Do as the Romans... and head south

The next day in Rome, we had a breakfast of the fruit we had bought at the little store down the street and set off for our day in Rome. A “dragged” me to her favourite shop to buy me a delayed birthday present. A silk scarf with beautiful turquoise and coral designs. She then led dad and me to this little market across the river and left us, with a plan to meet up for vino later in the day. 

Dad and I walked the market, laughed with the vendors at our inability to adequately communicate and finally bought some delicious food. We agreed on three sandwiches, some veggies and a bottle of white wine, all of which we brought to the side of the river and picnicked by the Tivere. I found us a comfy, sturdy wall to sit on and we ate in the brilliant sunshine, looking out over the river, under a chestnut tree. 

Once finished, we were both relatively tipsy and headed off to wander aimlessly. It must run in the family, this love of walking around with no set destination in mind. We ended up at the top of a hill, above Trastavere, near the Spanish Academy, overlooking the city. Once my photography needs were satiated, we made our way back down and set off on a mission to find me a bathing suit for the upcoming trip to the island of thermal baths: Ischia.

The mission proved successful. I found a little store run by a lovely Italian woman who I joked around with about needing adequate coverage for the winter curves. Dad, not one to be shown up by A who had bought me a birthday present, was generous enough to buy me the bather as a delayed birthday present. It seems to be an ongoing fight between the two of who can be beholden to who(m?). I’ll just sit back and enjoy the fruits of the fight. It’s like being a kid in a divorce who keeps getting presents, minus the divorce. A keeps threatening dad that she’ll keep me and adopt me and dad keeps reminding her that I’m his, not hers. I keep explaining that it doesn’t matter, as long as they both keep me well fed. It’s adorable.

After the swimsuit mission, we went to meet A at the wine bar and sat and had a bicchiere each of delicious vino, recommended by the surly owner (who wasn’t actually surly, but quite sweet after we joked around with him a little). We headed back to the apartment so that I could get my computer and connect to the world wide web for the first time in *gasp* three days. Also to figure out where the hell we were going, how we were getting there and where we were staying.

Two hours of internet searching led us to rent a car from the airport in Rome, drive down the coast, bypass the city of thieves/Napoli and catch the last ferry from Pozzuoli to Ischia and arrive, several hours late, at Villa Ravino, where we have rented an apartment and may never leave.

The drive yesterday was incredible. A friend of mine has always raved about Italy and has been here several times. I never really understood the attraction until yesterday’s detour/drive. I finally get it. We were driving down the coastal roads, on these little windy roads, past little villages with the Med, a brilliant blue on our right, and these gorgeous green hills that turned into craggy mountains on our left. I felt such an amazing
sense of soul coming from the land. It must seem super cheesy to say, but I just get such an amazing vibe from the actual earth here. It just seems happy, laid back and abounding. As if it has all the time in the world to produce a cornucopia of delicious food. I love the language... it feels like sumptuous food in your mouth when you speak it. Every word just tastes amazing and feels like an old melody that you’ve known since childhood. Then there’s the food. Enough said.

Anyway, after realizing that the scenic route was taking us 3 times longer than the autostrada, we changed course. Thanks to the amazing technology of the Iphone map ap, we hit the big roads and zoomed down, past Napoli, to Pozzuoli, where we arrived just before the last ferry left for Ischia. We had time to buy our tickets and some picnic makings for the ferry ride and got in line to load our little fiat into the belly of the monster boat.

An hour and a half ferry ride, past little islands that seemed inhabited only by villa-like fireflies, we arrived to Ischia. The drive from the ferry to the villa wasn’t too bad, but we arrived in the dark and after the land-lady had gone to sleep. She graciously woke up and showed us to our quarters. The situation seemed bleak last night. The apartment is decorated in the style that my great Aunt Katie’s cottage was decorated. We decided to sleep on it and make our decision of whether or not to stay the next day.

Strangers on a Train

So, I’ve never really travelled by train before, let alone for 24 hours.

I had a 5-hour journey back to Paris, from the south, followed by a two hour stopover and then a 14-hour overnight journey to Rome. I’m sure many millions of people have done this journey without batting an eye, but for me, it was quite the romantic-sounding adventure. 

The 5 hour journey passed quickly, I got work done for the deadline that was rapidly approaching. My friend M had sent me a sweet message saying she’d love to see me if I pass through Paris again, so I texted her asking if she wanted to meet up for a quick coffee before the next leg of my journey. She immediately wrote back, one-upping me, and offered to feed me dinner before my overnight train.

