It was shortly after 3:45 a.m. and I’m not sure but I think I might have been having an out of body experience… dreaming about sipping a Caipirinha on a beach in Rio. 3:00 a.m. was my last lesson for the evening or should I say the second lesson of the morning. After temporary glitch on the weekend it only took one student to inspire me… then another and another making all of this feel worth it again. I have now just taken on a 4^th student from Brazil…or is it my 5^th???. I am learning so much about the food, drink, and the culture and, as each student describes their own city and lifestyle, it feels like I am looking through a portal into their world. I am so completely enthralled that I forget about where I am.

I have a new appreciation for anyone starting their own business or who is self employed. Of course I never want to feel that panic or feeling of desperation that I felt on Saturday so my focus is even more concentrated. Surely by June 15 I will have everything in place, paperwork and all… at least that is my goal.

It has now been 68 days without Spritz as I remain faithful to Venice.  But really, Venice is the magic ingredient for this amazingly delicious cocktail… you can not have one without the other. It has also been 68 days without Prosecco… (Cava does not count!)

Another hurdle, I was actually able to get through to credit card company in Canada and finally get my secure code re-set. Anyone who has been following my Blog will remember that during time spent dealing with credit card company was when I discovered my inner screaming goddess…. 4 mobile top-ups, 1 international phone card, 10 phone calls later and ….the most hilarious thing is… they kept telling me that someone would phone me back here in London. Only I found out on my last successful attempt that their staff are not permitted to make calls to other countries! So every person that told me they would have a specialist call me back at my London number, really had no clue.

Clear sunny morning calls for a walk to start the day before I settle into work. Afternoon siesta will be calling my name later as I have another late night of teaching again. But before all of this commences, it is time to caffeinate self for day ahead! Spritz, you will remain in my dreams … as well as you my dearest Prosecco… but we will be reunited soon on that Venetian canal.

Pietros: Which direction shall we travel and how far?

Barca: As far as desire wills our feet.

- quote from the series “Spartacus”

I left my Housesit last Sunday and knew that I would miss my new pet family.  It was such a great experience and I was sent on my way with wine and Italian chocolate. A much-needed RX for puppy and kitty withdrawals I would experience later. Oh yes, it hit me. That same evening, I found myself plunging face into soft furry leopard print slipper boots taking deep breathes of puppy smell. Slipper boots had on occasion found their way into puppy’s mouth as sacrificial chew toy. I now find myself perusing the puppy aisle in Tesco’s to look at the sorted chew toys they have available as I think ahead about preparing little travel kits for future house sits. Thankfully, the countdown is on for my next house sit. I will be travelling to the south coast of England to look after 2 Maine Coon cats and a couple of other kitties… After that house sit I will have a 2 day gap during which time, I will make my way to Land of Robin Hood for the third house sit.  I will be looking after another Lab puppy, 2 kitties and some gold fish. This actually takes me right up to the time when I am supposed to be able to return to the apartment in Venice.

On Friday, I thought I felt Venice again for all of five minutes … but then it disappeared. Where did you go Venice … you who bestowed upon me dream filled gold cups floating on clouds… creative ideas, options, what could be !!!!!!!

Panic hit me Saturday morning as I had another “needs must” snap decision to make. I was awaiting payment from students but it was not happening. My emails went ignored and I needed to pay for my lodging, so… I sold my camera. I am really thankful to the person in the UK that must have seen my posting and they immediately made the purchase. I am still waiting for payments from students and it was that moment on Saturday morning that made me want to almost chuck everything in. After a walk and a good cry, I had sorted myself out.

I am thinking that working in a wine store would be something more suitable. Now there is something I am passionate about and it’s social. I wanted to take some Sommelier courses after my TEFL teacher training in Florence last August but due to real life scenario that my Visa was soon to expire I had to focus on that and put priority plans into place. The great thing about starting over is that you can test all of these new career type areas that you have always wanted to try. Maybe once the dust settles, I can explore this new option.

A spark of inspiration returned yesterday afternoon after I had a great conversation class with one of my Brazilian students. We talked about Spartacus and I listened intently as he gave me some hints about the final series… I have not yet seen the final series but it brought back my love for Roman history. It was after that conversation that words from the past came into my head… “Do what ever you can to keep the “spirit” going.” When you are “in spirit” you are inspired and when spiritually drained, you become uninspired….  Surround yourself with people who support your dreams.

