And now, for the ultimate test...

[MAlegant]

Hi all,
I'm off to Italy for 6 weeks; the first five of which I will be running our summer opera program. I will be in charge of 85 singers, instrumentalists, faculty and staff.  Not sure if I'm up to it, but only time will tell.  I'll be on email and so will be checking up on all of you and will see many of you in August.  Perhaps by then my Italian will have improved.  Yes, in addition to everything else, I'm taking Italian classes as well.  My brain better be up to the challenge!!
Best,
Marci

[yardtick]

Buona Fortuna

Ciao Ciao, Anna Maria 

[MAlegant]

Mille grazie, Anna Maria!  A presto!
Marcellina

[ppearl214]

Bon voyage, safe travels/journeys, please find me a new handbag if you go to Milan and most of all... have a fantastic time!!!!

Ciao!
Phyl

[Kathy M]

Best of luck to you Marci!  I'll bet you'll do just fine - sounds really exciting!!

Kathy

[Keri]

Sounds wonderful ! Have a great trip. Give us some details (what opera company or school)? Do you perform or just help coordinate it all? Which opera you doing?

Keri

[leapyrtwins]

Good luck, Marci.  Have fun.

Wish it were me 

Jan

[suboo73]

Marci,  Have fun in Italy! 

My older daughter went on a 14 day art tour 7 months after her car accident (2 broken legs) and she did great, even got lost on the subway in Rome and found her way back to the hotel!

I am sure you are up to the challenge!   

Ciao for now!  Hasta luego (sorry - only know Spanish and a little French & German!)

Sue

[moe]

Marci,
I'm sure you will do fine in Italy. Hope your headaches aren't too bothersome.
Amazing what the body can do when it just wills itself to do it!
You'll feel the let down after everything is all done, but what fun I'm sure you will have.
Hope to hear from you!
Ciao,
Maureen

[Kate B]

What an opportunity!  Don't forget to make us a list of places to go and people to meet while traveling in Italy! Then maybe when the suggestions come up about the next location for the symposium, we can say Italy:-) 

Seriously, have fun with the 85 singers in the summer opera program.

Kate

[anissa]

Wow, how fun!  Wishing you all the best!!

Anissa

[wendysig]

Marci,

Good luck -- I hope everything goes well.  With all you've gone through and had ot deal with in the past few months, I'm sure you'll handle this even better than you think you will.  You are stronger than you know.

Best wishes,
Wendy

[Jim Scott]

Marci ~

Congratulations and best of luck in Italy this summer!  I know you're up to it and will have a very successful program.  Looking forward to your posts. 

Jim

[saralynn143]

I'll say the same thing to you that I said to my daughter as she left for Israel: Have fun and stay safe.

Sara

[MAlegant]

Oh good food is right!  It was an amazing experience--living and working in another culture--and one so beautiful.  I feel very fortunate. (again) 

It was a little rocky in the beginning--lots of intense work (needing fast and clear thought).  Jet lag was awful so that just made it worse.  Fortunately I had a good team with me, and they pushed me, and my memory improved.  By the end of week 2 I really felt like the old me (mentally), and that was all I needed.  I worked hard and played hard and we produced 3 operas and 16 other concerts.  Was the best thing I've done for myself since surgery.  And while I was there, I ran almost every day (think under the Tuscan sun) and put in so many miles that I'm planning to run a half-marathon, which is something I did 12 years ago. 

I still had days with facial pain, but far fewer and I didn't have to medicate myself too much.  Of course, I did have red wine and limonello....

Marci

Here's the full picture of me on the beach in Maremma, Italy, on the Mediterranean side.  I'm with my friend Dave's two daughters.