Can you believe we made it?? It's June and the month of Joel's and my anniversary. About this time last year, I was trying to get all the last minute things done oh like figure out the ceremony program and get the reception favors made. What a world.
To start things off, if you want to continue to get monthly email updates from us, please email me. I probably won't be doing them in this format anymore. Joel and I will probably start one of those "blog" websites that both of us can post on, and that you can go look at anytime. Haven't really decided yet. But I don't want to keep bothering anyone who doesn't want these emails, so just let me know.
May was madness. The first half of the month was taken over by the community Auction. I vow to never do one of those again. At least unless I can get out of it by next year. But, it was a resounding success, over 100 attended (maximum capacity) and we raised $10K, after costs. That's about 3 times the amount raised in the past. So it was a fantastic event. Still never want to do that again. What insanity. The current issue is where all that money that we raised is going. Part of it will be paying for the lifeguards, etc. at the pool, but that still leaves about $4K unaccounted for. There will be a meeting this week of the Association, and I'm hoping that my arguements are persuasive enough that my office gets those funds for events.
The following week I hosted two "wine and cheese" receptions for work, and then I was off to Florence for a week of language training and immersion. I stayed with an Italian family and then went to individual language classes for 6 hours per day for a week. Very intensive and hard. But, I would say that I speak on at least a third grade reading level now. When I got out of my classes at 4pm I ran around and did the sightseeing stuff before I headed home for homework. Oh, and apparently I now speak Italian with a "Florence" accent. One of my teachers thought this was funny, so I thought I would pass this along.
So since I was in Florence and all, and we had bid on, and "won" a 2 night stay at a 4 star hotel in Florence at the auction, Joel came up to join me for Memorial Day weekend. We did alot of sighseeing and just enjoyed the city. This was our early anniversary celebration. Joel got me an "Nomination" charm bracelet (very popular Italian charm bracelet thing, pretty) and I got him a leather briefcase. Very grownup looking. It still amazes me that I'm now a grown up.
In the midst of all of this, my partner ended her time in our office (her husband is being transferred to his next post) and we had to sit in on interviews for my new partner. Wow, that was stressful. But they chose a really nice person to sit in with me, and hopefully her paperwork goes much more quickly than mine did and she starts SOON.
Poor Joel had to put up with me through all of that, on top of his new boss arriving - who has turned out to be very nice and a really good guy for Joel to be working for. Joel is still working long hours, but this week we've both resolved to leave by 6pm. His boss will be out for a few weeks to go back to the States to bring his family back over here now that school is over, so we have to take advantage of it while we can. This will be my first full week alone in the office, but hopefully next week I will have two of my "summer hires" begin. Summer Hires is a fancy way of saying highschool and college go-fers and lackeys. Just kidding. But at least that will take some of the menial work off of my plate.
I'm trying to keep June a quiet month, after all the insanity of last month. Probably won't happen, but it's a nice try. Joel and I won't be traveling much this month with his boss being out of town, and then I get the fun job of working the "official" 4th of July event at the Ambassador's residence (fancy thing, not a fun one), so hopefully it will be a quiet summer around here.
Talk to you all soon!
Julie and Joel
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Sunday, May 15, 2005
It's May in Rome! Don't You Wish You Were Here?
Finally the weather has gotten warm and downright beautiful. It's about time. Short sleeve shirts, skirts and my little black pumps, yeay! Frankly it's getting too nice of weather, I should be at the beach tomorrow! (Almost, anyway)
I hesitate to even talk about May coming up because it's so nuts. Our Community Auction is next Friday (which my office is running, but do we get the money? No. Explain that if you can.) plus two wine and cheese thingees the following week, and then the week after that I get to go to Florence for a week of intensive language training. _That_ I'm very excited about. Also right now our newsletter editor broke her leg and is at home in traction, so I'm doing our community newsletter weekly. I actually enjoy it, I just wish I didn't have so much else to do. But the good thing is many of the projects and initiatives I've been pushing for for months are really starting to come to fruition. A grant that I applied for (for our Embassy) was accepted and is really rolling now, and if they can figure out how to rewire one tiny office next to mine, we'll have a Local Employment Advisor on staff at the Embassy very very soon. This person would be responsible for assisting family members in finding jobs outside of the embassy. Plus our office intra-net site will be moved to the inter-net site in the upcoming months. This is a really big deal for us. I wrote our Sponsor handbook and will be hosting a reception for them this month (one of the wine and cheese thingees). It's good because I'm getting to see the fruits of my labor, and yet it's all happening at the same time! Thankfully, I was able to stay out of the whole Old Pope/New Pope thing in April. Much more than I expected, frankly. Okay enough of about my job. How's Joel doing? Oh he's doing great. Except for working too much and too late (like I should be talking), and his new boss is rotating in next week and we're very excited.
Joel's surrogate wife (our 2x week housekeeper) is working out well. She is great in the kitchen, irons our sheets, folds our clothes and everything. If we could just find where she puts things away, we're set. Best €50 a week I've ever spent.
This past month we went down to Naples for a day and because they were having great sales, and then this past weekend we went to Aviano, which is in northern Italy and hungout around there. There is an Air Force base there that is really nice and we bought all sorts of things - like cat litter and stuff. We found "our" brand of cat litter in Italy! It's amazing. We checked out a couple small towns like Udine and Pordenone while we were there.
We also went down with a bunch of friends to a town called Guglio on Liberation Day. That's the day the Italians celebrate being liberated from the Nazis in W.W.II. All of Rome apparently goes to little small towns for the day, eats, and then comes home. At least that's what I've figured out so far. Perhaps these towns are supposed to be their original hometowns??? So we trekked through this one town and it was pretty cool.
We've decided that if you want to live in Italy, the last place you want to be is Rome. Pick a town that's 1/2 an hour past the GRA (their beltway) and you're golden. Right now the Italian countryside is GORGEOUS. So luscious and green and beautiful. I can't wait to get out of Rome more often to see the towns. And beaches. Definitely have to do the beaches this summer.
Oh and we did go get our first glimpse of the Vatican (in between Popes).
The cats are good too. We're trying to train Puzza into behaving at night so he doesn't have to be locked up. It doesn't work too well, he tries to cuddle up with you but ends up sitting on your face while you're sleeping. Poor thing tries so hard to be good, and just can't quite pull it off. I'm pretty sure he's bipolar or schizophrenic or something.
Can you believe it was about this time last year that Joel and I found out that we were coming TO Rome? How wild is that? And in June we'll be married a YEAR. Now that is wierd.
So that's it for me. I've not been very good with emails lately and I apologize if it's taken weeks for me to write you back. I've been getting 20-30 emails per day at work and am really sick of the computer and the phone by the time I get home. Still write me though, I am working on getting better at it!
Talk to you all soon!
Love,
Julie and Joel
I hesitate to even talk about May coming up because it's so nuts. Our Community Auction is next Friday (which my office is running, but do we get the money? No. Explain that if you can.) plus two wine and cheese thingees the following week, and then the week after that I get to go to Florence for a week of intensive language training. _That_ I'm very excited about. Also right now our newsletter editor broke her leg and is at home in traction, so I'm doing our community newsletter weekly. I actually enjoy it, I just wish I didn't have so much else to do. But the good thing is many of the projects and initiatives I've been pushing for for months are really starting to come to fruition. A grant that I applied for (for our Embassy) was accepted and is really rolling now, and if they can figure out how to rewire one tiny office next to mine, we'll have a Local Employment Advisor on staff at the Embassy very very soon. This person would be responsible for assisting family members in finding jobs outside of the embassy. Plus our office intra-net site will be moved to the inter-net site in the upcoming months. This is a really big deal for us. I wrote our Sponsor handbook and will be hosting a reception for them this month (one of the wine and cheese thingees). It's good because I'm getting to see the fruits of my labor, and yet it's all happening at the same time! Thankfully, I was able to stay out of the whole Old Pope/New Pope thing in April. Much more than I expected, frankly. Okay enough of about my job. How's Joel doing? Oh he's doing great. Except for working too much and too late (like I should be talking), and his new boss is rotating in next week and we're very excited.
