Gordissima

I seem to have a knack for creatively adapting my three languages.  The other day I exclaimed that I was "GORDISSIMA" and I got a good laugh out of everyone.  Gordo is Spanish and muy gordo didn't seem to have the same ring to it.  So, I added a little Italian to my Spanish and came up with the perfect word.  And at the moment, it's how I'm feeling.  And it's not only my imagination.  I happen to have some Italian friends JUST LIKE ME that don't hold back.  I actually know they meant it as a compliment, but two friends on two different occasions have said that they think I look better a little heavier.  Can you imagine how well that went over with me?!

So anyway, I decided it would be best if I warned you.  I'm  a little chubbier than I was when I left. I know you're saying, "Yeah, yeah.  It's the smart girl who says she failed the test.  It's the millionaire who says they can't afford something."  But it's really true.  I'm the skinny girl that isn't as skinny as I used to be.  And instead of making you feel uncomfortable when you first lay eyes on me after almost nine months away, I thought I'd tell you first so you can prepare yourself for the usual, "Welcome back.  You look great (and a little chubby.)"

If you'll notice in the photo, this giant ice cream cone outside the gelateria just happens to be next to the panificio.  That's the bakery.  And, I get a double scoop almost every night with far more than a dollop of whipped cream.  Ohhhh...the whipped cream. It's not just for sundaes.  It comes on the top of an ice cream cone.  At first I thought I didn't like it because it's usually not sweet.  But then I made a fantastic discovery.  I'd been eating the whipped cream first because that's the way I did it at home.  I would eat it off the top of my hot chocolate before it melted because if you let it melt you don't really get the joy of the whipped cream.  Well, here the best thing is when you kind of let it melt.  Because for some strange reason as it melts (?) it gets kind of firm and then you eat it with a mouthful of ice cream and voila....it's sweet!
So, I've been spending my time eating and eating and eating and not worrying a lot about how I've looked.  Trying to speak Italian, riding a bike with a bag over the handlebars instead of a basket, searching for the best second-hand shops in Italy, trying to catch a field in all of it's forms (tall hay, cut hay, raked-into-rows hay, baled hay and taken-away-hay), and trying to cook with no measuring spoons and bizarre ingredients seemed like enough good things to worry about instead of my kilos.
 
And then one day I saw myself.  And the next day I imagined you seeing me.  And I started running more and trying to eat less and it only worked for a day and then I went back to the gelateria.  I really wish I could be more like nude guy by his cow trough pool or the big lady that came and stripped down next to me on the river bank yesterday. They seem so free.  Unfortunately, I'm still trapped in the image that "Gordissima is not beautiful."  So, when you see me and tell me how great I look, I'll accept it with a smile and appreciate your honesty and pretend that I'm still in Italy, because when you translate great into Italian, it means large.

(p.s.  I don't have time to edit this because I'm on my way for a double scoop cone with whipped cream.)