Food - Part 1

This blog is dedicated to my sister (in-law), Alison and my good friend, Dana. Alison, Dana and a few others have asked me what the food was like out here....

"Is it delicious?"

"Have you had Gelato yet?"

"What did you have for dinner?"

"Have you found a lot of good restaurants?"


Today's blog is part one of a special tribute to Italian FOOD. Mostly good experiences so far.

Just to be clear - this is the perception in Italy.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard the expression, "Yeah, everything is bigger in the US."

I have to tell you - they aren't wrong and it goes much farther than food.

"Big Americans" is a BRAND out here :/.

OK, on to the good stuff!

Remember my Bologna blog? I mention having to work in Mirandola by myself over the weekend? Well, lets just say I didn't go hungry. This is one of my favorite meals to date.

Swordfish and pumpkin filled pasta with delicious bread sticks.

I ate everything.

I took this picture in Venice. Specialty cakes and candies displayed in the window front.

They aren't big on candy bars and bon-bons, but made some VERY delicious deserts in many flavors.

Yum.

Another picture from Venice. This guy is actually posing. Its the best he could come up with, I guess.

Of course one of Italy's specialties is pizza.

Depending on what part of Italy you are in will determine the type of pizza you will get. In Milan, the bread is thinner.

Regardless, it is delicious.

This has to be my 2nd favorite meal so far. Again, this was in Venice. It is pesto and cheese cannelloni.

VERY flavorful.

I'm getting hungry.

GELATO!

Gelato is very famous - similar to our ice cream, however it is said to be closer to sherbet but fewer calories. I don't know if that's true but it makes me feel better about eating these!!!

Me enjoying my fruit and gelato while sitting next to the water in Venice :)

There are still some 'food pictures' I need to take, and others I need to get from my mom and sister. A part 2 to this blog will come in the near future.

Amore a tutti!

Ciao

Jamie

This Thanksgiving, I would like to thank...

the man on the train who sat across from me while traveling from Rome to Milan. I believe he joined us at the Florenze stop which means my mom, sister and I enjoyed his company for a little over 2.5 hours. He didn't speak a word but was kind enough to share his bacteria/virus infected germs with me when hacking up a lung every so often during the ride.

I have strep throat.

Do I know for certain that it was him? No. But if you look at the statistics, he is the most likely suspect. Fortunately my mom and sister seem to be fine so far.

Friday and Saturday I was certain it was tonsillitis. Symptoms included fever and incredibly swollen tonsils (sensitive to touch and my neck looked twice the size it should be). My throat was swelling so badly that I took myself to the Ospedale Fatabenefratelli Pronto Soccorso (Hospital Emergency Room) late Saturday night. I was having a hard time breathing. This was an experience I REALLY never wanted to have. I had no idea if they would even treat me. They have socialized health care - but I didn't know how it worked for American expats.

The hospital isn't anything to brag about. It reminded me of very old school cafeteria style floor and walls. The "physician rooms" were lined on the outside perimeter and were separated by plywood (i.e. hollow) doors; otherwise there were tangerine colored curtains with beds set up in the center of the hospital floor.

When I first arrived I was "greeted" by an Italian man who only spoke Italian, saying a lot of things I didn't understand - which is exactly what I told him. He took me by my arm (which I didn't care for too much) and brought me up the a counter where a big piece of plexi glass (thick plastic) separated me from the hospital workers and a small little intercom that I had to speak into. As usual I get a look from them as if I just landed my space craft across the street, had gills and slime dripping from my body. I told them (in English) that I had very bad sore throat and was having a hard time breathing. He then asked me, "Where pain?" I grabbed my neck like I was strangling myself hoping that would translate as "hard to breath". He took my passport, handed me a piece of paper and sent me to a waiting room.

They put me in the bianco (white) category which means "non-urgent" and is greeted with a slap in the face in the form of every single person being treated before me! At first I thought they just didn't want to treat me because I didn't speak Italian, but after a little over an hour I "found" (by simply looking above my head) poster with four circles with four different colors; red, yello, green, white. The Codice Colore (Color Code) - A color coded procedure explaining how they determine who they see first. Bianco was the very last code and least urgent. Damn it.

