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.