More Au Pairing Updates and The 8th Alphabetical Instalment
Ciao my lovely blog readers,
I hope this blog post finds you well and relaxed as summer should be a time for a little peace and quiet when you can get it.
I can't quite believe I'm sitting down writing this August orientated post. How on earth is it August already??? Where has this long time off that university studies gives me gone? And as tomorrow is the 13th August it makes sense to mark a month of me being in Italy with another catch up.
The past month has flown by and dragged in equal measure so siting down and realising I only have 26 days left in the country of my soul is one that arouses a vast variety of emotions. On the one hand I feel like time is running out when I've finally started to get settled here and there's still so much I want to do BUT I'm also looking forward to a change of place, an escape of Mosquitos, a mental break and return to familiar places. And the continual emails about reading lists and preparations for my last year of university make me excited and scared to step back on English soil but after this month and massive bounds I've taken in endurance and confidence I feel imbued with courage and determination to see it all through.
I've written before on this blog about how I feel that I have a problem with being dragged back by memories and simultaneously losing myself in the clouds of future plans therefore JUST BEING IN THE MOMENT is something I can struggle with at times. However whether it be just sitting in the garden blasting 5SOS on my iPod and reading classic literature, navigating the warren of Milanese streets solo, or gazing at crazy beautiful Italian architecture whilst sipping Ice tea I'm getting better at losing myself in the present. It's something that benefits you beyond belief as mentally it becomes a lot more manageable and I'd recommend you try to did an activity which absorbs you even amongst all the busyness of life.
So what've I been up to since I last wrote to you? Well I've felt the highs and lows of looking after children every day a lot but that's not exactly news other than I feel like I've discovered how enchanting and irritating children can be - often within 5 minutes - in a very soul deep way. I've done some really fun things like watched Frozen in Italian at an outdoor cinema (anyone who knows me knows I love Disney films so I was a tad more excited than the kids...), some stupid things like managing to walk into a sign when talking to a friend, some scary things like spending time on my own with people I don't know, some amazing things like visiting Milan and going to the opera, some tasty things like eating CINNAMON flavoured gelato and really fun relaxing things such as hanging out with new friends at the bar and soaking up the Italian atmosphere or trying new things. These maybe don't sound too exciting but every little day and moment feels like a bit of an adventure to me because of where I am so it's hard to compile feelings in to sentences that intrigue and inform. I'm becoming a bit of a yes girl though and I like the opportunities it's given me :) Plus I know when I've come back and actually had a chance to take it all in, I'll be able to actually compile a comprehensive response to this experience, for now you'll have to put up with my ramblings :)
And then you'll have the delight of reading about my Venezia and Roma experiences too which are keeping me going at the moment when the days feel long as I'm a person who likes to have things to look forward to. Why not try and set yourself something to aim for each week? I think it really helps!
We've managed to reach the letter O in the alphabetical instalment which stands for 'Overcome Adversity'. This particular mantra is one I am continually learning and perfecting as not to revisit sob stories I can say with pretty good conviction that I've had my fair share of adversity to overcome in the 20 years I've been on this earth thus far. From the milder forms such as bullying and moving countries, to those most people experience at some point such as bereavement, and the more specific ones like mental illness. We all have our own battles to fight and our own versions of adversity on daily and larger scales but the most important thing I think is not staying I have to overcome this RIGHT NOW but to make that the end goal and focus on always keeping fighting, you will have hard times and bad days and terrible challenges but they will pass. A key adversity to overcome I think, and one I still struggle with now, is believing in yourself. That battle can be a really long one but when you finally push through that mental fog the other adversities become more manageable. So guess what I'm saying is try to remember you're not alone, we are all struggling in our own lives and there are people who care and want to help you through these difficulties even if you can't see them just yet. And if that doesn't bring you comfort rejoice in the little moments when you overcome something, as the big things will follow later, and it's your attitude that will help that. I think it's more important to remember to always keep fighting rather than focus all your energies on overcoming adversities because by having this outlook you will be able to make it manageable. But that's just my view :)
And we also have the letter 'P' representing 'Practice Moderation' which is one I don't think I'm exactly qualified to lecture on after having spent a month not exactly moderating the quantities of pasta, bread, wine, cream, gelato etc that I've been consuming. Which has the result of meaning as soon as I return to Sheffield going to the gym is top of my To Do list. However whilst it is good to indulge yourself in things that make you happy it is important to attempt to find that elusive balance as too much of a good thing can quickly become a bad one. I think the 'practice' part of this particular mantra is important as moderating yourself is something that takes time and several attempts before it sticks. (I've just read back over this and it sounds really lecture-y I promise it's just musings and me reflecting on what I've learnt.) I think whether it's food, drink, studying or socialising too much of one can upset the rest of it all. But we need time to experiment and assess what exactly is our own level of 'excess' and how things affect us. For instance I've found being away that I need to practice moderating how much I contact people back home as doing it everyday and keeping constantly checking my phone - whilst bad for my data for one thing- means that I don't immerse myself in what's going on around me here and doing that is how time passes more enjoyably and faster as well as feeling like I'm part of surroundings not just passing through. So I'm gonna make a concerted effort to practise moderation in this area for the rest of the month and see what a difference it makes. What will you choose?
That's just a brief summary to whet your appetites but I promise I'll try and get a bit better at blogging (have you heard this before??? :-P) soon and treat you to something different me to me constantly raving about Italy... Hehe.
Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this and I'll send another post your way soon!