I waited for 2.5 hours. It was now 2:15 a.m. I watched a lovely older Italian women come and go. A couple brought who brought their mother in - came and went, another women - came and went... all leaving with smiles on their faces - good for them.

I might sound a little disgruntled, but the evening did provide some Italian nightlife entertainment.

1. Crazy Lady:
A crazy drunk/drugged Italian women was staggering down the hall way with her pants around her knees. Thanks to this woman, I will never own green underwear as long as I live.

The orderly finally got her to lay down on a hospital bed. The secutity guard put up the safety bars so she wouldn't fall off the bed. Mr. Safety Guard didn't read the find print that says "if drunk/durgged women puts all her body weight on the bars, they will break and she will fall. She his the floor pretty hard, along with half the bed; screws, nuts and bolts rolling around across the floor.

From what could tell, I believe they ended up strapping her down to a bed. For 1.5 hours straight she screamed random Italian words like "Aiuto" (HELP) and a few words I couldn't make out and non words like "AHHhhhAhh" and "UUUHHH". The hospital staff started yelling back at her "BASTA" (Enough/No more). I dont' think anyone would have minded if they knocked her out (by needle or fist - we didn't care)

2. Dumb Guy:
A younger man (24-26ish years old) came in with a cut on his wrist. He was either drunk or drugged - probably both. There were two waiting room side-by-side which the hospital could combine into one room by opening a sliding ply-wood door that was on the wall shared by the two rooms. While I was there, this shared door was closed - allowing there to be two separate waiting rooms that are accessed by the main hallway.

This guy started banging on one side of this door, then walking around to the waiting room next door and banging on the other side of the same door. He couldn't figure out that they were the same door. VERY strange and a little amusing I must admit! A women looked at me and did (what I have confirmed as) the internation expression for crazy (finger circling you temple).

OK, so it is now 2:15 a.m. I FINALLY get in to see the doctor - yay.

My throat was so swollen she couldn't see anything, so she gave me an anti-inflammatory shot into my arm. I hate needles. She sent me back to the waiting room (NO -anywhere but there!) for 30 mins to let the drugs take effect. Ahhh, man that was great! Almost all the swelling went down!

She gave me Amoxicillian (sp?) and a pain reliever in powder form which I didn't figure out how to take until today... AND I found a new community of white bumps that took up residence on the back of my throat. Once again, making it hard for me to breath!

So, for this Thanksgiving I am going to give a big sarcastic thank you to the gentleman on the train (or whomever it was) for sharing with me and, and a deeply honest thank you to Security Officer Nathan from Tennessee who is based at the US Consulate in Milan . I didn't mention it above, but I had to call him twice to help me with telling me where I should go and translating my symptoms to the doctor.

People! PLEASE do not travel or go to work when you are sick!

I hope everyone had a wonderful, safe and bacteria/virus free Thanksgiving!!!

Promise to post pics of my recent trips to Venice and Rome (with mom and sis) very soon!

Grazie e Ciao!
Jamie

Happy Halloween!!!

A little disappointed in the lack of enthusiasm for Halloween here in Milan. I noticed some of the cafes and specialty food shops decorate with carved pumpkins and pumpkin themed food, but where are the costumes, painted faces, kids on a sugar buzz and bulk bags of candy that eventually contribute to your local dentist's mortgage?

Oh ya, this isn't America.

Well, in all honesty I didn't expect the traditional American style Halloween because that would be silly. But... I did expect something. According to my colleagues at work, Halloween has only been 'recognized' and celebrated for about 10 years, and really is "for the kids" to dress up. The only kids I saw dressed up were my adorable nieces by way of pictures posted by my brother and sister-in-law.

Such a shame. Halloween is great! My favorite part was trick-or-treating in the 'rich neighborhoods' that gave out full-size candy bars :).

Anywho - no Halloween celebrations here. ALTHOUGH, they do have Christmas candy and decorations (including wrapping paper) available in the grocery stores. That gave me a little feeling of 'home'.