Joel's surrogate wife (our 2x week housekeeper) is working out well. She is great in the kitchen, irons our sheets, folds our clothes and everything. If we could just find where she puts things away, we're set. Best €50 a week I've ever spent.
This past month we went down to Naples for a day and because they were having great sales, and then this past weekend we went to Aviano, which is in northern Italy and hungout around there. There is an Air Force base there that is really nice and we bought all sorts of things - like cat litter and stuff. We found "our" brand of cat litter in Italy! It's amazing. We checked out a couple small towns like Udine and Pordenone while we were there.
We also went down with a bunch of friends to a town called Guglio on Liberation Day. That's the day the Italians celebrate being liberated from the Nazis in W.W.II. All of Rome apparently goes to little small towns for the day, eats, and then comes home. At least that's what I've figured out so far. Perhaps these towns are supposed to be their original hometowns??? So we trekked through this one town and it was pretty cool.
We've decided that if you want to live in Italy, the last place you want to be is Rome. Pick a town that's 1/2 an hour past the GRA (their beltway) and you're golden. Right now the Italian countryside is GORGEOUS. So luscious and green and beautiful. I can't wait to get out of Rome more often to see the towns. And beaches. Definitely have to do the beaches this summer.
Oh and we did go get our first glimpse of the Vatican (in between Popes).
The cats are good too. We're trying to train Puzza into behaving at night so he doesn't have to be locked up. It doesn't work too well, he tries to cuddle up with you but ends up sitting on your face while you're sleeping. Poor thing tries so hard to be good, and just can't quite pull it off. I'm pretty sure he's bipolar or schizophrenic or something.
Can you believe it was about this time last year that Joel and I found out that we were coming TO Rome? How wild is that? And in June we'll be married a YEAR. Now that is wierd.
So that's it for me. I've not been very good with emails lately and I apologize if it's taken weeks for me to write you back. I've been getting 20-30 emails per day at work and am really sick of the computer and the phone by the time I get home. Still write me though, I am working on getting better at it!
Talk to you all soon!
Love,
Julie and Joel
April 2005- April in the Mendez house
Hello and Welcome from Rome at the beginning of April.
Last night the Pope died. "The Pope" is "IL Papa" in Italian. The past few days this has been the big news here in Rome - justifiably. Interestingly, most Romans generally seem to take the availability and freedom of their faith for granted I guess, like America. I mean they are living in the home of Catholicism itself, but most days churches are practically empty, a few old people and of course the nuns. Not this week, and definitely not today. Churches have been packed and with 100,000 people right now standing for mass (and over here mass can last three hours or more) at the Vatican this Sunday morning honoring the Pope. IL Papa is the right name for this man here in Rome. Even though I'm not Catholic, I hope you all join with me and pray for the those mourning, and as they choose the new Pope.
Now, what this all means for Joel and I is that work is about to stink for several weeks. You're looking at multiple VIP visits at the same time and that sort of thing for the funeral and the following coronation. Behind what looks like the Pres just getting on a plane and arriving in Rome, is us, and everyone else in the embassy, working for a billion hours preparing. A simple Meeting takes hours and hours of meticulous planning. It stinks. This stuff is my least favorite part of the job. It becomes downright painful.
March was a great month - though Joel and I have seen more of plane and airlines than we wish to see again for a very long time. I went to Vienna, Austria for training for my job, and it was COLD!!! Everywhere you went had Easter decorations displayed, and outside there were two feet of snow on the ground. It was so weird. I really liked Vienna, and hopefully Joel and I will go back when it's warmer.
Then it was leaving the next day to fly back to the States! It was great being home, even if I did gain 10 pounds that one week. It was worth all the nutty plane rides to get to take a break and come home. Oh, that and the Starbucks. I have been dreaming about frappucinos. And Target. And Old Navy, and Walmart, and Ann Taylor, and the Birkenstock shoe store. I introduced Joel to southern delicacies such as Jambalaya and fried pickles. He loved them.
Once back, Joel and I were thrust right back into work. The day I arrived, so did the Regional Education Director for Europe, so I and my partner served as his "hosts." I got to visit three of our schools here in Rome, and then there was an Educational Town Hall meeting that we hosted at the Embassy for the parents, and many individual parent appointments with him that we arranged. It was a busy week.
Easter was quiet for us. Europe went to daylight savings time a week before you all in the States, and we overslept and missed church. Yep. Missed church on Easter Sunday. Never done that before. But we made a nice dinner and sat outside on our balcony in sun and enjoyed the nice weather.
And it's finally turned spring here in Rome! We got off the plane to lovely weather and Joel and I have started to buy some flowers for our balcony. We got one pot that sort of looks like Azaleas, and then yesterday I bought a really beautiful yellow rose bush. It's about to bloom already, so I should have some great pictures to share in the next few weeks.
In the middle of all that was Joel's birthday! I have to say, Joel has had a great birthday extravaganza. Joel had a surprise birthday cake in Miami and in Fairhope, and then on his actual birth-day, we went out to dinner to a Mexican place here in Rome. Last night, we had a birthday extravaganza at our house. I made entirely too much food, we had about 15-20 people over and Joel got another birthday cake. But not just any cake. Our friend Marla is a pastry chef and I got her to make the mother of all birthday cakes. You see, Joel's favorite candy in the whole world are these things called Snowcaps (you can find them mostly at movie theaters in the States). Marla made Joel a cake decorated with Snowcaps. You should have seen the look of pure joy on his face, it was hilarious. And other than the Snowcaps, it tasted like sugar-coma heaven. I also brought out our new fry-daddy (Thanks Nancy) and made hush puppies and fried pickles for the party. HUGE HIT. Southerners, you are going to take the world over!
There's not much else to say about March, because I was gone for most of it. My language classes stink, basically because I haven't been in a month, and probably won't be able to go this month because of all the VIP visits in the next few weeks. But I did get a grant I applied for to go to an intensive language course for two weeks in Florence! Which is going to be so cool, but I've got to get permission to take off of work first, before I know when I can go.
I almost forgot to tell you all the best news in the world. Joel and I have a housekeeper. She comes twice a week. I can't believe what difference it has made. Not having to stress about cleaning or getting laundry or ironing done. She's amazing. She gets more done in three and half hours than would take me all day. Our house actually sparkles now, it's just sad. But I'm converted. I don't think I could ever go back now.
So for April, I think work is going to take over my life. Joel will be going to a training session in Germany for several days, and then a friend of ours from DC will be coming to visit in Rome, hopefully between VIP visits. Joel and I are very excited about doing some real sightseeing stuff here in Rome. Other than that, I will be working on all the newcomer and orientation stuff for the summer, which has to be completed by the end of the month. And our fundraising Auction will be happening in May.
As always, we miss you guys and hope you are all doing well.
