Chinatown Diaries

Christina and I live in Chinatown. Fact. My father said, "if you're lost, just follow the Chinese and you'll get home." Fact. We are in the middle of a war? Maybe?

This entire blog post came to be thanks to shoes. I, being obsessed with shoes, nearly died when I found a beautiful pair of leather short, studded, brown heels. They were beautiful and I am currently obsessed with studs. Obsessed. So, I thought it had to be destiny that Christina and I were wandering down a busy street in our neighborhood, full of Chinese owned stores stock full of the same stuff, and she happened to eye the shoes in the window. The rest of the shoes were cheap looking and hideous. "The hidden gem," as she termed it. And could it be? Only 22€ ? Couldn't be... of course they had my size (I have a small foot) and so I asked for the match.

"Non c'e'....in magazzino" ("They're not here....in the warehouse") - replied the sales woman. Christina and I both looked at each other, soooo, are you going to get them? She informed us that it would take her an hour or more or we could come back tomorrow evening. Being that we lived around the corner, I said I'd be back tomorrow evening, please be ready.

Last night I dreamed about the shoes, thought about every possible outfit I could wear them with; thought about different pictures I could take one night out to make sure they got some well deserved camera time as well. Christina and I met up after work (and school for her) and walked home together and stopped off at the store to get the shoes. We get into the store, there are three guy teens gathered outside chatting, a man sitting on the floor in the store talking to the woman I talked to yesterday and some other woman sitting behind the "counter." I look at the woman I spoke with yesterday and she seems SURPRISED to see me. The shoe is on the counter, where I left it yesterday. I go pick up the shoe in hopes it'll spark her memory and get NOTHING. I want this shoe.
"Twenty minutes. In warehouse" - woman
"Twenty minutes???" - me
"Five minutes." - man sitting on the floor
"Ok, well, I want them, please get them....and they're 22?" - me to the man
"Uhhhhh" - man, looking at woman who could CARE LESS about this sale
"No, 45" - woman
We go to the window display and point to the price. "It's wrong." - her reply
So, I put the shoe on the floor and we leave in a huff. How does the store NOT have a SINGLE shoe in the store?? NOT ONE! And the woman is clearly NOT there to sell shoes.

Now, Christina and I have been living in our apartment for about a month now and we apparently have a "warehouse" next to our apartment because EVERY NIGHT I see unmarked vans loading up "merchandise." Now, I've seen the stores and I have never seen anyone actually buy anything. And the stores all only have ONE thing. Like a store that ONLY sells socks, shoes, jeans, or purple knit things. And yet, I don't see people walking around in these things. Now, I didn't want to jump to any conclusions, but after my sales woman was NOT interested in making a sale and didn't even HAVE merchandise to sell, my curiosty got the best of me.

So I consulted Google. Fact.
And what do you know, a ton of information and articles came up. Apparently there was a huge protest in 2007 by the Chinese immigrants in Milan due to some "discrimination." It is referred to as the "Pushcart War." You can decide for yourself.
In other Google results, I came across this video.

I'm not really sure what to think. However, I now know that just because they seem to be working in a store, does NOT mean they have any merchandise. Fact.

Only in Italy

Well, I have been in Milano now for almost a month! Amazing. Our apartment is about the size of my living room in Lucca, but we'll just say it's "cozy." The location is not the BEST, however, it IS walking distance to one of our favorite clubs - creatively called "The Club."


