Snowing Snowballs

I was recently reminded that I haven't put up photos of Bologna in a dog's age. Here's one that doesn't really demonstrate much about the city itself (there's only one canal) but it's one of my favorite spots.


This morning there was lots of snow in Bologna - which is supposed to happen once every few years, and instead has happened more than three times so far this winter.


This was particularly bizarre because instead of falling in flakes, the snow was coming out of the sky in big clumps.
Here are some of the melting non-snowflakes on the terrace. If only this place weren't so wet, they might've actually stuck.


Otherwise I'm still trying to get over jetlag, battling various illnesses, looking for a new roommate, and translating like a maniac. If anyone knows how to get mold off the walls, let me know. It's really that damp here.

And it's gray, as you can tell from all of these photos (including my own).

Passing time, Jetlagged

Now that I'm sitting at my computer in Bologna, with translations to do and Italian in my head, it's very strange to think that just a few days ago I was at home in Cambridge.



I never seem to get over the disorientation that comes from passing from one country to the other, maybe because it's not just a change in culture and surroundings: there's the big difference between enjoying your mom's cooking and being a self-sufficient semi-grownup. Since my "grown-up" life takes place in Bologna, it's certainly not possible to have both.



And then there's the foggy Bologna weather, which is a bit different from this:



And this:



And the comfort of family.



But that I'm here there are upcoming weddings to look forward to (one of which I'll be an official witness to!), various visitors, new places to go, tortellini . . . So it appears that family (and good food) are quite present in Bologna; just in a different way. I just have to realign myself. Before long I'll be wondering why I was so disoriented.

Time's Up

It's almost time to head back to Bologna. This is always a bittersweet departure; well, it's bittersweet to go either way. There are lots of things to miss. Like . . .

My family.


My beloved cat.


My friends.


Food from all over the world.


But there are also lots of great things in Bologna to look forward to. Upcoming work projects, friends, choir, more food, my bike, etc etc etc. It's just a matter of getting out of home mode and back into the life that, for me, has become my real, daily existence. Time to go.