Me, Myself & I

by Reem Shaath on May 14, 2011 (1) Comments

And so on my last day of being 34 years old, I decided to treat myself in every way possible.  After class, I went shopping, had lunch with a friend who has become an important part of my Roman experience, walked in the little streets around Piazza Di Spagna and then went home to what I thought was going to be a relaxing afternoon.

Instead, I was working for the next few hours.  But, I got to speak to my mother, and my two sisters and caught up with them about what was happening in my life…

At around 6 pm, I jumped to the coffee shop round the corner to meet another friend for a quick drink, shared a few stories and went to my massage appointment with the Thai ladies.  I thought they’d give me a discount so I sang them a song that I learned in Thai when I was really young (trust me not to forgot the words!).  The funniest thing is that the masseuse started singing along with me… Refreshed and relaxed, I started to make my way to Piazza Navona, one of my favorite spots (touristy but oh so charming!).  I got there and thought to myself, it’s Friday night, I have no plans, I am all alone, why don’t I take myself out on a date?

And so I did.  All on my own.   I stood in line at one of Rome’s most famous pizzerie, asked for a table for one and invited myself out to dinner.  I ordered a delicious pizza, enjoyed a small caraffe, watched people and was happy being on my own.  After dinner, I treated myself to some gelato and made my way home.

And to end this perfect evening, as I was crossing Via del Corso, I came across the famous Mille Miglia race who were ending the race in Rome.  One vintage car after the other was passing right there in front of me.

What more can I ask for to end my 34 years?

aaaah la dolce vita!

Weekend in Liguria

by Reem Shaath on May 11, 2011 (0) Comments

I wish it was possible to record a smell… That’s all I was thinking of this past weekend.

On a last minute whim, my friend and I decided to make a swift jump to the Cinque Terre.  I had always heard about that area but never really explored it in detail.  All I knew was that you could only get to them by foot (and no it’s not walking, it’s hiking, or by train).  Obviously, we chose the more adventurous route… And so, on a Friday afternoon, backpack in hand (only!), we made it to the train station and off we were – dirrezzione La Spezia.  The train ride took around 4 hours but the things we saw on the way to our final destination were beautiful.  We passed through Argentario, an area by the sea, some Tuscan villages, the rolling hills of Tuscany, Pisa, a few more villages and towns by the sea and finally we arrived in La Spezia.  We changed train and 10 minutes later, we were in Monterosso Al Mare, the first of the 5 villages we were visiting.  Simply breathtaking!

We located our hotel up on a hill overlooking the town and off we were.  After a quick freshening up, we were on our way for what has become a daily ritual in my life: an aperitivo.   Soon after we were sitting at a restaurant having what might be the best meal I’ve had so far since I’ve set foot in Italy.  For starters a perfect seafood salad and for main, we shared a Trenette alla pescatriche.  Delicious does not give the meal any justice, it was that good!!

The next morning after a healthy breakfast, and a real Italian cappuccino, we started our ‘hike’.  The scenery and the nature, the smell of jasmine which was lingering in the air, the expansive blue sea below us was so overpowering that we had to stop every 5 minutes to take photos.  I have not seen such natural beauty before.  The backdrop of the sea, against the green mountain was really a sight to see.  And so as we hiked from Monterosso Al Mare, exchanged stories, passed people, faces and scenery, an hour and a half later, we approached Vernazza, village number 2.

We could see it in a distance, almost hanging in the air.  We got there, dropped our backpacks at Lulu’s rooms (cute name) and made our way to the village to explore the one main street and piazza they had.  As it so happens in the least expected situations, we bumped into people we knew from Saudi Arabia in a town of 500 people!  Now tell me that’s not a small world!

We had our refreshing granitas, and off we were to town number 3 – Corniglia.  Supposedly another hour and a half away, with a little diversion we ended up hiking for 3 hours.  At least the last part was downhill!  As you’d have it, we arrived as the restaurants were closing for lunch so we had to make do with a small bakery selling focaccia (a Ligurian specialty) with all kinds of different toppings imaginable… Pesto, another Ligurian specialty was the focaccia of choice (among quite a few others!)

We took the train back to Vernazza, where we had dinner at a restaurant overlooking the sea.  This time, the meal of choice was a zuppa di pesce (fish soup) and oh wow!  By 9:30 pm we were ready to hit the sack.  Early the next morning, we made our way to Manarola, village 4 and from there on walked on Via Dell’Amore where people have written declarations of love all along the way, left lockets without keys hanging on the cliff side… Quite romantic but not really sure this technique works.

Finally, we arrived in village number 5, Riomaggiore.  It took us less than 5 minutes to cover the whole town.  And then finally we were on our way back…

Life as a Roman

by Reem Shaath on Apr 29, 2011 (1) Comments

It has been a week since we packed up and moved and the Romans have been super inviting!  All settled, knowing all my bearings, I feel like I am at home… it helps that I caught on a few Italian words to get me by!

And so, today, I thought I’d take it up a notch and literally live like an Italian… So after my day in Italian class and a bit of work in the morning, I walked home and on the way decided to skip lunch and go for a gelato instead.  I’ve avoided gelato since I got here but today I thought why not?  And what a treat that was!

