ho hum

with friends at the dinner

Well that's it.  My baby is a graduate and my full-time parenting job is done.  Crap.  The ceremony was fine though it has been such a problematic year with Grace's class, the speeches were "interesting".  They were all about overcoming differences and hardships and coming out a better, stronger person etc etc.  A bunch of bull because the issues were never resolved.  Thankfully most of the kids are/were friendly and they are the one's who celebrated with all of us last night.  After the ceremony there was a dinner/party that I helped organize with 3 other moms.  The picture above is of our 4 girls.  It went off without too many hitches.  We did have one mom, (wealthy Italian), whose group came an hour late to the event and bitched because there wasn't a table for 5 just waiting for them.  We hadn't made seating arrangements as it was a buffet and we thought groups would mingle but alas the teachers all sat together, the Germans took one table, the Africans another, the Italians another and so on.  The kids were fine as they all went out on the terrace but the nationalities tended to stick together just as they do socially outside of school.  Anyway this woman had a hissy fit because we hadn't reserved a table for her group and said if we didn't accommodate them they wanted their money back.  I wanted to tell her to take her money and shove it but my more diplomatic friend and colleague did some maneuvering and found them space all together.  There was another bitchy fit from yet another spoiled non working rich wife which peeves me because none of these people offered to help organize in any way.  At least now that graduation has past I won't have to have anything to do with them.  Not being a classroom teacher has many advantages, one of which is not having to have contact with parents!  Ah well.  Time for bed.  I still have a month of school!  Sob.  xxoo me

When it gets to the point where we can live outside, our little apartment doubles.  Normally that's by the end of April, but this year Spring has been chilly and only now are we eating and sitting out for any length of time.  This is also the time of year when there's the greatest difference between here and Maine.  We are easily 2 months ahead and often three.  Spring here is wonderful.  If it weren't for the fact that we are winding down our full-time parenting as well.  Grace has just a few days til graduation and flies back to the States 2 days later.  She finished her final exams 10 days ago and spent last week with a friend in Sardinia.  Sunday we had a lunch with grandmother to celebrate.  I came home and slept for 3 hours.  I cannot eat a big meal and drink wine during the day.  I'm completely useless after.  When I'm not sleeping I'm spending a lot of time sitting and staring at Grace til she gets tired of me and tells me to leave and shut the door behind me.  I foresee a frantic reorganization of the apartment when she's gone.  I clean out closets and cupboards when I'm stressed.  I may paint the whole place too.  It's small.  Won't take me long.  My mood is leaning towards black but I don't think that would go over well with the hub.  Heavy sigh.  xxoo me

I spent 24 hours in Verona this past Friday with Grace and a friend and her mother.  Grace and E went to a concert in the evening which was the principle reason we were there.  It felt sort of full circle.  In her freshman year, Grace went to her first concert at the arena in Verona.  She has gone to a dozen or more since then.  And here we were back in Verona for her last concert of her high school years.  Sniff, hiccup.

While the girls were swooning over a boy band, my friend and I walked and walked and walked.  It really is a beautiful little city.  The riverfront reminds me of Florence and the Architecture is Venetian.   It has lovely hills and a miniature Colosseum, (the Arena-concert venue), plunked down in the old center.  Here's a peek.    xxoo me

dinner!

the girls before they escaped

lakefront walk

breakfast

a view from the hills

Just a couple of pics from beautiful Vevey in Switzerland.

Last weekend I spent two days in Switzerland.  Friend Peter and I drove up to see mutual friend Bette who worked at the school a couple years ago.  It never ceases to amaze me how you drive over the border and the difference is immediate. It's as though the entire population of Switzerland spends their days scrubbing and mowing and trimming and sweeping.  And again I thought how lovely Vevey is.   But reality payed a visit when we went out to eat and spent 100 bucks for a Vietnamese curry and a beer each. (that's for only 2 people, people!)  It’s all relative as the Swiss are paid so much more but for one traveling on an Italian or American paycheck it can be shocking.  5 dollar coffee, 500 dollar skirt…. And then there is that Swiss mindset.  I prefer the Italian “who gives a shit”.   We parked in a well defined spot in front of B's apartment building but the front tires of the car were just touching the white line. We were told to back up or get ticketed.  Wait..WHAT?  In Italy, if you can fit it in there backwards, upside down or sideways – more power to you. The lines on parking spaces are just a suggestion.  Anyhow.  Had fun, spent too much, came home.


The IB exams have started and the stress level at home and school is very high.  At home Grace hides in her room studying and only ventures out to eat – maybe.  At school the 12^th graders are having their exams in the assembly hall and taking breaks in the library where I can watch them pace and sweat.   I can actually feel the nerves vibrating off them.   I brought in oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for snack Thursday.   I thought sugar might help.  I don’t envy them.  For the kids going to the states it’s not as bad as they have already been accepted to their colleges.  For those going to the UK, Grace included, their acceptances are provisional.  Each school has a required point total and they’re high. Average IB score is 24. The schools where these kids are applying are asking for 32 and up with extra points in certain subjects. They won’t know until July if they’ve passed!   It’s frightening. We are making plans as though she is going, but if Grace doesn’t get the required scores she’ll have to re-sit tests in Sept and start in January.  Ugh.

Last night we went to a Cinco de Mayo party even though it was the Seis de Mayo.  It was hosted by a Venezuelan friend and she had various Mexican friends attending so there was a lot of really good food!  They were all school families and the littlest kids couldn't get over seeing me outside of the library.   A Mexican/American dad told us that Cinco de Mayo isn't a big deal in Mexico.  It's celebrated more in the States as a Hispanic heritage day as opposed to the celebration of some obscure battle against the French during the fight for Mexican independence.  Who knew?  GP says that Corona and the lime industry probably started the US fad.  Oh well.  Happy Siete de Mayo!  xxoo me