Archives for: 2008
PAOLA FORNARI C.V.
Writer, EFL teacher, trainer, and translator, I was born in Tanzania, have lived in a dozen countries over three continents, and describe myself as an ‘expatriate sin patria’. Wherever I go I make it my business to learn the language, get to know the local people and customs, and discover the country’s remotest corners. I became interested in writing in mid-2006, did a short Open University creative writing course and a Writers’ Bureau course, and began getting articles published in 2007.
Come Mister Tallyman, Tally Me Banana...
Our youngest was two when we arrived in Barbados. We spent five weeks in a hotel, house-hunting. She was like a Labrador pup: on three occasions in our first couple of days we happened to be walking past the hotel pool and she just leapt in – and I leapt in after her. The third time her hat was floating on the surface and she was at the bottom of the deep end. After that her armbands became a part of her daily attire – she was not allowed to leave the hotel room without them on. My priority became swimming lessons, and she swam well before she was three.
We found a house called Xanadu.
Box discoveries
This unpacking is revealing some amazing stuff. Just found my university finals question papers from 1977 - typewritten. Now tell me how this question (which I circled and so presumably answered successfully, but which reads about as clearly as Mandarin to me now) has helped me in my life over the last thirty-one years:
A Family History (7) : Good-bye to the island
When the new baby was only four months old, Ugo noticed that Maria was not well. Examining her, he found that she was pregnant again, but had dangerously large cysts on both her ovaries. She needed a major operation – one he could not perform on the island.
A Family History (6) Island Baby
Ugo was – and still is – a man of many talents, and a perfectionist. He made most of the furniture for the house, as well as cots for newborn babies at the hospital. He drew accurate copies of cartoon characters to decorate his own children’s room. And he took photos. Hundreds of them, which he developed and printed himself, so we are extremely lucky to have a visual treasure of this period, with every photo dated and neatly labelled.
One striking photo shows a saucepan, which was his sterilizer. Another shows half a dozen scalpels and pairs of scissors – his entire medical kit. A favourite photo, taken by Maria, shows him holding a newborn baby up to his ear to check the heartbeat.
From Uruguay...to this?
You can see my 'move in the snow' photos here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=86103&l=0c19d&id=664241054
Little Boxes (again)
Tomorrow our boxes arrive from Uruguay! All 125 of them! And what am I looking forward to having?
A Family History (5): The Doctor Loses his Faith
Ugo’s memories of the Catholic missionaries on Ukerewe Island are not pleasant. He found them intolerant towards members of other Christian denominations, many of whom were Maria and Ugo’s friends. The missionaries preached that the only way to salvation was theirs, and the Protestants could have led them to perdition. On their arrival on the island they found that a special personal pew had been reserved for them, separate from those of the Africans. They immediately refused it.
Shopping Horrors - and Pleasures.
I dislike Christmas shopping. I dislike the hype, the canned carols, the tacky decorations - and above all, the crowds. Just the thought of going out to get the annual gifts terrifies me. Actually, I dislike any shopping. Especially in a new country. The stress of just going out to get the groceries this morning nearly killed me.
A Family History (4): 'Paradise Island Awaits You'
Ugo left Maria and the children with her cousin in the village of Urambo, in the middle of Tanganyika, while he went job-hunting. This was not easy: Italians were not welcome in the country so soon after the war. But eventually she received a telegram from him: ‘Paradise Island awaits you.’
A Family History (3): Leap into the Light
Abbateggio was an isolated spot: there were no telephones, and in winter it was cut of from the rest of the country for long periods, because of the snow.
Maria soon turned out to be an excellent assistant and interpreter for her husband: although she was originally from the north of Italy, she learnt the local dialect quickly. Patients often consulted her first, leaving a ‘cumplimente’, a present, which might be cheese, eggs or potatoes. They opened their hearts to her, and she then communicated what she had learnt to Ugo.
