me. (Berlin blog post forthcoming.)

Things have been going well. I've had both kids for a week now that Filippo is back from soccer camp. They are quite the handful... but in general I think it's better and possibly easier to have the two of them together. That way we have the option of playing all together, I can play with him or her individually, they can play together, or all three can do our own separate thing. (Before, it got pretty intense when it was just Camilla and I together alone all day, every day.)

Filippo speaks very little English... so that makes things interesting at times. He only listens when he decides it's worth his time. Often, I speak to him in an interesting hybrid of English, Spanish, and Italian. (need to repeat a few times in different ways, but we make it work) Camilla's English is pretty good, and it's needing to get even better now that she needs to translate for Filippo sometimes.

As I said in a previous post, I really have to think in three languages when I'm here. The part that makes this especially interesting is the fact that I don't speak Italian! Nevertheless, my Italian comprehension is skyrocketing! I hear the kids speak it to each other and about half of the conversations between the family with the parents around me are in Italian. I haven't picked up on speaking the language a ton because I'm expected to be speaking to the children almost exclusively in English.

Last week I had an epic dream where most of us were all together in WW2-like Europe. I recall various snapshots of having a couple Lords Days, and one was cut short because the buildings around us were being bombed. It was clear that many of us were involved in the underground resistance. But the main reason I remember it (as opposed to most dreams which I forget upon waking), is because one of my friends was speaking to me in fluent Italian in the dream! I couldn't understand everything that was said, but it's evidence that I'm at least absorbing a good deal of the language while I'm here. Craziness.

Hope all is well with you wherever life has you at the moment. Ciao tutti! (Happy last day of June!)

Tri-lingual outings and thoughts

I live in Invorio, Italia which is a very small city of about 3000 people in the NW corner of the country. Every Monday is market day which is a lot of fun. I love going to farmers' markets anywhere, but foreign markets are especially fun. You aren't stopped by language barriers as much because you can point or follow the lead of the locals.

Petrona lives with the Bandera family as well, helping with their cooking, cleaning, and laundary. She is from Bolivia, which means one thing -> Spanish!!! She doesn't speak any English, so whenever we talk, it's in Spanish. It's great! Camilla has also learned a little Spanish in school, so sometimes we encourage her to practice with us as well. When the three of us go out together, especially to places like the market, we are a little tri-lingual trio! Camilla and Petrona speak to each other in Italian, Camilla and I speak in English, and Petrona and I speak in Spanish. It is so cool because we all find ways to express ourselves and understand each other.

I have never studied Italian, but with 4 years of Latin and 5 of Spanish, you can pick it up. I am not really learning to speak it (because I'm supposed to be speaking English with Camilla all the time), but my comprehension is shooting through the roof. It's really cool!

This week went well: Filippo is still at soccer camp, Camilla had her first couple of golf lessons for the summer, and we finally got some sun by the end of the week! I bought a journal /album / scrapbook this week that I'm filling out as I go along. That way, when I get back, I can just stick the pictures into the spaces I've designated for them! Good times...