IT - San Giovanni

Via Sannio in Rome is close to the Basilic of San Giovanni in Laterano. I call this place "le Souk de Rome" as for me it looks like the bazaar in Marocco. Alleys covered by plastic sheets, 10 sqm stands, heaps of clothes, everything from 50 cts to 40eur, brands - second hand and imitations, FORZA FORZA!!! or guys telling you they have surely something right for you...
I could just not determine if all this was legal or not.

- The "entrance" on the street, San Giovanni in Laterano in the background -

- Saturday end of the day, plastic sheets protection from rain and sun -

- My favorite angle, the costume shop -

- To be compared, Marrakech -

Le JT italien par les Inconnus

smile it's the week-end :)
Ehh è la vita che posso fare...

IT - L'Aquila

Rome, 18.01.2010

Late Saturday - Sunday we went off to L'Aquila. You probably remember this name from the 2009 earthquake. L'Aquila is not really far from Rome, about 1h30 by car. As a church and youth group we have connections with the local church in l'Aquila and it was planned that we go there to help them. However... the plans changed... the week-end was cancelled at the last minute. But in the same call that informed me that the we were not going, they told me we were still going (informally) :) You'd better be flexible! And so am I! Eight of us kept the schedule and distributed about 300 books in a commercial center in l'Aquila. You can download it here (libri >> R.I.P riposono in pace) or ask me if you want to have a copy (we still have dozens of them in Dragona :) I was amazed how quickly they went away!

So many things in l'Aquila recall you the earthquake. Work in progress everywhere, ruins, tents on the streets, entire buildings closed waiting for rehabilitation, brand new buildings, cracks, wooden huts...

Then for dinner we couldn't miss the arrosticini these sheep meat brochette typical from the Abbruzzo region. At the end of the dinner everyone is counting its sticks to know how much he is going to pay :) and plates look like a giant mikado as in total we ate 180 arrosticini in 8.



Finally we slept well but short in Isola del Gran Sasso, the village we were staying overnight. 50 years ago at this place was build the house what was going to be the centre of many camps and activities focusing on the Scriptures (the Bible). http://www.ibeisola.com/storia.htm.


On Sunday we went back to l'Aquila for the Sunday worship in a wooden hut on a supermarket parking. Yes, the church's building was in the city center and was damaged during the earthquake so the municipality is lending this room for association use. And ultimately before coming back in Rome we had an iceskating session... I was so happy :D as I was not expecting anymore to go iceskating this winter!

all in all a really nice week-end!
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Luca Salzarulo

In Rome I'm hanging out a lot with artists :D don't ask me why?! I don't know... well maybe I know but can't tell you :x ... they just are great friends! So I wanted to start a post series with artist interviews and presentations but I'm not ready yet. However there is someone who cannot wait I push myself to do the exercise...

Luca is participating for the first time in an exhibition from Jan 23 to Feb 5, it is exactly the right opportunity to start helping him a little bit. So the interview might be published later and in the meantime spread the word:

Luca Salzarulo is having one of his paintings displayed in an art gallery located close to the Colosseo.

Obama. Uno sguardo al futuro
Via Ostilia 41, 00184 Rome
from Jan 23 to Feb 5

As it would be encouraging for him to show up, I was thinking to after work one these evenings. I asked him to brief me on Sunday so I can tell you the whole story behind this painting and the series it belongs to. And if you are curious check the following links:

link to the event: http://57.exibart.com/profilo/eventiV2.asp?idelemento=85428
link to his profile (Luca Salzarulo) on an online gallery: http://www.semisolid.net/a235-d1-LucaSalzarulo.php

How did I know there were playing calcio tonight?

1. At 7pm people too many people were rushing at the station to go home
2. I can hear men screaming in my building
3. It is enough to understand some important soccer game is going on!
   

ps: calcio = soccer in italian

Haïti some interesting links

News feed on the Haïti operation by WFP on the public website, including relevant links to other sources of information:
http://www.wfp.org/stories/latest-haiti-operation

"Clusters can be activated in response to "sudden major new emergency requiring a multi sectoral response with the participation of a wide range of humanitarian actors" as well as during ongoing emergencies." Nine Clusters were agreed with a lead agency for each. WFP is the lead agency for Logistics Cluster. And this is the link of the Haïti webpage of the cluster, centralizing all important documents for the ongoing operation (maps, pictures, templates, contact lists, updates, minutes, schedules...):

http://www.logisticscluster.org/ops/hti10a

Logistics daily update of situation on the ground, mainly AIR/ROAD/PORT situation (by WFP Logistics):
http://wfplogistics.org/haiti-earthquake-2010

Haïti Earthquake Flash Appeal 2010 (comparable to a "business plan", defining the needs - the solutions - the funds required - the work repartition between organizations ...)
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/SODA-7ZQPUC?OpenDocument

IT - I am the one

Picture taken by AC on our way to Perugia.