Anyway, this week was/is FASHION WEEK. Amazing! I love fashion week and being in Milan during fashion week is very fun. Models walk the streets with the rest of us, take the metro and tower over us. It's great. Well, this year, C'N'C Costume National, had their fashion show in Piazza Duomo. They hosted an entire nighted called Milano Loves Fashion, including some performers (The Kills and some others) complete with performances and then finally the fashion show and a DJ after. So, Christina and I met up after work and headed down to Duomo to eat and scope out the scene. There weren't many people, so we casually got dinner, went into a few shops and then headed to get some good spots. There were only about three people in front of us, so we camped out and waited for the show to begin. Well, it began, and the performances were going on and suddenly Christina taps me on the shoulder and I turn around and there is a giant space between us - because there was a woman in a wheelchair pushing people out of the way. Now, at this point, it is crowded - VERY crowded, we could barely move anywhere and this woman is coming through. She stops RIGHT between Christina and I and is trying to get her way to the very front. Mind you, people are NOT happy about this. She was with her son/friend/I have no idea who, but this tall man and she is in her 60s probably, wearing a pleather coat and scarf. TELLING, not asking, people to move out of her way. And so the drama begins: she reaches our area, and there are two people left in front of her - a little asian tourist and this older woman, we'll call her signora. So the asian tourist kinda shuffles to the side as much as he can seeing that he's sandwiches in this huge crowd. So there is only signora left. Mind you, the show is HAPPENING and they are yelling at people to move!!! There is a little elevated grate and then a baracade at the very front of the crowd (before the runway). Her son/friend/tall man lifts her up so the front of her wheelchair is on the grate and then she's like YELLING at this signora to move. Signora does NOT want to move and she is PISSED. So she ignores her. The woman in the wheelchair is MAD and starts RAMMING into signora with her wheelchair!!!! It was unreal. Finally her son/friend/tall man yells at her, "ma sei matta?!?!" (are you crazy?!?!) and makes her stop. At this point, there is ONE person in front of her, this tiny signora, and she had a clear view of the runway. But, she is not satisfied and says, ok, we need to go back then! And her son/friend/tall man is like, are you kidding? We made our way here through this huge crowd, and you want to go back?!?!?! She yells, "la ammazzo!!" Meaning, "I'll kill her" (about signora). So, thank god, the son/friend/tall man is like ok, so they GO BACK through this entire crowd of people, just trying to watch this show!!! It was quite the scene and just insane. (Sidenote: during this whole scene Christina is loving it - saying ONLY IN ITALY, THIS IS AMAZING!, THIS IS CRAZY!) The show itself was really interesting. I think more fashion shows should be done with a public audience. They of course had seating for the actual guests (like the mayor of Milan, some tall blonde woman wearing a giant blank scrunchie who was famous because she was getting interviewed/lots of pics taken) but the other side of the runway was for the public. It was great!

the grand finale

In Sicilian Transit

I'm on the train heading from Taormina to Palermo and the adventure has already begun. We had a transfer in Messina onto a train coming fron Venice. This is a sleeper train that apparently they usually attach some passenger trains to. Of course, this time they didn't. So we were about 40 trying to get onto a train with no seats. One of the train conductors told us to go to the sleeper car, so we did and we were relaxing when another conductor said we had to leave and go to another car. Now I'm here, between two people, hoping that we're ok in these seats.

Taormina/Giardini Naxos was a gorgeous little beach town. Taormina is up on a hill with an awesome Greek Theater overlooking the water. The water is so clear it feels like you're in a bath and it's ice cold so it's very refreshing from the killer Sicilian sun.

Some fun things I've noted:

-Sicilians don't wear helmets. If they do, they are rarely strapped on, they're just sitting on their heads. This baffles me because once I forgot to strap my helmet and it almost fell off before I made it two feet!

-In Giardini people dress up for no reason, all day. For their passegiata sul lungomare, they're rockin some heels on the cobblestone and short skirts with sparkley tops.... Where are you going????

-Platforms are IN. Even the 12 year olds were sporting wedges, platforms, espidrilles, etc.-Clear bra straps are also back. I first saw them about 5 yrs ago when I was in Italy for the summer. Here they're in full force. They are really quite pointless. The whole purpose is so that you can't see the bra strap, because it's clear + plastic so it.....disappears??? Well, it does quite the opposite

- it sticks out like a sore thumb and looks cheap. I hate them.

-The bagnino (they are the "lifeguards" but really they just lead people to their sun chairs and umbrellas) at this spot in Taormina apparently took a liking to me and we were chatting for awhile - please note: he was about 40 - and then he leaves and comes back with a postcard for me. I've been studying his message for awhile trying to read his writing. I THINK he wrote "(heart) Francesca the beautiful, with love il Mister Loris - the cousin of Rosario" NO IDEA then he gave me another little card with a piazza and time to meet signed Loris #1 .... Needless to say, we totally met up (totally JK mom!)