Happy Halloween to all!

Ciao,
Jamie

Bologna

Despite the fact that I had to spend an entire weekend in a small town working in a building with no air conditioning.... or people.... the drive to the train station made it worthwhile. The train I was 'catching' was based in a city called Bologna. This city was the perfect ending to a very long and exhausting weekend.

So first point of clarification I need to make is that I was in Bologna for approximately 15 minutes and secondly, I experienced Bologna from the passenger seat of a Mercedes van (Mercedes are VERY common out here- so are BMWs - equivalent to Toyota, Honda, etc in the US).

To that end, I loved it.

Here are a few pics that I was able to catch during my 'drive through'. Remember - I was taking them while sitting in a moving vehicle - bare with my photography.


This is a picture of what used to be considered the entrance into the city of Bologna. Pretty cool.













I love this picture. Aside from the fact that it looks like we are chasing down a couple people on bicycles, it is a good example of what a traditional Italian neighborhood street looks like. Roads made from stone, cars, pedestrians and bicycles sharing a very narrow road and very old buildings shooting straight up into the sky. It makes you feel like you're walking/driving/ riding through a maze. Where will this street lead me? You won't know its a dead end till you get there! In all honestly its a bit annoying if you're lost - but neat to look at.








This is a picture of an old castle.

Thats all I got.

The driver said the name a couple times for me but it sounded like gibberish to me.








This was very interesting... I hadn't seen anything like this in Milan or Mirandola. Its a city (public) bus that has two long, thick, metal 'arms' coming from the roof of the bus and attaching to two parallel cables above it. We were behind this bus for awhile. Sometimes parked cars, people or obstacles (i.e. construction) were in its path, so when it had to pull away from the curb, the 'arms' allowed it to move maneuver around these obstacles.

So, I think to myself, that's interesting.

I stare a little longer and think, what the hell is the point?


If I figure it out - I'll let you know.

My boss' college roommate moved to Bologna and is now the star in his own show as a cross dresser. My boss said, "hey you should check out his show when you go back", and I say, "sure, why not," There is a first time for everything - and I've never seen a cross dresser perform (I think.... and hope... that means sing), so why not see one in a small city in Italy.



More Italian vocabulary:


Perque no (pear kay no) - why not
Buona idea (bwoh nah, ee de eh ah) - good idea
Ma (Mah) - but
cosi cosi (koozie koozie) - so so
Niente (knee yen tay) - Nothing (common response after "Grazie")
basta! (bah stah!) - Stop (i.e. final - its meant as a demand, not a destination or suggestion)
Scusi (sku zee) - sorry (formal)
Scusa (sku zah) - sorry (informal)
Mi dispiace (me dis pee ah che) - I'm sorry (sympathetic)
Mi scusi - Excuse me - 98% of people here never say this - they just slam into you and walk off. To the remaining 2%, I always say, with a smile, "Niente".


Buona notte!
Jamie

The maid came today...

said my 32 year old work friend, Marco. I say dumbfounded, "I'm sorry, WHAT?"

He continues, "My maid came today and I told her not to touch my electronics because it was all messed up the last time she came..."

"Marco," I interrupt, "you have a maid?"
"Yes." he says, as if it were a silly question.

I turn to my other work friend and say, "Tomaso, do you have a maid?" He says plainly, "Yes."

Seriously? I mean, OK, Tomaso is a director and 38 years old. Even still, it surprised me... And Marco - c'mon! Marco is an only child who had an Italian mother that waited on him hand and foot - lame excuse. My two cents (and the reason why the chance of me finding my future husband in this country is unlikely), if you've never had to pick up a broom and clean up after yourself you certainly shouldn't have the luxury of someone else doing it for you. Time to take care of yourself, boys!

Then I ask, "Quanto Costa?" (How much?). They both pay 25 euros per week for a woman to clean their apartment for 3 hours at a time... Ah, but the plot thickens when Tomaso says, "Yeah, but mine (yes he actually said "mine") doesn't like to iron so I take my clothes to the shop."

