Alps Alps Alps!!!

Maybe after all, I still have a home. I saw many places, but still i find the Alps one of the most beutiful places on Earth. And my grandma's house is still the same through all these years, she still heats the house with the wooden stove, which is still covered with orange peels (but the glow-in-the-dark statue of the virgin Mary in the bedroom still freak me out at night and it is going in the hall today!).
I am being 're-italianized'... I am smoking occasional sigarettes (no!!!) and drinking sparkling water.
I have very limited internet connection and my posts will be more scarse, but overall, I am happy, I am enjoying my relatives and the mountains. I am looking for a car; after that, I will look for a nest somewhere where I can open up all my boxes scattered around Italy (and Oregon... gracias Otto!).
I went downtown Rome with Valeria. I forgot how magical that city is. I went to Florence to see Claudia and her family (and ate Erithrean food thinking about Biniam! ;-)!).
Trento is entrateining and vibrant like always (on my opinion). There are shows and an adventure film festival and hikes... I ewen found a book about Samoa called 'Papalagi'.
I miss 10,000 people and 10,000 places, but I am also happy to be here.
Paty from Peru and her friend Jennifer will arrive next week...
Then Samudra from Sri Lanka and her husband Brian....
Then Mary from Samoa and her fiancee'...
May is going to pass fast, and then summer will come! I got my paraglider, next week I will check it out (I haven't flown it for a while)... Pura vida!

An inspiring man

“If you can dream it, you can do it” Walt Disney

Many months ago, when I was still living in Neverland, I told a friend on our way to a hike: “Today I meet the most amazing fascinating guy of my life”. “Where!?!? Who?!?!” She replied. She lived on the island long enough to know that such an encounter is highly improbable. “Well, not here… on the internet…”.
The guy in question was Randy Pausch, a professor at the Carnegie Mellon University that diagnosed with terminal cancer, decided to share with the world (for his kids good), his life experiences.
He gave a wonderful lecture, “Really achieving your childhood dreams”, which is available on the Internet and which I highly recommend anybody to see.

Before coming to Italy I came across his book, bought it, and devoured in the last days.

The message is inspiring: you can either be Eeyore or Tigger in life (the characters from Winnie the Pooh, the first one, a donkey, is always negative, the second one, a tiger, is energetic and full of life). I met both types, and I have been both.
Randy often made a comparison between obstacles in life and brick walls. He said: “The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. . .”

I love this. It gives me strengths.
As both my parents died young, I am not expecting to have a long life myself neither. And as Horatio said “put little hope in the future” (quam minimum credula postero)!
These days I am building the bases a easier future… after going through so much and after studying and working, I am so getting ready to have some serious fun!
Never underestimate the importance of laughing and having fun!

In Rome I have amazing friends (and I own them so much in life!!!! From my teenagers years to any visit I did back here in the past 10 years). But Rome is a big city…. I cannot wait to be up in the mountains with my grandma and the goats like Heidi!!! This weekend I will start making my way up…

Me having fun in Hawaii the day after I left Neverland!

Rome, caput mundi

Rome airport. My people (?)

Bicycles at the Frankfort airport, the she wolf with Romulus and Remo, the founders of Rome.
They could not have done it without coffee'...

I made it! The amazing race starts now for me, I probably have in front of me some of the most important, boring, en-fattening months of my life... but the company is always good! Non vedo l'ora di vedervi tutti! Enriched with visits from Paty, Samudra and Brian, Jenny... a visit to Safae...

Since I arrived I sleep, ate ("eat, eat, you need to grow!", my second mom said last night. I feel like I am not 16 anymore and I better not grow anymore!), and did some internet...

"Welcome to the city of the UEFA champion league final. Football fever: priceless"
(that was so traumatizing for me being the only italian on the island when we won the UEFA cup!!)

Rock Climbing at Smith Rock, eh

After the wonderful night salsa dancing in Portland, I was questioning my original plan to spend the weekend rock climbing at Smith Rock. Should I instead plan another weekend dancing in Portland?
But I did FELT I had to go to Smith Rock, and sometimes, unexplainably, I just have to do things. I learned it from Coehlo’s “Alchemist”, and so far it has taken me far and in wonderful places.

Smith Rock was wonderful! It was great seeing Niel after so many years; he is exactly the same, more of a man, some white hairs, but brilliant and caring just like I remembered him. Niel, like Maria, Akiko and Tyson, is the product of the first magical year spent in Bangor, North Wales, the city of happiness.
Being back climbing was such a feeling too. I suck, but after so many years I am not that surprised. Luckily I have an accent and if I ask, at the start of a hard climb, “can you please help me to lift my bum, it feels so heavy today”, none objects (and I get the help I need).
I wanted to climb, I missed it, I missed the “vertical sensation”, when you feel you are just laying horizontally on the rock. Well, sometimes I though “why am I doing this again?”. My fingers bleed, my legs nervously shake like leaves in the wind, my whole body ached, but I felt so happy!
The company was wonderful. I car pooled with some people from Corvallis and meet with the rest of the Canadian crew in Smith. Niel was with them. Canadian do say “eh” at the end of each phrase, it is funny. They were all good climbers. The first day I was grateful to be able to climb a 5.9 or 5.10. The second day a 5.10b was my easiest pick. They said I had a great stamina, which is a nice way to say “I cannot believe it takes you so long to finish that route!”. But I do not like leaving things unfinished (with the exception of a 5.11, which I knew from the star I do not have the skills to finish, but it is fun to give it a try anyway).

