September 17
Yesterday I got through to you, and my heart felt lighter - after all, I sent the letter back in August, but there's been no word from you. And then I've been having gloomy dreams... When Tanya topped up my phone card, I immediately called you, but the line was busy all the time. And when suddenly someone answered, it was as if the sun had come out! Our postman (a true Italian, straight out of an old movie) always greets me when he sees me and says guiltily: «Lettere della Russia niente...» («No letters from Russia»: for them Ukraine is "Russia" and that's that!). How kind he is to me! And when there is a letter, he doesn't put it in the mailbox but rings the bell, letting me know he's waiting downstairs to hand it to me personally. And he is genuinely happy to have brought me news that I had been waiting for so long.
Here you often hear the words basta, bravo. If you want to say "a good person," you say brava persona, not buona, otherwise it will turn out that you intend to eat him. And here, every time they see you, they greet you. They already say salve to me more often than buon giorno ("good afternoon," after 2 p.m. - "good evening"), and many simply say ciao. At the checkout in a shop they always greet you, say "goodbye" and words of thanks, as if they've known you for a hundred years...
October 5
This week I had my teeth done - three fillings and one tooth inserted. It all costs 1,120 euros. But so far we've only paid 300, the rest is a debt. It worries me, but neither Anya nor Lyuda will let me work. After all, that would mean only cleaning, and they pay by the hour, and there is a lot of work. Last Monday we had a nightmare here - France did not give electricity to Italy (there was a failure). In the north, where we live, power came back only after six hours, and in the south and center - only by evening. It was a tragedy: some ended up in hospitals, many couldn't open their garages and get to work, there was no water. First they gave backup power, and in the evening they fixed the outage. For a whole week after the incident, newspapers and television talked about the losses caused by these troubles.
October 11
I am unable to describe to you the excursions to Italian towns that we set off on almost every Sunday. I am struck by the beauty of the houses, especially the medieval ones. I peeked into the inner courtyards. The lanes are so narrow, but inside - whole oases, their own world, hidden from passersby by walls two or three stories high. Balconies, staircases, and fountains, flowers and trees. On the streets of the Old Town, a tree is a rarity, and traffic is often one-way. Poorer people have doors opening straight onto the road; wealthier ones have gates, and behind them sometimes whole gardens. Squares are only in front of churches, but they are small; there are also streets like snakes, so narrow that even alone it's hard to walk. Each house is truly a fortress. Rarely do they build new buildings - mostly they restore.
Last weekend we were in the mountains again with the children, then warmed ourselves by the fireplace and roasted chestnuts over coals. In October comes Castagnata - festivals when chestnuts are roasted in the squares (very sweet, delicious!), and they are eaten with wine. Here they also bake pies from chestnut flour, and bread. I also ate bread made of potatoes and soy. There is also an abundance of sweets and meat products. Every day they drink wine at lunch, at dinner, and just like that - and yet there are no drunks anywhere! Only our people lie around, especially in Milan. And they also steal and sell weapons. Our reputation here is bad...
November 3
Our poor people, they know the language badly and get into such scrapes... Sometimes I myself find it funny how incorrectly I understood. One acquaintance kept looking for a horse at the market, because she confused it with the word "cabbage." Another once asks Lyuda: "Why do all Italians have the same surname - Tesoro?" And it's simply a term of address among them that means "treasure." I already have favorite Italian proverbs. For example, tutto il mondo e il poese ("the world is one big village"), la mamma dei cretini e sempre incinta ("the mother of cretins is always pregnant"), amarsi sempre sposarsi mai ("make love always, marry never").
I write down sentences and words by ear and rarely make mistakes; I already read quite well. In my free time I knit, study, and read. Tatyana bought me colored pencils here, and I have never experienced such pleasure from drawing! I underline everything in my notebooks; they are so medium-hard, they get used up but don't break. When they fell from the nightstand onto the floor (marble!) - not one broke.
Yesterday I stopped by Giorgio's workplace, talked with his sister and visitors, and they said that I am fortuna for them, because with me Giorgio started to "pull through," that is, without me he wasn't very lucky.
Today I ironed at Maria-Rosa's - I finally wrangled this opportunity to earn extra money. In three hours - 56 items! I've already gotten used to it; a steam iron is a miracle, though I sometimes burn my hands. Now it's my hobby.
We now have a temperature of plus 10; for two days the sun was very hot during the day, and today there has been fog since morning. In general, fog almost every day. Here they also say that winter will be frosty. Meanwhile, in the park they gather leaves with special vacuums - blow them into piles, then shovel them into a small truck and take them away.
November 12
On my balcony tomatoes are ripening; yesterday I picked seven. There are small tomatoes here that are used for sauces. Italian cuisine, by the way, is very popular in France; sauces (in good restaurants) are reduced until thick. Breakfast is coffee with a sweet bun. And lunch is sacred; many eat it at home. Italians treat eating with respect, starting with appetizers: several kinds of smoked meats (sliced thinly with a special machine - they practically glow), pickled onions, peppers, fruit. The first course is a thick vegetable soup with croutons. But more often soup is eaten in the evening, while during the day pasta, dumplings (made from potatoes and flour), ravioli with cheese and spinach. They really love fish. After lunch - cheese, fruit, coffee, sweet wine. We don't eat that much. When we were on holiday at the sea, Lyuda and I were full after the appetizers, and had no strength for the rest. Not surprisingly, there are many overweight people here.
