Tuesday, February 27, 1979
After lunch, the handsome chauffeur, Dino, drove the kids and me to the Carnevale in Torino, in Piazza Vittorio Veneto next to the River Po that looked like a big polluted canal. Saw motorcycle stuntmen, went in a funhouse where the floor did all kinds of things; Dino was carrying Elena. Rode the bumper cars after Dino retrieved a car for me and Elena, curbside service! The boys did target shooting and Dino's bulls-eye won them a live quail! Saw the "Keystone Kops"/Torino police and articulated streetcars. On the way home we stopped at a Tabacchi/tobacco shop where the boys bought bubble gum.
Meals: I made the mistake of thinking the first entree was the meal. But it is only the first course.
A typical meal:
1) Starts with slices of ham or salami, with bread or breadsticks.
2) Potato salad-like dish (with freshly made mayonnaise) or salad of fresh greens.
3) Deviled or fried eggs, or soup, or ravioli (only a little sauce), or spaghetti in a butter garlic sauce, or rice.
4) Slices of cooked meat or fish (served with the head!) and a cooked vegetable (tomato, cabbage, zucchini, etc.).
5) Choice of up to five cheeses, or fruit.
6) Dessert (apple fritters, ice cream, or custard).
7) Brazilian coffee, or tea.
Kids drink water and adults drink bubbly red wine. Is that what is making me sleep well at night?
A bottle of milk in a green glass bottle with a cork is delivered daily. Mostly used for cooking, it is heavy and creamy tasting. If used to drink, it is heated with sugar, or chocolate, or coffee.
Tuesday, February 27, 1979
Monday, February 26, 1979
"My" Home in Italy
Signore/Mr. B is chairman and owner of a steel conglomerate with factories in three towns in Italia and a factory in Brazil. They supply steel to Fiat. Signore B seems to be a friendly, down-to-earth type guy.
Signora/Mrs. B works in the company office and may actually be the brains behind the operation. She seems to be an uptight micro-manager, but is a stunning blonde.
The house is filled with what looks like antique furniture. The doors and windows can be covered for security by metal "fencing" that unfolds across the door like we see at liquor stores in the U.S. The windows have thick wood-slat blinds that roll down to cover them on the outside. They seem to roll these blinds down to block the sun as well. There is hot-water radiator heating.
The guest room where I am staying has twin beds with pillow rolls at the head rather than regular pillows. The regular pillows are stored in a closet. There is an antique chest of drawers. The bathroom is modern with a shower stall and a bidet in addition to the toilet.
Also down on the lower level next to the guest room is a recreation room that is huge. It has one long and two round tables where 20-30 people could dine! A round open fireplace sits one-third of the way down the length of the room. In the one-third section are elegant couches lining three sides. Another portion of the room off to one side has a stereo and TV. Through a window in one wall you can pass food from a second kitchen. There is also a dumbwaiter from the kitchen above.
The lower level also has a wine cellar, laundry room with a washing machine and utility tub, the palestra/therapy room, and a set of rooms (three rooms and a complete bath) now used for storage. Plus a one-car garage.
The ground level has the main kitchen (all the modern conveniences including two refrigerators, a freezer, and a dishwasher; not fully utilized), a dining room, a huge living room with a fireplace (with three different living room sets!), a bathroom, and a storage room.
Down a hall are the family living quarters; a huge master suite with bedroom, lavatory and complete bath, wardrobe room, and an elegant blue velvet sitting room used as the music room. Elena is learning to play the piano, Artu (Arturo) the drums and Albi (Alberto) the saxophone. The children's area has one bedroom where all three children sleep, a playroom, a complete bath plus shower stall, and a study with a large closet for toy storage. There is another bedroom and complete bath used by the live-in maid, Patrizia.
The grounds include a swimming pool, a clay tennis court, a tiny gardener's cottage next to a garden and tiny orchard, and a kennel full of guard dogs (at least six German shepherds).
Signora/Mrs. B works in the company office and may actually be the brains behind the operation. She seems to be an uptight micro-manager, but is a stunning blonde.
