Ti aspetto

Caitlin
Originally uploaded by Bueno Snippy Snappy

I know that I have mentioned this before, but time hasn’t stopped yet and the countdown...continues. It’s sad to know that in a few days, I will have to say goodbye to a wonderful city, its people, and my friends here.

Yesterday, I spent the evening at Enoteca Italiana. It’s the Enoteca at the Fortezza (Fortress). I think that I can count on one hand how many times I have used that word, Fortress, in California. In fact, I can count the number of times without hands. Accidenti! Wow! I can’t believe that last night, this being the last week in Siena, was the first time there (cavolo). I’m such an idiot. Anyway, it will be a place that I will either try to frequent until I leave or it will be a place that I will frequent the next time that I come back. More likely, it will be frequented on my return since there are so many other things that I need to inspect. My return will definitely be soon.

I know that I haven’t yet mentioned my weekend in Viterbo and so I’d like to write about that a little here especially since I am talking about return trips. I met up with the family of a good friend of mine and they were nice enough to show me around the city. Hold that thought for just a moment and allow me to back up just a bit to explain something. In Siena, I have gone around the city once or twice on my own and then I retraced my steps, a couple of times, with the capable assistance of one of the teachers from my school. It’s truly amazing how much more enriching the city is and everything that it has to offer when it’s explained to you by not only a resident but a resident expert. That’s how I felt in Viterbo, I traced a quick path on my own, and when I retraced it, my eyes were opened wider. It’s the difference between “aprire” and “spalancare” which is hard to translate but it essentially means that my eyes were opened widely. Thanks to Anna and Valentina, I learned an incredible amount about Viterbo, its significance in Italian history, and the festival of Saint Rose (La Festa di Santa Rosa). I am scheming to figure out a way to get back for this.

Class yesterday was the last class I would have with my regular teacher. She is off on vacation for this week and she gets back into it Wednesday of next week. I thanked her for all the time; it was difficult at times since we moved very fast but I enjoyed every bit of it. We said our goodbyes and I told her how fond I was of this city and that I would definitely be coming back. We had a funny exchange because for a brief second “I was outside on the balcony” but I eventually communicated my attachment to the city, the people, and my time here. She left me with a phrase that is easy to translate, in the literal sense, but a bit difficult to communicate its sentiment: Ti aspetto. Literally, it means “I wait for you”, but its hard to explain exactly its meaning and sentiment. I leave it to your imagination to understand it as I think that you will get it, but I close this entry with a decidedly American phrase also difficult to communicate its meaning and often spoken or written in many alternative ways: I can’t hardly wait.