25 November
Anna had a car accident last week: her car was hit from behind (fortunately she was stopped at a red light), repairs costing 1,000 euros. She seriously strained her neck: she now wears something warm around her neck. Vincenzo took her car for repairs, and they gave her another one. After all, the main transport here is the private car; the bus runs once every hour and a half, and in the evening, on weekends and holidays, it does not run at all.
Today sad music can be heard again - a good acquaintance has died. 76 years is not considered old age in Italy. You should see how 70-year-olds dress - as if they were still young. They even think differently: they talk about love, compliments, kisses, hugs. There is no smell of old age.
19 October
Every Sunday we have Corsa - something like a sports festival, because a cross-country race is always held. Residents from all around take part, divided into groups. I am in the group Marciatori Pontenure - that's what's written on my T-shirt, and Luisa is in Nati stanchi. Today we had Corsa again, but it was foggy, and later it started drizzling - we walked with umbrellas, but with what an appetite we had breakfast! First, crunchy croutons (toast) with boiled honey. Then sandwiches with meat and sausage. Giorgio drew a lucky ticket for me: I won a box of washing powder (it costs six euros in the shop!). For participating in this event, by the way, they charge one and a half euros per person.
And there are always so many people at these sports festivals! My Tanya and Luigi accompany the cyclists every Sunday. The results will be announced on December 8th at restaurants: each group in its own place, the time (sacred!) is the same - 12:00. I have already been given the program-menu. December 8th is a day off, a holiday (something like our St. Nicholas Day: everyone gives gifts). On holidays nobody works, except the owner, and even then only if it is stipulated in his license. Our group will celebrate the end of the year with awards in the town of Carpaneto at the restaurant "Il Lupo", lunch costs 23 euros. The children immediately shouted: "That's not expensive, you'll see, and besides, there will be such men next to you! Go!"
12 November
On the 1st, all of Italy commemorated the dead, nobody worked, and we went on an excursion. The children bought me brand-name things: a floor-length denim skirt, trousers, various sweaters, sheepskin boots. For now in Italy it's plus 8-10 degrees, rains, fogs. But today the sun is scorching. We were at a sports festival in Cremona, walked along the Po river, then went into a wonderful park.
25 November
I went to another town for dancing. It felt like time had stopped! A huge hall, live music, sofas, armchairs, small tables, carpets everywhere. And in the middle is a dance floor. Mostly old people, and women - you just want to hug them and cry. The dances are medieval - a kind of hopping, but people do it with delight! The old dances lasted about an hour and a half, then six modern ones, then medieval again - and so on several times. In 10 minutes, when I was alone, I had to turn down six men! We left at midnight. I don't like Giacinto, only his height is good - 180. He's so nimble, but I immediately gave him a rebuff: to be independent, I paid the six-euro entrance fee myself, because he keeps inviting me to his place.
17 September
There are many of our people in Italy, mostly all without documents. They are paid little; many live in farmsteads, looking after crazy old people and saving money. And how many people with Down syndrome there are here, what terrible consequences of this disease! Our people also take on caring for them. They push them in wheelchairs. Some are calm, and some scream and struggle. And imagine - dealing with such patients all day long! And the reputation of our people - God forbid. Giorgio told me that a Ukrainian woman looked after his father. When she left, she even took worn-out slippers and his patched-up underwear. She cleaned out all the cupboards. And while she was getting money from Giorgio, she didn't pay for food, electricity, gas, telephone, but left him a huge bill for calls to Ukraine. How ashamed Lyuda was for her!
25 November
I continue to work for Maria-Rosa; the children don't allow me to do more: you can't earn money by washing floors, you just get tired. You know how many little trinkets there are on the cupboards?! I'm afraid of dropping and breaking them. I like their embroidered napkins, curtains on the windows, photographs on a separate table, paintings, especially children's drawings, diplomas, marriage and birth certificates (all very beautifully presented).
27 December
There are many people here who, like you, are waiting for warmth and think that it is precisely our women (of bitter fate) who will give it to them. But that is not always the case. Recently Lyuda met Oksana. She is from Uzhhorod, seems like a good doctor, married here, an Italian gave her the number of his account - use it. He brought her son. And Oksana spent all the money (and there was as much as 20 thousand euros!): well, of course - her son needs a prostitute, he is already 15, and porn films are all around! When the husband came to his senses, the house had already been mortgaged. And he, the "bad person," closed her access to the account. When Oksana complained to me, there were no words in response... What could be said? Her son makes love with women every night, comes home in the morning, sleeps until noon, and he needs a lot of money, but he is too young to work... Mario (Anna's boyfriend) went to work at 14. Giorgio's son works at a factory at night, studies during the day, and Giorgio's word is law for his son. And your boys? What fine fellows! So if a good person answers you and invites you - go, everything will fall into place, it is real. Especially since you know the language.