Ciao, bella!

(This reminds me of a guy I used to work with here.  As we’d drive through town into work every morning, he’d call out the window “Ciao, bella!” to all the girls.  Sometimes they’d wave back, but when they ignored him he’d moan, “Ooooh, DC - denied Ciao!”)

How are all of you doing?  I feel like it has been years since I left the USA, but apparently it has only been 4 days.  4 verrrry long days.  The journey was fine, things went as well as could be expected.  The dog was crammed in her carry-on container for about 14 hours and but did perfectly.  For all the hassle of getting her over here, the flight was really the easier part for her. 

There’s so much to tell you.  Rather than try and form a coherent post, let me just hit you with some random highlights.  Pardon the wacked out formatting, it's complicated.

-          We arrived just as nearly all of the post has gone on block leave.  Combined with the holiday weekend, it means that very few people are working and we aren’t getting much done. 

-          We are staying in temporary lodging, but whoaaa….it’s comfy.  We’ve got a 3 bdrm, 1.5 bath apartment, with a full kitchen and living room.  I have no complaints with where we are staying!  Okay, it would be nice if they had internet and I didn’t have to walk half a mile to do laundry, but otherwise….

-          We have our housing appointment on Wednesday.  We have heard various horror stories about the housing situation here.  Most of the stories center around the theme that the housing office will try and get you to take crappy houses and then threaten to take away your temporary lodging allowance that pays for you to stay in the hotel if you decline them.  Many people have gone outside the government system and used a private Italian realtor to find them decent places to live.  We shall see how it goes.

-          Within 24 hours of landing, my husband had already found 6 people than he knew from various places.  Supposedly, I knew all of them too, but there’s only one guy I vaguely remember.

-          It stays light really late here, till around 10 p.m.  We are having a terrible time adjusting.  No one can drag themselves out of bed before 9 or 10 in the morning and we can’t fall asleep at night.

-          With no vehicle and most everyone gone, we are walking walking walking walking.  I don’t mind it and the kids are getting used to it, but it does make it hard to buy things that are heavy or bulky and would be difficult to carry back.  If only it wasn’t so HOT.

-          In 15 years, so much has changed on post.  The Burger King, the chapel, and the movie theater are among the only things that are in the same place.  The PX is 5 times the size it was and there’s a new commissary.  I think I might have been a bit disheartened at the limited selection if I didn’t remember how much worse it used to be.  My barracks have been remodeled (they have air conditioning now!  Wusses.)  and there’s a new and bigger library.  This is still a very very very tiny post.  Maybe 2 square miles?  Certainly no more.  And although it is the same size as it was 15 years ago, there are easily twice as many people here now.

-          We’ve only been off post once.  We are usually so tired from walking to the PX and the library and the launderette and the bowling alley that going anywhere further just seems too wearying.  We did go out to dinner last night at the restaurant where we had our first Italian meal when we first lived here last night.  The same waiter was still working there and the food was still delicious.  It was a lot more expensive than back in the days of the lira and the strong dollar.  Today we’ve all been warned not to go off post because there are anti-American protesters who are unhappy with the planned expansion of the

US

post here.

 

-          Cell phones are THE most confusing thing ever here.  Your brain will absolutely explode trying to figure out how the plans work and forget understanding how much you are paying for when it’s all said & done.  The tiny, overheated store is always crowded and while the salespeople speak English, they speak it very quickly with an accent.  Things are prepaid, but not in minutes and by the month, but only in set amounts.  I still haven’t figured out exactly what I prepaid for. 

 

-          Nonetheless, I am getting an iPhone!  I’m so excited.  They have a waitlist for them, but told me I should have it by Monday.  I have no doubt that I will be paying gobs and gobs of money for the phone and its use, but this is DH’s “I made you move to

Italy

and if this makes you happy, then here you go.” gift.  I’m hoping things like the GPS and currency converter applications will make it more useful than the average phone.