FIRST DAY: Morning glory at Smith Rock with the canadians, eh!!

Niel and I reunited after 8 years! He is just the same!

sometimes you just think "why is it that I am doing this again?"
then you realize why mother nature gave us knuckles... it is to stick them into small cracks of the rocks to lift us up..

SECOND DAY: into the canyon

and dress up party with lasagna at night... before the hot tub!! yeah!

I wonder now if the reason was for me to go to the rock climbing gym to practice and meet somebody that at my age, did exactly what I am about to do, which is secure some financial stability and dedicate a life to a passion. He did it, I do not see why I can not do it.

One of my heroes, Randy Pausch, said: “Brick walls are there for a reason. They are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something”. I cannot really say “I want” something (my parents used to say “l’erba voglio non esiste neanche nel giardino del re” –“Not even in the king’s garden you can grow the grass ‘I want’”), but there are different things that “I would like”, and I do not see why I should not go for them.
It is time now for me to go for them. Right now I am flying on a winged steed called Lufthansa (fly with them! They serve Milka chocolate!!!), somewhere above Greenland, it is sunset, and I feel like I am about to fight a dragon. I escaped the castle many years ago, grew stronger with amazing friends, it is now time to go back.
And I am back taking my time, no work or home to go back to, I am foreseeing a whole summer in Italy.

Claudia, “eventually” as arrived, and do not worry, I am drawing the attach plan with you!

Corvallis and Heroes

Corvallis is the place where people stop me in the street and say “Barbara! You are back!”. I still wonder how can all these people still remember me (and Maria of course).
Yesterday dott K., the interim geosciences department chair, saw me walking in the corridor, ran to me, put his books on the floor, took off his shoes, and took me to tango across first foor. Then Biniam and dott. B. came, and Biniam reminded him the day I pinned him to the floor (I was just showing dott. B. an Aikido move, but it was hard to explain it to my ex when he walked in the room and saw me pinning his professor to the floor).

Corvallis is good for me. There is the Coop with natural food, fast internet, tons of meetings for coffees, teas, lunches, dinners, parties, international students get together… I love it!

I have been going to the rock climbing gym everyday to refresh my skills (getting ready for this weekend at Smith Rock), and found quite a special climbing buddy. When I asked him what he does in life, he said he was a “professional kayaker”. I though “god, they are everywhere!” and “Do they go through a special selection criteria that if they are not gorgeous enough they do not let them next to the river?”. The next day I was curious to see how a professional kayaker makes his living, and I googled him.
What an inspiration he is!
In January, I was craving for adventures after reading a book about a whitewater kayaking expedition in Tibet, I decided it was about time for me to leave the safe island nest for some adventures. Now that I am about to move back to Italy for a bit, I met this example of perfect equilibrium between intelligent investment, passion, community service, and commitment.
This guy that holds me up when I fall from the rock wall, that cheers me up on a difficult route, is a National Geographic Adventure Hero. And more. I am going to feel like such a wimp tomorrow when I see him ;-). But he is also an inspiration. I can do things, and I am going to do them better!
Tomorrow I am leaving for Smith Rock with a bunch of strangers that I haven't met yet, and meeting there with a very old friend of mine that I haven’t seen since the Polar Bear Swim, 1st January 2001 in Vancouver Canada!

wild salsa in Portland

The Rose City… my perennial second home, that is the place where I always come back to, especially when I do not have a home! In the last 10 years I definitely spent more time in Oregon than anywhere else and most of the stuff I own is stored here too.
I arrived in Portland on Monday night, and spent the week with Elly.
I lived happily in Neverland for the first year and an half, hiding for the last year and an half. As part of the process of welcoming the new life cycle (and considering I do not have furniture to rearrange), Elly and I worked on a change of look. So I cut my hair and went blonde. Which is freaking me out because I am not used to this anymore, but after the success of last night I really cannot complain.

After a rich dinner with Liz and more friends, Elly, Kristal and I went crazy salsa dancing, like in the old good days, accompanied by a team of 3 gorgeous Argentineans… ahhh… how I missed the Latin nights!

(I did not take any picture of the argentinian Diego brought along, but Elly and I had so much fun looking at how girls were just flying to them! Really amazing!)Myself, Elly, Kristal and Diego

Kristal and Diego, Ceasar and I.... wild dancing!

Liz and Tom came back few days ago from Ethiopia as well, and they are moving to New Jersey on Monday!!!! Buuuuuuu!!!! Here another piece of heart that is moving farther away from me! I drove down to Corvallis with her this morning, and I am now ready to meet the other Beavers here!

The desert

I forgot to mention that, even if the Oasis was a wonderful amazing place, the desert was quite impressive as well. During this time of the year the desert is blooming. A desert covered in flowers. Wonderful, spectacular... Enjoy the pictures!
As for me, I made it in Portland and I am in sweet company with my Oregonian family. Liz is moving on Monday to New Hampshire, I am thinking about going with her... need to chance a place ticket... we will see tomorrow...

This cute "Dude" was traveling with his huge teddy bear....

Mirek, seriously, these Joshua trees made me thing of Lucky Luke, even before I met you!

Since December, SnowDave and I met in San Francisco, American Samoa, Alaska, Las Vegas and Death Valley. He is a great traveling companion, he brings lots of good challenges and adventures! Thanks Dave, you are awesome!!!!