From London to Sicily

This American Blog... in Sicily

Episode numero uno: Where does one begin with writing a blog?! I suppose I should introduce myself and provide some context for the who, the what, the where and the why...here goes nothing.

The Who:

My name is Andrew Sundling (Handsome Andy) for those who know me best. And no it's not a nickname I've bequeathed to myself. It was bestowed upon me one morning while I was working with the Arancini Brother's, (a fantastic street food business and coffee shop in London, owned by my two good friends Dave & Dave) at a bespoke music festival over the summer. The story goes like this:  I was supervising a dozen over easy eggs, half asleep from the previous nights shift and Dave (little Dave) was refreshing our food signage for the breakfast rush. Scribbling away he wrote "Crazy Dave's Morning Wraps!" paused, laughed....and then finished the rhyming jangle with "& Handsome Andy's Breakfast Baps!" ( For my American friends and family, Baps = Sandwich & Handsome = Me)  - Some say. Hence the name of my blog. With that said, welcome to the Adventures of Handsome Andy! My first blog, from Sicily. More on that in a moment...

The What: London

2.5 years ago I left the warm, temperate, Mediterranean climate of sunny California for the cold, wet, very wet, busy streets of foggy London. Air quality in London is much safer and cleaner then it was a hundred years ago, so there isn't much fog...but the streets and lifestyle of most Londoner's is certainly still very busy. In fact, busy is an understatement. Everyone rushes. Nevertheless, London is still exceptionally beautiful as a city and supports many of the world's top academic universities, which is why I was there.

In 2011 I graduated from Imperial College London with a Masters degree in Environmental Technology and Business. It was an incredible experience. I'm not sure the education was worth the outrageous international student fee's and debt - There  is something to be said about a good library card, however, the friendships and experiences I've had since, are worth every penny. London might be cold and rainy 6....ok, 9 months out of the year, but one of its most illustrative facets is its ability to shine as a cultural hub, where people from all over the globe mix, brew and stew. Opportunities for adventure are everywhere if one can see through the stale rushing, corporate ladder climbing and obsessive box ticking. As it turned out, my corporate spectacles were a bit scratched. Wrong prescription. I couldn't see sh*t! Timing is everything, they say...

Rather then fight a perspective that clearly wasn't reflecting the world view I saw,  I've exchanged them for a pair that is somewhat more alternative, less mainstream, more liberating, more f*ck you, more Bob Dylan; a glass composite that combines Thoreavian meditation, with the exacting yet unpredictability of Julia Childs. Throw in a dash of Alan Watts and George Carlin for good measure. Life is not about boxes, it's about people and being human. The view through my new lenses are still a bit fuzzy at times. The unknown is a scary place to be. I crap myself on a regular basis, but it keeps me humble....and hungry. (Fist bump, Steve Jobs). At least now the bigger picture appears to be more in focus...

The Where: Sicily

Three days into the New Year I received a life changing email from my good friend, fellow American expat and honorary Sicilian, Cassandra Funsten. She's been living in Sicily as a writer for almost five years. In 2006 without knowing the language, she excavated her roots in Berkeley California and transplanted them in Italy with a pair of her own hand-crafted lenses. The women has balls! She might be a Cancer sign, but she's got the tackle to follow her dreams and her heart. Bravo! After living in Sicily for almost six years, she translates complicated academic papers from Italian to English and is raising a bilingual three year-old daughter with an artistic life-partner who directs the Palermo University Botanic Garden. His name is Manlio (pronounced "Mall-i-o"). Half hippie, half Sicilian, 100% awesome! I digress. Back to the life changing email:

Cassandra had written with great news! One of the oldest families in Sicily had asked her to find a suitable person to intern on their family estate which also happened to be a world renowned vineyard and acclaimed international cooking school for the next 3-6 months. There was a catch, she needed to know yesterday if I was in. The clock was ticking. At the time I was bartending in a great pub in London just off Regents Street, called The Stags Head and wasn't sure how I could make it work on such short notice. What would I tell my boss? "Sorry, Nigel, I'm leaving the pub, the locals and a steady paycheck for Sicily - the mafiosi - a region of Italy that is on the verge of economic bankruptcy? In addition, I had a contract on my flat with roommates who expected my portion of the rent to be paid on time for the next three months, plus my goodness, it was Sicily!? Did I really want to pack my bags for a farm in a country who's economic status is comparable to Greece? I checked out the website and calculated the risks. The photos spoke for themselves, leaving me with two words "I'm in!".  Logistics turned out to be easier than I thought. My flatmates were excited for me. I found a friend to take my room and two days ago, I literally packed my bags, boarded a plane and landed in Palermo, Sicily, just as the sun was setting behind Monte Pellegrino. Bellisimo. And so it begins...

Why:...Perch`e No!?

I am reminded of a quote:

"I think it's much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong"

- Richard P. Feynman -

 

We are so afraid to let go, to just be, to allow the unfolding of this marvelous life without getting in the way. Why have I moved to Sicily to work for a family I've never met on a farm in the middle of the Sicilian countryside? Because I don't want to be afraid of being wrong. Ten years from now when I'm teaching my children how to cook or chop an onion, I don't want to tell them that when I was 30 years old, I gave up the opportunity to live and work in Italy with a historic royal family, learn the language, its culture and culinary arts, because I couldn't foresee the answers. 

And even if this road leads to more questions then answers and my tambourine man ramblings fall to the unknown like a rolling stone, I'll know the truth is out there, man, somewhere, blowin in the wind, the answers, blowin in the wind...

This blog is about the beginning of a Sicilian Adventure that I hope to share with friends, family and anyone else who's interested in following along!