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The end is the beginning is the end

I’m packing to go back to Paris to pack.

Our Roma stint is coming to an end; here I am on my knees, packing again. The sky changes drastically from day to day. Yesterday I was downtown in shorts and a sandals, and today it’s raining and gray. There seems to be no consistency to this year’s weather; well, when has weather been consistent anyway?

I’m really looking forward to being back in Paris, never mind that the weather still isn’t anywhere near the 20s. I don’t care. I cannot wait to be back home, to smell that familiar smell of the entry hallway, to reread my books. I can finally hang out with Lila at the park next to our place and hopefully have a chat with some of the people in our neighborhood. I can’t wait to meet up with friends. And to eat a proper baguette again.

So, we’re going back to Paris, only to leave it again.

It’s always a funny thing, all this coming and going in life.

Currently listening to:
Beck
The Information

2010 05 28 Moving Comments (2)

Fruit of our labors

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May 1st was spent with grilling seafood with new friends under a very cooperative blue sky. Our host, Fabio, told us that summers can be unbearably hot here in Rome. “The sky is so blue, and the sun beats down so hard. I prefer the humidity in Manila.” Thing is, high temperatures don’t faze me anymore. Two years in Qatar with temps ranging from 45-50 degrees at its peak makes European summers seem mild in comparison.

Our gracious hosts live next to the Fiumicino airport, so Julien held Lila in his arms and they had a great time looking up at the sky and watching the planes pass. The little monster was unfazed by the noise; after the initial shock of all the roaring, she’d raise her arms and wave them at the plane; she probably wanted to take it in her hands and chew on it.

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Today is Sunday, and it has been rainy, cloudy and windy all day long. It’s still warm enough to leave the windows open, as is the case now. I can hear the cars from the highway, the raindrops on the terrace, and the neighbor’s TV through the wall. I can smell our clean laundry and freshly-cut grass under the rain. I feel the laziness of a Sunday taking over the websites that need updating, I feel summer arriving, I feel warmer just thinking about it. I know that new adventures are shaping up in the background, lurking behind weeks and months, waiting to pounce.

You Are ThereCurrently listening to:
Mono
You Are There

2010 05 02 Comments (7)

Pronto

I feel really silly thinking back on all the bitching I did when I was packing stuff to take with me to Qatar. Because now, with a child in tow, it’s much, much harder. So much harder that I’ve had a headache for the past couple of days.

Again, the malle, our big blue trunk, is sitting in our living room waiting to be filled. Am I filling it with stuff? No. I’m slumped against comfy pillows, blogging while watching tv shows I don’t really want to watch (I’m watching MacGyver reruns; as you can see, my procrastination has reached epic proportions).

Before you judge me, let me defend myself: it’s really hard to pack when you don’t know how long you’ll be staying in another country. Here is a transcript of a conversation several months ago:

Jul: Hey. We’re moving to Rome.
Kala: Rome! How exciting! When?
Jul: I dunno… in a month maybe. Not sure.
Kala: How long are we staying?
Jul: I dunno… still have to figure that out.
Kala: Are we taking Lila?
Jul: Are we tak… OF COURSE WE ARE! She’s our child!
Kala: Where are we going to live? In a flat? In a flat in the city? Or near your office?
Jul: I have no idea actually.
*moment of silence*
Kala: So what do you know?
Jul: That we’re moving to Rome.

This is the longest I’ve been alone with the kid, and it’s driving me up the wall. The flat seems so empty, especially in the evenings. I miss my Juju. Lila on the other hand simply seems puzzled as to why her other slave is missing.

Currently listening to:
Beirut
Gulag Orkestar

2010 03 16 Moving Comments (9)