Inspiration By Water

"At the beach, life is different. Time doesn't move hour to hour but mood to moment. We live by the currents, plan by the tides, and follow the sun."

Anonymous

I was passing through some of my photos at the beach, and I was in awe of the beauty of the water I have seen in Italy...it was mesmorizing to me. Even after having seen these photos plenty of times, I felt fresh - alive! 

I hope you find them as tranquil and peaceful and inspiring as I have. So as Summer fads into Fall, and Winter draws near, remember the warmth, and the beauty of simple water. It can surely cleanse and revive the soul. Another simple gift God has blessed us with.

Say Goodbye Summer

Life Doesn’t Give You The People You Want, It Gives You The People You Need: 

To Love You, To Hate You, To Break You 

& To Make You The Person You Were Meant To Be

Every year, as August fades into September, I ask myself, 

“Where did my Summer go?”

Those hot, endless days and warm nights under the stars seem to pass by as if on fast forward. 

This Summer was quite different from all my other Summers, and as I reflect back on the past three months, I can see it’s beauty, but I can feel how truly life-changing it really was.

Spending my second summer in Italy enabled me many opportunities. Not just to visit beaches and tour ancient ruins, but to grow. 

I’ve never felt so different; so much stronger and independent and wise as I do now. I don’t feel invincible like I did in college, but I feel durable.

Almost as if you could throw any situation my way, and I will somehow work through it.

I am in Italy.  Clearly I spent many nights with my friends, dancing in the sand, eating gelato and taking aperitivos. Those memories dance around in my head like perfect little ballerinas; they represent happiness, friendships, love, and peacefulness. Reflecting on those moments form a long-lasting smile on my face.

But there are moments that throw me into deep reflection; where I shake my head and wonder “What were you doing?” I mean, I got robbed twice in three weeks and had a date with a guy who tried to sleep with me in a park. Then there’s that feeling, that sting in my chest, where I question,“What went wrong?”  I lost a friend, someone very important to me who changed me. And that feeling is the hardest of all.

But, there are moments of accomplishment; I’m becoming profficient in a foreign language and at the same time, teaching another language to a little girl. These accomplishments fill me with pride and contentment. And once again, prove to me that I can do anything I set my mind too.

I was willing to dare when I moved to Rome on my own; and despite a few setbacks, some heartbreaks and a few moments of despair, because I was willing to dare, I can say I succeeded in the Summer of 2011.

Personally. Intellectually. Mentally. And emotionally.

I truly believe these people I experienced the good, the bad and the ugly with this Summer were brought into my life for a reason: to help me grow.

So yes, Giovanni may have treated me like scum, the robbers may have my money and two of my phones, and Mirto may have broken my heart, but Francesca and Vincenzo have given me a chance, Bea has grown to love me, Meggie has become my rock, and Sabrina has become my dear friend.

So after three months of ups and downs, happiness and tears, I can say that I have been broken, and rebuilt, but now I’m stronger, and changed, for the better.

I may be Unforgettable. 

But after this summer, I am stronger. 

I am Unshakable.

Finding Chu Pito

“So here’s to all those summer nights 
when my feet hit the sand, 
the waves break my fall, 

and my friends out number the stars.”

Tonight marks the beginning of Summer in Ostia as the discos (dance clubs) on the beach open up for the season. I'm slightly nervous, as this is a new world to me, but excited as I recall the many evenings I spent with some beautiful friends at the discos in Reggio...

Dancing on the beach, next to the Mediterranean.

Cold drinks (expensive, but cold)

Great friends...

La Bella Vita... 

And how can I forget our "spot?"

Ahhh Chu Pito...

...Chew what?

Chu Pito - the infamous “shot bar” in Reggio. Literally, a complete hole-in-the-wall. The size of a small bedroom, packed with bottles of alcohol, sweaty, greasy Italians, and bartenders who could quite possibly out-rank any professional mixologist.

Chu Pito.

This is where it started. 

All of our summer nights spent dancing in Calabria along the shore of the Mediterranean.

“Posso avere una Margarita?” 

I laugh thinking about my first attempt ordering my first “drink” in Calabria. In my hot pink halter dress my mom bought me from Victoria’s Secret...the bartender was certainly not listening to me, just starring at my chest.

Probably a good thing though, I sounded utterly ridiculous trying to annunciate and pronounce my Italian phrase - they could tell I was American and it was embarrassing.

I can only hope that now I sound a bit more Italian - and less like an American!

From that moment on, our nights in Calabria relied on our pre-game at Chu Pito. And often on our way home, we relied on Chu Pito for a bathroom stop, or a much-needed water break :)

Our first stop at Chu Pito came after our group dinner at Via Veneto, my favorite place to eat in all of Reggio! There, we met our new friends who would make our Summer 2010 unforgettable. 

When we ventured out into the evening, Chu Pito seemed nothing more than a typical Italian bar (cafe in our minds), but it quickly became a favorite meeting point, a familiar spot for us all.


Tonight, as I begin my summer in Rome, me and my friend Sabrina will walk along the marina, and stop for a drink somewhere.


Will it be quite like Chu Pito? Absolutely not.
There is only one Chu Pito!
But, if there's one thing I'm sure of, wherever we go, I'll have a chance to make new friends and find a new "spot". A spot that could become my new Chu Pito where lots of memories will be made and smiled upon when I look back on this summer, Summer 2011.


This is true for everyone. Memories are not made because of where you go, or the places you frequent- memories are made by the the people you're with - together, you create the memories that last a lifetime.