Wow! Time has flown!!

There are only 8 days left until we leave the islands.  I cant believe how fast the time has passed.  Just when I thought it would simply creep by and I may accomplish nothing, it is as though everything sped up!

Everyone asks me how my research has gone, and the reality is, it has been amazing.  The other night, someone said "it must be hard to do all that work in paradise" and the funny thing is, even when Im working, its not really working.  Every conversation I have, every time I chat it up with some shop owner or someone on the the beach, Im doing my research.  Even more interesting is the fact that while I was warned not to tell people I was doing research on the islands, it has actually turned out that as soon as people know what im up to the begin to open up and really share with me.  Most offer me advice on who to talk to and in most cases, they even help me to make contact with a variety of people.

So what have I learned?  A lot!

I have learned that the relationship between the islands and the rest of  Italy is really undermining the voice of the people of the islands.  In many cases, they have little autonomy and it is such that they are seen as not quite enough of a population that they should have a voive in decision making.  They are seen as a tourist destination and not as viable islands with human communities that depend on resources.  The result is that much of the policy tends to lead to a poulation that is deskilling and loosing more ans more of its ability to be self sufficient.  For example, they built a desalinization plant, however since its cheaper to import water from Napoli, the desalinization plant sits closed and unused; thhey are further reliant on sicily for water...ans some days, it simply runs out and the towns people must exist without it for days, until the next shipment arrives.  Who made this decision? Not the people of the islannd, but the regional powers of Sicily.  Another example is the recent closure of the maternity and pediatric ward here on Lipari that serves all of the islands.  Now, if you wish to have a  baby, you are HELICOPTERED  to  Milazzo ..  The same  goes for if your child is injured or in need of immediate attention, they they will be flown out...at an out of pocket expense of 800.00 euro!

Ps I also hate blogger! It sucks!  Can't write anymore because it is, yet again, crapping out!

some pictures...

Things... and thoughts

I had this dream before I came where I was on a boat, and I looked over to find Charlotte leaning against the railing, looking across the sea.  her hair was whipping in the wind and I can see the glimmer of a smile.

Throughout the school year, this image kept me going when I found myself coming home far too tired after another 10 or 12 hour day.  When I was up late at night writing yet another paper, I would see her hair whipping in the wind and the bright blue sea just beyond her.  It really kept me going.

So when we went too Felicudi and Alicudi on Thursday, and I looked to see my vision in reality, I was speechless.  A simple moment in time, a brief glimpse of my daughter, and there it was... dream in reality

Each day is filled with moments like these...even too many to write a blog about... these simple snippets of time where I see all that I have dreamed of in reality.  How blessed am I?

even though it takes days for pictures to download, and you can't stream Netflix ever or even youtube on some days... when you see your children, your husband and your friends doing the things you dreamed of for them... one can only be content....

Having a "moment"...

Oh, joshie, I don't know if you will read this one, but I sure had a "moment" yesterday.  I chose the Lipari/ Salina excursion because I knew it would be going to the "white beaches"  Although we had seen them from the top, too much had changed for me to remember exactly where I had once jumped from the road down into the soft white powdery pumice.  It was with this same crew that, from the water I had first seen the remains of the once beautiful beach, and lacking understanding, had assumed that they had simply mined the pumice and then left.  I was traumatized to see that where I had gone as a kid was simply gone.

So when we rounded the bend to the white beaches, tears welled up in my eyes, while I had seen it from afar, now I had a chance to see it up close.  Tears welled up in my eyes as I began to take in the entire sight.  I could now see what was once the beach where I had gone.  The water still a light turquoise, had the remnants of  a white bottom sandy bottom.  The former soft billows of pumice powder now hard, now allowed plants to begin to flourish while still showing a hint of what was.

I envisioned myself at 17 standing there, on this strange beach, completely unaware of why or how this beach even existed, and even less aware of how this simple moment in time would transform me as an adult.  The beach of that day only existed because the soft white powder used in toothpaste, makeup and medicine was the refuse of the larger pumice stone mines. As they ground down the stones into shippable pieces, the remaining fine grain was shoved over the cliffs where it piled up and eventually rolled gently into the sea. This was the travesty that UNESCO saw.  These stones that can be found all over the world and as far back as the heyday of the Roman empire,  destroyed the mountainside and probablysea life   below.   Stones found in the cupolas of the Roman churches, in the region of Tuscany and eventually as far north as England, tell us of the power of this region and of the importance of this stone to the rest of Europe.