A dopo....

Catania

So here I am... Catching some rays with the Isole Ciclopi in front of me. If you had asked me last night if I wanted any more sun or heat in my life, I would have laughed and probably suffocated. Let me explain....

We arrived in Catania yesterday around 5pm, after a slight delay - according to our caption Pisa airport's fault - and went straight to our hostel. We're staying near Piazza Duomo, which they also neglect to mention is near the Pescheria. If I leave Catania not reeking of fish, I will be very happy. Anyway, after a delicious fish dinner we went back towards our place and had a few drinks at the bar downstairs. Finally we decided we were both dead tired, so we ventured up to our room or as I like to call it "the sauna of death." We were both so tired we thought whatever we'll pass out right away. Little did we know there would be no (and by no I mean NO) air. Not even one little breathe of air that the ceiling fan should be creating. Needless to say, both of us didn't sleep until 5am, MAYBE.

Today we slept an hour later than planned, and were awakened by the beautiful Sicilian argument outside in the street. Now I am struggling understanding this dialect, it's quite fun thought. Cristina has a hard time sometimes too, so I don't feel too bad. Apparently the fight was due to one man washing the car windows and accidentally spraying another man... we moved on.

Claudio, our free, local Rick Steve's, suggested a bar for a traditional Sicilian breakfast that was near to where we're staying. After discussing with bartender what to try, we settle on two Iris (Cri got cioccolato and I got crema) and two granite alle mandorle. The Iris is like a deep fried ball of deliciousness that could feed a small African village. It was delicious and made me satisfyingly feel sickly full after. The granita was the most refreshing thing ever.

So now, after about a 20 minute bus ride, we have arrived at Riviera dei Ciclopi and have taken a dip and are now relaxing and probably going to nap. All the "beaches" in Catania are really like porches with steps leading down to the water. It's actually very nice and I kind of enjoy not being covered in sand (for now).

A dopo...

Sicilia

My bag is packed (hopefully not over 10kg!) and I'm ready to go! Tomorrow I'm heading out for an 8 day trip to Sicily. Having never been south of Naples, I am very excited!!!

Places we will be seeing: Catania, Taormina and Palermo

A dopo....

Girasoli

Toscana, Italia

Special Visit

Quite some time has passed since my last update! I was so busy getting into life here, that time just flew past me since March 1! I have been passing my time with work, dancing, aperitivo and hanging out with friends. Some of the best times are passegiate a Lucca, sitting on the walls catching some rays, long dinners with vino and friends and watching movies/shows at home with Vale.

April was an exciting month (and it is always a personal favorite) because I had some very special visitors. The whole family (and Antonio) made it out for 2 weeks of amazing-ness! It was great having everyone here, even if at times I didn’t think we’d survive with 4 people in our little apartment with one bathroom. Daniela and Anthony stayed next to Picchi house at “Casa Pucci”.

Some highlights of their visit:

*A trip to Carrara in the northern part of Tuscany to visit a white marble cava (quarry). We had a great tour guide who showed us the ins and outs of his small family run quarry. It was really incredible. With only three people (him, his father and his uncle) working, they had quite an impressive amount of marble to show. He showed us how they worked the marble in the past and it was quite an interesting story. We learned about how Michelangelo got his marble, where it came from, etc, etc. After the tour, we went up the hills a little more to a tiny tiny town called Colonnata (maybe, I’m not positive!). The area of Carrara is famous for two things – marble and lardo. So, having explored the marble quarry, we headed to lunch in search of some lardo. And yes, we found it! Lunch consisted of antipasti (thinly cut meats including proscuitto, salami and of course lardo! All of our meals were amazing – homemade tordelli, fresh fettuccine ai funghi, and risotto with lardo and some veggies that was a bit spicy. It was all delicious.

