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