Wait a minute, the "maid service" includes ironing? Now I'm interested... for about 30 seconds (I hate ironing).

No thanks, I think to myself. I will pocket my 100 euros per month and travel and spend 4-6 hours per month cleaning up after myself. Crazy... I know!

Still though... to realize that a "maid" is as common as fender benders in Milan (which is VERY common - see previous post "A day in the life") blew me away. My research is not finished on this topic. Marco and Tomaso are both single men living like bachelors (and no, I'm not interested in either or them for those of you who already went there...) but what about the married folk? Or even the single women? Very interesting. Marco constantly is telling me that Italians are very lazy. I have a fairly good hunch that it isn't "Italians" but just men in general (except my brother, Jeremy - he cleans a lot ;))

OK, more pictures next post - I promise.

Nuovo Italain words/phrases:
Nuovo - New
Lingua - language
Tutti molto buona (Everything is good) - learned that at dinner tonight ;).
Cato (bad four letter word - also learned at dinner tonight ;))
Tu amo - I love you (learned in a movie over the weekend :))

Buona notte!
Jamie

A day in the life

I find it really difficult to explain what I see on a daily basis by using only words. I wanted to give you a small preview into the some of the things I see on a daily basis...

Enjoy!

This is a street adjacent to the one I live on. One direction drives on the right and on-coming traffic on the left. That is the intent but Italian drivers make up their own rules.. look-out!!

This is one of my favorite, and one of the scariest, intersections I've seen so far. The street on the right is one of the more popular in the city.. Corso Buenos Aires is known for its shopping; shoes, clothes, book stores, shoes, clothes, electronics, shoes, clothes, cafes, gelato, shoes... you get the idea. The best part about it is that these stores are discount stores - similar to an outlet mall. And lucky me, its one block away from my apartment :).

This is Corso Buenos Aires from a straight angle looking towards the shopping area. Notice that bicycles, motorbikes and cars have to share the road... I'm going to get a bicycle soon... pray for me.

These are two Roman buildings... well thats just what I call them... I really don't know anything about them - or if they are Roman... yet... What I do know is that they are big and were a good point of reference for me when I first moved here. Okay, okay, I still need them... but I've always been directionally challenged... And here it is so much worse... I'm excited when something looks familiar.

This is the entry way to the park near my apartment. I walk through this park on the way to the gym. It is very pretty, and a great place for people watching on the weekends...

LOTS of people come to the park and hang out on the benches... Teenagers playing cards in the grass, couples making out by the pond (below), kids running crazy while their parents are chatting.... the kids .... they are so funny and they are everywhere (below)...

And the parking... a picture is worth a thousand words ... but of course I'll add some commentary. This NEVER gets old. Watching people park here is like watching a the most exciting part of a pinball machine game when the pinball is going crazy... ping....ping....pingpingping...........ping...pingpingpingping.... ping ...and were done... nice and snug. Its fun to watch but I always feel bad for the car(s) that fall victim to stupidity. You can make the cars smaller, but you can't make the people smarter...

The interesting part is that this behavior is expected... and even to a point.. accepted. Drivers never use their emergency break because they expect that their car is eventually going to be used as a cushion for the parking spot in front AND behind them. Good stuff.

Va bene.

Molto stanco!

Buona notte.

Amore a tutti.

Gemee

Si... Taxi

Communication is still my number one struggle. From a business perspective, I'm still learning (everyday) how everyday issues are managed in Italy - which 99% of the time is different - if not vastly different - from the US.

For example.... I worked late tonight. I didn't leave the office until 10:30 pm (I know, I know). In the US there is a "security guard" that would patrol the company premises and keep record of who was working late. Of course, in the US, these types of guards usually work the evening or night shift. Well, Italy doesn't know the term "Night Shift" because everything closes at 7:30pm, except the grocery stores which are open until 9pm. I never thought I would miss walmart this much. Anywho, what I didn't realize is if you work past a certain hour in the Italy office, you end up pissing off the guy who has to wait for everyone to leave before he can go home for the night.... OK... fine. got it.

