This is my second year living in Italy, and I am finding that this year is a significantly different experience for me as an Allergic Reactor. Between living alone, having no close friends return for another year, and trying to make new friends, I have had many interesting encounters and experiences.
I am definitely enjoying my apartment this year. It is my dream apartment with beautiful exposed wooden beams, stone, brick, and two balconies. One of the best parts though is having a kitchen all to myself. I have full control over what goes into it. My roommate last year was amazing with my allergies, but it is still nice to not even have to think about it. For an Allergic Reactor in her twenties, this is pretty spectacular!
Since I do work abroad, it is common for people to come and go from year to year. This past year was an even larger turnover than is typical here, and none of my close friends from last year returned. This has been one of the greatest challenges for me; trying to make new friends all over again and find people who are kind and understanding about my allergies. Last year I was thankful to have such amazing friends here. Everyone was so sweet and understanding about my allergies. I always felt like people were supportive and aware. This year is a different story though, and I am struggling to find that same feeling of caring and understanding among the new staff.
There have been quite a few experiences from this year so far with other teachers, that I am working on writing to share with my readers! Coming soon!
I like your blog, because it shows what people with food allergies CAN do! :) Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi and welcome back! I have a quick question for you... do you find lupin flour (lupine?) a problem in Italy/Europe? I would like to holiday with my litle peanut allergic girl, but am worried about the stories I read about lupin reactions that are occuring more frequently and more severely, even on the first exposure. Do you have any issues with lupin and is there a lot of it used in the baked goods/bread/pasta type things? I would be so grateful for any information you might have.
ReplyDeleteSoooo looking forward to your new posts too, you are truly an inspiration :-) xx
Hi,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind words! I am so sorry to just be answering you now! I do have lupine written on my Chef Card, so that is helpful in avoiding it when living in Italy and traveling. I think that it is more commonly found in France, but I have spent a great deal of time in both countries and have not found it to be a problem! I am happy to answer any other questions! Please feel free to e-mail me! It is wonderful that you want to travel with your daughter! :)
Take care!