Lunch in Colonnata - Risotto con zucchine e lardo (above) and fettucine with mushrooms (below)

White Marble - Carrara

*The following weekend, I had organized a visit to a small vineyard in Chianti that I had visited with mom, dad, Gail and Derek, the summer after I studied abroad. I stayed in contact with the owner, Fernando, and we had been emailing back and forth to organize a big lunch/wine tasting on the Saturday before Easter. I was worried that it might rain that weekend, but we were lucky with a really perfect day. The tiny picturesque town of Montefioralle is in Greve in Chianti, South of Firenze. It is a tiny town set atop a hill with old stone buildings and a wonderful church. The hill is surrounded by vineyards, one of which, is owned by Fernando and his family. So, everyone met at the Picchi house, 24 family and friends, and caravanned to Montefioralle. After a quick stroll around town, we made our way to Fernando’s vineyard where he had prepared a beautiful table outside with an amazing view of the town, vineyards and sweeping Tuscan hillside. We sampled 5 different red wines that wine along with our antipasti misti, homemade lasagna, and a tasty bbq (prepared in his wood oven outside) complete with chicken, ribs, potatoes and of course salad and bread. The meal was finished with a sampling of his own Vin Santo (Gaily’s favorite) and dessert. It was a really beautiful day complete with friends, family, good food, great wine and a gorgeous backdrop. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

*Eduardo, Daniela and Anthony left on birthday (sad, but true), which landed on Pasquetta this year, or the day after Easter. It is a holiday in Italy, so I happily spent my day off with my parents! My friend Tucker was also visiting that weekend. For my birthday dinner, we went to Eugenio’s (my dad’s best friend from growing up and my adopted Uncle) house. He owns a small farm complete with veggies and some grapes for his homemade red wine. He also is the proud owner of pioppini, a type of local mushroom which he prepared into a delish pasta for our primo. He had just gone fishing recently and was excited to prepare some anguille fritte. Anguilla is a type of eel, I have no idea what the name is in English, but they are really small when fried and extremely tasty. So, his friend took up a giant pan and started deep-frying away! It was a great birthday dinner!

1 Marzo 2009

So, I’ve been here for almost two months. I feel like I have adjusted pretty well too. I have fallen into my weekly routine and learned a few “tricks of the trade” as well. Example: while the bus time is posted at 8.09, that really means 8,25 on a good day. Example: when looking for new running shoes, do not go into a store called “Athlete’s World” because they only have shiny silver Nikes, Converse or Lacoste shoes.

I like to think of myself now as an expert bus rider. No, I could not tell you the bus schedule (that’s in my phone) or even where the bus actually goes (other than my two stops); however, the bus drivers definitely know who I am. I like to think that my evening bus driver is especially fond of me. He’s an older man with a white, Santa Claus beard. He is usually on time (thank god) and always knows to stop for me. What I mean by that is, the evening bus is similar to the buses in Vina del Mar in that you need to wave them down. But, I do not even need to wave anymore because he knows I’m there! I board the bus, “buona sera” and he smiles on back (doesn’t with the other riders!). He also knows my stop and I’ve stopped pressing the button! Although sometimes I confuse him because I get off at the stop before my usual one if I’m going to Angela’s house. If that’s the case, he checks to make sure I wanted that stop and not my usual. He makes me feel like the most important rider on the bus and he doesn’t even know my name! (Nor do I know his)

This week is one of the most amazing and beautiful weeks of the year – CARNEVALE!