“Something that may look negative on the surface will later prove to be a blessing in disguise…” 

hmm what’s going to happen I wonder? … words that came in a message to me back in March when I was feeling at an all time low … did it mean that I should let go of Venice for now? I am back and trying to get you all caught up on my blog! I will be doing back to back posts today. I had typed this up back in March but did not have time to post… so here we go…

 Did I tell you that I have learned how to scream? Yes it’s true… I discovered my inner screaming goddess. I discovered it back in March after dealing with the credit card company in Canada for the 5th time… after they passed me from person to person followed by “we will have someone call you back today…” the same words that were uttered to me every day. I was at the end of my tether … there was officially no more tether! But, I didn’t give up. I was on the phone the very next day, calling again for the 7^th time. I stayed very calm, was cut off again because minutes ran out on mobile. No I did not scream, I topped up my phone and called them back. It was like playing a slot machine; you keep thinking that on the next turn you will win! But, I struck out again… I got the same response that someone would phone me back and they never did. So I officially gave up. All I needed was to have my “secure-code” re-set, how hard can it be? As I have said time and time again, collect calls do not work from a mobile phone. As well, a landline was not available where I was staying. I did buy an international phone card for 5 GBP’s and I highly suggest picking one of these up to keep on hand for emergencies. Although I still use up time on my mobile, the phone card helps… although it did not help when I had to phone internet tech support.

The letter from my bank that has taken one month to arrive from Vancouver  finally made it’s way into my hands. Now hopefully I can open up that bank account!

“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” – Cesare Pavese

Ohhh how true! After my last post, news arrived  from the real estate agent about the Venice apartment. He advised that the owner gave authorization to rent out the suite while I am gone. I was told that in order for it to be successful it has to be done from April through to mid June (tourist season). He asked me what I wanted to do and I said that I thought it was a good idea. Really I don’t have a choice and this seems to be the only solution at this time. Of course I was advised that I would be charged an initial cleaning cost of 100 Euros. ouch! A friend who rents high end apartments in Rome advised that I was being over charged… All is being documented as I have been asked to share my experience of this entire process. But in the end, a good commission for the agent (naturally!), rental income for the owner and hopefully all will be happy. So I will go back in June instead of at the end of May. Certain Italy experiences have started to sour my feelings and the words “we’ve lost that loving feeling” have been playing in my head. Will I get it back?

 “…Oftentimes, it is the more difficult path that will bring you the greatest benefit, particularly on a deeper level…”

 The words “home base” flashed by me … as the front of one very large moving van/truck went down the street. Are you telling me to “hang in there”? I remember reading a story about an expat family who came to settle in London. They ended up staying in a hotel for over one month until they found a home. I now understand what they went through. Within 1 year I have managed to move and try to settle in 3 places. First leaving Canada for Rome, then leaving Rome for Venice and now London with Venice combined…did I bite off more than I could chew? You cannot know what it is like until you have experienced this process by yourself. I laugh at myself when I remember reading all of these fantastic London flat listings. “I know exactly where I am going to set up home base!!”, I thought to myself. I could actually envision myself in dream flat with my portable business. I found flats listed on the Right Moves website. The price per week worked out to a figure close to the price of the apartment I rented in Vancouver. So not bad, I thought. But you need to have a 6 week deposit plus 1 month’s rent going in which takes the total to well over $3,200.00 CAD and of course “+” the agency fees. You also have to commit to a lease, so you better make sure that you find a flat that you like in an area that you like. This is very similar to what I had to give for the Venice apartment. To refresh everyone’s memory, and tips for anyone considering renting in Venice, my cost was the following: 1600 Euros to owner for security deposit (that is 2 months rent) + 800 Euros going in (1 month’s rent) + the real estate agent’s commission of 986 Euros and a commitment to a 1 year lease. Then there are the extras that you will have to pay to have gas, electricity, garbage removal, and some sort of water tax. I will tell  you about that later. With all of that being said, in Vancouver I was only ever required to give ½ a month’s deposit plus one month going in, end of. So different countries, different rules and experiences.

The months of February and March were a struggle between Judgment and Temperance… during my time in the UK I was constantly judging myself in complete aloneness, feeling stupid about everything but then I told myself to be patient. Things are slowly moving in the right direction.

“…Each new beginning must come from an end, and with every defeat are sown the seeds of future victory…”