-     I’m having a very

hard time getting used to not being able to get on the internet whenever I want.  There is no such thing as free wi-fi here.  The library and the community center have computers to use, but many sites – such as Facebook…wahhhhh – are restricted.  I can go to the bowling alley and pay to use unrestricted internet there at about $5 for 35 minutes.  I did buy the Italian version of a wireless USB air card.  But again, the plans are so strange, I finally just told the guy to give me the biggest plan there was, so I think I have 4.5 GB to use this month.  It’s kind of hard to have a job working online when the internet is so hard to get to.

-          It doesn’t feel like the 4^th of July today.  On July 2^nd, the post had a Freedom Fest celebration.  Free hot dogs, burgers, chips, sodas, and ice cream.  There were rides and games for the kids and the evening ended not with fireworks but a laser light show.  It was exactly 16 years ago on that day on this post at a very similar celebration that my then boyfriend turned to me during the fireworks and asked me to marry him.  Now there is a hospital under construction on that spot, but it was still good to be back there for that anniversary.

-          The Diet Coke here is Coca Cola Light and it does not taste right.  I can get the normal Diet Coke in a can from the commissary, but there is no Diet Cherry Coke to be found.

That’s all I can come up with for now.  I’ve hardly knit.  I worked on my sock on the airplane but I don’t think I’m going to use up the stash I brought with me.

Hopefully we’ll get out and about more soon.  DH is going to buy a vehicle, but the good ones get snapped up quite quickly so it may be a while.  My van won’t be here until the end of August.  I wish I had some photos for you, but like I said, we haven’t really left post yet.  Got any questions?  Let me know and I might be able to answer them.

Comments

[suburbancorrespondent]

Where are you stationed? I must have missed it. We have friends on - darn it, I can never remember the name - a Navy base (I think) on the island that has Mt. Etna on it.

[Krista at AfternoonMoon]

Oh, you are going to need massive-internet for all the cool applications for the iPhone. I get mine in two weeks, but have everything I could ever need my iTouch.

Italy is awesome. My uncle was stationed in Bridise (spelling horribly wrong) Air Force Base, and it was the best time of his life. DH and I have been to Rome and loved it.

Definately want to see pictures.

[Ava]

Have fun exploring the surroundings! I couldn't get used to late sun-downs when we were in England. By 11 PM, I was so tired but it was just getting twilight some evenings (and then sun up a mere five hours later). Glad you made it there OK . . . best of luck with the housing. My sister and her husband went off base their first year because it was hard to get a decent house.

[Holly S.]

I'm glad to know y'all made it there okay. I've been thinking about you over the last week or so knowing you were traveling. My dad was stationed in Naples, Italy, following World War II during the occupation. He's always wanted to go back, but he won't get on an airplane. Not much chance he'll get there any other way.

[lydee]

glad to hear you made it safely. so sorry to hear about the internet. no free wi-fi! yuck!

love to hear about your adventures!

[Melissa]

Oh I have so many things to say after reading this post. :) You sound exactly like I did after getting here, even though I know you've been here before.

Are you guys staying in the Towers? If so, that's where we stayed since we had a pet.

I feel bad about not warning you about the USO. This one is more of a Soldier Center than a Family Center, so frequently there are R rated films on the TV. I try to keep it a bit cleaner during the day, but not everyone does. That's not to say though that you and the kids aren't welcome to use the USO because you certainly are! I work M and W from 11:00-5 and T and Thur from 4-10 and Sundays from 12:30-6:30. This coming week is a little bit off because I"m working all day on Monday and Tuesday and then taking Wednesday and Thursday off since we are traveling for block leave.

If you need anything at all, let me know! You can call 320-808-6636, text or e-mail me.

[Denise]

So glad to hear you made it safely and hope things get settled quickly so you can enjoy your time there

[Becca]

wow what an adjustment! How are the kids handling it? I look forward to hearing more about it all