Capodanno (head of the year)

AS DAYS GO IN ITALY this is by far the most quiet one. No one is out on the streets and the office is barely half full. I got a lift from a friend to work this morning and we drove through beautiful yet deserted areas and suburbs to get here. I couldn't quite shake the notion that someone had dropped the bomb over Rome and forgot to tell us about it. At the office people are biding their time, waiting for the announcement that we can go home early (on Christmas eve people were sent home at two so we're keeping our fingers crossed for the same deal today). Not much to tell really.

I've been here for over three months now and it's sufficient to say that I'm a bit.. disenchanted by the whole experience by now. I still like Rome, I still like the culture (even though there is plenty of room for improvement in several areas) but my duties at work are something else. Living here stresses me because I know/delude myself into thinking that I could right now be somewhere else, pursuing other options (i.e. Getting A Real Job Earning Money) and having an easier time while doing it.

Sorry, don't mean to end the year on such a down note. I still have a lot to look forward to, and as you all know (I have been repeating it many times now with increasing fervour) things are going to pick up at work, thus making me a less of a dull boy.

I conclude by saying that I am very very very grateful for my family and friends, both new and old ones. Thank you mum, A and I for visiting me, thanks to C and S for showing up and treating me to nice food, thank you L for being in Rome right now (you're probably still sleeping in my bed you lazy..). Thank you E, V and M for your planned visits in early spring. Dad, A and S - I look forward to your visit!

Love you all and Happy New Year!

It's freezing!

It's freezing outside!

Last week mi madre and mia sorelle (my mum and sisters) visited me here in Rome for what turned out to be a camping trip a la Italy. We walked around the town and saw Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Capitoleum, Via del Corso, Fontana di Trevi, Piazza Spagna (the Spanish steps for you Anglophones), Piazza del Popolo, the Jewish Ghetto, Ostiense, Garbatella, plus miscellaneous streets. Don't let all the culture fool you, it was still a camping trip due to the outdoor temperature everywhere.

It's freezing indoors!

At my place we did what we do best at Christmas, which is eating Chinese food, eating Italian food, eating other foods, reading and drinking tea, loafing about, and talking. It was really nice.

It's freezing in the office!

My co-worker is wearing his jacket in front of his computer.
Back at work and there is still nothing much to do except to update myself on office gossip. It's a dirty job but someone has to do it..

Official Cheer goes Seasonal Cheer

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!

So many accomplishments to cheer for

My sisters have both passed their driver's test and are now proud owners of a driver's licence!

And on a smaller scale (but still important in my microcosmos): I plucked up the courage to ask my boss for a meeting to discuss my work plan and my future after the fellowship ends. He told me that he would recommend that I stay on as an consultant in the unit, budget permitting. Praise indeed! But all that lies ahead, in the far distant future in March. Until then it's up to me to work hard and keep my eye on the proverbial ball... The boss of the unit is also my new supervisor since Boss man Bing (my old supervisor) left. It's a bit intimidating but very good because it makes me less prone to goofyness when I know a serious Canadian is looking over my shoulder.

I'm very excited that my momma and sisters are coming next week! I'm praying with all my might for nice weather (that is, no rain).

It's all too dumb to be untrue

Hello there again, this is your despondent Rome correspondent with a weather update.

So far this week we've had two great thunder storms (Wednesday night and Thursday morning) and heavy showers that have left the city paralysed and flooded. Yesterday traffic stood still in many places and as usual no one arrived on time anywhere in the whole nation. UN staff were sent home early yesterday due to heavily congested roads, and were for the same reason given permission to arrive late for work this morning. Today the downpour continued and soon UN staff were reached by the news that Rome's river was overflowing, thus flooding lower parts of the city and accompanying countryside. People were sent home early. WFP HQ is not flooded or at risk, as of yet. Non-UN Italians were told not to bother showing up at work today at all. The general transport strike for today was cancelled due to the fact that nothing was working anyway.

I swear I'm no making this stuff up!
Ciao

Friends, Romans, Colleagues

I love my colleagues. Just when I think that my cold will get the better of me the help from the people around me at work gets me through the day. Despite my head and sinuses giving me grief I still remain in good spirits. At lunch today I learnt how to download books, where I can find the recipe for crystal meth and the latest events in corrupt Chicago politics. Riveting!

