Meeting the Housemates

It has come to my attention that some people would like to know who in the world I live with, so as to keep things straight.

This was in response to my saying, "My housemates are quite lovely" and this needed explanation :)

Translation: House mates are quite nice -- not FABulous in a sitcom sort of way, per se, b/c we are still getting to know each other. But by no means horrid or psycho or nutters. Except for me. It is a little more difficult process to make instant friends when there is a language barrier, even a slight one, and also when there is so much stress on both ends at a time period (like moving and little house-y annoyances like internet, soysouce, etc.). But I will introduce them :)

Fabiana is 25 and Italian -- she is very serious about study (she is doing an MA in International Journalism and it is really tough since she has to live, eat and breathe news in a second language. So she is pretty stressed out most of the time). She was the last to arrive and so I don't feel like I know her as well as the others, either; but we get along and more things are becoming funny to us, so our friendship is developing. She leaves early in the morning for classes and usually gets back after dark and then she reads until bedtime at midnight. I try to help her with words or colloquial phrases if she gets stuck, but she doesn't ask me often enough, I don't think :)

Maurizio is 33 and Italian -- and he is hyper and funny and quite a lot of fun (fortunately, he is gone back to Italy for October -- soemthing to do with his research funding) and so it is nice for the three girls to have some quiet and get into our routine of study. He has a PhD in Electrical Engineering and is doing research here. This means that when his day is done, he gets to play and "make" dinner parties. Very fun personality and my counselor's son James thinks that he uses poor English merely as a ploy to get girls' numbers -- hee hee. He makes friends with everyone he meets.

Hiroko is from Japan and is 34. she is doing an MA in Journalism Studies and her course is not as intense as Fabiana's in stress level. She was a journalist in Tokyo for an English language newspaper. She is our heroine for figuring out the internet service. She is funny and easy-going. She and I are going to stay here for Christmas, although I don't think we will both be in Cardiff the whole time. Fabiana, Hiroko and I are all on the same scholarship program -- that is how I found them and asked if they wanted to live together!

Maurizio met Fabiana when she was looking for a house and decided to join the group since finding smaller (fewer bedroom) accomodation here is difficult. We live in a 5-bedroom (this sounds really huge, but isn't) house, bi-level, with the living/dining room downstairs. All of us like to cook, so that is good :) I am the only knitter.

Well, not really a whole picture, but maybe this will help.