Bad days happen. . .

Even in Duino, it is possible to have a bad day. 

Today, I took a driving test (they called it practice but it seemed like a test) with one of the maintenance men from the college, to make sure I could drive the school vans.  No big deal, right?  Yeah, except the van was HUGE, a manual transmission, I don’t know my way around here at all, and the guy only spoke Italian.  So I had no idea what he was telling me to do, ever.  And he had to take me on narrow roads and steep hills, to make sure I knew what I was doing, apparently.

I’m going to keep telling myself that he wasn’t yelling at me the whole time, it was just my language barrier that made it seem like he was ridiculously annoyed.  And I only almost gave up when he was making me parallel park the van.  By the way, I couldn’t see out the back windows because of the way the seats are.  And I had no idea how big the van was.  It was awful.  In the end, he shook my hand and said “bene, bene, bene” which means good, so I think I essentially passed, but it was still ridiculously stressful.

Then, I tried to get confirmation from our moving company that they received the payment I made.  If they didn’t get it by today, we have to start paying “storage” fees, and we could pay them until whenever the next boat leaves from the US.  So I emailed them late last night (still during business hours in the US) asking for a payment confirmation.  No answer.  Then I emailed first thing this morning.  No answer.  Then I emailed our sales rep (different from the accounting department email address).  No answer.  So I had Tom, who is in the states, call the number I had for the accounting department.  Guess what?  No answer.  So he called our sales rep.  I’ll give you $10 if you know what happened.  No answer.  So I looked up another number online for the company, which he called.  Still no answer.  Finally, after sending another email to a “service” email address that I found on the Better Business Bureau website, I got an out-of-office response.  Apparently, the company is relocating.  Today.  And will be closed on Monday for the holiday.  But things will return to normal on Tuesday.  Great.  Just in time for all of our belongings to be flung into the Hudson River.

I finally got a nice response from someone in the company apologizing and giving us his cell number to call, promising not to charge us anything extra, blah blah blah.  I suppose I should feel better but I don’t.  And probably won’t until our things arrive here.  In another 6-8 weeks.  In the meantime, if you see any of my clothes floating on the Hudson River, or in a Goodwill near you, please let me know!

It’s certainly a gelato kind of night.

Italy Garden vs. US Garden

Italy

United States

Both gardens are pretty good!  One nice thing about being back in New Jersey right now is that I get to eat out of our vegetable garden.  I'll certainly miss the fresh figs from our yard in Italy though!

I had to come back to the US for work...I only had a quick first visit to Italy to help Kristen get moved in and settled a bit.  I'll be back in Italy in no time though.  In the meantime, I'll make the best out of it...picking fresh veggies every day and if I'm lucky surfing a little (September is my favorite month for surfing in NJ!).  Kristen will be fine in Italy without me thanks to our new friends there.  Everyone we've met so far has been terrific!  I can't believe how many dinner invitations we had in our first two weeks there!  So I'm not worried about Kristen at all.

Being back in NJ is very strange.  After less than two weeks in Italy I think I got used to the slower pace of life already.  I can't believe how fast everything moves back here!  And how crowded it feels!  I know, I know, it's probably just that I was in vacation mode...but man do we move fast here.  Besides missing Kristen, I'm really missing all the socializing that we were doing in Italy.  It's very strange that after more than two "years" in our new house back here we still have never been invited to any of our neighbors' houses for dinner or coffee or drinks.  I can't tell you how many times we've been invited to neighbors' houses in Italy!  Part of that is the nature of the international community and Kristen's school.  But I think a much bigger part is the Italian (or European) culture.  In any event, living in Italy is really going to be a life-changing experience for sure!

First days of school. . .

Today, I finally had some real interaction with the students of the school.  They have been arriving since Saturday, so I've seen them around (they live in the same building, so that was inevitable), but this was the first formal meetings of any kind.

We started the day with a Tutor breakfast.  Each teacher in the school has 8-10 tutees, who they help and advise during their two years in the school.  I think this is SUCH a good thing for the students, especially here, where many of them are literally half a world away from their families.  I had to prepare breakfast for 9 students (somehow Tom ended up leaving for the States just in time to miss this one).