Understanding that I've already dug myself halfway into the ground with this guy, I pick up the phone to call a taxi (after a certain period at night it is not safe to take the subway). The taxi companies usually can speak enough English to make it an eventful, and usually satisfactory call .. yay! The signore (Mr./Sir/guy) came up to my office to see if I was leaving... Let me take this opportunity to state the fact that he knows zero English. I looked at him, smiled and said, "Si, Parlo taxi"... which translates horribly to "Yes I speak taxi". HA! That was the best I had. But I also pointed to the phone, shook my head up in down (i.e. "yes"), and repeated "taxi" - which by the way is an exact translation for Italian and English. He says, "Taxi per lei?" (Translation: Taxi for you?). I did my whole act one more time for him and finished with, "Si, Taxi".

I walk downstairs and tell the signore - "Due minuti". He says, "Si, Tre minuti". Huh? "No" I say, "due minuti per taxi".... He repeats himself, "Tre minute per lei". Shi.... I mean, Dang it! He did exactly what I tried to prevent. He called a taxi for me too! I walk outside and sure enough - two taxis pull up at the exact same time, one shouting "Gemee" "Gemee" and the other totally pissed because he realized two taxis were called and he clearly was not the winner because he didn't know my Italian name (Gemee) like the other guy did. Unfortunately, the loser taxi man could speak English - so I would have preferred to ride with him, but it was obvious that the one I called wasn't going to go away without a fight. I managed to piss off two Italian men in a matter of 5 minutes after working 14.5 hours.

In reflection of the evening, I just don't care. Sorry.

Va bene.

Now, I need to study my Italian because I have lessons tomorrow and didn't do my homework (poor planning on my part).

Ventuno (Vent oon oh) - 21
Ventidue (Vent -doo ay) - 22
Ventitre (Vent e tray) - 23
Ventiquattro (Vent e qwat troh) - 24
Venticinque (Vent e cheen qweh) - 25
Ventisei (Vent e say) - 26
Ventisette (Vent e set tay) - 27
Ventotto (Vent e oat toe) - 28
Ventinove (Vent e no vay) - 29
Trenta (Train tah) - 30
Quaranta - (Kwar on tah) - 40
Cinquanta (Cheen qwan tah) - 50
Sessanta (Say ssan tah) - 60
Settanta (Set tahn tah) - 70
Ottanta (Oat tahn tah) - 80
Novanta (No vahn tah) - 90
Cento (Cent oh) - 100
Mile (Mee lay) - 1000

Grazie Mile (Grat zee ay Mee lay) - Thanks a million (common expression used)

OH - and I learned how to say "You have the wrong number" :)...
"Ha sbagliato numero" (ah... ss bah glee ah toe... new mer row). Its a toughy, but I practice so I'm ready for when my friend calls me again :).

Ho - "I have"
Hai - "You have"
Ha - "He/she have"

Io - My
Il mio - "Mine"
Tu - You
Il tuo/a - Yours
Lui/Lei - He/ She
Il suo/ La sua - Its [his/hers]

Quando - When
Dove - Where
Quanti - How

Okay - I think that is enough for today :).

Sono molto stanco.
Translation : I am very tired.

Buona notte :)!

Amore a tutti
Translation: Love to everyone!

Ciao,
Jamie

Yay for America...ns and more Pics

I met a girl from Pennsylvania at the gym last week and talked to her again today! I was totally shocked at how great it felt to have a "normal" conversation, using all the American slang I wanted, and that person having the ability, (i.e. wits and smarts) to respond with the same level of sarcasm as the comment was delivered with. Ahhhh.... it truly is the little things...

I purposely avoid "American Expat Clubs" or "English speaking get-togethers" because I really want to immerse myself in order to adapt and and feel like I belong in this city. But this girl isn't included in the bucket of the average American working or studying abroad. She is fluent in Italian, engaged to a Italian/British man and has lived in Milan 1 year already. She has given me very useful tips on learning the language, shopping and lets not forget her insight on the apperitivo (a.k.a. happy hours)!