I was pumped up for Carnevale months ago when we toured RIO and went to “Samba School” to see one of the practices for the big day! Valentina and I were ready and talking all week about going to La Darsena in Viareggio Friday night. My mission for the entire week: find a costume to wear! I “hunted” and by “hunted” I mean wandered up Corso Italia in Pisa once or twice, until I used my head and went into the one super cheesey and cheap looking store. And let me tell you, it was cheap costume paradise! Everything from furry 8€ coats to flashy belts and pants….they had it all! I bought some gold sequined pants and a furry black vest and was satisfied, even though I had no idea what I would be in them. Friday night came and we headed out to the streets of Viareggio – Valentina, Beatrice (her cousin) and Federico (Bea’s BF). Man was it a beautiful sight! The streets were jam packed of Italians ready to party for Carnevale! It was like a combination of Halloween in Castro and Halloween when you’re five. Surprisingly, pretty much 95% of the people were dressed up, drinking, dancing, eating, having a great time. However, it was there costumes that reminded me of being five again. A majority of the costumes are store bought, furry animal full body suits. There were few homemade, inventive or weird costumes. However, many tigers, dogs, bunnies, etc… All the couples matched as well. That was weird. Boyfriends dressed up as a puppy to match their girl puppy girlfriends or couples dressed as smurfs. Some of the costumes were just mean for the guy. Carnevale, no matter if your single, dating, married, whatever, is still a great time! If you can let loose, dance away in the streets and just have fun, it’ll be an unforgettable experience! The streets are lined with DJs and crowds of people just having a good time! At one point we were dancing next to a priest (we think), with his face painted black (not sure why?), red robe and was pretending to sprinkle holy water on people with a toilet brush. Why? Who knows…

The Crowd!

All I know is I can’t wait until Carnevale next year!!!!

I can't believe it's already March!
A dopo.

Je't aime Ryanair??

The beauty of cheap flights is also its biggest vice - they’re cheap. For 40€, you can fly roundtrip from Pisa to Paris. How wonderful! What RyanAir neglects to tell you, is that your flight will land an hour and half outside Paris where your only option is one bus company that charges about 26 euro roundtrip to get into the city. Still, you try and look on the bright side, forget the fact that your seat doesn’t recline, you have negative legroom, not even one free drink, and just enjoy your flight followed by another hour and a half bus ride.

I had the pleasure of not only flying with RyanAir to Paris (Beauvais), but of flying RyanAir from Pisa airport. Our flight was of course, in ritardo of a hour and a half. For those of you who haven’t travelled to the beautiful country of Italia, you will not be aware of how Italians have absolutely no sense of forming a line. Once one person saw an airplane they thought would be ours and so stood in line, the entire herd of passengers waiting formed a “line”. I put line in quotations because “line” to Italians means everyone standing around, it doesn’t matter where, just stand near someone, whether you stand to the side of the real line or directly behind someone, it doesn’t matter. So I decide, being the “expert traveller” that I am, to sit comfortably in my seat and wait until the doors are actually open and just slyly make my way to the front of the blob of people and casually blend in with the rest. This of course works like a charm, and while I am not first on the plane, I was not in the back. Upon entering the beautiful RyanAir jet, I discover that none of the first rows are full, everyone had filled into the back of the plane. No idea why, but I took a seat in the second row to make sure I got off the plane first! (Obviously!)

RyanAir thinks they save gas or something if they do not allow passengers to sit in three rows towards the front of the plane. These aren’t the first rows of the plane, but somewhere random towards the front (like rows 3-4-5). Well, this apparently causes confusion to many travellers and requires an announcement every two seconds of how those rows are not available. It is surprising how people will still sit in those rows. I saw one couple being told by the flight attendant DIRECTLY and they STILL tried to sit there. Upon landing in Beauvais, the passengers gave the pilot and crew (and probably plane as well) a traditional round of applause. To be honest, after the worst landing ever (I thought we were going to crash into the runway and then explode), I was both grateful and surprised to be alive as well.

Paris.

What a beautiful city. I have never been one to ooo and aww over Paris. I’m not the typical girl who yearned to stand under the Eiffel Tower with her lover and walk hand-in-hand. I always thought of rude French people and cold. Nevertheless, I had to check it out. At top of my list of things to do in Paris were: Louvre, Eiffel Tower, eat, croissants, crepes, Notre Dame, bread, shop! Not necessary in that order. I am proud to report that we managed to check every item off the list! Thanks to Daniela and some of David’s friends, we were able to check out the best of Paris in two days (probably less than that). I could’ve wandered around the streets of Paris all day, drink a cafè au lait and eat croissants all day long. The shopping was amazing and the city had so much charm. I didn’t even feel like I needed a map because everywhere you wandered to was beautiful!

I returned from Paris with a wonderful surprise awaiting me at home! A new kitchen! After only a few days, the new kitchen is up and running! The dishwasher is still mysteriously not working, but other than that, the rest is up! Valentina and I have shared some meals together already and I made lots of tea and soup this weekend (I was sit in bed). I have attached some pics….