So sure enough, the train was delayed, then the metro broke down, and I finally arrived at her place with only 45minutes to an hour before I had to run for my next train. She fed me delicious food, wine and chocolate and then accompanied me to the next train. I’m hoping that somehow she will become part of my family… A sister in law maybe?

I got on the train, with no idea of what to expect. I found my compartment, realized it was pretty much full and walked right by it to the next empty one, right beside it. I sat down, spread my stuff out, grabbed my book and started to read. Two pages in, I was politely interrupted by a young Ozzie gentleman who asked if I minded if he sat. We got to talking and as soon as I found out that he was a carpenter, I started drilling him (hahahhahahahahahhahah) for information about the trade.

We were having a great conversation until the train attendant came by to ask for tickets. Turned out he hadn’t bought one and had been told that they eurorail pass was enough. He left to deal with that and I remained to see if I could sweet talk Massimo, the Roman attendant into letting me stay in this roomy, empty car, instead of joining the 5 others who were going to share the other car. My Italian sweet talking skills aren’t great, but they were adequate.

I met up with the Ozzie in the bar car later on and we shared some vino and chatted. The train jostled and rattled and really made me feel like I was in one of those great old movies. I had to keep a firm hold on the wine so that it didn’t go flying. We made plans to do some typical touristy things the next day. I never seem to have trouble falling asleep in moving vehicles. Just thinking about the rocking motion is enough to put me to sleep. I had a relatively decent night’s sleep, considering the bed was barely wide enough to lie on my back without falling off.

The next day, we disembarked and I called dad to find out where the apartment was so that we could drop our stuff off before exploring. As it happened, A and dad had forgotten to mention that I was arriving before them, so I went with the Ozzie to stash my bags at the hostel he was thinking of staying at.

We took off on foot to the Colosseum and spent the day walking around the city’s main attractions. After having covered a lot of ground, we headed back to the hostel so that I could pick up my stuff and I hopped in a cab to go meet my dad and A at the apartment they had rented. The cab driver was sooooo Italian. We were barely able to communicate, but he fell in love with my name and would say it before he pointed out any famous location."Emma, Pizza Venezia! Emma, Mussolini house! Emma, Tivere Riverrrr! Emma, Israeli Church (he meant synagogue)!"

 









We pulled up to Viccolo Moroni, in Trastevere and I hopped out and walked up this great little street and saw dad standing there, in the setting sun, in front of this incredibly old wall. Good moment. The apartment A had found was from the 1500s and had been redesigned by this woman who rents out various flats around Rome and her architect son. 

The wall outside of it was from the time of Marcus Aurelius, who you may remember from Gladiator where he was played by Richard Harris. When I mentioned this fact to A, she laughed at me. I don’t understand why. ;)

That night we all caught up, went out to explore the neighbourhood and had a botiglia de vino in the Piazza Santa Maria and then went out for supper at a great little restaurant around the corner from our flat. When in Rome… 

Happy in Hossegor

The Atlantic

I left Paris the day after St-Paddy’s day for Hossegor to meet up with C for her birthday, following the trend we had set in Spain. She met me at the train station with her girlfriend M. 

That day, we drove to Spain (a 45 minute drive), heading through the beautiful Basque countryside. We stopped off at M’s uncle’s stable, where her gorgeous Spanish horse is kept. The countryside is basically beautiful rolling hills, with little country houses, dotted with sheep and horses. We drove onwards to Spain for a “Clop et Alcool”, which what they call their frequent runs to Spain to buy cheaper tobacco and bottles of alcohol. There was no customs to pass through, no passports needed. One second we were in France, the next we were in Spain. Just like that. No mean customs agents asking us the same question in ten different ways. 

We headed back to Hossegor, and they brought me by the beach, which was virtually empty, except for some people walking their dogs. It is immense and wild looking. During the summer, it must be crawling with revelers and beach-bums, but at this time of the year, the beach and the town were still empty. After I got my fill of the beach, we were dropped off at C’s cosy place. Her bf’s mom greeted us with open arms. I was instantly set up in the princess suite, which I only had to share with Sherwyn, the family’s permakitten. I had my own in-suite bathroom, which C had placed bubblebath and candles around. There were freshly cut flowers and lindt chocolates by the bed and the curtains were drawn back to show the view of the terrasse. The house is a beautiful large one-storey building, that wraps around the pool and lovely garden. 

