The point of me writing this blog was to engage everyone in the things I am doing whether they are good or bad, I want to be as honest as possible. And being as honest as possible I think I can wait a couple more years before I start popping children out like tic-tacs. I mean seriously, props to you moms out there. It's damn hard work. I don't want to make it sound like I'm having a terrible time because I'm not but some days are harder than others.
When we set off for Laegueglia I was unsure of what it would be like. Me and Erica were alone for the majority of the time with Riccardo but Michele would come at weekends. They have a three bedroom apartment right by the beach and also right across from a delightful frozen yoghurt shop that serves fro-yo with nutella.. yes you heard that right.
The apartment had its own living room and kitchen where me and Erica did most of our workouts with Ricci in his cot next to us hurling toys at our faces. Here's a sweaty picture of us both after a workout in 29 degree heat.
The drive from Brescia to Laegueglia was only a couple of hours and luckily for me Riccardo is completely calmed by the motion of the car so I got to rest during that time aswell as him.
As soon as we got there we all changed into our swimwear and spent the afternoon at the beach where we had sunbeds booked out for the time we were there and the beach bar had a fridge full of cans of my favourite ice tea! :) Riccardo decided during this time that his favourite delicacy was the local sand. Straight from the beach into his mouth...yes being with a ten month old baby requires a heck load of patience. They want to eat everything they see... fruit...bread...sand...your nose...leaves...grass...my list is endless.
The evening we arrived Michele insisted I try the local creperie. I tried a prosciutto, mushroom and cheese crepe and for dessert a crepe with chocolate sauce, chopped nuts and cream. It was amazing! Italians really do love their food and for this it will definitely be hard for me to leave. I am actually considering throwing away most of my clothes before I leave so I can use my kilos wisely-on food.
Everyone that knows me knows I have an incredibly terrible obsession with food. So whilst in Laegueglia I also found I had an incredible love for olive foccaccia from the local paneteria and I love shakeratos. (Iced coffee)
We spent almost every day of the ten days we were there in a routine. We would wake up in the morning and have coffee and biscuits, then we would get ready, go to the beach, I would chase Ricci round and have to wash his mouth every 0.2 seconds whilst he grabbed for more sand...we would then get him to sleep and sunbathe then we would go to buy foccaccia, then we would make him his lunch and then we would workout and have our lunch, then we would try and get him to sleep more, then we would go to the beach and have a shakerato and then stay at the beach for a while etc etc etc.
Although the routine may seem rather boring to some it was a good time to relax and be in the sun! The frustration usually kicked in trying to drag the pram backwards across the sand to the sunbeds or carrying the pram up and down the steps leading up to the street. It was a good workout to say the least. In Laegueglia I was with Erica most of the time so it made it easier for me if I was struggling or if I was tired because I was often reassured by her that everything was fine.
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Sadly during my time in Laegueglia as some of you may have seen on the news there were horrendous attacks in Tunisia in which a man took to the beach shooting everyone in his path. After hearing this news I was horrified only to then hear that one of my best friends' mom and her partner were among those missing. Her bag had been brought back from the beach to her hotel and nobody could contact her.. Which if you knew Sue you would know that her kids came before anybody and she would never have let them worry about her for a second. When me and Rose were in halls everyone in the flat would always lounge around in her room and she would often say "Okay moms calling..." (which would be at least three times a day to check up on her) and we would all join in the conversation and you would just know from her tone of voice that she would be rolling her eyes at the drama we had had in the flat. She just wasn't the type of person to go missing. Anybody that was blessed to know Sue knew that she had a huge personality. You couldn't miss her if you tried. Whenever she would come to the flat to take Rosy and her 96 piles of washing home she would say "Oh my god I can't cope in here, the mess is disgusting" and we would all stand there open-mouthed because we had cleaned the flat top to bottom for her arrival! After speaking to Rosy and hearing how upset she was and watching her brother and sister take over social media to help find her it really broke my heart. No family, especially not a family like theirs should ever have to go through something like that. They had very little help and they were contacted mainly by reporters excited to expose their story. It is sad to say what a cruel world we live in. After a couple of days they found that Sue was sadly one of those that had been taken. I am still to this day deeply saddened by this. Sue didn't have a drop of bad blood in her from what I knew of her and I'm sure her family and friends would tell anyone the same. I will never forget the time that me, Rosy and Macauley were stuck in London after going to the Eminem concert and we missed our last train back to Stoke and the only train we could get took us to Birmingham and she insisted we all stayed at hers even though it meant us keeping her awake to let us in, she was worried sick about all three of us like we were all her own children. I can't express enough how much of an incredible woman she was and how much everyone in our flat and our second year house adored her company. I want anyone reading this to keep her and her family in their prayers. May she rest in peace in a heaven that is always as clean and polished just as she likes and may her family always have the strength to carry on and continue being the incredible human beings that they are.
And to one of my bestest friends- Rose, you are loved more than you can imagine. You have been a huge impact on mine and our Uni families' life, you are the life and soul of the party just like your mom and she will always be proud of you and right now I am so proud of you for being so strong.
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After hearing this news it really made me afraid to be on the beach it felt wrong to be in Laegueglia on the beach after this had happened. I felt like I couldn't trust anyone and I kept thinking that if it happened to me I was looking after a ten month old baby, what the hell could I do.
