Category: Life

UPDATED INFO: For Those Who Would Like to Help

10/6/2012

Edited July 2nd, 2012

The post-earthquake recovery efforts in Emilia-Romagna, Italy continue. If you would like to make a donation to any of the relief funds, please click here to find out how you can do so.

Many people outside of Europe are still unaware of the earthquakes which have shaken Northern Italy since May 20th, 2012. The most recent quake hit on June 3rd, and aftershocks continue to unnerve residents who are already on edge after the initial 6.1 and 5.9 magnitude quakes a few weeks ago.

Recovery efforts are, of course, ongoing. Although I am in the US at the moment, I live in Italy most of the year. Emilia-Romagna is the region I call home - and my adopted hometown of Reggio Emilia has felt the impact of these events, albeit to a (thankfully) lesser extent. However, since I'm not there to help, I want to do what I can from here.

I am donating 50% of the profits from my book sales (paperback and ebook formats alike) in June and July to Croce Rossa Italiana - the Italian Red Cross - for their recovery efforts in Emilia-Romagna. To purchase a book, just go to the Order Books page.

Every sale this month - regardless of format, whether paperback or ebook - counts toward this donation. I hope you will consider making a purchase, but if you prefer to donate directly to the recovery efforts, here are some links so you can do just that.

If you would like to assist the local authorities of Cavezzo in rebuilding the town, you can send donations (via bank transfer) here:

Comune di Cavezzo - Protezione Civile
Banco Popolare Società Cooperativa - Agenzia di Cavezzo
IBAN account: IT 52 J 05034 66720 000000032456
Bic-Swift code: BAPPIT21519

If you would like to help the city of Carpi, donations via bank transfer can be sent here:

Intestazione Comune di Carpi-Interventi di solidarietà -
Codice Iban IT 27 E 02008 23307 000040743376,
Unicredit Banca, causale Sisma Carpi

If you want to donate directly to Croce Rossa Italiana, please click here and give what you can (be sure to select "sisma Emilia Romagna" to send your donation to the correct channel).

I hope you can find it in your heart to contribute.
Thank you for your time, and for reading.

Grazie mille,
Kimberly Menozzi

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I am a writer, and I live in Italy.

5/11/2010

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I've really got to learn to multi-task better. I'm struggling daily with my wordcount for 27 Stages, thanks to my preparations for my trip to London and doing what promotional work I can from home for Ask Me if I'm Happy.

Strangely, I've had a couple of opportunities in recent days to refer to myself as a writer. As in, "I am a (soon-to-be) published writer." It felt good, but a little strange - kind of like one's first real kiss. It's wonderful and exciting and a little bit off, somehow. In a delightful, happening-to-someone-else sort of way.

Or was that just me?

Hmph.

I think the reason it's taking some adjusting is the fact I've always said I was a writer. I've believed it in my heart of hearts from a pretty young age. It's only now that other people are conceding the point in a real way.

And then there's the sense of unreality that comes from this phrase:
"I am a writer and I live in Italy."

There's so much weight in those words, it's almost inconceivable to me how to make them mean what I want them to. Because when I say "I am a writer and I live in Italy", people get all sorts of wrong ideas. They imagine that I don't have a "real" job. They think I don't need one. They think I live in a place full of warmth and sunshine year-round. They think I live in a Tuscan villa, complete with vineyards and/or olive groves. They think I have an airy apartment filled with light. They think I live a glamourous lifestyle, sipping wine on a balcony which overlooks rolling hills, while I wear some sort of designer frock.

The reality is far different.

I have a "real" job. I teach English to Italians at a language school in the city where I live. Yeah, the job can be fun sometimes, no doubt about it - I've probably mentioned some of my students here before, and how much I adore them - but it's still work, with all the bureaucracy and paperwork any teaching job entails.

My writing hasn't made me rich. The book isn't even out yet, remember? (November 15th is coming soon, though! Not that I'll be "rich" anytime in the near future. Heh.)

Reggio nell'Emilia is a sunny place - in Spring and Summer, anyway. In Autumn and Winter, however? Not so much. It's rainy, it's cold and it's very foggy. Which is one reason I love it so much here. It suits me and my creative energies.

I most definitely don't live in a Tuscan villa, or sit on a balcony overlooking rolling hills, vineyards or olive groves.

These are the views from my balcony. I don't see any vineyards, do you?

Some folks - including my husband - don't understand why I might want to correct the misinformation about my life or my lifestyle - such as it is. I think I do this because I want people to see that I'm the same person I've always been. I'm not particularly lucky, or blessed, even though I am.

Does that make sense?

I'm here because of chance, and because I followed my heart and did what I had to do in order to be happy. I took chances, and chance took me where I needed to be, so I could tell the story I needed to tell and find more stories when that one was finished.

I'm here because I was open to the possibilities which lay before me. I'm here because a real gem of a guy caught my eye when he slipped under the radar of women who were too focused on the flashy guys around them. Their loss, my gain, thank you very much. This is the payoff for ignoring the superficial and appreciating the substance of a real man.

I have friends who envy my living here in Italy. Sometimes I don't know why, but I suspect it's because of those words I mentioned. For the record, my life is no different here than when I'm in the States, in many ways. I write, I work, I do laundry, I cook dinner and clean the catbox (not at the same time). I grouse about politics with friends. I complain about the potholes in the road and the fact people can be so darn rude! Argh!

I miss home a little bit, every single day. I miss my family, and my friends. I miss the view of the mountains from my mom's back porch. I miss being able to find clothes in my style and size. I miss US junk food and television and driving myself around (I don't have an Italian driving license - another story for another time). I miss a lot about the US, but overall, it's just like here, in Italy.

Wherever I am, it's just life. And yes, life is beautiful. Life is strange, and life is hard wherever you are.

It's all in how you choose to look at it.

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UPDATED INFO: For Those Who Would Like to Help

I am a writer, and I live in Italy.

Kimberly Menozzi

Please note: Thanks to an increase in spam comments, I'll be approving the comments before they post. Sorry!

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