A dopo!

Milano and Public

I ventured up north this past weekend to the small, quaint city of Milan…you may have heard of it before. Milano will always hold a special place in my heart after my unforgettable six month stay in the bustling, urban city. I was lucky to leave work early to catch a train up to Milan. Since I was here, inflation has gotten the best of Trenitalia and my ticket went up from 33 € to 44€ one-way for the Eurostar. What a rip-off. I sucked it up and got excited for a great weekend!

Milano Centale was changed by Mussolini to demonstrate the power and strength of Italy. And while it definitely is a beautiful and huge building, I don’t know how much power you can show when your train almost never arrives on time. Anyway, I pulled in Centale and was greeted by a newly remodelled stazione. When I lived in Milano, the station was under construction the entire time and really just looked old and dirty. Now, you are welcomed by clean walls, new electronic message boards and confusing criss-crossing pathways down to the biglietteria and metro. It is a beautiful improvement.

The beauty of Milan, however, is not in the train station or the incredible Duomo, but I find it really in the food and nightlife (ovvio). The great thing about Milano is that pretty much every bar or club begins its evenings with aperitivo. What a wonderful word that is…you purchase and pay for your tasty drink and are given the key to a buffet (usually warm unless the place isn’t that great) of warm delish food. We ventured all the way downstairs from Tucker’s apartment, literally the place was next door and had some big fruity drinks (literally had huge cornucopias of fruit on top of drinks) and in this case, what can only be described as, Indian meets Italian food. Cioè, cous cous, curry, rice, salad and of course, some pasta for good measure. It was an ok aperitivo, definitely not the best in Milano. The night only got better as we ventured to a discoteca called Gattopardo (apparently the name of a film and that’s all anyone could say about the meaning of the name). The club was gorgeous and used to be an old church (ironic much?); the DJ spun on the alter and the upstairs balcony was another bar…our table was on the ground floor right under the balcony in the picture…you can see the curtain, right next to the bottom bar. It was a great night full of our favourite songs and dancing til 4am…

Another amazing point of Milano is the after discoteca panino cart. The streets near clubs (and not for that matter) are lined with carts full of yummy cold cuts, salsiccia, cotoletta and many many delish treats…always the best way to end your night!

The rest of the weekend was spent catching up with friends, wandering around the streets of Milano and enjoying on of my favourite cities! I headed home Sunday, exhausted from no sleep and dreading work bright and early on Monday. My train ride home was only 26€ since I opted for the (as David says) grindo train that takes almost 5 hours. The thing about Italian trains is that you never know who you will have near you. This time I was lucky enough to experience a crazy, smelly, and presumably homeless non-Italian man next to me for the second half of my trip. I went to the restroom and upon returning to my seat, was met by a man who ignored me the first fifty times I said excuse me that’s my seat. He then got up and I went and sat down and he sat right next to me. I immediately put on my iPod, full blast so I’d have an excuse to ignore him and just stared right out the window. Sure enough, he tried to ask me something over and over and I ignored him, so he turned to the girl across from me and asked about a stop I think and she didn’t know so he asked the girl across the middle (both of them had iPods on as well mind you) and she said yes, it’s coming up…then he didn’t stop “signorina, signorina, signorina” for about 5 minutes and asked the same questions. Finally I asked him to please move and I sat further back…then the train collector man came and while he was checking the ticket for the girl across the pathway, the man snuck behind his back and slipped into the restroom. Man you gotta love public trains….

