MY DREAM LIST IN ITALY

(Position DOES NOT determine degree of importance, I just jotted down whichever came first to mind)

Meet/visit/go out with/see my Italian/European friends (some I have not seen for ages, some I have just met, some I have never met but have known for years through correspondence—friendships can happen in so many ways after all). *

Meet Gianluca Pagliuca and thank him personally for planting a seed of passion for Italy in my heart, in the first place, which eventually grew stronger day by day. *****

Lick gelati italiani and baci Perugina to my heart’s content, without getting fat cos I’ll be walking around a lot. *

Watch the live concert of Neri per Caso and sing OFF stage with them (used to be ***, but now * thanks to Mario)

Go to the Trevi Fountain and throw three coins there. One, to come back again, two, for a beautiful romance, and three… for a live happily everafter, or whatever… ****

Have a one-lap riding with Valentino Rossi *****

Learn to dance Tarantella and eat Cazu Marzu in the South **

Spending night in one of the trulli di alberobello, feeling like Snow White **

Watch Rigoletto or La Boheme in Piccolo Teatro Campopisano Genoa, and have a nice passeggiata in Bogliasco **

Be a valedictorian at the end of the academic year, and make my Italian teachers proud of me—which also means that by that time I’ll be speaking Italian without having to think first and will never again feel frustrated of not being able to express myself freely in that most beautiful language in the world! ***

Visiting Cremona to see the violins and revive my passion in it (that I have to suppress now due to lacking of time)—not yet sure if I’ll take mine there, though… 20 kgs only! *

Take a gondola and enjoy a nice evening in Venezia under the stars and moonlight, with a sweet guy singing one of Patrizio Buanne’s songs for me… come prima, più di prima, t'amerò ****

Watch derby della madonnina in Giuseppe Meazza stadium, wearing Inter’s shirt and feeling like a true tifosa. Yea, FORZA INTER!! *

Visit Appiano Gentile and ask Marco Materazzi about what he really said to Zidane that got him a famous head-butt, and oh… take a picture with Javier Zanetti and Jose Mourinho! ***

Stop being shy and be more ‘aperta’ like the Italians…be a talkative person, talk to each one of them and absorb as many Italian vocabs as my brains can hold (without really breaking ‘em). ***

Get some mimosa and feel special on the woman’s day (ohh shoot! I’ll be there after 9 March, unfortunately) ****

Learn the art of ‘being elegante all the time’ and ‘cooking like Italian moms’ ***

See the snow (for the first time in my life!) falling slowly from the skies like flakes of cottons…ROMANTIC!!!!!!!

And the list can go on and on as I dream away… (which is my full-time job right now!)…ooh, la vita è veramente bella!

*Definitely will be done and I can’t wait to do so! (oohhh… 5 more months to go!)
** Might or might not come true, depends on how much time and money I’ll have
*** Needs a lot of work but still possible to achieve
**** I know… I know….I sound cheesy and corny, but that’s me!
***** Yea, right… who do you think you are? Wake up, dreamer!