Casa Giumentina
When I was in Italy last week, we went to Abbateggio (the reason will soon become clear as i develop my 'Family History' blog). We stayed at a wonderful place called Casa Giumentina. We really received an exceptional welcome from the owners, and I offered to edit/translate their website (http://www.casagiumentina.it/index.php). I would be very grateful if you could have a look both at the website and at my edited version below, and let me know what you think - is it clear? (I've already mentioned to the owners that they should quote distances in the directions). Many thanks .
A Family History (2): Eggs
In Abbateggio, eggs symbolised fertility. The villagers offered Maria so many eggs that she didn't know what to do with them: they ate three for lunch and three for dinner every day, and she even sent a caseful to her mother-in-law in Rome, but there were still plenty left over.
A woman called Filomena was assigned to help Maria around the house, cleaning and going to fetch water from the well. 'Sell the eggs,' Filomena said,
Biking in Brussels (Lesson 3)
A Family History: Arrival in Abbateggio
In November 1947, a young man travelled a hundred and twenty miles east from his home city of Rome to the small village of Abbateggio in the Abruzzi mountains. He came from a humble family and was the second eldest of seven siblings. At twenty-three, he was the youngest medical graduate of his year. He had not chosen to come to this inhospitable place far from his family and sweetheart,
Expat Photo Competition: Lima exhibition
Remember the photo comp I won? (Thanks again to anyone who voted!) Well, my winning photo, another of mine, and twenty-five more were chosen on the basis of votes and the jury's opinion to be in an exhibition which is going round the world (to wherever anyone can organise it!)
A vélo, mesdames: Biking in Brussels (Lesson 2)
Well, there is a huge difference between the Monday group and the Wednesday group - this really WAS a promotion! There were eight of us: I felt a little uneasy when I arrived as everyone else knew each other and communicated mostly in Arabic
A vélo, mesdames: Biking in Brussels
Today I went for a bike lesson. I’ve been riding a bike for about 48 years, so you may wonder why.
Casapueblo
Published in 'The Oldie', November 2008
Today’s the day: we’re going to buy a painting by a well-known Uruguayan artist. The low autumn sun is bright, and the coast road is virtually deserted. Our destination is Punta Ballena – Whale Point – seventy-five miles east of Montevideo, the Uruguayan capital where we live. A large billboard flashes by: ‘VISA – porque la vida es ahora’: VISA – because life is now. I tap my pocket – yes, my Visa card is there.
Sharm El Sheikh - setting the record straight
In the October 'Oldie', David Willmott cites the Sinai Peninsula resort of Sharm El Sheikh as one of the 'World's Worst Dumps'. I have just returned from there, and this is my 'Through the Window' Writelink competition entry inspired by my visit.
Beautiful Vowels
My son sent me this link today - have a look - it's quite amazing!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7697000/7697762.stm
Moving stress
So, how come Paola's blogging has practically ground to a halt? See here for the answer: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=76348&l=4086c&id=664241054
Alternative Tourism (updated and edited)
Little boxes, little boxes, and they're all filled up with takataka...
Trámites
Trámites is a wonderful Spanish word, one of the first I learnt when I moved to Uruguay. It means stuff that needs to be done – boring paperwork, red-tape procedures, that sort of thing. And I can’t find a precise translation in English, or, more to the point, in French. My life seems to be one big trámite at the moment.
My New Blog
I've decided to start a new blog just to showcase stuff that has already been published. On Marit's advice, I went for blogster, and have posted a few pieces. I feel like a beginner all over again (especially when all the fonts go wonky and gobbledegook appears) and haven't a clue what features are available, but at least i've made a start. Do visit it at http://paolafornari.wordpress.com/ . I realise most of the posts will be familiar to you, but any suggestions for improvement of the layout etc. will be most welcome!
An Unusual Taste of Brussels
For one day every year, traffic in the European Capital is almost nonexistent. Well, traffic in the conventional sense of the term.