:D

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IT - La meglio gioventù

23rd december 2009, I'm facing a 3hours flight delay in Roma Fiumicino. It's just painful to be stuck in an airport terminal all afternoon when the sun is shining outside! But I don't complain, because (1) my flight was not cancelled (2) I had no connecting flight (3) I never experienced such delays and nothing compares to these days when people have to sleep on the terminal's ground.

And... I had a few DVDs in my hand luggage! including the 6 hours movie "La meglio gioventù" (in english "The Best of Youth"). I like this film. I first saw an extract (Giulia plays the piano in Florence for those who know the story) while I was learning italian. Then I borrowed the DVD with a friend of the italian course but because it is so long we stopped somewhere in the middle. This was in 2006. Three years later I finally bought the DVD after a Friday visit to the Feltrinelli bookshop and saved it for the Christmas holidays.

Now that I'm leaving in Rome and know better Italy it is even more meaningful! I like the beginning when the boys are students in Rome. Some things just haven't changed from the 70s!!! and make me smile :) the essence of Italy by italians. To make it short, it is the story of an italian family from the 60s to 2000. Crossing destinies based on the major events of a life and recent italian History- dreams, joy, death, a powerful mix!

The trailer (italian with french subtitles)

Nos meilleures années (bande-annonce)

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Haïti emergency: the first day

How did I learn about the emergency?

As for the earthquake in Abbruzzo, a colleague told me "Have you seen there was an earthquake in Haiti?" First reaction from my other colleagues was to know if everyone was safe (yes, we are like a family!). Then first official email from the chief of internal comunication confirming officially that we didn't loose any international staff. After the initial momentum, we receive situation emails (external situation point and logistics scorecard) as the hours go by, that will be progressively converted into daily reports. The most visible signs of agitation are the big bosses coming into the office because they need expert advice. Anyway a "taskforce" is set up and only selected people participate to it. Eventually staff will be deployed or are on their way. The response mechanisms and procedures are well established. They have the responsibility to coordinate the relief effort for all organizations responding to an emergency. While the others continue to take care of the daily business and ask "Are you going to Haiti?" "No, to Juba (Darfur)"


more info? check the RSS feed in the 2nd right column

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IT - La Befana

The 6th of January is a public holiday in Italy celebrating LA BEFANA. Interesting tradition I didn't know that before this year.

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" La Befana « La Befana vien di notte / con le scarpe tutte rotte / col cappello alla romana / viva viva la Befana » (La Befana vient la nuit / avec de vilains sabots / avec un drôle de chapeau / disons—lui un grand merci). Tous les Italiens connaissent cette comptine. La Befana serait apparue à l’époque des Rois Mages. Sorte de père Noël au féminin, cette vieille femme à l'aspect débonnaire est représentée enfourchant un balai, courbée sous le poids d'un grand sac rempli de cadeaux. Le soir du 5 janvier, comme le veut la tradition, les enfants déposent près de la cheminée une chaussette que la Befana viendra remplir durant la nuit. Le lendemain matin, jour de l'Épiphanie, les enfant qui ont été sages découvrent dans leur chaussette des cadeaux et des friandises tandis que celle des garnements est remplie de charbon (aujourd'hui remplacé par du sucre noir). " in Larousse dictionnaire

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The figures dictature

but somewhat true...

"When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it... [otherwise] your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind: it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely advanced to the stage of science." (Lord kelvin, 1824-1907)

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Happy New Year?!

New year in the Netherlands looks like this.....






and this is what technically saved our night...


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2009 Games review

These are two new games I bought lately.

COLORETTO **

Original idea of family building with negative points. A mix of chance and strategy. Only drawback the points are usually tight around 30 except if you are really lucky.

QUIXO ***

Quixo is Gigamic game and to be honest this editor is one of favorite. From the same serie I also have Quarto. Ok, I like them because you need to use your brain and they are not boring even though the rounds are quick. Quixo can be played in two or four what becomes quite complex as you have to guess your partner's strategy (you cannot talk)!

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The 13 conditions before I settle down in Italy

I must be able to

1. drink a caffè normale without sugar
2. cook with a gas owen without thermostat
3. roll one's R's
   
4. describe the beauty of the simpliest pasta
5. accept that my husband's mother calls everyday her beloved son or vice versa
   
6. have long straight hair
   
7. pay my rent cash
8. drive in Rome safely
   
9. feel that I need to leave the country because of its poor economic situation
   
10. cajole the ticket inspector because I'm travelling without a valid ticket
11. be welcomed with open arms when I just left for 10 days
12. master the entire body language = follow a conversation without sound
13. find a platonic protector
    

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Meilleurs voeux pour toute la vie
Comme ça c'est fait une fois pour toutes.

Le tour du chat en 365 jours (2006)
Citation de Philippe Geluk

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