The house is filled with what looks like antique furniture. The doors and windows can be covered for security by metal "fencing" that unfolds across the door like we see at liquor stores in the U.S. The windows have thick wood-slat blinds that roll down to cover them on the outside. They seem to roll these blinds down to block the sun as well. There is hot-water radiator heating.
The guest room where I am staying has twin beds with pillow rolls at the head rather than regular pillows. The regular pillows are stored in a closet. There is an antique chest of drawers. The bathroom is modern with a shower stall and a bidet in addition to the toilet.
Also down on the lower level next to the guest room is a recreation room that is huge. It has one long and two round tables where 20-30 people could dine! A round open fireplace sits one-third of the way down the length of the room. In the one-third section are elegant couches lining three sides. Another portion of the room off to one side has a stereo and TV. Through a window in one wall you can pass food from a second kitchen. There is also a dumbwaiter from the kitchen above.
The lower level also has a wine cellar, laundry room with a washing machine and utility tub, the palestra/therapy room, and a set of rooms (three rooms and a complete bath) now used for storage. Plus a one-car garage.
The ground level has the main kitchen (all the modern conveniences including two refrigerators, a freezer, and a dishwasher; not fully utilized), a dining room, a huge living room with a fireplace (with three different living room sets!), a bathroom, and a storage room.
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| One third of the living room |
The grounds include a swimming pool, a clay tennis court, a tiny gardener's cottage next to a garden and tiny orchard, and a kennel full of guard dogs (at least six German shepherds).
Sunday, February 25, 1979
I'm going to Italy! (2/24/1979)
Winter 1979
After taking the specialized course in the NeuroDevelopmental Treatment Approach to Cerebral Palsy and becoming a member of the NeuroDevelopmental Treatment Association (NDTA), I saw a classified ad in the NDTA newsletter for a private physical therapist position in Italy.
Italy! I had long dreamed of traveling in Europe and I had often thought of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland; Great Britain; or even Scandinavia. But never the Mediterranean countries. However, I knew this was a great opportunity.
I had a telephone interview with a friend (who lived in Connecticut) of the family who wanted to hire a therapist, and learned the family was coming to New York City on their annual trip to see doctors for their daughter who had cerebral palsy. It was arranged for me to meet the mother in the Waldorf Astoria hotel for a face-to-face interview. After the interview, it was agreed that I would be hired to work with Elena, who was 7-years old at the time. She went to school in the mornings and I would provide two hours of physical therapy in the afternoon, five days per week. I was also to provide a half-hour of scoliosis exercises for the brothers, Arturo (12-years old) and Alberto (11-years old), as well as help with their English homework. In return, the family would give me a round-trip plane ticket to Italy, room and board, and a $500 per month stipend. The contract would be for six months, with an option to extend.
The family also provided my services to three other children in the area, who all had cerebral palsy.
Most of this blog will be taken from my journal written at the time. Any additional information or comments will be written in this font.
Saturday, February 24, 1979
TWA Flight 842 was scheduled to leave John F Kennedy Airport, NYC, at 19:30. However, we did not board the plane until 20:30, using the Mobile Lounge to get to the Boeing 747 aircraft. The Mobile Lounge had to elevate at least one story before reaching the level of the plane's doors. The cost of my ticket was $339 and I was in window seat 33-O. Announcements proclaimed cargo-loading problems.
I rented a headset and listened to several channels with different types of music. We left JFK at 23:30 and arrived at Newark Airport at 23:50, where we had to fuel up due to a shortage at JFK. Shortest airplane ride ever! We had dinner served while sitting in Newark.
Sunday, February 25, 1979
Finally took off at 00:40. At about 1:30 over Nova Scotia, the duty-free shop opened. At 2:00 I watched the movie "Paradise Alley." Slept a while, but was awake in time to see the sun rise. Later announcements said I saw the English Channel below. Had breakfast over French farmland at about 7:00. Saw and photographed the (Swiss?) Alps:
The direct flight arrived in Milano, Italia at 8:00, 14:00 local time. The customs officials checked my passport, but not my baggage.
