Seeing as almost every man under 30 here would be a top contender for The Jersey Shore Season 3, I was not optimistic about this proposed arranged marriage.  But when my “mom” told me Giovanni would like to take me to the scenic Lake Garda with his two friends, I was all over it – as long as my sister could come.  We really hadn’t met anyone our own age and were eager to see where they went out.

So a couple nights ago Perrin and I hopped in a BMW and headed out with the boys.  A couple things stood out:

Me and Giovanni, my 29-year-old Italian “uncle”, in Autocool, a 24-7 convenience store where you can gamble in the slot machines or buy fresh fruit, DVDs, board games, Gelato and more! Giovanni has a graphic t-shirt, ripped jeans and a man purse. 100% standard look for men here.

1. They drive as if they were in Super Mario Kart.  Mika, our driver, went at least 90mph down a one lane highway the whole trip and zipped around other cars like we had the special star shield around us and could go through anything in our path.  It was mildly terrifying and we won’t be doing it again.  They blasted U2 the whole way though, which was a welcome language barrier buffer.

Perrin dancing to U2's "Elevation" blaring in the background.

2. They always pay for girls.  Most Italian men live with their mothers until their mid-late 20s so they can put away some cash.  This means they have more dough for wining and dining the ladies.  That they did.  We went to a Spanish tapas restaurant called Ole and since Perrin and I couldn’t read the menu they ordered us a feast of food and made sure we always had full glasses of the best sangria I’ve ever had.  They happily took care of the bill and informed us women would NEVER pay while they were around.

The food was delicious all around. Here Perrin and I chow down on some less fancy American wings in honor of the Croxleys night we were missing back home.

3. They love American women.  Giovanni’s friends asked Perrin and I if we were single right away and asked if we would like two Italian men.  They actually used the term, “You free for all?  Yes?  Let’s go.”  We immediately put the brakes on that one yet two of them tried unsuccessfully again to kiss us later.  The cajones!

After a dip in a local pool, Perrin wrinkles her nose. Italian men are desperately seeking American women but they’re not really our style.

4. They are addicted to Facebook.  This clearly is not just an trend amongst Italian men, but it should be noted that they pulled the site up on their iPhones or mentioned it in conversation every couple minutes.  But that could also be an exaggeration because it was the only word Perrin and I understood…

What can I say about Ben?  I met him our first week in Saigon at the beer place down the street from our guesthouse.  He is an Aussie boy that has been here for a couple of months doing his CELTA training then he’ll be heading back to Sydney in a couple of weeks.  Despite the fact that he has a creepy Movember mustache, the worst $1 (literally, it was a $1) haircut you will ever see and a not so secret love for Twilight I can’t help but be attracted to him.  We’ve been having an amazing time together, exploring the city and laughing until we’re both crying.

The thought constantly lingers in the back of my head…. November 27th…. the day Ben flies back to Sydney and this dream world we’ve been living in disappears, it’s still 1o days away but I already have a heavy feeling in my heart.  The rational side of my brain has been in constant battle with my heart the last couple of weeks.  My brain is saying, “Jen, you’ve only known this guy for a couple of weeks, who gives a fuck?  You knew it from the beginning that he would be gone by the end of the month, get over it and grow up you chump.”  But then my hearts scolds my brain for being such an asshole, “Jenny, maybe you shouldn’t be so quick to write this one off…. who knows what could come of it?”

2 years ago when I backpacked through Australia, I met an absolutely terrific guy and we hit it off right away.  I was convinced that it was meant to be.  I had to go home to Canada to finish my last year of University so we had planned to meet up again in a year, but this time he would come to Canada and we would pick up where we left off.  Oh how things change in a year.  He met another girl and now he is getting married to her.  I don’t regret leaving but I can’t help but wonder what would’ve been.

When it comes to relationships on the road what is one supposed to do?  Am I forever supposed to keep everyone out of life until I get home or do I risk having my heart broken?

I guess in 10 days we’ll see who wins out….. my brain or my heart.  I may be fine or I may be a mess on the floor.

One of the hardest things to be honest about are our relationships while on the road.  For the most part, we don’t have any problem divulging all the gritty details of our lives, but when it comes to relationships, it can get tricky because that begins to involve other people in what we’re doing.  We’re four pretty liberal girls, and yes, when we’re out on the road, there’s a pretty likely chance that we may get involved with some men.  So here’s my honest story of how things went for me in Turkey:

The first time I went to visit Rob in Istanbul, I met a guy on my very last night in the city.  The two of us hit it off pretty quickly, and when it became evident that the two of us were going to get the opportunity to meet back up in Istanbul when I joined the cast, we were both pretty excited.  I packed my bags, and was on my way to a brand new life, and was also happy that I was going to have a guy in a brand new, foreign city.  When I actually got to the city, I saw the aforementioned guy a few times and well, things didn’t really work out.  It didn’t work out because of time.  I had a lot to do to adjust to JS0, I went to Bulgaria, and I went on a tour around Turkey.  He wasn’t very happy with this, and I quite frankly don’t blame him, but it just wasn’t working out.  So, I sat around, got to know Kris and Jen, and prepared to get ready for Vietnam, leaving my love life behind.

Oh but wait!  My life is never that easy, or maybe I’m just too boy crazy, I can’t tell.  Enter Turkish man #2, one of Jen’s coworkers.  I met this man for a quick second at Jen’s work and immediately had the heart flutters, but waved it off because I was leaving for Vietnam in two days, and what was the point?  But oh wait again, I’m not that rational!  Cute coworker showed up at our going away party, and I pretty much found myself stuck to his side like glue the second he walked in the door.  We chatted throughout the evening, went for a very nice dinner my last night in Istanbul, and said our goodbyes at the airport.

Multiple e-mail conversations later, I’m now in Saigon finding myself still a bit smitten by said cute coworker.  I’m glad to have a new friend afar, but sad that I didn’t get to spend more time with my new love interest.

This, ladies and gentleman, is the crappy part of traveling.  We’re screwed.  We can meet the most amazing people in each country, but there will always come the point where we have to say goodbye.  I joined Jet Set Zero because I love adventure and I wanted to experience something unique.  The sad fact is, you can’t plan on meeting people, you can’t deny it when two people are attracted to each other, and we will always leave each country heartbroken, the heartbreaker, or both.   Sometimes, traveling ain’t easy.