Italy!

It's late afternoon the day before I leave Italy for Seattle and I find myself with a charged computer, a cold diet coke, and
some free time while Josiah is in rehearsal--seems like the perfect opportunity to do a little journaling about my time here
in Italy, since when I get back I know I will have to hit the ground running and return to my parental role full-time. 
So here goes...

Day 1 and 2:  Reggio Emilia, where Josiah is attending his theatre classes, is a "small" town of about 180,000.  It's right
in the thick of things, and you can easily get to Parma, Bologna, Pisa, Florence, Venice, and more in 3 hours or less.
The first couple days I stick to Reggio Emilia. I'm still recovering from Jet Leg, as well as trying to adjust to the fact
that I have hours to myself while Josiah is in class.  There is no one to interrupt my thoughts, no one who is dependent on
me to have their needs met, no one who needs to be fed.  There is just...ME!  I do not remember the last time I have had an
entire day to myself.  It takes me a few hours to wrap my head around this new state of being and stop feeling guilty for
beginning to enjoy this time away from my doting children, but after I let go of the mommy-guilt I find this new-found
independence to be GLORIOUS! (cue angels singing)  

I drink Cappuccinos in cafes and read books.  I peruse bakeries, grocery stores, and shops at my leisure.  I play paparazzi
during Josiah's outdoor rehearsal in the park and get the following pictures:

Each evening, one half of Josiah's class does a performance for the other half of the class, which I am allowed to attend. 
It's so fun to see what they are doing, albeit a little confusing.  The 30 students in the class are from all over the world,
and during the performance, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, and English are spoken.  Thankfully for everyone, Commedia is
an extremely physical style of comedy, which translates well between cultures.  Because guess what?  Jokes about passing gas,
falling on your face, sexual humor, and mistaken identities are apparently funny all over the world!

I won't go in to a description of Commedia too much, but in order to understand the pictures, there are a couple things you
should know.  In commedia, the actors play different characters which have been honed over hundreds of years.  In order to
indicate these characters, many of the actors wear masks and walk and talk in a very specific, stylized manner.  All of the
zanni, or servants, also carry a "slapstick" (yes, this is where the term "slapstick comedy" comes from) which is used to
make a loud slapping noise when they want to "hit" another person--which happens quite often in Commedia. 

On the second evening, Antonio Fava (the teacher) and his theatre troupe have a special community performance of a Commedia
Del'arte play.  Even though I don't speak a lick of Italian, I am able to understand much of the play, and enjoy the
experience thoroughly.