Seeing as it is coming up to our nine month anniversary and it remains one of, if not THE most fulfilling relationship I’ve ever experienced (sorry to any of my exes who read this), I thought I better dedicate my first ever post to my lover: Italia. Like any serious relationship, our history together can be retraced through Facebook posts:
29th October 2011
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ITALIA!!!!!! 6 months ago today we began a wonderful adventure together and although we’ve had our ups and downs, I can’t express how much this time together has meant to me and how much I love you baby!! There’s been some tears, some fears and some broken hearts but we’ve battled through and I have found so much love here with you!!!!! Can’t wait to see what our future together will bring!! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥15 likes and 2 comments
29th November 2011
I’M ENGAGED!!! Yep, me and my lover Italia are making things official!!! Paperwork is submitted for me to become an Italian citizen!!!! The wedding will be the day I receive my Italian passport!!! ♥ ♥ ♥31 likes and 28 comments
(DEFINITELY my post popular Facebook post to date)
I had so many private inbox emails congratulating me on my engagement; it got to the point where I had to print a retraction:
28th December 2011
Cheers for all the congratulations messages I’ve been receiving about my engagement but just to set the record straight I’M NOT GETTING MARRIED I’m just becoming an Italian citizen. But feel free to still send me wedding presents when I get my passport: money is good!!!!
Some people still think I’m engaged. My mum last week had to break the news to some family friends that I’d only applied for an Italian passport (My grandfather is Italian and I can claim citizenship through him), not shacked up with an Italian Stallion.
But things haven’t always been so hunky-dory with Italia. About a month ago I was in a big black hole of EPIC HOMESICKNESS-NESS and was seriously considering leaving my lover and jumping on a plane back to Australia. Then I wrote a list because that is just what I do.
WHY I AM SO HOMESICK (not in order of relevance)
1) The time – it is normal to miss home, family and friends after 8 months away.
2) First Christmas and New Years’ Eve spent away from family and friends.
3) I didn’t get to celebrate Christmas nor New Year’s Eve.
4) Until now I have been SO BUSY (meeting new people, going new places, working, learning a new language etc) that I haven’t had time to THINK about Australia and everything and everyone I was missing.
5) My mum came to visit, gave me a taste of what I was missing and then pissed off again.
6) I ACTUALLY AM IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH ITALY!!! OR AT LEAST MY BRAIN THINKS I AM!
As the sixth point dawned on me, suddenly all the pieces of the puzzle fit together and I had a STARTLING REALISATION.
When was it, I thought, that I began seriously missing certain foods???? Having insane cravings for porridge? Missing people so badly it felt like it physically hurt? Daydreaming of Australian summers at the beach, of barbeques and beer at my favourite pub? Crying hysterically on Skype when I saw my friend’s face or my cat? Freaking out about my two best friends being engaged; comparing my life to theirs; and wondering… WHERE IS THIS GOING WITH ITALIA!?? Is this what I really want? Is Italia really suitable for me with it’s political, social and economic problems? Do we really have a future together?
The answer: all the problems, the doubts, everything began shortly after our 6 month anniversary. Me and Italia had indeed reached THE DREADED 6 MONTH CURSE and now that we were at 8 months we were truly reaching crisis point. The honeymoon period was OVER. The loved up chemicals that originally made my new lover seem perfect in every instance were now waning. The rose-coloured love goggles (cross between rose-coloured glasses and beer goggles = same effect) had been removed.
But this realisation was what saved our relationship. Now that I understood why I was feeling so homesick; why I constantly needed to REMIND myself NOT to take Italia for granted and instead remember why I loved him; everything was easier.
ITALIA : I no longer need to remind myself of how I first fell in love with you nor why I am still here. I know that whatever THIS is, it is worth fighting for and wherever it is going, IT ISN’T OVER YET!!!!
(Goodness, I am such a romantic, but isn’t that a freaking GREAT line? I should be writing for Days of Our Lives!!)
Allora Adventures 