Apperitivo's are very cool. You pay somewhere between 6-8 Euros and get all you can eat Italian buffet (appetiser type foods) and a drink or two. You're not going to find the spread of a Country Buffet or Furrs at these places... thank God. All the yummy tastes of Italy are in one spread and in small portions (yes... small portions). I haven't had the guts to go to an apperitivo by myself yet. Now I have someone to go with and I'm excited to try it out.

OK, so here are some more pics I though you might enjoy!

This picture was taken in a city called Vercelli (ver chel lee). This is the town I have to go to for all my immigration paperwork. It is really small and very charming. The people here are very nice too.

This is La Scala, a famous opera house in Milan. It is small (i.e. limited seating) and very expensive. I hope to visit the nose bleed section someday ;)

These are pictures of a parade I just happened to walk into a couple weeks ago. I apologize, I have no idea what it was for and the chanting and apparel didn't help me either! You'll notice in the first picture that there is a line of people pulling the large carriage by a rope... no thank you!

The peeps in the carriage started throwing little wrapped cookies at the crowd. I literally let one hit my arm and fall to the ground. Something told me that I shouldn't eat it... Do you remember what happened to Alice in Alice in Wonderland when she ate her strange cookie???

This is a picture of a building that resides in a park near my apartment. I've walked by it a ton of times but never knew what it was for. Well, one Saturday during my morning stroll, I notice some commotion (i.e. a couple families coming out of the building). To my surprise, they had a
Museo di Sotria Naturale. The exact translation in English is, "Museum of History Natural". I love the Natural History Museum in Denver, so I thought I would check it out. It took all of 20 minutes to walk through... including a few pauses for pictures ;).
I thought this was totally cool... whoa! That is one big turtle.

Again, whoa! I mean, is this real??? Don't ask me, but either way its pretty neat :).

What the....?!?!?

Monkeys! I knew this one ;)!

I learned a new phrase this week.... "Ho capito" (O ka pee toe). Translation : I understand. This is one phrase I won't be using for awhile ;).

Love to all. Buona notte!

Jamie

Pictures

Because pictures are worth a thousand words....

This isn't the best picture I have of this view - but it is my favorite from my apartment. This is what I see from my couch. The only good thing that comes from horrible pollution is the pretty sunsets :).

This is Castello Sforzesco. It was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza and now home of a fine art collection. Collections of the Castello Sforzesco include those of the Museum of Antique Art, of the Museum of Musical Instruments, and of the Picture Gallery. The “Rondanini Pietà,” Michelangelo’s unfinished last work, is there. The Picture Gallery has works by Renaissance and 17th-century Italian masters, including Andrea Mantegna, Giovanni Bellini, Filippo Lippi, Correggio, and Jacopo da Pontormo. There is also a fine collection of French and Dutch works. (Thank you Encyclopedia Britannica)

This is a picture from the inside the castle's courtyard looking towards the entrance

This is the famous Gothic Duomo (cathedral) in Milan. It is truly beautiful. Its close enough to where I live that I sometimes include it as part of my morning run.


This a picture standing inside the Duomo. Its huge. The columns, floors, benches, walls... everything has amazing detail. The stain-glass windows are my favorite.

OK, so pigeons are everywhere out here. Just because they are tourist pigeons doesn't make them any cleaner or disease free. Italians shake their head in disgust when they see this. Please try and refrain from allowing the pigeons to climb all over you ... in general ... regardless of location. Otherwise, you may be made of an example of in someone elses blog - like this guy :).

Now, our Italian lessons.

Male (Mall ay) - Bad
Tutto (Toot toe) - everything
Pomadora (Pom ah door ah) - Tomato
Macchina (mock keen ah) - car - something I miss very much

Finally, I got basic cable today... barely. The cable guy called me at 12:20 saying, "5pm no good for me, can come now?" I say "No, I'm at work". He says, "When you come?" I say, "At the scheduled time, 5pm!" He says, "I come tomorrow?" I say, "NO". He says, "When you come?"... you can see where I'm going with this. Long and frustrating conversation later, I ended up having to leave work 3 hours early otherwise they were going to re-schedule again. What have I learned from all of this? I've learned that "re-schedule" is code for "not today, maybe another day".

