la vita d'italiana

I don’t really have one thing in particular to discuss this time, but rather several random things, so excuse the flow of this blog. 

I’ve been sick for the past couple days, and am feeling slightly better today, but still not 100%. I went to the doctor yesterday, which was my first time to visit a general physician here. With my Italian insurance, I have one particular doctor assigned to me. I’m still not entirely confident in his intelligence, as on the phone he reminded Paolo that vomiting was normal in the first couple months of pregnancy, after Paolo had said that I was in my eighth month. Anyways, it was a strange office. The doctor was the only one there, and had little more than an old fashioned doctor’s bag with a stethoscope, etc., inside. He did speak some English though, so that was nice. I’m not really good enough yet to explain symptoms in Italian. Not exactly the Rosetta Stone vocab that I’ve learned. He concluded that I just had a virus, and there wasn’t much to do, so that was fairly pointless, but at least I did what I could.

I had been to the baby doctor the day before, so it’s been a week of doctors. Everything was good, except apparently the baby has an unusually large head. Not great news for me.. hopefully that will slow down in the next few weeks as his body catches up. I have gained between 20-22 pounds so far, and the doctor told me that was enough. What?? In the US, they say to gain between 25-35, so I thought I was doing ok. But she told me to eat no bread, no sugar, etc. Yeah, right. We’ll see. Of course I don’t want to gain too much, but come on. It took me forever to gain anything; I could hide my pregnancy until 6 months. But in the last month, I really popped. I think it should slow down now.. hopefully. I am trying to cut back and eat better so I don’t continue to gain at such a rapid pace, but I think any diet that cuts out entire food groups is stupid. She said the only sugar I should eat was with fruit, and I should only eat two fruits per day. Sorry, but that goes against everything I’ve ever heard. I’m fairly certain that one can eat as many fruits and vegetables as they want. Italians..

Speaking of Italians, let’s discuss bus strikes. Or train or plane strikes. Everyone strikes regularly here. This is incredibly inconvenient. It’s scheduled, so you know it’s coming, but then at certain hours, the buses still run, because during the hours people come and go from work, transportation is guaranteed by law. But this creates mass chaos, because those buses are so packed you can hardly breathe. I made the mistake of taking one the other day, and really wished I’d just walked home. It’s about a 25 minute walk from my apartment to the city center, which isn’t bad in this weather, but after a day of the doctor, class, and shopping, I was ready to just be home. The bus was 30 minutes late, and disgustingly packed. I was yelled at by an old woman for not getting off quickly enough because I couldn’t get through the hoard of people. Old women are the worst here, though, so that’s whatever. Today the buses were supposedly on regular schedule, but I was late to my class because the bus came ten minutes late, with two in a row. It’s so stupid. It’s as though they just go whenever they feel the need. Inevitably, there end up being two buses in a row, which is so inefficient.

And yes, I have started an Italian class finally. It’s nice; finally learning with other people on my level. The teacher actually told me the first day that I was doing really well for only being here two months. Which is a nice change from what certain other people expect from me. The funny thing about my class is that I stick out like a sore thumb. It’s a free class, so most of the people there are immigrants looking for work. Half the class is from Ukraine, and the other half from north Africa. And then me. We’ve had a different teacher each day so far, so as soon as they hear my name, I get to answer 1000 questions. Obviously, not many Americans make it to Pavia, much less take this class. I feel like an exhibit in a zoo most of the time.

By the way, I found out at my doctor’s visit that I CAN have epidural!!! This makes me feel so much better, especially if his head stays disproportionally large. I had kind of gotten used to the idea of delivering naturally, to have the experience and say that I’ve done it. But let’s be honest, if I can get the epidural, I’ll take it. I have a very low pain tolerance, and I don’t buy into this “drugging your baby” stuff. I think childbirth can’t be that enjoyable for baby either, so he probably doesn’t mind a little epidural either.

I’m getting really anxious to have this baby already!! It’s not long now, which is crazy, but I’m tired of being pregnant. I’m finally sleeping better, and my back pain has somehow subsided somewhat. Paolo would probably say the worst part is my hormones, because I’m really crazy sometimes (probably because I can't eat sugar anymore). Occasionally, I get so angry over something and then realize halfway through that it’s no big deal, but I can’t back down because I’ve already taken my stance. I feel so irrational. You people in America are lucky to be far away. If I was still working in a restaurant, I would’ve probably murdered a customer by now. Count your blessings, Maestro 2300 peeps.

Last random thought: I really want a new haircut. Can I pull off bangs? I probably will do it anyways even if people say no, but if you have a better idea, let me know. I want some layers, and chunky bangs. I need change. And I’m scared of doing it here, but it’s time to bite the bullet, and to make sure I say the right thing.

Ciao for now,

Kathleen