back to reality

All the festivities have gone away, left me with a large sack of candy and books all over my room, the sounds of karaoke filling the home with an eighties power ballad feel, and school has begun in the year 2009.
This coming week i have two oral exams, more like three, because professor lofari declared that it would take up at least two periods to grill me properly. so i have been halfheartedly preparing, feeling a little guilty about not having studied over the break AT ALL, but it was way worth it.
Two weeks of relapse have done wonders for the boy.
Saw the family back home on new years eve, which was very heartenin, and recieved lots of nice things from everyone. I finally have enough to read.
The christmas festivities were a familial affair, a feasting affair, and lots of cheek kissing and auguri giving and a quiet happiness residing in my belly. A happy time, no dout about it.
New Years would have been fulfilling if i hadnt been expecting to be out with friends, but as it was i had to stay home with fam and eat myself into oblivion, and then throw some lightweight explosives off the deck.
Sicily was what ive really been waiting for, not needing to stress about expressing myself, surrounded by fun people who i now have by default more in common with then anybody else in the world, and baisically too much fun to sleep, for four days. there are pictures of us on about the second day pretty much passing out on the lunch table in a restraunt in some little sicilian village. Sicily is a beautiful place, and i would love to live iin palermo. So much hubbub and roudiness, like a big pirate village teeming with dogs and indian dudes and mafia influences. Mary told me that it is actually true that they run the place, and some times have been known to withhold water from neighboring regions in time of drought, and keep it to themselves. nobody can do anthing about it! Seemed like some kind of movie plot to me, but its realer then real.
The sicilians keep to themselves mostly, the most we got from them was angry yelling from youths on motorbikes, and angry drunk bums throwing tangerines at us. it was raining always.
The fun to be had made me miss vacations in the bay but also find joy in how accustomed ive come to living in such beautiful places, especially when i finally got back to lecce at two am, and a profound relief settled over my bones, like i knew where i was and it was great to be back there.
four months in and six to go, i am hating school but not wanting to rush the year by.. i wish i was untouchable by chemistry and dante, but i know ive got a series of really tough schooling, more so when i get back!
thanks to everyone who sent wellwishings and prezzies of anykind, tanti auguri e un felice nuovo anno