Much fictional love,
Megan xx
Songs of the the Post: Losing My Religion - R.E.M and Summer - Jose Vanders
I hope this blog post finds you well and relaxed as summer should be a time for a little peace and quiet when you can get it.
I can't quite believe I'm sitting down writing this August orientated post. How on earth is it August already??? Where has this long time off that university studies gives me gone? And as tomorrow is the 13th August it makes sense to mark a month of me being in Italy with another catch up.
The past month has flown by and dragged in equal measure so siting down and realising I only have 26 days left in the country of my soul is one that arouses a vast variety of emotions. On the one hand I feel like time is running out when I've finally started to get settled here and there's still so much I want to do BUT I'm also looking forward to a change of place, an escape of Mosquitos, a mental break and return to familiar places. And the continual emails about reading lists and preparations for my last year of university make me excited and scared to step back on English soil but after this month and massive bounds I've taken in endurance and confidence I feel imbued with courage and determination to see it all through.
I've written before on this blog about how I feel that I have a problem with being dragged back by memories and simultaneously losing myself in the clouds of future plans therefore JUST BEING IN THE MOMENT is something I can struggle with at times. However whether it be just sitting in the garden blasting 5SOS on my iPod and reading classic literature, navigating the warren of Milanese streets solo, or gazing at crazy beautiful Italian architecture whilst sipping Ice tea I'm getting better at losing myself in the present. It's something that benefits you beyond belief as mentally it becomes a lot more manageable and I'd recommend you try to did an activity which absorbs you even amongst all the busyness of life.
So what've I been up to since I last wrote to you? Well I've felt the highs and lows of looking after children every day a lot but that's not exactly news other than I feel like I've discovered how enchanting and irritating children can be - often within 5 minutes - in a very soul deep way. I've done some really fun things like watched Frozen in Italian at an outdoor cinema (anyone who knows me knows I love Disney films so I was a tad more excited than the kids...), some stupid things like managing to walk into a sign when talking to a friend, some scary things like spending time on my own with people I don't know, some amazing things like visiting Milan and going to the opera, some tasty things like eating CINNAMON flavoured gelato and really fun relaxing things such as hanging out with new friends at the bar and soaking up the Italian atmosphere or trying new things. These maybe don't sound too exciting but every little day and moment feels like a bit of an adventure to me because of where I am so it's hard to compile feelings in to sentences that intrigue and inform. I'm becoming a bit of a yes girl though and I like the opportunities it's given me :) Plus I know when I've come back and actually had a chance to take it all in, I'll be able to actually compile a comprehensive response to this experience, for now you'll have to put up with my ramblings :)
And then you'll have the delight of reading about my Venezia and Roma experiences too which are keeping me going at the moment when the days feel long as I'm a person who likes to have things to look forward to. Why not try and set yourself something to aim for each week? I think it really helps!
We've managed to reach the letter O in the alphabetical instalment which stands for 'Overcome Adversity'. This particular mantra is one I am continually learning and perfecting as not to revisit sob stories I can say with pretty good conviction that I've had my fair share of adversity to overcome in the 20 years I've been on this earth thus far. From the milder forms such as bullying and moving countries, to those most people experience at some point such as bereavement, and the more specific ones like mental illness. We all have our own battles to fight and our own versions of adversity on daily and larger scales but the most important thing I think is not staying I have to overcome this RIGHT NOW but to make that the end goal and focus on always keeping fighting, you will have hard times and bad days and terrible challenges but they will pass. A key adversity to overcome I think, and one I still struggle with now, is believing in yourself. That battle can be a really long one but when you finally push through that mental fog the other adversities become more manageable. So guess what I'm saying is try to remember you're not alone, we are all struggling in our own lives and there are people who care and want to help you through these difficulties even if you can't see them just yet. And if that doesn't bring you comfort rejoice in the little moments when you overcome something, as the big things will follow later, and it's your attitude that will help that. I think it's more important to remember to always keep fighting rather than focus all your energies on overcoming adversities because by having this outlook you will be able to make it manageable. But that's just my view :)
And we also have the letter 'P' representing 'Practice Moderation' which is one I don't think I'm exactly qualified to lecture on after having spent a month not exactly moderating the quantities of pasta, bread, wine, cream, gelato etc that I've been consuming. Which has the result of meaning as soon as I return to Sheffield going to the gym is top of my To Do list. However whilst it is good to indulge yourself in things that make you happy it is important to attempt to find that elusive balance as too much of a good thing can quickly become a bad one. I think the 'practice' part of this particular mantra is important as moderating yourself is something that takes time and several attempts before it sticks. (I've just read back over this and it sounds really lecture-y I promise it's just musings and me reflecting on what I've learnt.) I think whether it's food, drink, studying or socialising too much of one can upset the rest of it all. But we need time to experiment and assess what exactly is our own level of 'excess' and how things affect us. For instance I've found being away that I need to practice moderating how much I contact people back home as doing it everyday and keeping constantly checking my phone - whilst bad for my data for one thing- means that I don't immerse myself in what's going on around me here and doing that is how time passes more enjoyably and faster as well as feeling like I'm part of surroundings not just passing through. So I'm gonna make a concerted effort to practise moderation in this area for the rest of the month and see what a difference it makes. What will you choose?
That's just a brief summary to whet your appetites but I promise I'll try and get a bit better at blogging (have you heard this before??? :-P) soon and treat you to something different me to me constantly raving about Italy... Hehe.
Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this and I'll send another post your way soon!
Much fictional love,
Megan xx
Songs of the the Post: Losing My Religion - R.E.M and Summer - Jose Vanders
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