Julie and Joel
Last night the Pope died. "The Pope" is "IL Papa" in Italian. The past few days this has been the big news here in Rome - justifiably. Interestingly, most Romans generally seem to take the availability and freedom of their faith for granted I guess, like America. I mean they are living in the home of Catholicism itself, but most days churches are practically empty, a few old people and of course the nuns. Not this week, and definitely not today. Churches have been packed and with 100,000 people right now standing for mass (and over here mass can last three hours or more) at the Vatican this Sunday morning honoring the Pope. IL Papa is the right name for this man here in Rome. Even though I'm not Catholic, I hope you all join with me and pray for the those mourning, and as they choose the new Pope.
Now, what this all means for Joel and I is that work is about to stink for several weeks. You're looking at multiple VIP visits at the same time and that sort of thing for the funeral and the following coronation. Behind what looks like the Pres just getting on a plane and arriving in Rome, is us, and everyone else in the embassy, working for a billion hours preparing. A simple Meeting takes hours and hours of meticulous planning. It stinks. This stuff is my least favorite part of the job. It becomes downright painful.
March was a great month - though Joel and I have seen more of plane and airlines than we wish to see again for a very long time. I went to Vienna, Austria for training for my job, and it was COLD!!! Everywhere you went had Easter decorations displayed, and outside there were two feet of snow on the ground. It was so weird. I really liked Vienna, and hopefully Joel and I will go back when it's warmer.
Then it was leaving the next day to fly back to the States! It was great being home, even if I did gain 10 pounds that one week. It was worth all the nutty plane rides to get to take a break and come home. Oh, that and the Starbucks. I have been dreaming about frappucinos. And Target. And Old Navy, and Walmart, and Ann Taylor, and the Birkenstock shoe store. I introduced Joel to southern delicacies such as Jambalaya and fried pickles. He loved them.
Once back, Joel and I were thrust right back into work. The day I arrived, so did the Regional Education Director for Europe, so I and my partner served as his "hosts." I got to visit three of our schools here in Rome, and then there was an Educational Town Hall meeting that we hosted at the Embassy for the parents, and many individual parent appointments with him that we arranged. It was a busy week.
Easter was quiet for us. Europe went to daylight savings time a week before you all in the States, and we overslept and missed church. Yep. Missed church on Easter Sunday. Never done that before. But we made a nice dinner and sat outside on our balcony in sun and enjoyed the nice weather.
And it's finally turned spring here in Rome! We got off the plane to lovely weather and Joel and I have started to buy some flowers for our balcony. We got one pot that sort of looks like Azaleas, and then yesterday I bought a really beautiful yellow rose bush. It's about to bloom already, so I should have some great pictures to share in the next few weeks.
In the middle of all that was Joel's birthday! I have to say, Joel has had a great birthday extravaganza. Joel had a surprise birthday cake in Miami and in Fairhope, and then on his actual birth-day, we went out to dinner to a Mexican place here in Rome. Last night, we had a birthday extravaganza at our house. I made entirely too much food, we had about 15-20 people over and Joel got another birthday cake. But not just any cake. Our friend Marla is a pastry chef and I got her to make the mother of all birthday cakes. You see, Joel's favorite candy in the whole world are these things called Snowcaps (you can find them mostly at movie theaters in the States). Marla made Joel a cake decorated with Snowcaps. You should have seen the look of pure joy on his face, it was hilarious. And other than the Snowcaps, it tasted like sugar-coma heaven. I also brought out our new fry-daddy (Thanks Nancy) and made hush puppies and fried pickles for the party. HUGE HIT. Southerners, you are going to take the world over!
There's not much else to say about March, because I was gone for most of it. My language classes stink, basically because I haven't been in a month, and probably won't be able to go this month because of all the VIP visits in the next few weeks. But I did get a grant I applied for to go to an intensive language course for two weeks in Florence! Which is going to be so cool, but I've got to get permission to take off of work first, before I know when I can go.
I almost forgot to tell you all the best news in the world. Joel and I have a housekeeper. She comes twice a week. I can't believe what difference it has made. Not having to stress about cleaning or getting laundry or ironing done. She's amazing. She gets more done in three and half hours than would take me all day. Our house actually sparkles now, it's just sad. But I'm converted. I don't think I could ever go back now.
So for April, I think work is going to take over my life. Joel will be going to a training session in Germany for several days, and then a friend of ours from DC will be coming to visit in Rome, hopefully between VIP visits. Joel and I are very excited about doing some real sightseeing stuff here in Rome. Other than that, I will be working on all the newcomer and orientation stuff for the summer, which has to be completed by the end of the month. And our fundraising Auction will be happening in May.
As always, we miss you guys and hope you are all doing well.
Julie and Joel
March 2005 -- March Update from the Italian Mendez Clan
So, we survived February! It's still cold, and it's been rainy. (And snowing alot north of us.) Thank goodness it's about to be March, because I'm really tired of winter.
Joel and I went to our first "Game Night" here in Italy (this was a favorite of ours when we were dating in NYC and broke) Our friends have a karaoke game for Playstation 2. You sing into a mike and it grades how well you stay in tune. It's really hard, surprisingly, but totally fun. You can bet Joel and I will be having to get that game.
Over President's Day weekend, we went all the way up north to Aviano, Italy. There is a military base there, and not much else in the town except for the base. It's a small town smack up against the side of the mountains and so completely beautiful. We tried to go to Venice that weekend, but let me tell you about COLD. We were in a boat on the canals - the wind was whipping through the city. Joel and I spent all of our souvenir money on hats, pullovers, etc. We didn't last very long. We'll have to go back this summer. We did get some GREAT pictures the following day. It decided to start snowing so we drove home a little early that day. Northern Italy is beautiful in the snow. (And they drive much better than Romans, too.) I have to say, my absolute favorite part was the PX. It was AWESOME. It was like heaven, or what you all might call Target. I can't wait to go back again.
Oh, and my friend Condi came to Italy. You might have seen her in the news. Oh that's right. You know her as Secretary of State Condeleezza Rice. I got to have my picture taken with her, which was really cool. And thank goodness the picture turned out well. Where was Joel you ask? Sitting at the airport watching her luggage.
And then at the beginning of February we had Chili Night at the Embassy. I didn't know how seriously Embassy people take their Chili. This apparently is a BIG DEAL. Huge deal. And to top it off, we decide to have square dancers to entertain. Italians dancing square dancing. It was awesome, I can't wait to get those pictures developed.
Okay, that's everything for February. We were just a little busy. Haha. Guess what? March is even worse. I leave Saturday morning to go to Vienna (Austria, not Virginia) for my job training for a week, turn around and leave with Joel to come home to the States. We get back on the 22nd, and the Regional Education Director arrives in Rome that day. As part of my job I get to help coordinate his visit. Oh, and we are having an American Breakfast fundraiser this Wednesday. Then Easter. (And Joel has been inviting everyone we know to his surprise birthday party, which of course defeats the whole idea of it being a "surprise". It's going to end up being in April.)
So that's it for us. We'll see you all soon!
Julie
Joel and I went to our first "Game Night" here in Italy (this was a favorite of ours when we were dating in NYC and broke) Our friends have a karaoke game for Playstation 2. You sing into a mike and it grades how well you stay in tune. It's really hard, surprisingly, but totally fun. You can bet Joel and I will be having to get that game.
Over President's Day weekend, we went all the way up north to Aviano, Italy. There is a military base there, and not much else in the town except for the base. It's a small town smack up against the side of the mountains and so completely beautiful. We tried to go to Venice that weekend, but let me tell you about COLD. We were in a boat on the canals - the wind was whipping through the city. Joel and I spent all of our souvenir money on hats, pullovers, etc. We didn't last very long. We'll have to go back this summer. We did get some GREAT pictures the following day. It decided to start snowing so we drove home a little early that day. Northern Italy is beautiful in the snow. (And they drive much better than Romans, too.) I have to say, my absolute favorite part was the PX. It was AWESOME. It was like heaven, or what you all might call Target. I can't wait to go back again.