Lots of love,

Jamie

Picture This

long Diana Ross type hair (but bleach blonde) flowing in the wind +

long, slender legs +

olive skin+

high cheek bones +

very white blazer and pants - (minus) anything under the blazer (nothing but breasts people)+

very "happan'in shades +

An "old school" bicycle (pedals, 2 wheels, some steel and a bell) =



A DUDE!

Only here folks. I've never seen fashion statements like the ones they make out here. Sure, its the "Fashion Capitol of the World" but my definition of "fashion" is definitely not in their dictionary. Hey - more power to ya - feel free to express yourself any way you want - but you better not judge me for wearing jeans, a hoodie, and flip flops at the grocery store on a Sunday. Fair is fair.

New words...

Quindi (Kwin dee) = "So"
Dimi (Dih mee)= "Tell me" equivalent to the American version of "what can I do for you?"
Prego (Pray gho)= "Hello" - and here we thought it was tomato sauce this whole time!
Buonasera (Buohn ah ser ah)= "Good evening" - they don't say this until after 7pm.
Alora (Ah lor ah)= the American "um" or "uh". I think the Italian version sounds more intelligent ;)
Va bene (Vah ben ay) = "alright"
Fratello (Frah tell o) = brother
Avocatto (Ah voh cott o) = a lawyer. I remember this by thinking of an avocado and changing the "d" to "tt". Its not an exact science - but it works for me :)!

I have lived in Italy now for 54 days. Tomorrow I am scheduled to get what Americans would call "basic cable" installed. This is the third attempt. The first attempt, the cable guy said, in his words "I don't have box". The second time they just decided that they had already worked a long, hard day and will just "catch me later" - what we would call a "no show". Tomorrow is lucky number 3. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Half the battle is getting them here. The other half is trying to communicate with them.

I had my third "wrong number" telephone call tonight. Its somewhat amusing because all I say is non parlo Italiano - male numero - which as I'm sure you could tell means, "I don't speak Italian - bad number". I don't know how to say "wrong" yet, so "bad" is the best I could come up with. He just kept talkin and talkin as if I was going to miraculously understand him. He called back 3 times. I think we are friends now.

Buona notte (Buohn ah no tay) - Good night!

Jamie

Welcome to my new world!

Welcome family and friends. I've found that no matter where I live or what language is spoken, it is still important for me to get my 8,000 words per day in (preferably in ENGLISH). I've managed to do this over the past month by calling my family sometime between 4-6pm, as I'm wrapping my day up at work. Of course that works great for me but my unlucky, yet very supportive and patient family is just starting their day at the office. You can imagine hearing me ramble my 6,000 words [give or take a few] first thing on a Monday morning (typically jammed into a span of 30 minutes) could become a bit much at times. Thus the reason for my blog. I get my words in (sort-of) and I can keep everyone up to date on what's going on in my world. Let me take this opportunity to apologize to those I have yet to respond to :).

FAIR WARNING: 'Strong' language may be used from time-to-time as it is necessary for me to paint you an accurate picture of my stories. Parental supervision is advised - we don't want my beautiful nieces picking up any words they should be saying until they are at least 6 or 7 years old ;)!

I would also like to use this blog as an avenue for me to practice my Italian. At each posting (so long as I remember) I will jot down a few words I've learned recently, or maybe a sentence or two! That's right... I'm almost able to speak a sentence... correctly!

Here is one I say on a daily basis -
"Scusi, parlo poco italiano y non ho capito. Parle inglese??"
Translation: Sorry, I speak little Italian and do not understand. Do you speak English?

OK, so I will start my first blog entry by sharing one consistent experience I've had while living here. It will be expressed in two points of view; the "glass half empty" and the "glass half full". Like most, I try and find the good in all experiences, but often find its a load of crap and take the experience for what it truly is - good or bad.

Glass half empty: Slow is an understatement.

Glass half full: Patience is prosperous.... [we shall see]

Love you all and promise to update you often.

Ciao for now,
Jamie