(x-posted to Livejournal because this is big)

So, after months of agonising over where H. would be posted for work, the big news finally arrived yesterday.

They’re sending her to Rome.

Well, me and H… I think we’ve got something special. Something I don’t want to give up, y’know? So I’m going with her. I’m leaving my job, my apartment, my friends and family, and going to live in Rome for the next three years.

Now, let me make it clear, I’m fully committed to this and I’m delighted she got Holy See and not Vilnius (or, God forbid, Addis fucking Abbaba), but my brain is still reeling from the shock of it all and I’m having trouble trying to understand exactly what this means. I tried to get my head around it yesterday but instead ended up staring at a wall and muttering “fuck… fuck…” for twenty minutes instead.

What am I going to do there? No idea. The pessimist in me is looking on this as my life being turned upside down for a few years and panicing at the enormity of it all. The optimist, however, is seeing this as the great etch-a-sketch of my life being given a good shaking. Erase, start again. So I’m completely open to suggestions for what I could do with my new life. I’m roughly halfway between “Ride around on a Vespa saying ‘ciao’ for a living” and “Do a TEFL course and teach English”. But you’re a bright, creative bunch. Any other suggestions?

When are we going? Again, no idea. A few people got posted yesterday, so HR was understandably swamped and managed to duck out before H. could grill them for details. Hopefully it won’t be too soon. We need to sort out a going-away party.

Playing on my DVD player this weekend:

  • Godfather I-III

  • A load of Fellini

  • The Italian Job

  • Suspiria

  • Season 1 of Rome