Progress . . . Finally

I've now been back in Naples almost 3 weeks and am finally beginning to feel more comfortable in this crazy, crowded, unpredictable town. As many of you know, I struggled a bit with culture shock when I was here in the spring. Moving to another country is a lot to get used to, especially when you don't speak the language or understand the culture. Not only did the way of life feel very foreign to me, the way Naples operates is much different than the approach I was used to. If you always feel you need to have things organized, have a plan for each day or if you feel out-of-place in such a vocal, in-your-face society, Naples is not necessarily the place you'd feel comfortable living.

Well, the above would describe the Andrea of, say, one year to a tee! Some could argue I was too organized and efficient, forever a slave to my calendar and commitments. One year later, I can proudly say that I've made definite progress towards breaking that mold and learning to survive in a completely new environment. In the past week especially, I finally feel like I have come to feel more "at home" (as much as possible, I suppose!) here in Italy. I am slowly learning to appreciate the Naples and its culture for all it offers, I feel I can better communicate with the people, and I realize I can operate without things perfectly planned out and packaged. Let's face it, Naples is a different world from Washington, D.C. (or even Oklahoma), so I need to learn to deal with it or leave!

Part of this progress is due (finally!) to some career opportunities coming into view. As many of you know, my boyfriend works at a hostel in Naples (where I stayed when I was travelling last fall). I am now the newest staff member! I have been training over the past week and will start work on Sunday. Another very promising turn of events: I did my first tour of Naples today for a group of Americans. It seems that there is a lot of opportunity for private English-speaking tours, especially with all the cruise ships docking at the port. I am looking into how I can try to make this into a business. I think it could provide pretty decent money and it has been fun to learn more about the city and its history! And in the fall, I can always return wholly or partially to teaching English, if I choose.