From Italy to Sint Maarten

Ok, so I will have to admit that I didn't come through on my promise from my last update that you wouldn't have to wait so long for my next instalment. I'm not one to deliver empty promises, so I hope on this occasion you can find it in your hearts to forgive me; well on this occasion anyway..

So since we last met a lot has happened. I completed the 5 months in Bologna, well 4.5 months to be exact, and although I have no regrets; to summarise, I can safely say that it was 'bloody hard at times'! Learning a new language is no 'mean feat' but when you are creeping towards the big 40 (and believe me I'm not running towards it with open arms :)), learning a new language ain't that easy! One thing that I didn't factor in was the adjustment to going 'back to school' after 20 odd years. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it as many times as I wanted to pick up my school bag and leave, but there were many occasions when I felt like the classroom 'dunce'. It's also important to add that the teachers at the school were absolutely lovely, and went out of their way to provide you with encouragement.

They say that time alone allows you to really get to know yourself. ..me, myself and I. Well, I can safely say that we have the perfect love/hate relationship. It's great to hang-out with myself ever-so-often, but she does have a tendency to get on my nerves at times. Laughing at your own crap jokes can wear thin after a while...

OK, OK, I know that I'm starting to sounds like I suffer from Multiple Personality Disorder, but anyone who knows me will know that this self-deprecating manner in which I speak should be taken with a pinch of salt * and about half an ounce of jest. (for those using metric, that's about 14.79 ml). 

*Of course I don't recommend exceeding on your daily salt intake

I met some lovely people during my time in Bologna, some of which I cal call friends. I should change the names to protect the innocent, but I'm going to be cruel and reveal their identities..

So firstly there was F.A. I met F.A. through a conversation exchange that I joined when I feared that I wasn't meeting any other people to hang out with at the school (and of course to practice my Italian). Like very few people that I meet in life, I found an instant rapport with this reggae-loving half Israeli, half Italian guy. F.A. had an insatiable interest in almost everything, which in turn made him pretty wise in such a young body. There are some people in life that have the tendency to suck the life out of you at times, but he was the opposite. If you ever needed someone to lift your spirits, and help you put things into perspective; this was your guy.

Then came the lovely Giorgio, the singer, actor (and sometime drag artist) with the biggest heart. On a few occasions he would ask me to listen to one of the songs he had written to see if there were any grammatical errors, this task was always a great pleasure. He also had a very impressive selection of make-up and make-up brushes, and although i'm not a girly-girl, this kind of thing can leave a girl green with envy. :)

There was also a few other nice guys that I met along the way, Nunzio, a great guy who really put my Italian to the test with his high-speed style of talking, and Luca, a guy I unfortunately only had the chance to meet in person once, but you have never met a guy who loves his dog so much until you have met Luca. A few times I was sent some very sweet photos of Luca with the love of his life...a cute yorkshire terrier called Lulu. 

One lovely guy who remained in London during this time and provided me with a lot of support was my boyfriend at the time; the lovely Adrian. Despite the fact that his girlfriend had decided to spend 6 months away in Italy and then a month or so in Sint Maarten, he always provided me with encouragement, and for this I appreciate him dearly; even if I didn't always show it.

So, my original plan was to stay in Bologna til the beginning of September, and spend a month travelling down to Sicily. However, plans are 'made to be broken' (or is that rules...?) and I cut short my time in Italy by 6 weeks to change direction. Before I go into my reasons for doing this, I want to give you some advice; so don't say that I never give you anything! If you decide to visit Bologna, I seriously recommend that you DON'T go in the summer, unless you have accommodation with air conditioning. Bologna in the 38-40 degree heat and positioned 1.5 hours from the nearest sea, should win the award for 'furness of the year'. I spent many hours spread-eagled across the bed (no rude thoughts here please, this is not the time not the place) doing a fantastic impression of a squashed insect. This was my futile attempt to increase my body surface area to the point where I could expel some of the residual heat that my lifeless body was having some issues disposing of. I bought a fan for about 15 Euros, but it didn't quite 'cut the mustard' unless the fan was literally on full blast and lying on top of me. 

I've also learnt that I attract 'mozzies' like no-one else (endearing term for mosquitos, not that they deserve it). The little fu**ers smell my sweet tasty blood a mile off, maybe I should cut down on my sugar intake. So, with my ongoing battle with the heat, I declared war on the mozzies as well. Important decisions had to be made every night, such as:

 A) Door open, mozzies in, let the hunger games begin... or

 B) Door closed, no bloody air, prepare for 50% loss of body fluids. I often opted for the later...my blood is important to me, after all, they do say blood is thicker than water.

So, tired from this ongoing civil war, I decided to use the remaining money that I had to pursue the one thing that I love doing (photography) and come to Sint Maarten to visit a photographer friend of mine called Yotam, 'bleed him dry' of his knowledge and experience. He has regular work for a magazine here, as well as others things in the pipeline, so already I have had the opportunity to see what goes on in the production of the next edition of the magazine.

So, in my quest to evade getting sucked- back into clinical research on my return to London...I'm here!

I can safely say that I live in paradise. I'm staying on the beach, I fall asleep to the waves and wake-up with them, but paradise comes with a cost, and this cost comes in the form of creepy crawlies. Just when I thought it was safe to go back outside, in comes the.. (wait for it..) DAY MOZZIES!! These little sods don't abide by the dusk/dawn curfew, oh no. They like to 'hang-out' during the day and physically and mentally torture people like me. They are the 'hoodies of the insect world' and I'm in my right mind to issue them with an A.S.B.O. * or even a little bit of Jihad.

    *For those outside of the U.K., A.S.B.O. stands for Anti-Social Behaviour Order, which are like the B.M.X. bikes of the 1980's; every teenager wants one.

I, of course appreciate the requirement for these little blighters to exist in the circle of life(I feel a bit of Elton John coming on..Hakuna Matata), but all I ask is that they exist in someone else's circle. That's not too much to ask is it?

Anyway, enough about pests and hoodies, I think I have devoted too much of my time to them already.

So, in a nutshell, I've assisted on a few shoots already (Bikini shoot, cover-shoot, etc) for the October edition of the magazine. I'm trying my hand at doing some video shorts, a kind of 'behind the scenes', not Quentin Tarantino in me just yet. So, that's enough from me for now, cheerio!...Big love xx