I just don't understand how people can be so mindless and cruel.
The one thing that gave me hope through those few days was Riccardo, he is such a beautiful baby, so happy and lively and it gives me hope that there are pure babies being born in the world full of goodness and love to give to outweigh all the hate.
I have little to complain about my time in Laegueglia. The views were beautiful, the food was amazing- I even tried lobster for the first time!!! The company was great and I didn't want to leave!
Whilst Michele was there we came back from the beach one day without him and when he returned he brought two gift bags in- one with wedges in and the other with a new beach bag in..both for me! He said it was to thank for me for everything I do for them but I was so delighted! I haven't been bought a gift in so long that I thought it was a joke! Such a kind thing to do.
Whilst I was in Laegueglia I also found out that I got a 2:1 for my second year which I was so happy about because all my hard work had actually proven something! So we spent the day on the beach and to celebrate we drank...coffee!
Not only that but it was my mommy's birthday whilst I was there, she is my #1 fan and she is so supportive of everything I do so of course I must mention her and how much I love her!
And not only that but it was my beautiful angel pie Ruby's 5th birthday and we had the best skype call....well for me it was the best....for her she just kept asking me if she could go "in a minute" because her friends were there! She also said "Hannah please can you be here when I'm 6 but you have to bring me presents....I want 100!" she is so funny!!
As I'm away for so long I have to make sure I include everyone so it was also one of my bestest friends of all time's birthday, this girl has been there through EVERYTHING! I can't remember a time we weren't friends. She knows my whole life and I miss her so much.
Believe me when I say 83 days is a hell of a long time to be away from your loved ones so whenever I'm homesick this little guy gives me the push I need...and a kiss too so I can't complain!
And although some days he makes me crazy tired ^^^ he is such a bundle of joy that it really does make everything so much easier.
After we left Laegueglia we had to come back to Michele's parents' home..(yes the mansion with two gardeners, two house servants, a woman that washes and irons all the clothes and a woman that makes all their clothes.....no biggie!) seriously it feels so strange trying to get used to this lifestyle! I have found being here in Monticelli the hardest part so far. There was issues when one night Michele's mom tried to get me to cook Riccardo's dinner and I didn't understand how to use her things and she doesn't know english so she kept repeating things in Italian to me and I could see she was getting frustrated and me being so sensitive said that I'd go to call Erica and I asked Erica to come and help and then I locked myself in the bathroom sobbing on the phone to my mom about how much I wanted to come home. Sometimes the language barrier really gets to me and I want every person wanting to do this job to know just how hard that is. For example tonight Riccardo got a bee sting and I watched his face contort and he started to cry and get really restless and strange and as he put his arms out for me I saw the sting in his wrist and I shouted to Michele that there was a sting and he thought I was talking about a stone and was saying "Nooo everything is fine!" and I was saying no look!!! It was horrible to see a baby hurt and not know what to do. The communication can be difficult. I'm just glad it wasn't a more serious situation but living here has been hard for this reason. When Michele is working and Erica is running errands I struggle to communicate with his mom about Riccardo which frustrates me because I feel as though I'm not trusted with him.
However Michele's nephew Alessandro took me out with his friends and we went for pizza and drinks and his friend Deo can speak pretty good english and Alessandro can speak fairly well so it was pretty fun to be out with them for a couple of nights, I couldn't be more grateful for that time I had or I think I might have ended up losing hair.
On the 7th of July it was Michele's birthday and we went with his family and a few of his friends to a local restaurant and the food was insane! For entree we had mini tuna cakes with pesto then I had tempura vegetables with fried parmesan followed by beef with polenta and then a creamy mango dessert with strawberry sorbet. It was one of the best meals I've had here by far and of course I took pictures....
And if you weren't already bored enough....here are some more photos to show even more good times had....
I have to say that although everyone who knows me knows how much I adore children I think after this experience I can definitely wait an extra couple of years no problem. Although he brings me so much joy and let me tell you there is nothing more beautiful than watching a baby explore all the different senses- to touch everything and become so fascinated by it, to taste something new, to make a new noise, to find something so small so funny. There is also nothing more beautiful than watching a baby fall asleep but as much as these things have brought a whole new meaning to life in my eyes it is such tiring work. You have to be so incredibly attentive and if they so much as hit their head because they tried to stand up and you were a second away from catching them you feel on the brink of tears for not being there to help them. Considering I am such an emotional, sensitive person anyway it terrifies me the emotions that being around a baby so much has put me through. I am constantly nervous that I am doing something wrong or that something might happen to him and I haven't slept properly the whole time I have been here even when he is napping left right and centre!
So God bless all you mommies out there doing your thang! You are all incredible.
These moments are priceless.
Ok so if you got this far CONGRATULATIONS! I had about three weeks (maybe more) worth of nattering to do and I'm sure my Uncle will have something to say about it!
BUT I must also say how incredibly proud I am of my beautiful boyfriend who graduates tomorrow. I am so gutted I can't be there but watching how hard you have worked in your final year has really been wonderful. I am so proud of you and the rest of your group for 4.48 psychosis which was just insanely good and I am so grateful to have a boyfriend that worked so hard at Uni and still worked so hard at keeping me happy which I know isn't easy when I'm a complete mard-arse!
I love you all the world and I miss you.
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