Oh, and my friend Condi came to Italy. You might have seen her in the news. Oh that's right. You know her as Secretary of State Condeleezza Rice. I got to have my picture taken with her, which was really cool. And thank goodness the picture turned out well. Where was Joel you ask? Sitting at the airport watching her luggage.
And then at the beginning of February we had Chili Night at the Embassy. I didn't know how seriously Embassy people take their Chili. This apparently is a BIG DEAL. Huge deal. And to top it off, we decide to have square dancers to entertain. Italians dancing square dancing. It was awesome, I can't wait to get those pictures developed.
Okay, that's everything for February. We were just a little busy. Haha. Guess what? March is even worse. I leave Saturday morning to go to Vienna (Austria, not Virginia) for my job training for a week, turn around and leave with Joel to come home to the States. We get back on the 22nd, and the Regional Education Director arrives in Rome that day. As part of my job I get to help coordinate his visit. Oh, and we are having an American Breakfast fundraiser this Wednesday. Then Easter. (And Joel has been inviting everyone we know to his surprise birthday party, which of course defeats the whole idea of it being a "surprise". It's going to end up being in April.)
So that's it for us. We'll see you all soon!
Julie
February 2005 - Happy Late Groundhog Day! February Mendez Update
By the way, did the groundhog see his shadow? Cause it's been awfully cold here! (And the title came from when I started this email, not when it's actually getting sent!) Rome has had an unseasonably cold winter.
Well, Joel and I are in deep with our jobs already by the end of January. Right now, between the two of us and our jobs, we pretty much have our lives planned out for us through April. It's going to be a busy spring.
January was a very good month for me in work, in that I got a lot of the administrative beurocracy work begun and several of my projects approved to start. With the help of the commputer people, we're creating an intranet webpage for our office, and we also hosted "Volunteer Week" at the embassy and our Volunteer Appreciation lunch was hosted by the Deputy Chief of Mission and his wife (2nd in command under the Ambassador). Joel also had a very busy month, traveling to Naples for work for a few days.
I hope no cooties have traveled through the internet, because the flu and some other intestinal virus are running rampant through Rome right now. Everyone's kids are puking, someone even said that Berlasconi (the PM of Italy) missed his meeting with Condoleezza Rice today because he was stuck in bed with the flu. I've felt a little run down for a day last week, but that's about as close as I got to being ill so far.
We hosted Poker Night (aka Man Night) in January. My contribution was staying in the back of the house and watching chick flicks and cooking the food beforehand. Southern Barbecue Pork sandwiches were a big hit. Man Night was a success, and Joel actually came out ahead by about 5 euros. (Don't worry, I had a friend over that morning to scrapbook and had my girl time earlier.)
We also took a break in January. Every once in a while Rome just gets to be too much for us, and we pack up in the car and get the heck out of dodge. So one Friday night, we packed our bags, fed the cats, and drove to Camp Darby. Camp Darby is a small military base right outside of Pisa. We spent a very relaxing weekend taking pictures of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and also going to this town called Lucca. You're not really allowed to drive within the old town walls in Lucca, so Joel and I rented bikes and rode around. It was great fun.
Umm, that's all I can think of in January! Besides our New Years Resolutions and just trying to pack up all of the decorations and get reorganized after Christmas. I hope everyone got the pictures I emailed around from Ofoto.
Good News! Joel and I will be home in March! Yep, after lots of haggling with work and with airlines, we've got plane tickets to Florida and Alabama! Joel and I have been dreaming about home food for ages, so we'll probably gain back all of the weight we've been losing. Oh well, who cares? I hope that if you're in the area we can say hi, though we have only a week to hit both towns and fly too. So we will try to see as many of you as we can.
Other than our trip home, February is already turned into crazy month - starting with preparing last week for Sec'y of State's visit today (she was here less than 24 hours), the Annual Embassy Chili Night last Friday night, Joel's got another work trip for a few days, and I have a training trip for my job the first week of March. Yeah, we pretty much don't stop any time soon. We're trying to get away for a weekend somewhere in there, but we haven't figured out where or when yet.
So that's it for this month! Hope all of you are well! (Figuratively and literally!)
Love,
Julie and Joel
Well, Joel and I are in deep with our jobs already by the end of January. Right now, between the two of us and our jobs, we pretty much have our lives planned out for us through April. It's going to be a busy spring.
January was a very good month for me in work, in that I got a lot of the administrative beurocracy work begun and several of my projects approved to start. With the help of the commputer people, we're creating an intranet webpage for our office, and we also hosted "Volunteer Week" at the embassy and our Volunteer Appreciation lunch was hosted by the Deputy Chief of Mission and his wife (2nd in command under the Ambassador). Joel also had a very busy month, traveling to Naples for work for a few days.
I hope no cooties have traveled through the internet, because the flu and some other intestinal virus are running rampant through Rome right now. Everyone's kids are puking, someone even said that Berlasconi (the PM of Italy) missed his meeting with Condoleezza Rice today because he was stuck in bed with the flu. I've felt a little run down for a day last week, but that's about as close as I got to being ill so far.
We hosted Poker Night (aka Man Night) in January. My contribution was staying in the back of the house and watching chick flicks and cooking the food beforehand. Southern Barbecue Pork sandwiches were a big hit. Man Night was a success, and Joel actually came out ahead by about 5 euros. (Don't worry, I had a friend over that morning to scrapbook and had my girl time earlier.)
We also took a break in January. Every once in a while Rome just gets to be too much for us, and we pack up in the car and get the heck out of dodge. So one Friday night, we packed our bags, fed the cats, and drove to Camp Darby. Camp Darby is a small military base right outside of Pisa. We spent a very relaxing weekend taking pictures of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and also going to this town called Lucca. You're not really allowed to drive within the old town walls in Lucca, so Joel and I rented bikes and rode around. It was great fun.
Umm, that's all I can think of in January! Besides our New Years Resolutions and just trying to pack up all of the decorations and get reorganized after Christmas. I hope everyone got the pictures I emailed around from Ofoto.
Good News! Joel and I will be home in March! Yep, after lots of haggling with work and with airlines, we've got plane tickets to Florida and Alabama! Joel and I have been dreaming about home food for ages, so we'll probably gain back all of the weight we've been losing. Oh well, who cares? I hope that if you're in the area we can say hi, though we have only a week to hit both towns and fly too. So we will try to see as many of you as we can.
Other than our trip home, February is already turned into crazy month - starting with preparing last week for Sec'y of State's visit today (she was here less than 24 hours), the Annual Embassy Chili Night last Friday night, Joel's got another work trip for a few days, and I have a training trip for my job the first week of March. Yeah, we pretty much don't stop any time soon. We're trying to get away for a weekend somewhere in there, but we haven't figured out where or when yet.
So that's it for this month! Hope all of you are well! (Figuratively and literally!)
Love,
Julie and Joel
January 2005-January Update
January Update
Buono Anno! (According to my language teacher, if you are not very careful to pronounce both "N's", you'll be talking about your backside!)
I hope everyone had a good Christmas and a Happy New Year! Did you make your New Year Resolutions?
I am now getting pretty comfortable at my job and already deep in the thick of things. I am "enjoying" learning the intricacies of working within a government bureaucracy. (Your tax dollars at work). All of our Holiday events at the embassy went well, the Children's Breakfast with Santa was a big hit -- we hired a "singing Santa" and he made our lives so much easier. And the Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony and Market, that I was originally the Volunteer Chair of, was a HUGE success. HUGE. So, I am very pleased about that, almost as pleased as I am that it's over. We also ended up dealing with two viewings of movies at the Ambassador's house, which of course were much more hassle than they really needed to be.