My time in Hossegor was wonderful. I met all of C’s friends there, who are either locals or have, like C, moved there to be with their loved one.

Friday night was a night out at the Café de la Gare, which had a great happy hour. Saturday was an all day barbecue. Sunday was an all day brunch. She is one well-loved, popular lady! Her time there is winding down, and I heard a few of the conversations between her and friends, where she was explaining that she had to go home and didn’t know if she was coming back, due to visa problems. Understandably, they were all upset. It must be hard to have finally made a life for yourself in a foreign place and then have to leave due to bureaucratic ridiculousness. Anyway, all to say that I had such a great time there. She and her mother-in-law brought me to the train and waited until I got on the train to begin my 24 hour journey to Rome. 

Prancing around Paris

Wow. Where to begin?

This is genius!

Chinese Army to Enlist 10,000 Pigeons, Just in Case

Local River By Mathieu Lehanneur

Eco-farming can double food output by poor: U.N.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/08/us-food-idUSTRE7272FN20110308

And, in the context of the earthquake/tsunami:
http://www.ted.com/talks/cameron_sinclair_on_open_source_architecture.html
and
http://openarchitecturenetwork.org/

"Paris is always a good idea"

Quote by Audrey Hepburn

So true.

I'm already completely in love with this city. I'll write about it when I'm not having a ton of fun.

New beginnings

I think yesterday's sunshine and the springy tingle that was in the air was prophetic of new beginnings and changes.

It was an absolutely gorgeous, cloudless day out and I went for a two and a half hour walk around town.

I love seeing how roots can establish themselves anywhere, regardless of what obstacles are in the way... There was one cement plinth that had been completely broken through by tree roots.

I walked into an old cemetery that had beautiful ancient headstones... I'm talking 1700s on the ones that were still legible. It looked like what I imagine Godric's Hollow would be. The grassy ground was uneven and I could just imagine how many people had been in that cemetery over the years, paying their respects to their loved ones. Some of the graves had flowers or little shrubs planted  around them. The sun was streaming through the trees and framing the headstones so beautifully, it was hard not to take pictures.





I spent some time walking around, reading names, inscriptions and imagining stumbling across the grave of Ignotus Peverell. I'm hoping that only the other dorks out there will understand that reference. ;)

After the cemetery, I did my usual walk into town and then tried to get myself lost (my favourite thing to do in cities). It always allows me to discover new places. My stroll took me into a place called Christ Church Meadow, one of the big college campuses. It was such a beautiful day that I wasn't the only person out and about.

There were people practicing Lacrosse, couples walking hand-in-hand, Uni kids going for runs together and owners walking their pretty puppies.




I followed the path to the water and came across flocks of birds. Rafts of ducks. Gaggles of Geese. Bevies of swans. They were all chilling on the water and congregating on shore, posing for pictures.

I kept walking along the water and started to see people running in uniforms. Team uniforms. And unitards. I do love men in unitards. I started suspecting that something was going on further upstream. Then I heard a voice on a loudspeaker announcing the next men's race. I suddenly felt a familiar excited flutter in my stomach as I walked over a bridge and came across a regatta!  I managed to find a wall to lean on and went unnoticed amongst all the different Oxford rowing teams, cheering on their crews.

Having satisfied my nostalgia, I walked back to Warnborough road the long way, through different college campuses, past the zoology department of Oxford. I got home just in time for my 5pm skype meeting with my research supervisor to touch base on GIFTs research. After that, I read the handbook sent to me by the coordinator for my internship and I started getting REALLY excited about my next adventure!

New Buds

The next few months will be full of new beginnings, new experiences, new people and new adventures! I have no idea what to expect and am so incredibly nervous and excited about this opportunity.

I expect visitors in New Brunswick and in Cuba!
http://www.fallsbrookcentre.ca/

WOOHOOOOOO

Drum roll please....

My interview was today at 3pm.
I woke up at a very reasonable 9:45 and settled down at my desk to do some more prep work. I received some wonderful interview advice from K which I will post below for anyone to use. It was incredibly helpful! I finished my prep work around 1pm and spent two hours watching doing yoga, watching shows and reading. At 2:50 I went down into the living room to set up my office. My interview consisted of me calling the NGO from my skype account. I had jotted down some useful notes for myself in case of certain questions.
At 2:53 I called my mommy for a much needed motherly pep-talk. It worked.
At 3:02 I dialed the number for the NGO.
Riiiing. Riiiiiiiing. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiing.