We went around the table and talked about how we ended up at the college.  It was amazing to me to hear the variety of backgrounds, and what the students were and were not saying about their experience getting here.  One of my tutees came to me almost in tears because she learned that she wasn't allowed to keep her own food in the refrigerator (for safety reasons).  She had brought her favorite cheese from Denmark for breakfasts and she really wanted to be able to eat it because it reminded her of home.  I couldn't possibly tell her I was going to throw it out!  Instead, I now have a block of Danish cheese in my fridge and I am looking forward to tasting some tomorrow morning when she comes to get some for breakfast.

Another girl from Uganda talked about how her teacher told her every day about the college, and that she should apply, and how nervous she was when she did apply because the opportunities are so great here compared to her home country, and so many people apply and so few get in.  She was pretty quiet throughout the rest of the breakfast, but she beamed when she talked about how lucky she was to be here.  Seeing her smile and knowing that this experience will change the course of her life reminds me how lucky I have been over the course of my life.  That sounds cliche, but it's really true.  I am so looking forward to getting to know her, and all of my tutees, better over the course of this year.

We also had an opening assembly, placement testing, and meetings with residence groups today.  Without question, my favorite part of the day, and of this Italy adventure to date, was having those 9 students crowded around our small dining room table (without enough chairs) in our empty apartment talking about the journeys they took to get here.  Classes don't start until next Tuesday, but there are plenty of other formal and informal events planned between now and then.  I look forward to the regular schedule that classes will offer (semi-regular due to a tumbling block) but right now I'm pretty happy just to be around students again.

Week One Lessons

It's already been a week since we've arrived.  We've managed to do laundry, buy bread, figure out the bus system, open a bank account, and pretty much get by from day to day.  Here are a few of the big lessons so far. . . 

• "I put it in your pigeonhole” doesn’t sound good until you know that someone is talking about a mailbox.  That was one of many inappropriate times I laughed this week.  Getting used to communicating with everyone here (not just Italians) is going to take some time.         

• Buy bus tickets in advance and hold on to them until you need them.  The first time we tried to go into Trieste, the nearest city, we couldn't buy a ticket in advance because the places in town that sell them were closed for the mid-day break (for lack of a better word) all Italian businesses seem to observe from about 2-4 pm.  The bus driver yelled at us when we tried to buy a ticket on the bus, so we just got off again.  We settled for a swim and gelato instead (keep reading for more on both of those).

• Wine is cheap.  I know it should be, in Italy, but it's cheaper than I expected.  And it's assumed that you will have a drink at the end of each day.  Not a bad idea, if you ask me.  Tom was also thrilled to realize that we can get Cuban rum here, and a cold rum & coke is a great way to end a hot day.  

• Walking to work and home for lunch is fun (for now).  I'm sure that when the bora (legendary winds) kick up in the winter, or it starts to rain, I may change my mind, but right now I love it!

• You CAN walk off the rocks in to the Adriatic, but it’s WAY more fun to jump.  I was determined to jump the first time, especially after watching all of the older people slide in from the edge of the rocks, and I'm glad I did.  The sea is not as salty as the Atlantic and there aren't really any waves.  It's just the right temperature, too.  Cool enough to be totally refreshing on a 90+ degree day but not cold at all.  There isn't a beach and the water is very deep, so you jump in, swim around, and climb out on the rocks again.  I think that a floaty inner tube would be a fantastic thing to bring back next time I'm back in the states.

• One ventilator (fan) does not provide proper ventilation for an entire house.  We now have two fans, and that is barely enough.  Everyone keeps telling us we will be warm in the winter and happy to have so much sun coming in when it is cold and dark outside, but right now it's just plain hot.  I think I'm finally getting adjusted to it but it's so hard to get a good night's sleep when it is so hot inside.  And there is no a/c anywhere in town.

• Coffee time (10:55-11:15) is sacred.  The whole school takes a break during that time and there is "very strong Italian coffee," which I love, and tea in a common room for everyone.  It's a nice practice from a personal and professional perspective.

• Crossing the border into another EU country is a bit boring.  We jumped at the chance to go into Slovenia this morning for a shopping trip but were disappointed when there was no border crossing or passport stamping or even ID checking between Italy and Slovenia.  The shopping was just in a mall, which was pretty boring, too.  But we needed things (today's additions to our sparsely decorated house were two throw pillows and a bathmat).  When you are tagging along in someone else's small European car, you can't ever bring much home, so I'll be accepting any rides anyone offers for the next month or so.

• Time flies when you are adjusting to a new job, a new home, new people, and a new language.  I can't believe we have already been here for over a week!  