Joel also had a very busy December because he had to cover for someone that was out of town, so we were both very relieved when the holidays arrived. One week we had two holiday parties for him, one for me, the big tree lighting ceremony and market, and a movie at the Ambassador's house with lunch. No kidding. If that happened every month I'd be in the looney bin.
We're still doing verbs in our Italian class, 4 different conjugation types that we have to memorize. Unfortunately, Joel and I still have to memorize the 30 verbs we've been given. We have to perfect the present tense, because the next unit moves to past tense.
(Oh and I had a very nice birthday, thank you to everyone. I am not mentioning a number; but next year there will be a zero attached to it. Yikes.)
Christmas was great -- peaceful and relaxing. We got a real tree, even though it was only about 5 1/2 ft high, two days before Christmas, and decorated it with all of our lights and ornaments. Christmas eve we had a party at a friend's house in our building, and then came home and drank hot chocolate and open a few presents. (That was to get back at my mom who never let us open presents on Christmas eve when we were growing up.) We got a fleece throw that I made, a Christmas CD, our first family ornament, and Joel got me a Santa (like an angel) for the top of our tree.
Christmas morning I graciously allowed Joel to sleep until 8, and then we got up, had cranberry bread and hot chocolate for breakfast, and opened our the rest of our presents, which was a lot of fun. Then we got dressed and then played with all of our "toys." About 4pm we eventually had our Christmas dinner, and then called our families to join in on their Christmas morning fun. And then we watched movies Santa had brought us for the rest of the evening.
New Year's was pretty quiet for us, just a building potluck party again, and off to bed. Joel stayed up all night long watching football. (Don't bring up Miami.) In Italy though, they're crazy on New Years. For some reason everyone shoots off fireworks from their own balconies, and then throws their glasses out their windows. It can make for a dangerous evening if you are out.
And oh, funny story. Remember how last month how I was complaining about drivers here in Italy? Well, it's official. They are maniacs. I now hold the embassy record for fender benders. One early in the month where someone slammed on brakes suddenly for no reason; then two days before Christmas I had two in the same day: I was crossing traffic, and someone decided not to stop; and then while we are exchanging information(I was parked in a parking space), the car was hit AGAIN in the same spot by a very large company van. At least he spoke English and was very apologetic. So now we have a nice pretty dent in our front bumper and the glass broken in our headlight. I'm fine, don't worry about me. I had a headache for a day, but that was more from the stress I think. Joel's Italian friend is going to show us a reputable body shop next week. I am now refusing to drive as much as I can get away with, I think I'm giving off pheremones that attract bad Italian drivers.
Except for the last accident, we had no damage to our car. We are a walking advertisement for Hyundai vehicles now. We love our Elantra, it took a massive cargo van to hurt it, the other Italian cars that I had the first two accidents with had some pretty good damage to them, and we didn't even have a scratch. It's a great car.
Anyways, coming up in January: Joel will be traveling a little with his job, and I will be running the Volunteer Drive the last week of January. That's about it, it's a quiet month for us. As a bonus for working at the Embassy, we have Epiphany on January 6 (Italian Holiday) and Martin Luther King Day (US Holiday) off this month. Lucky us!
Love to all,
Julie and Joel
Buono Anno! (According to my language teacher, if you are not very careful to pronounce both "N's", you'll be talking about your backside!)
I hope everyone had a good Christmas and a Happy New Year! Did you make your New Year Resolutions?
I am now getting pretty comfortable at my job and already deep in the thick of things. I am "enjoying" learning the intricacies of working within a government bureaucracy. (Your tax dollars at work). All of our Holiday events at the embassy went well, the Children's Breakfast with Santa was a big hit -- we hired a "singing Santa" and he made our lives so much easier. And the Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony and Market, that I was originally the Volunteer Chair of, was a HUGE success. HUGE. So, I am very pleased about that, almost as pleased as I am that it's over. We also ended up dealing with two viewings of movies at the Ambassador's house, which of course were much more hassle than they really needed to be.
Joel also had a very busy December because he had to cover for someone that was out of town, so we were both very relieved when the holidays arrived. One week we had two holiday parties for him, one for me, the big tree lighting ceremony and market, and a movie at the Ambassador's house with lunch. No kidding. If that happened every month I'd be in the looney bin.
We're still doing verbs in our Italian class, 4 different conjugation types that we have to memorize. Unfortunately, Joel and I still have to memorize the 30 verbs we've been given. We have to perfect the present tense, because the next unit moves to past tense.
(Oh and I had a very nice birthday, thank you to everyone. I am not mentioning a number; but next year there will be a zero attached to it. Yikes.)
Christmas was great -- peaceful and relaxing. We got a real tree, even though it was only about 5 1/2 ft high, two days before Christmas, and decorated it with all of our lights and ornaments. Christmas eve we had a party at a friend's house in our building, and then came home and drank hot chocolate and open a few presents. (That was to get back at my mom who never let us open presents on Christmas eve when we were growing up.) We got a fleece throw that I made, a Christmas CD, our first family ornament, and Joel got me a Santa (like an angel) for the top of our tree.
Christmas morning I graciously allowed Joel to sleep until 8, and then we got up, had cranberry bread and hot chocolate for breakfast, and opened our the rest of our presents, which was a lot of fun. Then we got dressed and then played with all of our "toys." About 4pm we eventually had our Christmas dinner, and then called our families to join in on their Christmas morning fun. And then we watched movies Santa had brought us for the rest of the evening.
New Year's was pretty quiet for us, just a building potluck party again, and off to bed. Joel stayed up all night long watching football. (Don't bring up Miami.) In Italy though, they're crazy on New Years. For some reason everyone shoots off fireworks from their own balconies, and then throws their glasses out their windows. It can make for a dangerous evening if you are out.
And oh, funny story. Remember how last month how I was complaining about drivers here in Italy? Well, it's official. They are maniacs. I now hold the embassy record for fender benders. One early in the month where someone slammed on brakes suddenly for no reason; then two days before Christmas I had two in the same day: I was crossing traffic, and someone decided not to stop; and then while we are exchanging information(I was parked in a parking space), the car was hit AGAIN in the same spot by a very large company van. At least he spoke English and was very apologetic. So now we have a nice pretty dent in our front bumper and the glass broken in our headlight. I'm fine, don't worry about me. I had a headache for a day, but that was more from the stress I think. Joel's Italian friend is going to show us a reputable body shop next week. I am now refusing to drive as much as I can get away with, I think I'm giving off pheremones that attract bad Italian drivers.
Except for the last accident, we had no damage to our car. We are a walking advertisement for Hyundai vehicles now. We love our Elantra, it took a massive cargo van to hurt it, the other Italian cars that I had the first two accidents with had some pretty good damage to them, and we didn't even have a scratch. It's a great car.
Anyways, coming up in January: Joel will be traveling a little with his job, and I will be running the Volunteer Drive the last week of January. That's about it, it's a quiet month for us. As a bonus for working at the Embassy, we have Epiphany on January 6 (Italian Holiday) and Martin Luther King Day (US Holiday) off this month. Lucky us!
Love to all,
Julie and Joel
December 2004-December update from the Mendezes'. Buon Natale!
Sorry this is so late, but it's been a crazy few weeks. I'm not even sure I remember all that we did in November!
