THE RESTLESS NATIVE:Counting down to the inevitable return

With less than a week to go before I return home, there doesn’t seem to be a moment of rest for me. I have recovered from last week’s ailments — the white spots sent up the white flag, and I didn’t have to face a single needle — so I have been able to keep up with my busy schedule without becoming too exhausted.

Early in the week I attended yet another soccer match. This time, it was Renato and his team of friends (Dino, Gaetano, Remigio, and Peppe) versus five other boys from Acerra. When I arrived to watch the game, Renato’s team was still in need of one more player, so a small search began. He, Peppe and I drove around town calling upon friends to come to the rescue before arriving at Remigio’s home.

Having been turned down up to this point, we all hoped Remigio would come through. He was not an easy sell at first, but finally he consented and saved the team from playing one man down for the entire match. The game was held at a pitch rented by the hour. A buzzer sounds the start, half time and the end of the game. Players act as their own referees, and there are two benches along the sideline for players and spectators.

This was the first time I ever played the role of the girlfriend watching her guy from the sidelines, and I have to admit that it was pretty fun. Each player took a turn as goalie and it was, as a former water polo goalie, fun to watch their different styles.

Dino was the most fun to watch in this position. He possessed a quiet and sure confidence as a goalie, while seemingly putting out little effort. As a player approached with the ball, Dino would stand upright with one hand on a post as if he were watching a slightly interesting curiosity before tapping the ball away with one foot.

Remigio was certainly the loudest and most enthusiastic player. He’s as funny on the field as he is off, and trust me, he is hilarious off the field, but he managed to score two goals during the game, and that is no laughing matter.

Peppe also scored and really proved himself to be a strong forward, and Gaetano, quiet as always, seemed ever ready on defense and even made an amazing slide save.

Of course, I watched with pride as Renato, using lots of fancy footwork, stole the ball time and again.

By halftime, Renato and crew were down by two goals, but my guy scored a beautiful goal (an unassisted shot, straight into the cage), that seemed to inspire his fellow teammates. They came back with a vengeance and won the game by two goals.

Now I have watched Italy win the World Cup, Napoli beat Ascoli in the stadium and Renato score and win on his own turf. If all goes as planned, I will get to see him play one last time before I leave, but either way, I feel as though I have had the complete Italian soccer experience.

Wednesday of this week also happened to be my birthday. To celebrate, Renato and I went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant — yes, there are actually a handful of Mexican restaurants in Naples. Why is it that I only discovered this in my final week? I have been longing for tacos and burritos for nearly six months (despite a disappointing enchilada at a Mexican restaurant in Rome), and I could have had them for the past four months. This was Renato’s first taste of Mexican food (I love that I have been able to expose him to other cuisines), though I think he’d have to come home with me to enjoy the real deal. The restaurant we ate at didn’t even have rice on the menu.

Being away from your family on your birthday can be tough, and really I didn’t even tell anyone at the hostel that my birthday was approaching, until the day before and even then, I only told three guests. I really didn’t expect much beyond a night out with Renato, but on the morning of the 20th, which also happened to be my morning off, as I was eating my breakfast in the common room, I heard people coming down the hall singing “Happy Birthday.” Since I hadn’t really told anyone, my first, brief thought was that it was also a guest’s birthday.

Of course, I realized my mistake as my manager and Christian from the front desk rounded the corner carrying a birthday cake and a bottle of champagne. Guests seated at the tables eating breakfast joined in on the song and afterward we all enjoyed a slice of the sweet and a plastic cup of the bubbly. I’ve never had champagne for breakfast!

I was quite touched and truly surprised by this gesture, and I can only guess that my manager knew it was my birthday from the information I put down when I registered with the hostel. I have really been well-cared-for here, and it will be difficult to leave my new little family.

Also present at my birthday breakfast were two Daily Pilot readers. Jen and Jim contacted me in August, and we have been chatting back and forth ever since. They booked a room at my hostel and arrived on Tuesday with a copy of the Daily Pilot. That same day, posing proudly with the paper, Jen, Jim, Renato and I smiled as my manager took a photo of us in the hostel’s common room.

Afterward we all sat down and had a wonderful chat. It was great to again meet people from home, who also knew so many of my friends or at least their families, and I think Renato enjoyed stretching his English skills and seeing, for the first time, my article in print. Really, it was the first time for me too! Thank you Jen and Jim for such a wonderful visit. It was a pleasure to meet you, and I must admit that I had been dying to show Renato off to someone from my hometown!

It’s amazing how fast the time seems to have gone, and I am trying not to kick myself for putting off doing and seeing so many things, which will now be put off until I return (including a trip to the Archaeological Museum, which I recommend, nearly every day, to guests). Of course, my days have been full, but I still wish I’d found the time to see Positano and Sorrento somewhere along the way.

I did meet my replacement, Annie, who will be taking over my job starting in October. And I already knew her! I met Annie for the first time, more than a month ago, while I was staying in Ischia. She worked at a hostel there over the summer, and since things slow down on the island in the fall and winter, she is moving to Naples to work. I am glad to say that she is a delightful and friendly person, and I know I am leaving my hostel in good hands.

I have yet to face the terrible task of packing. I already know that, with all the stuff I have amassed over the months, I will have to buy another bag.

By this time next week, I will be home again. What will happen in the days between then and now I cannot say, though they will probably be a bit stressful, more than a bit chaotic, and I expect to shed many tears.

I look forward to seeing my family and friends, and though I have technically been on vacation all this time, I am also looking forward to some rest. However, once I return from a week in Cancun, I will begin planning my return to Italy.

So, until next week, ciao ragazzi!