Wandering Roots - July 2024
A solo trip, a wedding anniversary and the Italian house/life/language
Welcome to Wandering Roots, a monthly newsletter from me, A Woman Who Wanders.
After buying a house at the beginning of June, I had a slight wobble regarding my identity (online and otherwise.)
Am I still a woman who wanders? I asked, and it turns out that I am, but I am also, now, a woman who roots. This newsletter will offer updates on my progress, as I marry my wandering and rooting together.
You can expect to read about:
The ongoing journey of adjusting to life in rural Italy (learning the language, adapting to the culture)
The renovation of my Italian house
Mothering abroad (and in general)
Learning how to grow plants (lots of them edible, I hope)
How I’m figuring out a makeshift career while I don’t have a strong proficiency in the language that surrounds me
Plus recommendations for things I’m enjoying, in Italy, and online.
Flying Solo - A Trip Abroad Senza Bambini
I kicked off July with my first solo trip since becoming a mother - to Granada, Spain.
Solo travelling is something that I used to do regularly; for work, to visit friends and even for adventure, but it has been a long time. The last time I took a flight alone was November 2019 and I was already pregnant so, technically my daughter was there!
I relished the opportunity to gaze out of the window while I travelled, headphones on and thoughts uninterrupted. I also found it incredibly vulnerable, at times, to be ‘just me’ when I’m so used to existing in relation to others.
I travelled to Granada in order to speak at the annual conference of the Granada Mosque. It was not my first time in the city. In fact, I first visited the city, as a teenager, in 2003 for the inauguration of the mosque and I’ve returned a few times over the years. It was an honour to be personally invited, as an adult.
The theme of the conference was The Practice of Madinah as the Revitalizing Element of Islam in Europe and I was asked to address the topic through the lens of motherhood.
I am no expert in the practices of Madinah, and I have a measly four years of mothering experience under my belt, so I delivered a talk based on the teachings I have received over the years and how I attempt to implement them, on a practical level, at this current stage of life. You can read my talk here.
5-Year Wedding Anniversary
On 6th July, M and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary. Five years is wood, apparently.
We’ve ordered a pair of mulberry trees to mark the corners of the field that came with our house purchase. That counts as wood, right? It fits with the Wandering Roots theme for sure.
I’d like to share a song with you to mark this occasion. It’s Anywhere by Passenger.
Passenger has always sung my heart to me and this track hits a particular heartstring whenever I listen to it. It brings me joy and makes me cry. As I’ve said before, I’m pretty sure the joy and the grief live in the same place.
For me, the lyrics pretty much sum up five years of wandering together.
If you go chasing them rainbows,
Just to find the gold ain’t there,
Darling just look behind you,
Oh, I’ll go with you anywhere
Do you have somebody who stays with you when the darkest winter comes? A partner? A parent? A friend? A child? I invite you to pause here and consider what a precious thing that is.
And if you do not, I will pause here myself, to remind you that you are worthy of that and I’m holding a vision of a companion like that for you 💛
The Italian House
We started work on The Italian House. I need to give the house a more imaginative name. Any ideas? Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments.
You can see the before pictures here but things have progressed since then. This is the current state of affairs:
Painting is underway upstairs, in the bedrooms.
We found a second-hand kitchen on Facebook Marketplace which is not at all uncommon in Italy. Even rentals often come without a kitchen fitted. It came with an oven, a dishwasher and a stovetop (which we’ll discard), so we only need a fridge now.
We also want to swap out the countertop. The speckled granite of this one is too busy with the terrazzo floor.
A few holes have been knocked into the wall so we can have water in our sink. We figured that was a necessity.
Things I Used to Find Weird When I First Moved to Italy
In more general “Settling in Italy” news, I’ve noticed there’s a lot that I used to find odd about the country that I just don’t anymore. That feels good. Here are some of the notes I’ve been posting about this.
Things You Don’t Learn in Italian Class
I also learned a new phrase in Italian this month. The verb scopare - to sweep, also means to have sex, so just be careful whenever you’re next trying to explain to an Italian how dirty your home is.
I’d Love to Hear From You…
How did you like this first Wandering Roots newsletter? It’s new so the next few months I’ll be figuring it out.
Did you read it all? Was it easy to find the bits that interested you and easy to skip the rest?
Was it too long? Too many links? Or did you enjoy being able to go off on tangents?
Let me know by replying if you’re reading in email or commenting below if your online.
Until next time, keep wandering, in body, heart or mind.
this was lovely to read! I really enjoyed the 'things you found weird' hahah I can definitely understand it now that I have moved to the other side of the world and daily things are still mindblowing to me ;)
Loved this whole thing but I need you to explain the horse baby food. Is it horse meat? Is it food for baby horses? Is it just branding? Inquiring minds want to know!