Ciao Bei,

I am such a sucker. One of Venice’s newest citizens (self-proclamed, of course), I go to every shop owner, the grocery, the internet café, and tell them, “I just moved here. Isn’t that great?” It’s sounds a little less silly in Italian, but silly nonetheless. They all agree, it’s great, and congratulate me heartily. Ti piace Venezia, sì? Venice is senza paragone, they say, in a class by itself. They complement me, and tell me it is to my credit that I have recognized this. Brava, brava..

Beyond that, I’m reconnecting with everyone and eyeing the possibilities, which seem to be limited to me, the amount of ingenuity, energy and organization I have (Venice: Instructions for Use, maybe?), and yes, my ability to market…yuck. I’m very conscious of how much I want to stay, to live here. It suits me tanto; troppo, maybe.

On my first full day, I meet Liviana, who rented me my appartamentino, to sign some paperwork. As we maneuver through the calli, she tells me — with absolute conviction, mind you — Vedrai: ora la tua vita cambierà completamente. “You’ll see. Now your life will change completely.”

I don’t feel like I qualify to be a character in a novel or a film, but I certainly feel like one.