Other side answers. I introduce myself and ask to speak to the director.
She answers. We introduce ourselves. She tells me a little about the organization, their goals, their mandate. Then the qualifying questions.
Am I under 30?
Yes.
Am I a Canadian citizen and/or landed immigrant?
Yes.
Ok, then the harder questions... Though, to be perfectly honest, I was surprised by how simple and straightforward the interview was. I definitely offered more information than what was requested. The only "off the books" question was "What are you doing in Oxford?". JACKPOT. I was hoping they would ask me that. Answer prepared. "I'm currently working with an organization called GIFTS (Global Initiatives For Traditional Systems) of Health, researching Traditional Medicines." BAM. A few other questions that I answered easily.
And then it happened.
The epic fail.
She asked me to answer a question in Spanish.
My brain froze.
I mean, completely froze.
I stumbled over words, I mispronounced obvious words, I couldn't get a complete sentence together...
Serious epic fail. I apologized profusely, explained that I've been immersed in English for the past while...
I could see the internship flying away from me! Bye bye wonderful internship, it was nice almost meeting you!
I explained that I've traveled quite extensively in Latin America and once I am immersed in the language, it flows out very easily. She allowed me to redeem myself by asking me to answer an easier question in Spanish. BARELY redeemed myself. Awful. Embarrassingly awful.
We continued talking, I asked some good questions...

The entire interview lasted 30 minutes. Only 30 minutes. I figured that she cut it short because of my brain malfunction. I had that sinking feeling in my stomach after from the epic fail of the language centre of my brain.
"Oh well", I thought, "the interview was a good experience."

I had time to have lunch, chat with Angie, do a little GIFTS research and when I checked my email,  
I had a job offer waiting for me!

My instant reaction...?
Pure terror.
Mixed with the absolute certainty that there must be a mistake.

There was no way that they were offering me a job less than three hours after interviewing.
Am I the only person who feels completely underqualified for any type of real life work?
So now, after a few hours of freaking out/shock/being on the fence... I think I've realized that my only reason for not accepting right away is that I'm scared. Terrified really. It's pretty much perfect.

OY.

Anyway, here is the advice from K. Use as needed. Rinse and Repeat.

Skills required:
With the job description, make 2 columns.
In one column you will write what you have as experience or education that is related to what they are looking for.
In the other column, if you do not have direct experience, write down why this interests you, how you would approach this task, where you would go for help, coaching, education.
Aptitudes;
- are transferrable. And relate to the personal culture of the person. At your age, very important in an interview because they want to know that you are adaptable, like learning and will not crumple at the first crisis
So if interview is a behavioural interview there will be questions regarding real experiences you have had and what skills you developed. These are not necessarily related to paying work -- your travels are quite pertinent.
As such, make another table, this time with you resume. Beside each job or education or experience (good and bad) write what aptitudes you used-developed (negotiation, active listening, team work, conflict resolution, dealing with difficult people, dealing with different cultures etc.)
Passion, energy, affinity etc
You will be a better performer if you know what motivates you.... and how to fill your life with it.
Recherche de la biochemie de la bonheur = performance with passion (in other words, a job that will be fun, no matter how difficult it is, you will do well). Just had a conferenc on all this stuff last Thursday. Emotional Intellgience. See www.isabelle fontaine.ca

SO, when they ask questions such as:
- what skills do you have related to....
- what do you like most, least...
- have you ever handled such-an-such a situation (if they do a behavioural interview)...
- what attracts you to this position
 
...you will be prepared.
Have a least two questions for them (NOT related to remuneration), such as
- what is the long term strategic or growth plan
- what is the work style (autonomous, micro managed....don`t say that, but you know what I mean)
- what has been the turnover, or challenges.... in the past 3 years
Actually what you want to know is:
- WHAT exactly is the mandate
- WHY (speaks to values, governance, is this regulatory, or political or what) Why would you like it...
- HOW (Do they provide the resources necessary to do the job (!)
- MONITORING tools: for example if the WHAT (objective) is not met, what happens. Are resources re-adjusted, or the objectives re-adjusted?
- etc

As for the internship and organization, check out this site:
http://www.fallsbrookcentre.ca/internships

Peaaaace!

In preparation for my interview...

Seeing as my interview is over the phone... Why not?

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/interviewees

Which way will I answer?

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/interview_questions