So the big news is I got a job! I am the Community Liaison Office Coordinator for the Embassy. Which is kind of a morale officer for the community. I help new people feel adjusted, I interact with the schools, and I organize and run community events. Such as the Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony and Bazaar. I was the volunteer chairperson before, now I get paid to do the same work! And it is alot of work. At least this particular event. It's next week so I'm pulling out my hair a bit right now. (don't worry, I have lots of hair). I spent most of November dealing with government bureaucracy, doing the mountains (literally of paperwork, of background check garbage, you name it - I filled out a form about it. This was my first official week of work finally. But I am very very excited about the position.
I also have my scrapbooking open house in November, which went very well. And Joel and I had a football party for the Alabama/Auburn game. Now you have to realize, the game didn't start til close to 10pm our time, so we were lucky that anyone stayed til halftime. I didn't even make it til the end of the game. This time zone thing really puts a damper on sports fans. There is only so much getting up at 2am to watch a game that you can do. One right after another, all night long. I hope I never see another sweet potato pie again.
Thanksgiving was great, and we had a great time. We had our friend Debbie over, and we adopted one of the Marines from the Embassy to join us. Beware: don't play Monopoly with a Marine! He pulverized us! Joel and I weren't beaten, we were humiliated in Monopoly. And then Sgt Cooper bragged about it at the embassy because he thought it was funny. Okay, it was. But only if it wasn't you.
Then we ended the month with a quick weekend trip to Sienna, a really cool medieval town in the middle of Tuscany. The weather was rainy, but it was alot of fun. They spoke alot of English there. I can't wait to go back.
And because so many thought my story about our language class was fun: now we're on to verbs. We have to conjugate 10 verbs by next Tuesday. And our teacher is very nice, but very very strict. If you don't study hard enough, she lectures you in a very thick Italian accent, and it's kindof scary.
And since most of you drive: did you know that the lines on the road are optional? That going less than 85 miles per hour on the autostrada is hazardous to your health? That stop lights and signs only mean something if there is a traffic cop standing right there? Yeah, me neither. Welcome to Italy!
So, Merry Christmas and Buon Natale and all that! Be careful, be safe and healthy and have a wonderful holiday season!
Love,
Julie and Joel
So the big news is I got a job! I am the Community Liaison Office Coordinator for the Embassy. Which is kind of a morale officer for the community. I help new people feel adjusted, I interact with the schools, and I organize and run community events. Such as the Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony and Bazaar. I was the volunteer chairperson before, now I get paid to do the same work! And it is alot of work. At least this particular event. It's next week so I'm pulling out my hair a bit right now. (don't worry, I have lots of hair). I spent most of November dealing with government bureaucracy, doing the mountains (literally of paperwork, of background check garbage, you name it - I filled out a form about it. This was my first official week of work finally. But I am very very excited about the position.
I also have my scrapbooking open house in November, which went very well. And Joel and I had a football party for the Alabama/Auburn game. Now you have to realize, the game didn't start til close to 10pm our time, so we were lucky that anyone stayed til halftime. I didn't even make it til the end of the game. This time zone thing really puts a damper on sports fans. There is only so much getting up at 2am to watch a game that you can do. One right after another, all night long. I hope I never see another sweet potato pie again.
Thanksgiving was great, and we had a great time. We had our friend Debbie over, and we adopted one of the Marines from the Embassy to join us. Beware: don't play Monopoly with a Marine! He pulverized us! Joel and I weren't beaten, we were humiliated in Monopoly. And then Sgt Cooper bragged about it at the embassy because he thought it was funny. Okay, it was. But only if it wasn't you.
Then we ended the month with a quick weekend trip to Sienna, a really cool medieval town in the middle of Tuscany. The weather was rainy, but it was alot of fun. They spoke alot of English there. I can't wait to go back.
And because so many thought my story about our language class was fun: now we're on to verbs. We have to conjugate 10 verbs by next Tuesday. And our teacher is very nice, but very very strict. If you don't study hard enough, she lectures you in a very thick Italian accent, and it's kindof scary.
And since most of you drive: did you know that the lines on the road are optional? That going less than 85 miles per hour on the autostrada is hazardous to your health? That stop lights and signs only mean something if there is a traffic cop standing right there? Yeah, me neither. Welcome to Italy!
So, Merry Christmas and Buon Natale and all that! Be careful, be safe and healthy and have a wonderful holiday season!
Love,
Julie and Joel
November 2004 - October News from the Rome Mendezes
Can you believe it’s November already?!!?!
Joel and I appreciate all the emails and notes we’ve gotten from everyone. We love keeping in touch with you all; it makes that Atlantic Ocean just a little bit smaller!
October was a pretty intense month for us. Our language classes are becoming a little more involved: we have started conjugating verbs and dealing with making things plural and the masculine and feminine endings on words. I’m not sure why words have to be feminine or masculine – does anyone really care if a car is feminine ("la machina") – but apparently I don’t get to make that decision! Anyways, we now have more homework and memorization we have to do after every single class.
On Columbus Day, someone from Joel’s office took us on a small tour and we had lunch in downtown Rome. (Amazingly, I had horrible service and horrible food – a first for Rome. But it was just me, not anyone else.) Joel also had his first business trip this month, just an overnighter. And we went to the Embassy’s Octoberfest party. It was very well attended and the food was really really good.
We’ve been over to several homes for small parties this month, which was really neat because we got to see other apartments and how they are laid out. The cool thing about this community and our "lifestyle" is that everyone has this amazing furniture and stuff from all the different countries they’ve lived in. One couple had this beautiful wood furniture and rugs from Turkey (wouldn’t mind going there now, too!) and another couple had spent some time in Africa and had this ornately carved bar. I look forward to being able to decorate my home like that one day too. :)
I also went on a "field trip." In Naples Italy, the NATO Base had a charity bazaar one Saturday, and several women from the embassy rented a bus so we could all go. Oh, thank goodness Joel didn’t let me take the credit card with me! I could have done some serious damage there. There were booths and vendors from every single country in NATO, and there was a food tent also. I had chicken curry in the British pub. I did get some really cute Christmas decorations and ornaments; and am already planning on going back next year.
Last week, Rita and her fiancé came and visited for one night as they were passing through Rome; our first guests! We had a nice Italian dinner and feasted on gelato for dessert. This past Friday night we volunteered at the Halloween party for the embassy. I’m assuming it was a good event; but I don’t really know. The whole evening I went from the grill to the buffet table dumping more hamburgers and hotdogs for people to eat. I swear, there must have been over 200 people there. Joel got stuck behind the bar, serving drinks the entire night. Everyone seemed to have fun though.
Last night Joel and I attended the Marine Ball. It was very glamorous and ritzy, and we had a very nice time. The marines cut the cake for the ceremony and did their program. Oh, and we got to meet and speak to the Ambassador! Very cool stuff.
Which brings us to good news. Wednesday, our shipment finally arrived!!! (I was thrilled, because I had nothing to wear to the marine ball.) It was very exciting, but I have been unpacking ever since. I think I’ve done about 20 loads of laundry since Wednesday. Slowly but surely, our little home is getting put together. And I have to say thank you to everyone who had given us wonderful things for our home at our wedding. It’s been SO MUCH FUN to finally take everything out of their boxes and put things in their places. As of this moment, our books are on the shelves, almost all of dishes, etc. are put away, the new sheets and towels are out, and the breadmaker is making our first loaf of homemade bread. It’s like Christmas! Since Nov 1st is a Catholic/Italian holiday, Joel and I planning on having the bulk of the work done this weekend. (He says hello, but right now is struggling to get the TV hooked up correctly to our cable system.)