For Fellow-Scrabblers
To see this story with its related links on the Life and Health site, go to http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk
Spell bound
When the Great Depression left architect Alfred Butts out of work, he scrabbled around for something to do - and came up with a game whose ingenious mix of anagrams, crosswords, chance and skill is still a winner, 60 years on. And yet it nearly didn't see the light of day... Oliver Burkeman reports Saturday June 28 2008 The Guardian
The Massacre of the Innocents
Yet another beautiful day in Brussels. I decided to go along to the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Rue de la Régence to see The British Royal Collection, on the second-last day of the exhibition.
The Society for the Standardisation of Scottish Stiles and Gates...or Beyond Staffa?
Well, the plan was to leave Uruguay, go to Ireland for a month, then spend the second half of August in Belgium looking for a place to live before getting on with Real Life from 1 September. So what on earth am I doing in Iona?
Olympics
Could someone explain to me, please, why Team GB is not called Team UK? Thanks.
Five go off on a Hike
We’re not experienced climbers, in our family. Okay, we’ve all been up Kilimanjaro, but that’s more a question of opportunity and determination, rather than skill. I didn’t know the difference between gaiters and garters until this week. We never have quite the right gear, but we’re all reasonably fit and enthusiastic, and the rare times we get together, we like to get out for a good hike.
And on this holiday, there was only one day when the five of us would be together without elderly relatives.
Writelinkers link right up!
Oops - photo link
Thank you all for your kind comments - this is the link to see the winning photos: http://foto.expatclic.com/
Update
Mourne Moments
You have often heard my comments on identity (or lack of it). The main problem is on of never fitting in, wherever you are. And here in Ireland, where I lived for the first two years of my marriage, and have come on holiday regularly for the next twenty-eight, what makes me stick out like an octopus in the garage
From the Mountains of Mourne
This is proving to be a wonderful holiday. The Moya Brennan concert was superb, though I must say I am really stuck with the idea that Clannad's 'Macalla' album is unbeatable. We have enjoyed musicians that I had never heard of - Sean Donnelly, for example, who has the lightest touch on his guitar, and words that pierce straight through the toughest skin to your heart.
Where the Mountains of Mourne Sweep down to the Sea
When we booked our holiday cottage several months ago, the idea was to be a little closer to family than we were in Donegal. 'Rostrevor,' my husband said, 'County Down. 'I twisted my ankle there when I was a kid.' Seemed a good enough reason. But little did we realise that we would be arriving a day before the start of the week-long 'Fiddler's Green' music festival.
Oops! Proud Parents link
It's taken me thirty-five minutes to get this far on a rather ancient computer! Twenty years ago, who would have thought that thirty-five minutes was long for the transmission of a message worldwide? Anyway, here's the Proper Proud Parents link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=59683&l=bc943&id=664241054
Moving Moments: Goodbye from Montevideo
Goodbye, friends, from Montevideo. I somehow doubt that I will be able to produce anything interesting from my next home, but I promise I shall try! Thank you all for your support and friendship during all this first stage of blogging. xx
No Trouble at Mill
‘Sorry, we have to postpone.’ I must say, I was disappointed and a little suspicious. We had travelled especially to Fray Bentos to see Botnia, the Finnish pulp mill which has received World Bank funding. Apparently, a routine maintenance stop had lasted longer than expected, and they were in full ‘start-up’. They told us they could not receive visitors for safety reasons. Bet it’s because it smells, I thought. But there was no smell in the town, and none when we drove right past the factory entrance. We couldn’t see much because there was thick fog. And it was dead quiet. Hmm, I reckon they haven’t really started up, I thought.
Moving Moments
Packers are happy people. I admire them. They are organised, tidy, and unwavering. They arrive at nine, pack till eleven, have a break, pack till one, have a break, pack till three, have a break, then pack till five.
Uruguay
I thought you may enjoy these few lines by our poet friend Jonathan Lamb. Do check out his site at www.jclamb.com.