I was met at the gate by a handsome young chauffeur, Dino, holding a card with "Miss Tamiko" written on it. He drove like crazy through Carnevale/Carnival or Mardi Gras traffic near Milano. Once on the Autostrada/toll road he reached speeds of 180 kmh/112 mph. On country roads he passed slower cars on narrow curving roads. We soon arrived at the gates of an industrial site in hilly countryside, and then drove through another set of gates of the residential property, down a tree-lined drive past a lake where Signore/Mr. B was fishing.
The one-story "Frank Lloyd Wright"-style villa was a bit of a disappointment after having passed mansion-type villas.
Signora/Mrs. B took me to a guest room downstairs and I had arrived!
(I was given the wrong address for my new location, so that letters from home were returned, which worried my parents, and therapy balls I had ordered did not arrive.)
After taking the specialized course in the NeuroDevelopmental Treatment Approach to Cerebral Palsy and becoming a member of the NeuroDevelopmental Treatment Association (NDTA), I saw a classified ad in the NDTA newsletter for a private physical therapist position in Italy.
Italy! I had long dreamed of traveling in Europe and I had often thought of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland; Great Britain; or even Scandinavia. But never the Mediterranean countries. However, I knew this was a great opportunity.
I had a telephone interview with a friend (who lived in Connecticut) of the family who wanted to hire a therapist, and learned the family was coming to New York City on their annual trip to see doctors for their daughter who had cerebral palsy. It was arranged for me to meet the mother in the Waldorf Astoria hotel for a face-to-face interview. After the interview, it was agreed that I would be hired to work with Elena, who was 7-years old at the time. She went to school in the mornings and I would provide two hours of physical therapy in the afternoon, five days per week. I was also to provide a half-hour of scoliosis exercises for the brothers, Arturo (12-years old) and Alberto (11-years old), as well as help with their English homework. In return, the family would give me a round-trip plane ticket to Italy, room and board, and a $500 per month stipend. The contract would be for six months, with an option to extend.
The family also provided my services to three other children in the area, who all had cerebral palsy.
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| My Journal |
 |
| From Grandma and my name lettered by Dad |
Saturday, February 24, 1979
TWA Flight 842 was scheduled to leave John F Kennedy Airport, NYC, at 19:30. However, we did not board the plane until 20:30, using the Mobile Lounge to get to the Boeing 747 aircraft. The Mobile Lounge had to elevate at least one story before reaching the level of the plane's doors. The cost of my ticket was $339 and I was in window seat 33-O. Announcements proclaimed cargo-loading problems.
I rented a headset and listened to several channels with different types of music. We left JFK at 23:30 and arrived at Newark Airport at 23:50, where we had to fuel up due to a shortage at JFK. Shortest airplane ride ever! We had dinner served while sitting in Newark.
 |
| TWA booklet cover |
 |
| TWA booklet: Duty Free info |
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| TWA booklet: Menu |
 |
| TWA booklet: Beverages and Duty Free info |
Sunday, February 25, 1979
Finally took off at 00:40. At about 1:30 over Nova Scotia, the duty-free shop opened. At 2:00 I watched the movie "Paradise Alley." Slept a while, but was awake in time to see the sun rise. Later announcements said I saw the English Channel below. Had breakfast over French farmland at about 7:00. Saw and photographed the (Swiss?) Alps:
I was met at the gate by a handsome young chauffeur, Dino, holding a card with "Miss Tamiko" written on it. He drove like crazy through Carnevale/Carnival or Mardi Gras traffic near Milano. Once on the Autostrada/toll road he reached speeds of 180 kmh/112 mph. On country roads he passed slower cars on narrow curving roads. We soon arrived at the gates of an industrial site in hilly countryside, and then drove through another set of gates of the residential property, down a tree-lined drive past a lake where Signore/Mr. B was fishing.
The one-story "Frank Lloyd Wright"-style villa was a bit of a disappointment after having passed mansion-type villas.
(I was given the wrong address for my new location, so that letters from home were returned, which worried my parents, and therapy balls I had ordered did not arrive.)
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