Speaking of public transportation, I’ve been lucky enough to be taking the bus from Capannori to Lucca train station every morning for work. Since my father won’t even think about me having a motorino or even a bike for some reason, I’ve gotten used to doing my part to save the environment, one bus ride at a time…Anyway, Friday I needed to go into work early so I could leave early for Milan. So, instead of the 8:09 bus, I took the one at 7:12 (who knows about the schedules, ps). Never again will I take that bus. The bus was “full” of bratty pre-teens going to school. Now, I say “full” because they do not move away from the doors. Meaning, I was on of the last to get on the bus and had to SQUEEZE on whilst getting the bus door shut on both myself and my suitcase several times…yet NO ONE moved away from the door. All three doors on the bus were crowded with these kids and yet, the ENTIRE middle of the bus was as empty as a plate of tordelli at any family dinner. And it’s not like the teens were getting off on the next stop, they rode the bus all the way past my stop crowding the doors and the bus driver, while the entire middle of the bus was like the middle of the Mojave desert. I had the bus doors open and close on me about 5 times. The only good thing from that bus ride was that I didn’t have to use my 1.5€ ticket because I couldn’t get to the stamp machine and so I got a free (although miserable) ride….

The kitchen is being put in or partially installed or something today…

We’ll discuss that later!

A dopo….

Caffè and Comune

It has finally happened for me. Less than two weeks into the new job and I was asked to go to coffee with two of the technology developers. They work in the “open space” with me and I always watch as the wander out the door to enjoy a nice caffè normale. This time, much to my delight, I was invited to share in a caffè. Now, I had just had a cappuccino not more than 30 minutes before the invite, but there was no way I was turning it down! We wandered down the closest bar, about 4 doors down and the two guys got normale and I got a macchiato. We engaged in the normal first coffee convo; where I was from, why on earth I would leave wonderful San Francisco for Pisa (the million dollar question I get everyday), etc etc….it was the best macchiato yet!

Yesterday I ventured to the forever dreaded Italian Comune. Luckily I was able to just go to the local one in Capannori and not the one in Pisa or Lucca that would be fifty times crazier. Well, for me, just getting to the Comune was quite the task. I spoke with Giuseppe the night before (was at the Picchi’s for OBAMA-RAMA…holla) and he was like, o yes, it’s super close, you can walk from your house. He told me to pass Pracchia (my favorite bar in the world), pass the post office to the stop sign, turn right and then immediately left and you can’t miss it! He then mentioned something about the building made of vetro (glass), but I didn’t fully catch what he said, and I just assumed that was the Comune (in the glass building). So, I woke up Wednesday morning, after getting to sleep in until 7:45 and headed out to try and get to the Comune by 8:45 (when I assumed they opened) to beat the morning crowds. Well, I made it to the glass building, looked around and realized that the entire building and area around it was deserted. Not like, we open at 9, not 8:45 deserted, but like we never open and/or don’t exist here. I literally walked all around the building, even went in and walked up the stairs to the different floors and thought there was no way it could be here. I called Giuseppe again and he just said maybe it didn’t open until 9:15 and I had to go up the stairs to the second floor and he said that like the stairs are so obvious that I was an idiot if I didn’t see them. Well, the stairs in the glass building were in the middle of the building through a little hallway. Not so obvious to me. So, I waited and waited. No one. It was very odd because usually at Italian government offices, lines start to form thirty minutes before they open because it takes so long. The only things there were two stray dogs, one chasing after the other the entire time. 9:00 came and went, then 9:15 did as well so I called Giuseppe again. This time I told him exactly what I did and how I arrived and where I was, exact latitude and longitude as well….and, he concluded that I was in fact at the wrong spot. “No no noooo,” he said, “you're wrong.” Great. So, turns out I had to walk down further and the Comune was passed the glass building. Sure enough…there it was with all it’s huge flight of stairs glory. I headed up and luckily found a not so huge crowd waiting.

Now the whole reason for me to go to the Comune was to get a carta d’identità. I got my little number and immediately seen. The woman then informed that first I need to register…so, back in line I went. Five minutes later I was called, turns out, my AIRE (a form for Italian living abroad) had not yet been received from the Consulate in SF. Of course not…I only filed it five months ago. So, the woman (who was really nice and wearing the cutest shoes) said it wouldn’t be a problem, we would just register me now. She went over to a cabinet and pulled out a huge paper book…aka a book of extra large paper bound together with a tearing paper cover. She wrote my name and where I was from in it and that was that. Only in Italy would they write the names of stranieri in a giant paper log that's falling apart. She then entered some info into the computer and then told me I had to wait (of course!) to get my carta. Someone was going to come to the apartment to make sure I was really living there. If I wasn’t home, they will talk to neighbors, etc, to confirm it. Once they call me to confirm, I can come back and apply for my carta d’identità.