Now only the remains of the factories, abandoned and  deteriorating  remain.  Huge tubes stick out of the mountainside, these are the remains of the system by which they dumped the pumice  powder onto the beach.  Now, in the ruins of the the mines beach clubs and late night discos surface  giving an odd sense of rejuvenation and exploitation.  out with mining....and in with tourism.

while my good camera has all the good photos, you can still get a small sense, as I clicked away at what my eyes took in, I didn't think to switch to my phone...

silly little things...

Yesterday we headed out on an excursion of the other side of Lipari and the island of Salina.  It was fitting that my facebook had posted a picture of a similar trip with Drew three years before.  While this trip was different because it was just the two islands, I was happy to see some ofo the same spots again.  The crew was the same crew as when Drew and I had gone and after the first dip in the ocean, one of the boys said, " This is not your fist time, is it?"

I replied " no, and I remember you! I was with my son last time, and we met you!"

"you have a face that can't be forgotten, ma'am" he said, and I smiled.  considering all the tourists that take this excursion, it is kind of amazing.

I always crack up at the boys, they have this funny flirty way with the old ladies, its like we are all their mothers and they know they are our favorite son who can do no wrong.  So sweet and yet mischevious at the same time.  I like to watch them intreact with each of the passengers, especially the ladies.  It never matters how old, in fact, they almost seem to ignore the young ones as though us old ladies are safe.  Maybe they think we are getting some cheap thrill from it, but yet, its different, maybe its because I have a son their age, and like Drew, they imagine they have me wrapped around their finger.  And like Andrew, they do.

Later, as they passed out the homemade malvasia, he reminded me " remember, you thought this was made of peaches!"

I laughed, " What a memory you have! The crazy American who doesn't know about malvasia!  I have dreamed about this small glass for 3 years! And now I have it!"

He laughed and said " For you signora, anything!"

Char snapped a photo... I cant wait to see how it came out...

settling in to a rhythm

Life has a pattern to it no matter where you go.  Each morning we rise, I stumble to the kitchen and make coffee.  Char continues to sleep.  I cherish the short moments of silence before she wakes up.  Although, here, she doesn't wake up complaining.  Instead, she wakes up wondering for the 37th time how to say "how much does that cost?" or " is it 'buonanotte' or 'buona notte'?"  Her boundless energy and her desire to make the most of every moment encourages me to simply enjoy watching her enjoy this new world.  She is simply beautiful to watch.

I was so worried about her making friends that I now find myself alone in the evenings because she is off to meet a pack of 13- year- olds to get gelato or pizza.  She is happy.  I am happy.

Today she decided to get a hair cut.  I love her long beautiful hair, but she never wears it down because she says she hates the way it feels on her arms.  I finally gave in and said she could do whatever she wished... honestly I had no idea how much she hated her hair until I saw the tears in her eyes as the hairdresser began to chop the long strands off... her smile was beaming.

Honestly in just a matter of moments, I watcher her confidence soar.

Stromboli- it's real

Today marks the 6th day that char and I have been on our own.  On Monday Most of the crew went home.  Even though Rosie stayed another day, it felt lonely to be here without them.  I was grateful to Rosie and Quin for sticking around, it sort of eased us into beign on our own.

On our last day together we set out to make a dream a reality.  We hiked three hours up the side of stromboli to reach the summit at sunset.  It was breath taking.  While many of my good pics are on the good camera...here are a few...

The last part was the toughest, it was only a short distance to the final summit point where we could actually see DOWN into the crater, but because its all sand, every step forward is a half a step back... I was so amazed at Charlottes strength, she was bounding up the hill and even trying to make tracks for me so that I could make it, personally, I thought I may possibly die, as I think this was the hardest climb I have ever done.  Just when I swore I couldn't lift my legs any farther up that damn sand, Johnny said "come on babe, this is just like your PhD- its hardest at the very end, you can do this, you can do anything!"

 When the smoke cleared...We heard the mountain rumble...

And that is what a volcano looks like while its erupting.