I got home and started working on my emails.  About a half hour later, my phone starts ringing and it’s a call from a special Nadia…  She asks me to go meet her for a coffee and I of course accept!  I decide to unleash all the words and phrases I have learnt and it feels so good to speak Italian!  I feel like I have been introduced and accepted into the Italian way of life…

I then decide to take it up a notch, I changed into my gym clothes and headed towards Villa Borghese for a run in the park.  Wow!  That must have been one of the most gratifying hours since I’ve been here.  The greenery, the people, the sun, the feeling of running in the open air was too much to handle, I didn’t want it to end.  I remember thinking to myself, I don’t want to go home.    The sun shining at around 5:40, the people riding bicycles, the lovers laying on the grass… perfect.  And to end it all, during my cool down, I decided to pick up a daisy and play ‘he loves me, he loves me not’…  It turns out: ‘he loves me not’ but who cares I am in Rome!

By the time I arrived home, I had already made plans for the evening… An aperitivo, dinner with a friend and the perfect conversation to end the evening.  Who could ask for more?

The Rome Diaries – Buona Pasqua!

by Reem Shaath on Apr 25, 2011 (0) Comments

Another adventure for Whywander has just begun and who knows what this new life has in store for us?  A few days ago marked the first day of Whywander.com as a Roman.  We packed up our lives into 2 suitcases and moved into a small apartment in the centre of Rome to start experiencing life all’ Italiano! Why you may ask?  Why not?

Settling in was very easy.  After unpacking, setting up a Whywander workstation at home and filling the apartment with quirky things that makes the space homey, I can easily call this new place home, at least for the next couple of months.

I quickly took advantage of being in a city that I love and on my first night, went out, and met people who I can now call friends.  When you’re outside your comfort zone, you push the limits and get to practice your personality with strangers and sometimes, if you’re caught in the right moment, it’s so much fun!

And so the adventure of being in a new place continues… Whywander gets invited to an Easter lunch at an Italian home, did you think we’d decline this invitation?  Never!   And so after several courses, plenty of stories with the Italians, we’re home again, ready to tackle what the next day has in store for us.

Happy Easter everyone!

Whywander goes skydiving!

by Reem Shaath on Apr 06, 2011 (1) Comments

And so it seems like Whywander.com has caught the adventure bug and this past weekend jumped out of a plane!

There’s something to be said about that feeling of complete freedom.  There’s absolutely nothing like it…hurling yourself out of a plane is crazy but the adrenaline rush is just indescribable.

Would we do it again?  No doubt about that!

If you’d like to watch the experience, click on this link:  Whywander in the sky!

The Kili Diaries – The Final Descent

by Reem Shaath on Mar 23, 2011 (0) Comments

Written on 24th February 2011

After having had one of the best night’s sleep, I woke up feeling refreshed and ecstatic that in a few hours, I would finally be able to have my first shower in a whole week!  I saw Twinkle Toes staring at herself in the mirror and I asked her to hand it over.  I hadn’t seen myself physically in a whole week, and whatever it was that was going to stare back at me in the mirror was fine… I had done enough soul searching and looked at myself emotionally for a whole week, I was ready to face that face.  I was surprised, I looked relatively human!

We did our last minute packing and went out of our tents for our last breakfast with the whole team and our guides, and a little later a whole party started at 8 am.  I mean a party with 60 people who had joined us on our adventure; the porters, the cooks, the guides and the helpers.  They broke out into song and dance for half and we all joined them.  It was their way of congratulating us on having all made it to the top and part of what was called the ‘tipping ceremony’.  You could not wipe that smile off my face, I was in the best mood ever and couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel.  It was almost like I had conquered the world!

A few hours of descent into the jungle and a few heart to heart stories between myself and ‘Wet Wipe Boy 1’, we made it all the way down to the bottom.  We ‘checked out’ of the mountain, snapped a few photos and were on our way back to civilization, or almost.  After 2 hours in the car, we got to Arusha Hotel and I ran to my room.  The first thing I did was put my phone into the charger (I missed civilization!) and I slowly started taking off the layers.  The layers of dirt, emotions, feelings, and exhaustion that had accumulated on my body, and inside my body for the past week on Mount Kilimanjaro.  I must have stood under the shower for 45 minutes and it was the best shower I had ever taken.

The next time I saw the whole team was at our farewell dinner.  We all gathered around the table, shared a few laughs, ordered burgers which we had been craving on the mountain, celebrated Strong Bull’s birthday and then went back to our rooms ready to face a new life after conquering Kilimanjaro.

Reflecting on what had happened in the past week, I can easily sum up by saying that this life changing experience created lifelong friendships with people who a week before had been strangers to me, bonds that will tie us together for the rest of time on and off the mountain, memories that I will hopefully share with my children and grandchildren, a passion for charity work and a brand new love for the mountain…  Will I ever climb another mountain?  No one knows…

What happens from here on remains a mystery and I am looking forward to unraveling this new mystery and living every moment of it…