I’ll keep you posted.
A dopo...

p.s. I'm learning about links, etc from Gregory (thanks Greg!), so sorry if they're random but I don't really have any cool ones yet!

italia - beginning

I have been back in the homeland for exactly 9 days and 16.23 hours and my has it been great!

The smell of the air as I stepped out of Pisa International Airport was refreshing and full of opportunity for the coming year! While tired (we landed around midnight) and body sore from the long flight and trying to help Pops lug around my four jam packed suitcases and four carry-ons, I arrived in Italia full of life and energy. There is just something about the crisp winter air here that opens your eyes and brings a sense of calm to you.

Our first day in Italia was La Befana. A national holiday, so it was nice to not have to start work my first full day here, but it also meant that everything was closed, so we couldn’t do any work for the apartment. The beauty of a holiday in Italy is that it really is a holiday. No work for anyone, not even most stores.

I started work subito dopo on January 7. The office is a loft-like three story building with lots of windows in the front and none in the back! It’s an interesting layout with the main floor structured around two conference rooms in the middle. David and a majority of the communications team are in the back. I have been set-up, after about a week of desk floating, in the “open space”. The open space is a set of about fifteen cubicles in the front of the first floor. It’s nice and bright because the entire wall is windows. Work has been a lot of learning and trying to take in as much information about different projects as possible. Everyone in the office is really nice and some of them are hilarious. There is one guy who is this big guy with glasses, he is very loud and gets mad very easily (from what I’ve heard coming from his office). Well, everyone here calls him Pallone (his real name is Paolo)(sorry but if you don’t know a little Italiano that name won’t be very funny to you). Another guy around the office is called Skywalker. It’s pretty funny working in an office with technology nerds. I look at some computer screens and have no clue what is going on and think that my brother would fit right in! My first travel was my first Friday on the job to Roma. Had to catch a morning train to Rome, sit in on different lectures, went for a quick look at the always wonderful Trevi and then dinner followed by a three and a half train ride back to Pisa. What a day!

I take the bus and train to work everyday. It has been very easy and straight forward everyday except today. Firstly, the buses (see min 1:28 from the link) in Italy never arrive on time and seem to have no schedule whatsoever. My bus is supposed to “arrive” at 810 in front of the Chiesa around the corner from my apartment. On average, I’d say it arrives around 8:20 (I learned this after running out of the apt one morning at 8:10 only to get to the bus stop, sweating, and then waiting for fifteen minutes). Today it didn’t show up until 8:30. Then when we took the turn onto the main street just outside the walls of Lucca, I guess the bus driver cut someone off or something because next thing I know there is a man yelling at our driver, car stopped in the middle of the road. No clue what exactly was said, except the driver ended it with vaffanculo stronzo. Not a good start to a day…

Life in Italia has been wonderful. My Pops hooked up the apartment before he left and took care of pretty much everything for me. Now I’m just sitting tight waiting for my new bed, kitchen and the internet to arrive! It’s going to be amazing….Pops, David and I took a trip to Esselunga to stock up before he left. We went to a new one close to the apt and were stunned by the size of the place. Not to mention you needed sunglasses to work in there - the white brightness could kill someone! We're still confused as to why you can only buy at max a twelve pack of toilet paper and a three pack of paper towels. Someone should introduce Costco...

The beauty of working in Italy is that you can, and are encouraged to take a thousand breaks a day. Whether for your tenth macchiato of the day, for a smoke, or even just a small giro. I think I might have a heart attack from the amount of coffee I’ve taken up (I have no clue how you do it Gaily!) However, this also means that co-workers might not be available at any time you may need them and they might take a little longer than you might want to do something.

Example, setting up my email address. At my previous job, I had an email address the second I walked into the office. Here though, it took ten days. Part of the adventure…learning to work and adjust my working habits to my new environment.

This Saturday – Firenze!

A dopo...