Viewing your pics really made me want to go there - your family's home is awesome, BTW - but alas, another place where I'd have nothing but access issues. =(
First time I've really seen these! Looking at the one 2nd from bottom, was it a family reunion or just a large family? Do you speak the language? was it your first visit? I love to travel and see new places - preferably civilised, so I ask a lot of questions. Actually, I ask questions regardless, hehe...
It wasn't a family reunion, no - that was just who showed up that particular evening. I went with my father to see my grandparents, as my grandfather is very, very sick.
That group is probably not even a third of my immediate relatives in that village.
I lived there for two and a half years as a child, from the age of five, to the age of seven, but I've only been back once, before this point - when I was eleven. I don't speak the language anymore, unfortunately. It would have been much more enjoyable if I did.
It was amazing people how much I remembered and how accurately. I think it's because I haven't been there since I was a child, so it's a bit of frozen in a timecapsule in my memory.
It was nice to see them, but Sicilians (or at least the ones I'm related to) have a tendency to crowd you, grab at you (Liborio, the guy in the middle, sitting at the table, kept pinching both my cheeks really hard and it was really painful. I'm also 28). They wanted to have loads of family around the whole time were were there, and so I had loads of elderly Sicilian ladies - and especially Zia Concetta who looks like a pug and has the constitution of a pitbull (and I say that lovingly, of course), and speaks Sicilian, rather than Italian (most of the family speak a confusing mix of both) would be right in my personal space, yapping questions and not very impressed that I couldn't respond.
As much as possible, I kept ducking into my copy of Nerd Do Well. It was enormously overwhelming.
I like your imagery of the pill capsules, by the way. It's like something out of a modern fairytale. Almost Pratchett-esque.
Ah, well, I did get the impression it was a bit...surreal for you to say the least, but felt it wasn't really my place to say! I learned a bit of basic Italian but that's it. Lol, your descriptions of them...they definitely sound like a passionate and robust bunch. Least it wasn't boring? :)
Aw, if I went to visit my parent's home country, which is China, I'd need a translator. Srsly. I'd probably be miserable half the time because the Chinese are not shy about expressing opinions to their own. It's just, I'd rather learn how to speak Italian, German or French.
My image was inspired by yours! I was wondering which Pratchett you were thinking of, most likely Terry. But I looked up Ann Pratchett and ended up reading the synopsis of her book The Magician's Assistant and now MUST get that book.
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Do you speak the language? was it your first visit? I love to travel and see new places - preferably civilised, so I ask a lot of questions.
Actually, I ask questions regardless, hehe...
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That group is probably not even a third of my immediate relatives in that village.
I lived there for two and a half years as a child, from the age of five, to the age of seven, but I've only been back once, before this point - when I was eleven. I don't speak the language anymore, unfortunately. It would have been much more enjoyable if I did.
It was amazing people how much I remembered and how accurately. I think it's because I haven't been there since I was a child, so it's a bit of frozen in a timecapsule in my memory.
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I'm sorry that your grandfather is ill. :(
Liking the image of memories as a time capsule. I've got an image now of tiny Tylenol-type capsules and the beads are your memories...
I think all the photos as a whole tell a good story!
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As much as possible, I kept ducking into my copy of Nerd Do Well. It was enormously overwhelming.
I like your imagery of the pill capsules, by the way. It's like something out of a modern fairytale. Almost Pratchett-esque.
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I learned a bit of basic Italian but that's it. Lol, your descriptions of them...they definitely sound like a passionate and robust bunch. Least it wasn't boring? :)
Aw, if I went to visit my parent's home country, which is China, I'd need a translator. Srsly. I'd probably be miserable half the time because the Chinese are not shy about expressing opinions to their own. It's just, I'd rather learn how to speak Italian, German or French.
My image was inspired by yours! I was wondering which Pratchett you were thinking of, most likely Terry. But I looked up Ann Pratchett and ended up reading the synopsis of her book The Magician's Assistant and now MUST get that book.
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