Near the Duomo in Milan, in a tree-lined viale or boulevard, live a man, a woman, two boys, two fish in an algae-encrusted tank, and a Jack Russell terrier named Wendy. The man is Italian, the woman is American and the boys are half-and-half.
All seven flourish.
They own a balcony that juts into the sky from their fourth floor kitchen. Here pink-and-red geraniums flower. White sheets flap and dry in the sun. Boys lick dripping ice-cream, basil grows fragrant and diavoli toscani, dangerous looking insects, hover at dusk.
By day, the man handles demanding clients and fussy bosses. The woman teaches English to adolescents and adults. And the boys sweat over Italian, English, Latin and German.
After hours is when the real fun is had.
The man jogs in the park, tension flying from his shoulders with each lap around the man-made lake. The boys play soccer in the courtyard and forget demands placed on them by a complex, global future. And the woman, Natalia Sarkissian–me!–in a little alcove off the dining room, crafts stories, one postcard at a time.
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Postcards from Italy offers flashes and glimpses to friends (known and unknown) about friends (real or imagined) caught in a crazy landscape where the dolce vita still lives on. Some of the stories and vignettes are true, others are fiction.
I have a BA and MA in art history, an MBA in international finance and an MFA in Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Currently, I teach English language courses and Creative Writing in Italy.
Please refer to the publications page here for a complete list of my work.
**
I can be reached at:
nataliasarkissian1(at)gmail(dot)com.
THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!
Postcards from Italy---Natalia Sarkissian 
Hi,
Thank you for stopping by in my blog and for liking my post. Perhaps you’d be interested in reading my other poetry and flash fiction?
The links are:
“Dance, Dance Under the Rain!”: http://subhanzein.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/dance-dance-under-the-rain/
“Whirling Towards the Divinity”: http://subhanzein.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/whirling-towards-the-divinity-2/
“Love is the Water of Life”: http://subhanzein.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/love-is-the-water-of-life/
“A Hug from My Heart”: http://subhanzein.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/pantun-sz-012012/
“The Scholar and the Boatman: http://subhanzein.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/the-scholar-and-the-boatman/
“Two Rupiah Notes”: http://subhanzein.wordpress.com/2012/02/19/two-rupiah-notes/
“Becoming Human”: http://subhanzein.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/becoming-human/
“Chinese Bamboo and Paulo Coelho”: http://subhanzein.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/chinese-bamboo-and-paulo-coelho/
Thank you and I hope you will enjoy what I have in store for you! 🙂
Have a great day!
Subhan Zein
Thanks for stopping by my blog and liking my post Pham and Her Gold Fish …love your blog…will follow..;)
My pleasure!
Hi~
Beautiful pictures! I feel like I am there. Just started my visit to your blog – having a great time so far =)
Warmly,
Laura
Thanks so much Laura!
Just started reading “Soup”. I’m enjoying your writing style.
Thank you so much!
Thank you for liking one of my posts. Love the way your About page is written.
Your post was great. And thanks for stopping by here, too!
Thank you for liking my post on Dubai. I checked out your blog and love it also!
My pleasure. Your photos were great! Glad you like my blog too…!
Thanks for visiting my site! Still exploring yours…
my pleasure & thanks for stopping by here!
Thanks for stopping by my blog, and thus allowing me to discover yours! Nice pictures!
Your blog is great! And thanks for visiting.
Great pictures! keep it up. and thanks for liking my blog-post.
Wow, I just took a quick look and your photos are fantastic. I like your postcard theme. Thanks for the “like” on my Earth Day post. 🙂
Sheila,
I loved your Earth Day post, and am so glad you decided to come visit me!
Hey thanks for checking out my blog. I really like your photos, there are some really amazing ones in there!
Matt
Thanks Matt. And I really enjoyed looking at your blog!
Hi, thanks for liking one of my recent posts. I love all things Italy, so will definitely be following your blog. Great pics! — Rob
I love your pictures and today’s really caught my eye (exuberant youth and patient middle age, waiting for the beans to grow).
Thanks for stopping by!~chaoticwhitespace
My Pleasure, same back atcha!
Hi there. I’m having a problem viewing your pictures. They seem stretched from top to bottom, and squeezed in on the sides… wish I could see them as you took them… it could be that they’ve been modified so they would look good on forced wide screen.
Hmmm. How strange. Thanks for letting me know, I’ll see what I can do.
Your blog is full of sunshine! Enjoy!
Hi Natalia! Thank you for visiting my blog! I am glad I found yours, look forward to exploring it.
Yulia
Great Yulia,
I’ll be back to visit you too!
Natalia, you might have noticed, it’s Awards Season again, and I couldn’t not add your fabulous blog to my list of nominations for the Versatile Blogger Award. I won’t be upset if you can’t find the time to play, but if you can, pop over to check it out: https://thewanderlustgene.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/confessions-awards-and-the-atlas-game/
Ciao
TWLG
TWLG, How wonderful! THANK YOU! I will play asap. I’ve been admiring your blog too.
baci,
Natalia
Is there a word for an Italianophile? I’m one, so …
lovely site Natalia has.
Thanks Walid; yours is amazing!
thank you for visiting!
Thank you for stopping by here!
I’m loving your blog…thanks for stopping by mine and liking my latest post on Bonaire. Ciao…
I love BOTH your blogs~your sculptures are amazing (love Vulnerability especially).
Thank you! I’m glad you like my work. And Vulnerability is pretty special isn’t he?
Thank you for visiting my blog!
Thanks for stopping by and liking my blog. I like your writing as much as I do your photography. Good luck on your new book!
Thanks to you too for stopping by! See you around!
Thank you for stopping by my blog and the “Like’ of my post.
Thank you for visiting my blog – I am still exploring yours, greetings from Italy
Greetings to you, too, from Italia!
Thank you for viewing my little posting on the finials. I too have an “obsession” with all things Italian and I look forward to exploring your images and thoughts on my “second” home. Ciao Bella
Ciao Bella! Your finials are lovely.
At first I thought they were window grates. Quite interesting to look at something in an unexpected way.
Thanks for visiting my blog! Yours looks really interesting and I’m looking forward to reading more (:
Thank you for visiting my blog! I’ll come back to read yours when I have more time.
Best regards, Vera
Loved your blog! Thanks for stopping by here!
I am so glad that you liked my post. That way I found your amazing blog! I can’t wait to read more! Beautiful photos 🙂
Hi Natalie,
From one Italophile to another, thanks for visiting my blog which often turns out to be an homage to Italy. 🙂
Sounds like you have a very interesting life! I hope we an meet in Italy sometime.
Thanks for visiting mine! And for commenting. Yes, by all means, let’s meet up! 🙂
Will you be in Italy this year?
I live here.
Oh. I thought you moved about. Great!
Thank you for dropping by Malcolm’s Corner and liking “Eccentrics, Those Very Peculiar People’.
🙂
Thanks for stopping by here and commenting. And that was an interesting post!
Thanks for stopping by and liking my San Siro post! Like your style of writing!