Jonathan is also seeking sponsors for a project to bring British theatre to Uruguay ( http://www.actorstouruguay.com ) for a 70th anniversary play about the Battle of the River Plate, which he has written. On this site you can hear an ex-President of Uruguay reading Jonathan's poem.
Uruguay
Grant me Lord that when I die,
Heaven will be like Uruguay;
Fray Bentos Revealed
Ask people outside South America what Fray Bentos means to them, and they will probably answer ‘corned beef’, or ‘meat pies.’ Few know that it’s a Uruguayan town of 23,000 people, a four-hour drive north-west of Montevideo, and just 100 miles across the water from Buenos Aires. But what is the link between the town and the product? And is there more to Fray Bentos than meat?
Fray Bentos
Now here's a question to test you: what do you know about Fray Bentos? Do the words mean anything to you?
A Moving Moment: Farewell to Friends
A truly moving moment today. My circle dance people organised a party and asked me to invite my closest friends.
Vocabulary game
Have you seen this? http://www.freerice.com/index.php
Language Learning in Brussels
Brussels certainly deserves its title of Capital of Europe. This is the headquarters of the European Union, which now embraces twenty-seven countries. The vibrant, picturesque medieval streets and broad boulevards buzz with sounds of different languages.
Reader, I Sinned...
Until the Cows Come Home
It rained little in Uruguay in the first five months of this year. In early May, the government put out an alert: water stocks were low in the hydroelectric dams and we were all asked to make an effort to save energy. It's easy to do your bit: switch off a few lights here and there, avoid using kitchen machines ... it hardly affects your livelihood - but it's difficult for city-dwellers to imagine what the lack of rain really means for people out in the countryside.
A Day of Eating
Photo Competition
The Italian branch of an expat website called expatclic is having a photo competition: the photos show how the participants see their expat life, and each photo has a few words of explanation. Go to http://foto.expatclic.com/index.php, and to see all the photos, click on 'tutte le fotagrafie del concorso'. You may recognise my entries! There are some real beauties - I love the one of the bike wheel in the snow. From 1 June you can vote - please do - we all need your support!
A Historic Day
April Autumn
Taken outside my house yesterday
Photos Accepted
I’ve had ten of my photos accepted by Crestock, an online photo bank. Last week I was messing about and submitted a few. I think I should have worked much harder on the search keywords, so I’m not sure if they’ll ever sell... I wonder if any of you could be bothered to have a look at them, and comment. The link is http://www.crestock.com/portfolio/chausiku.aspx - I think you may need to log in... let me know!
Truth is Stranger than Fiction: A Story of Survival
This story has been dominating our newspapers over the last few days:
On 12 February, a well-respected architect picked up his well-respected accountant wife from work, and stopped off outside his well-respected flat in a well-respected area of Montevideo. He sat in the car outside while she popped up to change, as they were going out to dinner.
There's No Smoke...
For the third day running, Montevideo has been swathed in a shroud of smoke. Not toxic, chemical smoke, but pleasant-smelling country smoke that irritates the eyes and lungs.
Moments in Montevideo: Bryan Adams Again
‘Some journalists asked me why I came back to Uruguay so soon.’ Bryan Adams stretched his arms out to embrace the 7,000-strong cheering and dancing crowd in the open-air Teatro del Verano last night. His fans roared even louder. He didn’t need to explain.
Uruguay Breaks Record!
Most footballers per head of population? Lowest house prices? Most laid-back people? Least heard of country? Best beef? No...
Terminal Four Madrid Barajas: Socks
My shoes were wet, my stripey grey and pink socks were wet, my woolly tights were wet, the bottoms of my jeans were wet, and my feet were wet. The cold wetness was gradually climbing kneewards, and this despite the four Euro pseudo-Burberry umbrella I'd picked up from a hawker in the Gran Via.
Argentine Adventure
If you'd like to see some photos of my horse trekking experience in the Lake Region of Argentina, click here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=44859&l=6e4cb&id=664241054
To see the hotel where we stayed, and surroundings, click here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=44872&l=567fe&id=664241054
...or I may have got those back to front!