Excerpt from "User Reference Manual" on my desk

The Standard Project Report (SPR) is the principal means through which WFP informs its donors how resources for a given project were used and what results were obtained during during the reporting year. SPRs are prepared for all WFP activities (with the exception of bilateral projects), namely development, protracted relief and recovery, emergency and special operations. As a project report, rather than contribution-specific report, the document lays out the objectives of the project, the mode of implementation, the resources used for implementation and the results obtained by the project. The SPR also serves as an advocacy tool highlighting the success and challenges of WFP's operations. It is also a repository for key project data and thereby helps to maintain institutional memory.

This is what I'm going to be busy with, soon. I can hardly wait - I'm quite fed up with doing nooothing.

News

I woke up with a cold today and I blame the snaps. When I tried to leave home I realized that my flatmate had locked the door in some diabolical fashion from the outside - it took me 10 minutes to open the frigging door!! And the printers at work don't function properly and did I mention that my nose is running?

But all is good in the world despite immune systems under attack and unintentional incarcerations: L just confirmed that she's coming to Rome over New Year's, M just confirmed that she's coming to see me come end of January; yesterday I went to a pub quiz and I did not too shabby if I may say so myself (at least I wasn't kicked off the team)!

Ciao tuttti

Don't mind the spelling

I'm not sure what the correct spelling is- schnapps? schnaps? shnapps? Anyway, in Swedish it's snaps and that's the word I'll use in this blog. Why am I ranting on about snaps you ask? Well, my supervisor had a dinner last Friday for the staff in my unit to celebrate that the Blue Book was done on time and to say goodbye since he's moving to another department. The dinner consisted of massive amounts of Danish Christmas food and of course, snaps. And ooohhh myyy, drinking snaps is like asking for a kick in the head. It took me a sober weekend and basically 48 hours to get rid of the hangover, thanks!

The day after the party my flatmate moved in around ten in the morning. Needless to say I opened the door wrapped in a blanket, bleary-eyed and definitely under the weather. I had warned her though that I would be in a bad shape so I didn't make such a bad first impression as a roomie as you might think. At least, I hope not.

For those already moody you can skip this one

Oh oh. It's one of those days. It's going to be one of those posts on this blog: the disgruntled, impotently angry rant that argues round and round in circles without coming to a solution, or a close.
Today everything is more pointless than usual despite the clear cold beautiful weather and the obvious lack of major obstacles in life. Bored beyond belief I once again sit and stare at my computer screen, knowing that if I went on a three hour lunch break no one would really notice or care. Once again I hear that "things will speed up and we'll have a lot to do in January" and it still doesn't make the time pass any quicker. Today everything is bunch of blah blah blah and I can't really figure out how to turn things around.

I'll keep you posted if I find a cure for the Thursday blues..

Girly?

Is this blog girly? That's what a work mate of mine said anyway.
The boss of my unit just came in and asked where my supervisor was and I told the truth - that he had taken the day off to go to IKEA. Immediately when I saw my boss' reaction I realized that I should be more strategic with the truth; maybe omitting the whole IKEA business.. Yesterday I had more coffee and less water than usual, turning me into Speedy Tourettes Gonsalez to my coworkers chagrin. It seems like a mystery to me - how can I be so smart and yet be so dumb?

New look

I am messsing about with the layout of the blog. Please feel free to comment if you think it's harder to read this way.

Cheers

Pinch punch the first of the month

I had a really nice weekend, let me tell ya. Friday evening I said goodbye to C and S who had stayed with me, but before that we had greasy Chinese food (my favourite Chinese food)and lovely ice cream.
saturday I took a nice walk in the sunshine, went to IKEA with a colleague and his boyfriend (we sang along to Britney Spears in the car on the way there - my kind of fun!) and bought Swedish food and some random things for the flat. I went to a house party with friends, walked home in the middle of the night with said friends (we got home just before the HUGEST thunderstorm broke out). On Sunday the same friends and I went to an outlet outside of Rome where we found overpriced expensive stuff for a slightly reduced price. I bought a pair of jeans even though I'm basically broke. Last night the weather gods treated us to another fantastic storm which set all the doors in my flat banging all through the night.
Today it's hailing like you wouldn't believe and the work is slow.
Bye for now.

For all you Swedish speakers..

Jag var på IKEA i helgen och såg följande vackra ting.. Rödbetor, knäckebröd, julmust, dillchips, glögg, aladdinaskar, marabou mjölkchoklad, räkost, lax, delicatobollar, mazariner och kokkaffe.. Mina ögon tårades av glädje, och ner i korgen slank julknäckebröd, pepparkakor, julmust och chokladbollar - tröstmat att äta när suget efter det förlovade landet blir för stort.