For most of this blog, I've written about places I've gone in Italy, things I've seen, recipes I've gathered, but today I'm writing about something very personal.
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| Simone at the Vatican Museums this past July |
I met my Tuscan, Simone, 3 years ago
this month. When we first met, I was intrigued by him. The way he
spoke seemed almost poetic. His point of view and way of thinking
was quite different from anyone I had ever encountered before. His
cheeky sense of humor was incredibly appealing and his playful nature
drew me in. Within the first couple weeks of our initial daily
conversations, I realized that talking to him was the highlight of my
day, and that I was looking forward to hearing from him each
afternoon. When he declared to me on an afternoon in late November
that he had fallen in love with me, it was one of the best days of my
life. I had fallen in love – really and truly in love – for the
first time in my life. Any “love” I had experienced before fell
very short of what I felt (and continue to feel) for Simone.
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| Simone and I on the beach this past June |
Many people have told me that they see my life as an incredible story...that I should write a book about it. They see the romance, but despite the romantic part, our relationship has not been easy.
The extremely long-distance between us, the 6 hour time difference,
the language and cultural differences have been hurdles that we have
had to face and overcome. Spending time with him in his country made
me realize how different our backgrounds actually are. He has taught
me a lot over the last 3 years, and he has learned a bit from me too.
Sharing our cultures – the good and the bad...accepting and
adapting as we have needed to do...has helped us stay together and as
our understanding of each other has deepened, so has our love.
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| Simone and I under an olive tree |
During my time spent in Tuscany, I
noticed that I have undergone a transformation of sorts. I had never
thought of myself as a “spoiled American”, but I was. In some
ways, I still can exhibit signs of being spoiled, but I try to squash
those tendencies when I recognize them rearing their ugly head. Now,
I must clarify – no one ever told me that I was spoiled or anything
along those lines. I came to realize it completely on my own. It's
true, my ethnocentrism was not that bad, but it was there. It
would show up every so often and make me behave like a spoiled brat
at times. When I think about those times, I'm surprised Simone
didn't shove me on a plane back to America and tell me not to come
back!
I'm not sure what happened to cause me
to finally “get it” about my Tuscan's culture and his ways, but
it finally happened this summer. I “got it” and I accepted it.
Finally.
I'm a lucky gal. I've got a great man who loves me and I get to spend time in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. The last 3 years have been amazing...and I'm excited to see what the years to come will bring!
