Ciao for now, huh?

Ciao (pronounced like chow) for Now.  What does that mean?  Ciao  is Italian for Hello or Goodbye.  The expression Ciao  for Now means Hello or Goodbye for Now.  Huh?

I have been using the Ciao for Now expression for quite a while. A few years ago, I left a very lucrative sales career to travel and find myself again. I had been making a very good income but had no time to spend the money I made. I felt like all I did was work and rest up for the next day. Life had lost much of its luster.

I had been divorced for years. During most of that time I lived alone. My daughter was off on her own and my 60 hour work week impeded on my love life. My love of travel and of Italy was calling. But I was afraid. Could I do it alone?

I decided to begin my trip by returning to Florence and studying Italian. I was very excited by the prospect but I did not know what it would be like to be alone in a different country. My friend Dot decided she wanted to study Italian too and she joined me on the first portion of my journey. Her husband could not say no. God bless you Dot. I do not know if I would have had the courage to go on this adventure without you! (Photo above is Me at the entrance to our 65 stair walk up apartment in Florence. Photo below is my dear friend Dot.)

Each day in Italy I realized how I was changing. I was becoming more like the Italians I was meeting and less like the lost Italian-American girl I had been growing up. I was leaving the big buck Salesperson behind and discovering the real me. And the real me was part Italian and part American. Ciao for Now, Italian and English insieme (together).

Dot returned home after the second week of class. By then I felt as though I was healing somehow. I was still afraid but not as much as before I arrived. Thanks to Dot for accompanying me, giving me the courage to fly alone.

Would you like to know what I learned alone in Italy? Want to see how this experience can also help guide you on your Italian adventure? Stay tuned. More to come.

Ciao for now!