Freezing mansion "This room smells like Vicks Vapor rub," I wrote in my journal. At least the bed is warm. I am frustrated with myself that I cannot remember the new words I learn the first time I hear them. She said it several times, the name of this metal device that warms your bed for you. It would be a luxury in America, but if you live in a 200-year-old concrete mansion in the mountains of Spezzano Albanese, you may really grow to depend on it. I just spent a frustrating couple of hours communicating somewhere between bad English and bad Italian, mixed with a little poor French and Spanish. By the end I myself was confused and exhausted. When I am communicating with someone who speaks poor English, I say each word individually, waiting
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