Letter from Argentina
(First published in the Buenos Aires Herald, June 2008)
With a lot of encouragement, Luna, my nag, carried my to the top of Cerro Belvedere, from where the view was unbelievable. Is cobalt the colour I mean? No, I don´t think cobalt is as clear. Aquamarine? Or maybe there´s a colour called Argentine Late Summer Lake Blue´ You´ll understand when I get home,and upload some photos.
Argentine Adventures
Dear Friends,
The biggest challenges of this holiday are a) finding vegetarian food other than pizza, and b) doing my leg exercises.
Drunken Poles?
Our seasons are upside down in Montevideo, Uruguay. The palo borracho trees lining the avenues splash into impressionistic rosy bloom in mid-February, summoning sun-parched holidaymakers back to the city from the beach resorts. The days are getting shorter, deserted offices and stores open up again, and stationers’ shops buzz with mums and kids buying the latest fad in schoolbags and felt tips. A week after the schools open, the clocks go back, and yet another hour of sunshine is lost.
Knobs, knees and roller coasters
First of all, apologies to David and Marit who have serious knee problems – my saga is inconsequential in comparison. But the knee and its knoblessness have dominated much of my last couple of months.
Food, computers and conjunctivitis
Well, there I was blogging away on Greta (my brand-new Gateway laptop) this morning when suddenly it all started closing down on me 'saving settings', jingles, the lot, down to black screen and restart. What button did I touch by mistake? And is there no easy way to transfer everything from my old computer?
A different success story
Some of you may remember my 'How the other half live' piece, about the project where I help out. The link (if this works) is http://www.writelink.co.uk/blogs/Chausiku?p=1321&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#more1321
The piece has been accepted for publication by 'The Oldie' in their expat column. And you may remember a story (no link - I've censored it!) in which Pru is hoping to wheedle some funds from someone for one of her good causes...Anyway
Northern Adventure
I'm happily home, having driven 500 k in 6 hours today, and my knee has got its knobs back!
Northern adventure
On Monday I will be driving 350 miles north, for a fun adventure. A wonderful Uruguayan lady who is a superb cook will be accompanying me. We will be visiting two places: Bio Uruguay, an NGO promoting organic food, and the Posada del Lunarejo, a lovely inn in the middle of nowhere (which I have written about several times here). Why?
The Carnival's not Over
Thought I'd bring this one up again as it's carnival time here in Uruguay, and I shall be going to see the comparsas tomorrow...
First published by International Living, February 2007
www.internationalliving,com
February 2007
The Uruguayans certainly enjoy their holidays: from early December to Easter, the whole country seems to be in holiday mode. The highlight of summer is Carnival: Montevideo doesn’t attempt to compare with Rio, but lasting forty days, this must be the longest Carnival on earth.
Film Feast
Pure indulgence: I have seen three superb films in three consecutive days.
On Saturday we went to see
Knobbling the Knee
First Published in International Living.
One of the worries you may have when you’re moving abroad may be: What if I need to have surgery?
And finally, Christmas
This is us competing for who gets to pick the first Secret Santa present from under the tree
And three fifty-something siblings going mad
And Dogwashing
A Taste of Honey
On New Year's Eve, as we all bundled into the garden to watch the fireworks, my bare foot splat into a puddle of thick, sticky liquid on the patio.
Strawberries
And gambling!
And walking
And there was eating...
Hanna Hotel: And there was music
The Hanna Hotel
Now that everyone's gone, the emotions have died down, and things are quiet, I thought I would share some of our crazy magical moments with you.
Birthday
Thank you all for your birthday wishes, as I had promised myself, I went to spend it with the seals.
Siblings splashing
This is what a bunch of siblings in their fifties get up to when they get together. I'm the one in the middle!
Happy New Year!
Taken this morning - I hope you all have a peaceful and happy new year
