August Heat and The Return

I am hunkered down mostly in August.  It’s just hot!  I don’t like hot.

In our little town they are celebrating the Assumption of Mary and Ferragosto (Summer holiday) with fireworks last night and a parade with Mary altar carried to the church, outdoor concerts tonight and tomorrow as well as street fair booths with candy and nuts, games for kids, etc.  It’s a fun time and we have walked around previous years to enjoy some of it but not sure we’ll do so this year.   It’s hot and the husband is in a college course right now.

Otherwise, it tends to be a quiet month as many Italians head out of town for their vacations, usually to the beach towns.  This I really enjoy, less traffic and less road noise.  So, in this respect I am enjoying August.

That’s basically what’s going on at the moment, that and us sorting out some travel plans for September and December.

Of course, we are also slowly preparing for our big move back to the U.S. in the new year.  I am an American living in Italy.  Sometimes I have to remind myself of that.  It’s been a while since we’ve lived in the U.S.

Mixed emotions about moving back.  Part of me will miss living in Europe and the travel opportunities.  The prices alone make it lovely, prices in the states are obnoxious and will keep us home a lot more.  I don’t think people really grasp the cost difference if they haven’t experienced it.  Also, cost of living in the state we are heading to is so much more.  The farm fresh food in Italy is wonderful, they don’t use the preservatives or chemicals used in American food.   The prepared food at the markets are amazing, I’ll miss it so much.  The culture and history in Europe is fascinating to me and the U.S.  is fairly young, the history doesn’t go back very far.  (disclaimer:  I’m sure there is a lot of Native American history that could be learned but I don’t have trust in the truth in the documenting of it as it was likely written by the European invaders.)

Part of me is ready to return to the U.S. for the ease of knowing the language and being closer to family and friends.  It has been almost seven years that we have been away and although the politics in the U.S.  are troublesome and crime seems to have escalated, it will be nice to be in a similar time zone to those we care about.  We also miss watching sports and kicking it in sports bars, happy hour, earlier dinners and breakfast options.  We aren’t big breakfast eaters but sometimes we enjoy a good weekend breakfast out that isn’t carb heavy.  I also miss bookstores, comic/game shops and libraries though I have found tons in the U.K. it’s a bit far to go for a browse.  And this may sound silly but I miss my car, it’s a lovely, badass Ford Mustang GT and I can’t wait to get back into it with the top down.

So, we are looking forward to moving back and I’m hoping other than family and friend trips we can do some exploring around the U.S.  There are some states I have not been to, mostly the North/Northwest – Idaho, Montana, Dakotas, Wisconsin – which I’d love to see.

Brace yourself America, we have been driving Napoli style for 3+ years and are coming home.

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