Hot, Hot, Hot

The temperature in Naples has been sizzling lately! At one point last week, the temperature at 9:00p.m. was in the 90s. Although Naples is sunny and beautiful, it is almost unbearable to be outside for any length of time. And you can't just jump into an air-conditioned car and drive to the nearest air-conditioned mall. In fact, it would be presumptuous to assume that a someone has air-conditioning - shops, retaurants, wherever. I feel so fortunate to have a little air-conditioner in the apartment! Unfortunately, I have become terribly lazy, not wanting to go out for any length of time and not having much to do to entertain myself indoors. I am looking forward to the weather cooling off even a few degrees so as to allow me to enjoy the last few days of summer.

Job Stuff

For those of you on the edges of your seats to find out what I'll do next (ha!), I have decided that, at least for this school year, I will continue to teach English as a Foreign Language here in Naples. Beginning in September, I have two teaching positions, one at an international elementary school and another at the private school (for adults) where I worked last spring. At the latter, I will be taking on some office management and advertising responsibilities in addition to teaching some classes. This will give me a 7-hour day with a 3-hour break for lunch in the middle. I may choose to supplement with a few private lessons.

Although I have enjoyed working at the hostel this month, I believe for the long-term that teaching is the better. Not only is teaching more lucrative but it also promises some good experience (especially where I will be doing office management). Plus, a 14-hour night shift at the hostel doesn't necessarily fit with my sleep schedule and, with my boyfriend doing the same shift, I just think it is better for me to work at the hostel on a more irregular basis.

I am still exploring other business opportunities in my spare time and things are looking good to help my boss at the private school with a few weddings (his side business) coming up!

Vacation Month in Italy

Unlike most other countries where people vary their vacation times throughout the year, almost all Italians take their vacations in August. As early as the end of July, I started seeing shops closing up and people heading for the train station or port.

"Vacation month" culminates in the Catholic celebration of Ferragosto (Assumption Day) on August 15th. I have been warned to do my grocery shopping early and just plan to stay at home since Naples will apparently resemble a ghost town on this sacred holiday. Even in the weeks to come, the city will remain at half capacity and many shops and restaurants will simply be boarded up with a sign stating their reopening in September. For an American, who is used to a capitalist society where you find most places open even on our most celebrated holidays, it is a bit of a shock to me.

The fun-loving, free spirit in me admires the Italians for taken their vacations so seriously. I've often lamented that part of source of many Americans' unhappiness and discontent is our inability to take time off, have fun and relax. Well, having seen it firsthand, one thing Italians do like clockwork is take breaks (a long "siesta" lunch every afternoon, not working on the sabbath, and, of course, the vacation month of August.

The more practical, business-minded side of me, however, yearns to explain to these Italian business-owners what income they are losing by closing shop. Especially in the midst of tourist season, it amazes me that so few Italians want to capitalize on it!

Nevertheless, for the next few weeks, I will be one of the few "working" people in Naples and will welcome a slightly quieter and less-crowded Naples.

Harry Potter Mania

I am a huge fan of Harry Potter (the books, the movies, everything). I have been known to even read the same books several times, and my boyfriend know that if I had the chance, I may just leave him for the actor who plays Harry Potter!

In all seriousness, I was concerned that when the seventh and final book of the series was released on July 21st, I may have trouble getting a copy here in Italy. Luckily, the local chain bookstore did pre-ordering and had a stack of books just a few days after their release. So, I have been sitting around for a few hours each day immersed in my beloved fairytale.

Still trying to get onto one of the Navy bases to see the new movie in English!

Church Search

I was very active in my church in Washington, D.C. (National Community Church) and considered myself very blessed to find a church that I felt matched personality and spiritual needs. That is not always easy to find, especially if one is as picky as me in that regard!

Well, a change in location obviously means that the church search recommences. I guiltily admit that, until recently, I have not been diligent in trying to find a new church home. And I am fully aware that this could be part of the reason that I struggled quite a bit in my first few months here. Since there is no reason to linger over past mistakes, I recognize my fault and am moving forward.

There are a handful of English-speaking churches in the Naples area. One is Anglican (Church of England) that I visited in April right before I came back to the U.S. for the summer. It had a ton of great people (English and American) but it just wasn't exactly my style. Now that I am back in Naples again and feeling the need to find a new church home, I tried one of the churches affiliated with the U.S. military (there are two U.S. Navy bases outside the city) today. It was quite difficult to get to (not accesible by public transportation) and, anyway, wasn't exactly a place I'd feel comfortable.

Next week the search will continue. The number of remaining English churches is dwindling, and they are all outside of the city (mainly for military people close to base), but I am hoping that I may be able to find something that feels like home and is not a nightmare to find! Otherwise, I may have to go back to the Anglican church (in town) or rely on podcasts from NCC!

Life at a Hostel

I realize that (although I cannot even count the number of hostels I have stayed in over the years) many of you have never experienced life in a hostel or backpacker's inn. I'll give you a brief introduction and explain a little about my job at one:

There are many different kinds of hostels and each is unique, but they, basically, provide a cheap bed in a dormitory-style room for backpackers and other travellers. The hostel where I work (Hostel of the Sun) is particularly nice, having been ranked Hostelworld's second best hostel in 2006. We provide a kitchen, nice breakfast, free internet, DVDs and international television, plus the staff is very helpful (if I do say so myself!) at helping people plan their stay in the Naples area. It is colorful, lively and fun; we cook pasta once a week for a free meal and take large groups to a famous pizzeria in town. Even if someone is travelling alone, it is easy to meet other travellers and develop instant friendships with people from all over the world! Many hostels, including HOTS, also have relatively inexpensive private rooms for rent.

Since August is the month when almost all of Italy goes on vacation but tourists flood the towns, I am working a lot. I do the night shift, which lasts from 6:30pm to 8:30am (but I get a few hours of sleep between maybe 1am and 6am). I am having a lot of fun with it so far! As I said, you meet people from all over the world and just help them enjoy their time in Naples. I get to explain to them about the city and its top sights and help them organize trips to Capri, Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii and other tourist destinations around Naples. Luckily, at the moment, I don't have a whole lot I have to do during the day, so I can catch up on sleep a bit at home.

I am not sure how long I will work here, but it is entertaining and helping pay the rent for the moment!