ClaudiaPedia_Fortuna_(English/Italian)

Italian apple: one a day keeps the teacher away

Una mela d’italiano: una al giorno toglie il medico di torno.

The word of the day is: FORTUNA

La parola del giorno è: FORTUNA

Fortuna, noun, singular, feminine (la fortuna)

Fortuna, sostantivo, singolare, femminile (la fortuna)

Origin: from Latin, it derives from fors, fortis «chance, fate». Fortuna was the name of an ancient Roman goddess. She personified the power that leads and determine human beings’ fate. She randomly distributed happiness, wellness, richness or bad luck, misfortune and unhappiness.

Origine: dal latino, deriva da fors, fortis «caso, sorte». Fortuna era il nome di un’antica divinità romana. Impersonificava il potere che guida e determina il destino degli esseri umani. Distribuiva ciecamente la felicità, il benessere e la ricchezza. Ovvero, la sfortuna e l’infelicità.

English equivalence: Luck

Equivalente inglese: luck

Let’s try to use it in few sentences / Proviamo a inserirlo in alcune frasi:

1)      Claudia renounced to go to a concert to save money in case she needed it for more important things. The morning of the concert she receives a call from a friend who got free tickets to the concert and want to share them with her! What luck!

 

Claudia ha rinunciato ad andare a un concerto per  risparmiare i soldi per cose più importanti. La mattina del concerto riceve la chiamata di un amico che ha avuto dei biglietti gratis per il concerto e vuole dividerli con lei! Che fortuna!

 

2)      Claudia is waiting for an important letter. While she is at the concert, Alessandro sends a message to her to let her know the letter has arrived. Too much luck in a single day!

 

Claudia aspetta una lettera importante. Mentre si trova al concerto, Alessandro le manda un messaggio per farle sapere che la lettera è arrivata. Troppa fortuna in un solo giorno!

 

3)      Claudia loves a Latin sentence. She really, really loves it. She thinks of it whenever she is not sure about what decision to take. When she is scared. When she fears evrything she is about to do is wrong. Claudia loves to think that Audaces Fortuna Iuvat – Fortune favors the bold - and, most of the times, she is right!

...When she is not, at least she tried!

 

Claudia ama un’espressione latina. Le piace davvero tanto. La pensa quando non è sicura riguardo una decisione che sta per prendere. Quando ha paura. Quando teme che tutto ciò che sta per fare sia sbagliato. A Claudia piace pensare che la Fortuna aiuti gli audaci e, la maggior parte delle volte, ha ragione!

 

...Quando così non è, quantomeno ci ha provato!

 

 

"C'è bisogno d'Amore" (Zucchero)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD-sY2NVn9c

December_Lorenzo and Canada_Part II

Our last summer went by very quickly. By the time a new fall arrived, half of my house was literally packed. Every day a new object was disappearing, swallowed by a new big brown box.

I was still attending the day care and my sister Maia was improving her ability to bother me. If I was kissing her – by the way, I am the one in the family who spends three quarters of the day kissing and hugging everybody– Maia, in response, was pulling my hair. Was I cuddling her? She was definitively kicking me, somewhere in between my face and stomach.

Apparently, one can tell what the character of a person is going to be since a very young age. Since then, in fact, Maia has not changed at all. Ok! Of course she is taller now and she is able to speak – you can imagine how far an argument between us can go– but still, she wouldn’t miss any opportunity to get me in trouble.

Actually, you know what my parents did? They enrolled her at karate! Could you believe that? It is like giving a gun to a killer, like playing tennis at the wii using a real racket and ball! Three years ago they registered me at karate to increase my self-confidence. Three years later they registered Maia as well, I guess, to decrease my self-confidence because it went to high. Who knows?

Anyhow, as per the autumn, I don’t recall me piling red, yellow, brown leaves back there, like we do now. We were indeed missing that fun we usually have in Canada jumping on a little hill of leaves - which my dad collected very carefully - with the only intent to spread them all around again. It’s so fun, isn’t it?

Our last Christmas was kind of magic. Since then, I haven’t had any more the opportunity to see Santa in person delivering a bag full of toys. I couldn’t see his face, but we did see his back while leaving our gifts beside the fireplace. Everyone was screaming, I don’t understand why, but I guess he must be very passionate about his job, considering he didn’t turn despite the noise.

In Canada it is different. You really cannot see him. He apparently arrives with Rudolph at night while we are sleeping. Since we don’t have a fireplace here, Mom bought a key he can use to come in, rest a little bit, have some milk and cookies and, most important, leave the gifts.

Before Christmas, after a couple of years analyzing the situation, I was finally able to explain to Maia and my Mom why he arrives at night here, and we get his presents on December 25th. The theory is pretty easy: he leaves the pole and travels toward East. He indeed arrives in Europe on December 24th and, by the time he reaches Canada it’s already the 25th. Logic, no? I think it is a smart way to go around the globe.

The last thing I remember of that December was a party we had altogether. So many people were there! I was not sure anymore what we were celebrating. Being a kid, I was waiting only for two things: gifts and cakes. Finally that moment arrived.

 You know what happened? They started calling me for some family pictures. Now, there were I am not sure how many people there. I had to pose for at least ten different pictures, while looking at two wonderful cakes that nobody was allowed to touch!  

After the third picture, I started posing pretending to be a dinosaur, a superhero, a monster. That was fun to me…a little bit less to my father who was trying to hold me still!

Suddenly, everybody was pointing at the cake. One represented a “little house in Canada”, and the other a Canadian flag. I remember I was wondering if that cake was going to be our house from then on.

Phase 3_Landscape and Happiness

Today it is just a morning thought I want to share.

 

 

 

A new phase in my immigration process has started. When I first arrived, I had often to go beyond my shyness or uncertainty when I was expected to do important things: talk to strangers remembering to smile, go to offices to have some documents issued, meet teachers, trainers, students, etc…

In this process, at least for me, a big impact was represented by the land itself. The discovery of the territory even for basic things (community center, school, Wall-Mart, etc…) was psychologically speaking challenging for me. I did it, of course, because my sense of self-discipline usually surpasses my fears.

Three years and a half later, heading north with my car, I suddenly realized that for the very first time I was just excited of going somewhere I didn’t know. With my printed Google map itinerary beside me, the music on, a grey sky and some air chilly enough to preannounce the approach of cold season, it was nothing less than pure genuine happiness!

 

The interesting fact is that you don’ t realize that little by little you are reaching that point where something that makes you feel uncertain, apparently out of the blue, becomes easy, natural, nice and actually exciting. This is part of the process as well and it’s something I like to share with any new comer I meet here. Be confident! Amazing results are right behind a corner waiting for you. It is just a matter to find the corner first, though!

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1tOHz2l0qE