So, hopefully November will be a little more settled now. My scrapbooking is off to a kickin start and rolling right along. Joel and I are getting reading for Thanksgiving. It’s going to be such fun serving turkey on our fancy china dishes. We are continuing with our language classes twice a week, and starting to plan for Christmas. Oh, I almost forgot! I volunteered to Chair the Embassy Holiday Tree Lighting and Holiday Market Event in December. We’ll have the tree lighting and school choirs perform, and a holiday market at the same time. I will probably be tearing my hair our before it’s all done but it sounds like a really cool party.
I hope you and yours are all doing well, and we look forward to hearing from all of you soon! Oh remember to vote, turn your clocks back, and Happy Halloween!
Julie and Joel
Joel and I appreciate all the emails and notes we’ve gotten from everyone. We love keeping in touch with you all; it makes that Atlantic Ocean just a little bit smaller!
October was a pretty intense month for us. Our language classes are becoming a little more involved: we have started conjugating verbs and dealing with making things plural and the masculine and feminine endings on words. I’m not sure why words have to be feminine or masculine – does anyone really care if a car is feminine ("la machina") – but apparently I don’t get to make that decision! Anyways, we now have more homework and memorization we have to do after every single class.
On Columbus Day, someone from Joel’s office took us on a small tour and we had lunch in downtown Rome. (Amazingly, I had horrible service and horrible food – a first for Rome. But it was just me, not anyone else.) Joel also had his first business trip this month, just an overnighter. And we went to the Embassy’s Octoberfest party. It was very well attended and the food was really really good.
We’ve been over to several homes for small parties this month, which was really neat because we got to see other apartments and how they are laid out. The cool thing about this community and our "lifestyle" is that everyone has this amazing furniture and stuff from all the different countries they’ve lived in. One couple had this beautiful wood furniture and rugs from Turkey (wouldn’t mind going there now, too!) and another couple had spent some time in Africa and had this ornately carved bar. I look forward to being able to decorate my home like that one day too. :)
I also went on a "field trip." In Naples Italy, the NATO Base had a charity bazaar one Saturday, and several women from the embassy rented a bus so we could all go. Oh, thank goodness Joel didn’t let me take the credit card with me! I could have done some serious damage there. There were booths and vendors from every single country in NATO, and there was a food tent also. I had chicken curry in the British pub. I did get some really cute Christmas decorations and ornaments; and am already planning on going back next year.
Last week, Rita and her fiancé came and visited for one night as they were passing through Rome; our first guests! We had a nice Italian dinner and feasted on gelato for dessert. This past Friday night we volunteered at the Halloween party for the embassy. I’m assuming it was a good event; but I don’t really know. The whole evening I went from the grill to the buffet table dumping more hamburgers and hotdogs for people to eat. I swear, there must have been over 200 people there. Joel got stuck behind the bar, serving drinks the entire night. Everyone seemed to have fun though.
Last night Joel and I attended the Marine Ball. It was very glamorous and ritzy, and we had a very nice time. The marines cut the cake for the ceremony and did their program. Oh, and we got to meet and speak to the Ambassador! Very cool stuff.
Which brings us to good news. Wednesday, our shipment finally arrived!!! (I was thrilled, because I had nothing to wear to the marine ball.) It was very exciting, but I have been unpacking ever since. I think I’ve done about 20 loads of laundry since Wednesday. Slowly but surely, our little home is getting put together. And I have to say thank you to everyone who had given us wonderful things for our home at our wedding. It’s been SO MUCH FUN to finally take everything out of their boxes and put things in their places. As of this moment, our books are on the shelves, almost all of dishes, etc. are put away, the new sheets and towels are out, and the breadmaker is making our first loaf of homemade bread. It’s like Christmas! Since Nov 1st is a Catholic/Italian holiday, Joel and I planning on having the bulk of the work done this weekend. (He says hello, but right now is struggling to get the TV hooked up correctly to our cable system.)
So, hopefully November will be a little more settled now. My scrapbooking is off to a kickin start and rolling right along. Joel and I are getting reading for Thanksgiving. It’s going to be such fun serving turkey on our fancy china dishes. We are continuing with our language classes twice a week, and starting to plan for Christmas. Oh, I almost forgot! I volunteered to Chair the Embassy Holiday Tree Lighting and Holiday Market Event in December. We’ll have the tree lighting and school choirs perform, and a holiday market at the same time. I will probably be tearing my hair our before it’s all done but it sounds like a really cool party.
I hope you and yours are all doing well, and we look forward to hearing from all of you soon! Oh remember to vote, turn your clocks back, and Happy Halloween!
Julie and Joel
October 2004- It's time for the Monthly Update from the Mendezes again!
Yep, it's us again! I just wanted to say Buon Guirno to everybody! (That's Good Morning.) September was pretty busy for us!
***I've attended all sorts of orientation meetings for newcomers this past month. Joel and I are becoming accustomed to our daily lives here and have become friendly with several other couples here.
***My scrapbooking workshops started last month and luckily is becoming more popular. We have another scrapbooking workshop coming up this month.
***Joel and I went on our Honeymoon! It was amazing! We went to the Amalfi Coast for a week and had a wonderful time. We ate some amazing food and saw some beautiful places. We spent time on these beautiful beaches but get this - there was almost no sand! The beaches were completely made up of rocks. Joel and I had to buy flip flops so we could at least walk on the beach without killing our feet. We walked around places like Minori, Maori, Amafil and Sorrento (though that was by accident, we tried to go visit Positano and got on the wrong bus.) The coast was so beautiful and we stayed in a lovely small B&B hotel in the town of Minori. The hotel was literally hanging off the side of the mountain! The area is famous for its lemons that are so big, they are almost the size of a grapefruit. As soon as our DSL line gets hooked up, I have about a billion pictures to upload to show you all.
***I've been getting more active in volunteering activities at the Embassy. Alot of the events are coming up in October: Octoberfest and the Embassy Halloween Party for the kids-one of the Embassy's most popular events. One of their traditions is that the kids trick or treat to the various cars in the parking lot! Yep, people decorate the cars and have a trick or treat tailgating. Joel and I (I love how I can now just "sign him up" for things, hehehehe) are in charge of keeping the food table full. I'll proablably be helping decorate and all that too.
***Joel and I are sightseeing alot more now on the weekends around Rome. We pick out different areas of town and just "go." This weekend we were on our way to see one of the famous fountains and got to see what I think was the changing of the guard ceremony at the Italian President's home. We also walked through Villa Ada, this monstrous park near our home. There are small lakes in the center of the park and seems to be very popular with local residents. We saw lots of people jogging, exercising, or playing with their dogs. We can also rent bikes there.
***We also just started our language classes and are working on our Italian. And to answer your question, yes, Italians really do say Momma Mia and wave their arms around alot.
***We finally got our car! Yesterday, Joel and I went to Naples and picked up our car, stopped at the military base to stock up at the commissary, and drove home. Not that we'll drive that much around Rome, but now we can day trips so we are very excited.
Coming up for October: Joel and I continue with our language classes twice a week, and will be going to the Octoberfest party and Halloween party at the Embassy. Then with scrapbooking, Marine Happy hour socials and the Big Marine Ball coming up, we have a very busy month ahead of us.
I hope all of you are doing well!
Julie
***I've attended all sorts of orientation meetings for newcomers this past month. Joel and I are becoming accustomed to our daily lives here and have become friendly with several other couples here.
***My scrapbooking workshops started last month and luckily is becoming more popular. We have another scrapbooking workshop coming up this month.
