There's a first time for everything!

So this post is a little out of date... honestly I was just to lazy (and busy) to update the blog before we set out for Paris :) But in the days before we left, I managed to squeeze in quite a few firsts!

The first first :)
While it was completely unintentional, it seems that I have been quite secretive about my job here in Rome. So I took some pictures of my first outing with the children: a bike ride in Villa Borghese (Rome's equivalent of Central Park)! Basically my job consists of playing with beautiful children in a beautiful palace in the center of Rome while speaking to them in English. It's quite posh. I can't lie. Most of the time I can't believe I get paid for it. A typical day usually goes as follows:
-I arrive a few minutes early (sometimes a few minutes late) and wait for the children to get back from school. Sometimes the princess picks them up, sometimes their driver does.
-When they get home they wash their hands and put on their house slippers (no shoes on the Persian and other rugs). Then the cook (the driver's wife) makes them a snack of fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh fruit, after which at least the boys usually wants prosciutto, yogurt and cake.
-When finished they wash their hands and I begin to help either Livia or Enrico with their homework. I take one at a time to one of their plush bedrooms and help them with their English homework or we snuggle onto one of what I believe are the most beds in the world and read a book, sounding out each syllable at a time with Enrico, or tracing the words with my finger with Livia.
-After both have finished their homework, if there is still time left we draw pictures with amazing colored pencils, roar with laughter over a game of foosball, or the children take turns piling on top of me in a game they like to call "hamburger": I am the bottom bun, one is the meat, one is the salad (lettuce), and the third is the top bun. The child with the special honor of being the top bun usually takes his/her time, backs up that extra little bit and lauches forward with all his/her strength before catapulting onto the human pile on the bed. I never escape this game with a single hair in place or without begs and tugs and pulls to play one more time.
-When I finally manage to escape the apartment, I go downstairs to the Princess' office, discuss her children's progress and get paid. It's a pretty sweet deal. I can't lie.
-And the best part of it all is that when I leave I genuinely can't wait to return. My work is one big play day!

Meet the children!


Meet Eduardo: He's 4 years old, and even though he hasn't had a single day of formal English teaching, he understands me just fine, and manages to respond with enough English to get by. When we get one-on-one time, he likes to draw pictures or put puzzles together. Whenever he fits a piece into another I say "Perfect" or "good job!" to which he smiles and repeats the English exclamation. When not around his brother or sister, he's an angel... but he and his brother together can be quite a handful, put all three of them together and I won't get a single English word from him.

Meet Enrico: He is 7 years old and is just beginning to read in English. He's all boy and usually initiates any rough play that the trio engages in. It's often difficult to get him to start working, but once it's just the two of us, and his confidence with the English language increases, he gets excited and wants to continue reading, even after we've finished one of his little books. He's a sweet heart on his own, but I think he feels as if he needs to show off in front of the others.

Meet Livia: She's 8, loves horses, and gets very excited every time I bring my special sketching pencils for her to use. Her English is amazing, and she understands just about everything I say to her and can respond quite eloquently. When she doesn't understand, or doesn't know a word, she blushes slightly, gives a little giggle and then asks me what it means. I absolutely love my time with her. She's so dainty and feminine and reminds me physically of my niece with the demeanor of my nephew. It's comforting playing with her and her brothers because I miss my niece and nephew so much that the little reminders they give me help take the edge of until I am home again. When it comes to her homework, she is quite capable, but it is often difficult to get her to read more than a few pages without asking when we can stop.

Livia at Villa Borghese in her rollerblades.

Enrico (could he look more Italian?!), Eduardo, Raul (the driver), and his daughter (as well as the children's constant companion) Jennifer

Livia and Jennifer in the beautiful Villa Borghese

The second first:
Graham surprised me, and planned a trip to Castel St. Angelo, where he had spied a fun outing that I have always wanted to try, but never had....

Ice Skating!


I was super-scared. Graham tried to reassure me that it was just l9ike roller-blading, but since I haven't done that since I was about 7, it was of little help. Once I slid onto the ice and began to make my way around in slow ovals, I was ok. Graham, however, was an ice-skating machine!


I was ok at first, because when we arrived, the ice was empty. But soon a whole party of children arrived to out-skate and terrify me. Notice my rigid and cautious stance :) But all-in-all it was an amazing first ice-skating experience. The scenery was beautiful, my company couldn't have been better and I didn't fall a single time!



My third first:

I cut my hair!!
Basically, my hair has been long my entire life. The shortest cut I've ever had has been to my shoulders. But being here, in this dream life, with an amazing man who supports my crazy decisions, I felt like I needed a change. My old life was done, my old haircut needed to be done too. I was a bit hesitant because I'm paranoid about my hair and usually only let my amazing hairstylist cousin touch it, but since she is currently on the other side of the world... I had to place my fate, and my hair, in the hands of another.The before shot... long as always :)
Shorter, but not short enough!
My pile of hair that used to be attached to my head :)


The final cut! Short, layered, unable to be put into a ponytail :) Unfortunately that night didn't lend itself to many successful pictures of the new cut, but check back for the Paris post with TONS of pictures of it (and Graham too)!

It took a while to get my hair cut, so after we finished Graham had a craving for a little snack...