Goodbye 2010

2010.

January:

Exams and not much more. I really started baking a lot, I think I found real passion in it.

February:

A fantastic trip to Berlin with my friends. My nephew was born and I love him.

March:

Roberto moved and went living on his own. The house ended p being a mess: cold, slimy and smelly. After just 3 months he was back living with his parents. He was extremely right, that wasn't a place where one could live, but it was a disappointment for both of us.

April:


We celebrated Easter, baked muffins and made my first meringues. (Actually, I don't remember much of April -.-)

May:

I started working in the Hotel. My first real job ever.

June:

Lots of exams, a lot to do at work and alitle bit of time for ourselves.

July:

Lots of rides on our bikes on the wonderful bycisle path along the seaside. We visited a small town where R's father comes from several times and decided that that would be a perfect place to live, if we decided that we'll stay in Italy. (I don't think we'll stay actually ^^).

August:

Wasn't the best month. I felt tired and really wanted to have a break. I was working and studying and I also had to go to work which was far away from here, every day. Fortunately September was approaching..
Roberto and I celebrated our 3 years together!

September:

Roberto and I left for a not-so-much organised trip around Europe. It was the best experience ever. If I loved traveling before, now I love it even more. If I loved Holland before, now I feel it's my place.
I had more exams, but passed them with good marks.

October:

I started studying and loving bread more and more. Got quite addicted to it. I love knowing every variety of bread exists in the whole world. I love trying out new recipes, different kinds of flour, yeast and combination of ingredients. But most of all I love smelling the bread when it's baking in the oven, I love the sound of a crispy crust and the softness of the crumbs. (Ok, this was an Ode to Bread ^^)
We celebrated my mum's birthday, we had so much fun, a lot of people came to celebrate with us.

November:

I had a difficult time because of the distance between Roberto and I. I always have some difficulties seeing each other only once a week. We want to do so many funny things together that we're overwhelmed by thing we've to do and want to do.
We went for long walks in the park, met a new friend (the squirrel!) and I studied lots and lots for a very hard exam. And I passed the exam.
Miele, my cat, didn't come back home. I am not over it, I still can't believe it and am still watching around if I see her everytime I walk out of the door. I follow cats in the woods if I think they look like her and simply cannot believe I won't see her pretty face ever again.
I went to a concert of Lady Gaga, I wouldn't have ever thought it'd be such a great show.

December:

Roberto and I celebrated Sinterklaas toghether for the fisrt time, it was fun.
My birthday was better than that of a year ago. My parents were around and stayed home without doing anything special. I baked of course. A lot.
My brother came back from Holland I had the chance to see him and my nephew again. Christmas was with my parents and my brother's family.
New year's Eve will be just Roberto and me eating a pizza, enjoying firework and wishing 2011 will be the year when we'll finally have the cahnce to start our lives together, travel a lot and maybe move to Holland. Oh, and graduate. Keep your fingers crossed.

I always think I never do enough to enjoy my live, I feel as if I were a couchpatato, just hanging around and doing nothing every day. But when I have the chance, like now, of writing down what I've done and experience in this year I am quite satisfied. 2010 has been a stupid year, but I also had so many nice things happening around me.

I think the review of next year will be more accurate, thanks to the 365 project, if I'll finish it.
I wish you a wonderful start of this new year.

Juliette

Sinterklaas is coming to town

Hello! December is here, Welcome!!

As I told you last week, this year I am going to celebrate Sinterklaas with Roberto for the first time. It has been a family tradition since I was born, and it will continue being it.
Although I have much to read and study I find the time to write the poems that will go with the presents, organize the treasure hunts and get every other thing done (making puzzles that R will have to do before opening his gift, looking for recipes of the traditional sweets, and so on).
I am so happy and I am feeling the day coming nearer almost as if I were a child.

This is the reason I didn't write yesterday. There was also another reason, a more important one. I attended a demonstration against the University Bill that parliament had to debate yesterday. It's a complete mess and Italian University is nearing its end. But I don't want to talk too much about this in my blog. You all live in other countries and this is a blog about my free time, my passions, so I won't bother you too much.

Here are a few photos of these days. Wrapping, writing, making bows..

Sinterklaas

He comes every year, and this year he will come too. On the 5th of December he will bring us gifts, but that's not the important part. The atmophere which my family has always created, the warmth, the love, everything is just perfect on that evening. And the month passed writing poems and wrapping gifts is totally worth it.


This year unfortunately my parents decided they didn't want to celebrate it anymore. I felt horrible, because it's the one day I love, the one da that I wait for for the whole year, the one day that I feel home and loved like nothing could ever go wrong.
You know when you keep one small thing as if you were a child, because it's comforting, nice, and makes you happy.
But they don't know what to give, what to do, and.. the other families have stopped celebrating it when the children were 12.
Sorry but I don't give a damn about what other families did, didn't you teach me not to give a damn?


Roberto and I decided that this would be our first year celebrating it together. He never celebrated it before and it so difficult to explain the traditions, the feelings to someone who hasn't felt it since he was a child. Fortunately he celebrated Christmas, and the two festivities obvioulsy have someting in common.

When I think of Sinterklaas I think of songs sung at evening before going to bed to put you shoe under the with a carrot for the horse in it.
The day after find sweets instead of the carrots.
Hearing Sinterklaas walking around the house and thinking that he's hearing you sing.
Waiting for that day more and more, being full of hope.
The happiness I felt when I woke up because I was sure I would find something in my shoe.
Unwrapping the gifts not before having read the poem which "he" had written (it seemed he actually did know what I did most time of my life!haha).
Eating Spekulaas from the Netherlands and the Letter of Chocolate.




I have so many memories. I think only good ones. This was the best day in my year, and now I will have to built it anew, recreate it, with someone else. I am pretty sad about it, even if a love celebrating it with Roberto. We are not in "our" home, we haven't got the time to see eachother and decorate the house, I won't put the shoe under the fireplace. But it's going to be special. I am sure.

I am sorry if the images are small, but the first ones are my favourite from a book of my childhood. For the sources click on the image.
Juliette