***Joel and I went on our Honeymoon! It was amazing! We went to the Amalfi Coast for a week and had a wonderful time. We ate some amazing food and saw some beautiful places. We spent time on these beautiful beaches but get this - there was almost no sand! The beaches were completely made up of rocks. Joel and I had to buy flip flops so we could at least walk on the beach without killing our feet. We walked around places like Minori, Maori, Amafil and Sorrento (though that was by accident, we tried to go visit Positano and got on the wrong bus.) The coast was so beautiful and we stayed in a lovely small B&B hotel in the town of Minori. The hotel was literally hanging off the side of the mountain! The area is famous for its lemons that are so big, they are almost the size of a grapefruit. As soon as our DSL line gets hooked up, I have about a billion pictures to upload to show you all.
***I've been getting more active in volunteering activities at the Embassy. Alot of the events are coming up in October: Octoberfest and the Embassy Halloween Party for the kids-one of the Embassy's most popular events. One of their traditions is that the kids trick or treat to the various cars in the parking lot! Yep, people decorate the cars and have a trick or treat tailgating. Joel and I (I love how I can now just "sign him up" for things, hehehehe) are in charge of keeping the food table full. I'll proablably be helping decorate and all that too.
***Joel and I are sightseeing alot more now on the weekends around Rome. We pick out different areas of town and just "go." This weekend we were on our way to see one of the famous fountains and got to see what I think was the changing of the guard ceremony at the Italian President's home. We also walked through Villa Ada, this monstrous park near our home. There are small lakes in the center of the park and seems to be very popular with local residents. We saw lots of people jogging, exercising, or playing with their dogs. We can also rent bikes there.
***We also just started our language classes and are working on our Italian. And to answer your question, yes, Italians really do say Momma Mia and wave their arms around alot.
***We finally got our car! Yesterday, Joel and I went to Naples and picked up our car, stopped at the military base to stock up at the commissary, and drove home. Not that we'll drive that much around Rome, but now we can day trips so we are very excited.
Coming up for October: Joel and I continue with our language classes twice a week, and will be going to the Octoberfest party and Halloween party at the Embassy. Then with scrapbooking, Marine Happy hour socials and the Big Marine Ball coming up, we have a very busy month ahead of us.
I hope all of you are doing well!
Julie
September 2004 - Monthly Update from the Mendezes (Julie and Joel)
Hi everyone!
Well, we've been here officially a month now, and we're settling in pretty well. We've moved into our apartment and have gotten some of our stuff already. I had lots of fun unpacking our china and dishes and stuff - it was like playing house when you're six! We're not sure when the rest will arrive, it might be sometime in October. The apartment is very nice, with great marble floors, and pretty big! We have a grocery store about 1 1/2 blocks away, and I have been slowly figuring out my Italian by going into the grocery store and studying the shelves and trying to read the labels so I know what I'm buying. Buying food is an all new adventure!
We just got our laptop and have it hooked up on the internet, so it is much easier for us to keep in touch now. We are hoping to get DSL soon, so when we do that we will upload some great pictures of Italy for you all!
Joel is working hard and working alot; but many of the people I've met have told me that he is doing very well at his job. (He would never say anything like that himself, he's too bashful about that kind of thing.) I of course, like any new wife, completely agree with them and tell them I'm lucky I got such a good catch! :) I know that's going to annoy Joel when he reads this! hehehehe!
Since we got our laptop my Italian is improving much more quickly. We have Italian language games and I have been working very hard on my vocabulary. We also have some fabulous audio CD's too that are very good and very indepth. Joel is doing much better than I am since Italian is so close to Spanish, but I am determined to catch up quickly. The food here is very good. Joel and I have almost mastered the art of ordering food in resturaunts. And my first Italian was ordering gelato (ice cream); which is the absolute best! August is a very good excuse to eat as much gelato as you can!
I'm enjoying Italy too. We haven't done a lot of sightseeing yet, it's brutally hot here during the day in August. Joel and I are waiting for it to get just a little cooler so we can do all the touristy things then. We have seen quite a bit of Rome though! I do not recommend getting on a bus without a bus map telling you which one to take! One day we thought, hey, let's just ride around and see where it takes us! Well, about six hours, a million buses, several miles of walking, and finally a cab ride, we got home limping up the stairs into our apartment. We did find a McDonalds that day though!
Our cats are doing well also! They behaved very well on the plane ride, and have finally adjusted to each other. They wrestle and fight and then make up by give each other baths. The kitten is rambunctious and crazy and alway trying to get in trouble, but is really cute and snuggles in my lap to nap, so it's hard to stay mad at him.
We're both getting more involved with the people at the embassy. We had a little cook-out last night at our apartment complex and got to spend some time with our neighbors. And we've met some really nice people at some of the get-togethers we've been to. And the pool is really nice!
That's all the news from here. In September we are supposed to be getting our car, and going on our honeymoon and I'm starting a scrapbooking club at the embassy! Oh and someone told me there is an Italian version of Target here in Rome so I'm very excited! (You all know my love for Target!)
We love and miss you all and will talk to you all soon!
Love,
Julie and Joel
Well, we've been here officially a month now, and we're settling in pretty well. We've moved into our apartment and have gotten some of our stuff already. I had lots of fun unpacking our china and dishes and stuff - it was like playing house when you're six! We're not sure when the rest will arrive, it might be sometime in October. The apartment is very nice, with great marble floors, and pretty big! We have a grocery store about 1 1/2 blocks away, and I have been slowly figuring out my Italian by going into the grocery store and studying the shelves and trying to read the labels so I know what I'm buying. Buying food is an all new adventure!
We just got our laptop and have it hooked up on the internet, so it is much easier for us to keep in touch now. We are hoping to get DSL soon, so when we do that we will upload some great pictures of Italy for you all!
Joel is working hard and working alot; but many of the people I've met have told me that he is doing very well at his job. (He would never say anything like that himself, he's too bashful about that kind of thing.) I of course, like any new wife, completely agree with them and tell them I'm lucky I got such a good catch! :) I know that's going to annoy Joel when he reads this! hehehehe!
Since we got our laptop my Italian is improving much more quickly. We have Italian language games and I have been working very hard on my vocabulary. We also have some fabulous audio CD's too that are very good and very indepth. Joel is doing much better than I am since Italian is so close to Spanish, but I am determined to catch up quickly. The food here is very good. Joel and I have almost mastered the art of ordering food in resturaunts. And my first Italian was ordering gelato (ice cream); which is the absolute best! August is a very good excuse to eat as much gelato as you can!
I'm enjoying Italy too. We haven't done a lot of sightseeing yet, it's brutally hot here during the day in August. Joel and I are waiting for it to get just a little cooler so we can do all the touristy things then. We have seen quite a bit of Rome though! I do not recommend getting on a bus without a bus map telling you which one to take! One day we thought, hey, let's just ride around and see where it takes us! Well, about six hours, a million buses, several miles of walking, and finally a cab ride, we got home limping up the stairs into our apartment. We did find a McDonalds that day though!
Our cats are doing well also! They behaved very well on the plane ride, and have finally adjusted to each other. They wrestle and fight and then make up by give each other baths. The kitten is rambunctious and crazy and alway trying to get in trouble, but is really cute and snuggles in my lap to nap, so it's hard to stay mad at him.
We're both getting more involved with the people at the embassy. We had a little cook-out last night at our apartment complex and got to spend some time with our neighbors. And we've met some really nice people at some of the get-togethers we've been to. And the pool is really nice!
That's all the news from here. In September we are supposed to be getting our car, and going on our honeymoon and I'm starting a scrapbooking club at the embassy! Oh and someone told me there is an Italian version of Target here in Rome so I'm very excited! (You all know my love for Target!)
We love and miss you all and will talk to you all soon!
Love,
Julie and Joel
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