• Gelato fixes everything.  And the homemade gelato shop is a 3 minute walk from our house.  So life is very, very good.

Morning Italian Lesson

Great way to start the day...sitting on the balcony, drinking espresso and learning Italian!  I decided to start my mornings by sitting out in our backyard and learning a little Italian each day before I go to work.  Real classes start soon, but I thought I'd get a head start.  It's easy enough to get by speaking English in town because of the international school here, but you really need to know some Italian when you venture outside Duino.  Besides, we just want to be able to speak with Italians "in" Italian as soon as possible!  It's kind of my job to learn Italian fast because I'll have a little more time than Kristen in our first few months here.  I'll be working from home, setting my own schedule (like usual...just in Italy now), but Kristen has already started her new job and has lots to learn (including how to understand all the funny British words for things!).  

p.s.  Nice how I blend into the background on our balcony huh (it's been very sunny and hot)?

Yummmmm!

One of the things we have to get used to in Italy is cooking at home more (and eating out less).  Fortunately, this is the kind of food we can buy locally!  Fresh pasta and regional cheese are easy to find...we have to hop a bus to Monfalcone to have more choices but even the small market in Duino has some.  Bread is baked every day at our local bakery just down the block!  Lots of choices as long as you get there early because they bake just enough bread each day to sell out by around noon.

Ciao, Tom

Getting Started

We have survived the first few days in Italy!  Survived is an understatement--we are actually doing quite well so far.  Today is day 3, and already we feel comfortable in our apartment and town, and we have found the bakery and the gelato shop.

The first day was a bit rough.  Between jet lag (2 hrs sleep between Thursday and Friday), 90+ degree temps (with no a/c anywhere) and the language barrier, getting lunch the first day was a bit challenging.  After some pointing and nodding, we managed to get some sandwiches and water.  Since then, things have improved.  Our mistake was probably starting with lunch instead of gelato.  The first trip for gelato didn't happen until Day 2, but had a much sweeter outcome!

Our apartment is bigger than we expected, but much less furnished.  We have at least four different lists.  Food, stuff to get here for the house, stuff for Tom to bring back when he goes to NJ in September, and stuff we've borrowed from other people.  Once we get through those lists and return the things we've borrowed, we will be in great shape.  The patio and balcony both really need tables and chairs, and some comfy chairs and a coffee table will make living in the living room more comfortable.

Yesterday we went to a few stores, and spent lots of time comparing prices to things at home while trying to figure out what essentials we needed.  Most of Tom's kitchen staples (produce, pasta, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, spices) were less expensive than in NJ, which was a nice surprise.  I guess not so much of a surprise, since he usually makes Italian food and we are now in Italy, but 2 lbs of super red tomatoes for about $1 is still pretty exciting.

The people have all been very nice and helpful.  Our neighbors are Dutch and Italian and speak both Italian and English, so they will be invaluable this first year.  She teaches at my school and he works in the University office helping students get into college.  Tom is very excited because he is a musician in a blues band.  That will also be invaluable to Tom--he's already borrowed some guitar equipment that we won't get until our stuff arrives in about 8 weeks.

I will post pictures soon, when the place looks and feels a little more like home.

The next thing on today's agenda is the first swim in the Adriatic.  Here's hoping it's as refreshing as it looks, and the giant jellyfish we see swimming around really don't sting!
Ciao!

Eight Days. . .

In eight days, we move to Italy.
Here, to be exact:

Between now and then, we will be busy packing boxes and doing last minute things.  If you've moved, you know what it's like to do all the last minute stuff.  Now imagine you are moving to a different country.  There are some things that are complicated, but there is also a lot of things we don't have to do.  We are not worried about hooking up cable (since we don't speak Italian, I'm guessing TV won't be a priority) or phone service (cell phones will happen eventually, but not until we learn how to say phone in Italian).  No car in Italy means no car insurance, registration, or licenses to deal with.  The school provides housing (including heat, water, electricity, and wireless).  Because we are moving to Italy, we are pretty confident that we can get anything we "need."
Our next eight days will be filled with final dinners with friends, giving away houseplants and cleaning up the house and yard, and deciding what to ship and what to take on the plane.
After that the real adventures begin.  For updates on the joys and challenges of starting a new job, learning a new language, living in a small town, and doing it all in Italy, check back often!