My Life in Italy

Still around

2011-09-14T20:05:00.002+02:00

I'm still around, still living in Italy, just haven't had anything to post lately. But please to feel free to have a look around here and also on my personal wordpress blog, http://myitalianlife.wordpress.com or my English lessons blog, http://englishwritingcourses.wordpress.com/

Blog housekeeping

2010-07-22T11:52:00.002+02:00

I have been REALLY neglecting both of my blogs lately, I admit it. This one and also my wordpress blog . Have been busy cleaning my apartment, had let it fall into disarray for way too long and as a result let my blogs fall by the wayside. Then my mother passed away in June so spent two weeks in the United States. Since I've been back in Italy the temperatures have been very high. Today finally sat my backside down and decided to spend some time working on my blogs. On this one went through all of my posts and deleted all of the spam comments and also the Canadian Carders Entrecard list. If you were on this list, you can go ahead and remove the Canadian Carder badge from your blog. The list wasn't very successful and with people coming and going on Entrecard... Plus I want to eventually totally do away with this blog and use only my wordpress blog, but want to stay on at Entrecard. When will it ever be possible to have a free wordpress blog on Entrecard?

Help

2010-06-30T20:47:00.000+02:00

Posted a couple of photos to my other blog, here

Death

2010-06-29T20:53:00.000+02:00

Was Stateside for a couple of weeks. Find out why here on my other blog.

Poll

2010-03-08T12:29:00.001+01:00

Come on over to my other blog and take part in my poll!

Morimondo photos

2010-01-08T16:56:00.002+01:00

Went on an outing last weekend to a village called Morimondo, about 12 miles from Milan. I have photos posted on my new blog so come and check them out.

New blog

2009-10-06T15:10:00.001+02:00

In addition to My Italian Life blog I have started another new wordpress blog offering writing assistance to ESL students.

Tribute

2009-09-16T16:58:00.001+02:00

I've posted a tribute to my sister-in-law on my new blog, come on over and check it out on my new blog.

New post and photos

2009-08-25T19:27:00.002+02:00

A new post and photos can be found on my new blog here.

Vacation 2009

2009-06-30T12:49:00.002+02:00

I've posted some photos and post about my recent trip to the USA on my new blog. Check it out here.

New post

2009-05-06T13:36:00.000+02:00

I've written a new post on my new blog, come on over and check it out!

Unsure

2009-04-20T11:06:00.001+02:00

After transferring everything over to my new blog on Wordpress, I discovered that Wordpress.com, for the free blogs, does not allow the Entrecard widget on Wordpress blogs. For the most part I enjoy Entrecard and I am grateful for the traffic and new actual readers to my blog. So giving up Entrecard at the moment is a tough decision. I think that I will for the moment keep the two blogs, start spending less time on Entrecard and concentrate more on quality content on my blog. I have been spending way too much unproductive time recently on the internet when I should be concentrating on items of importance, on and offline.

Change of Address

2009-04-19T21:29:00.002+02:00

I am in the process of moving my blog over the Wordpress. My new blog can be found here, so please update your links accordingly. I've had my Blogger blog for sometime now, I wanted a cleaner template and I'm no expert when it comes to HTML so I figured why not give Wordpress a try. Please excuse the mess while I transfer everything.

Twitter

2009-04-17T18:01:00.003+02:00

Do you use Twitter? If you do, why?

I haven't been on Twitter all that long and am starting to get the hang of it, still learning the ropes though. I am still learning how to fully exploit, in a positive sense of course, everything Twitter can offer. I am using Twitter to meet new people and make new friends/connections all over the world.

If you use Twitter, what do you enjoy most about it?

Earthquake in Italy

2009-04-06T19:27:00.004+02:00

Just to let everyone know my computer technician and I are okay. If you haven't heard the news, a earthquake hit near the city of L'Aquila this morning. At this point in time there are at least 150 dead and another 1,500 injured, 100,000 homeless. The earthquake measured in at 6.3.

According to an article on CNN, there was also another earthquake near Bologna last night. Again, we felt nothing here in our area, thankfully.

Great News for Riace Italy

2009-04-01T16:36:00.004+02:00

A couple of days ago I mentioned about wishing there were more stories out there that were positive. First thanks to everyone who commented with their own personal good news! Second, today I stumbled upon an article posted on an Italian news website in English.

Immigration has been a hot topic for awhile now here in Italy, like many places around the word, especially in today's global economic crisis. There is a lot of hostility felt towards immigrants, for example those that are coming from Romania and other Eastern European countries. Some people feel that the wave of immigration, whether legal or illegal, has caused an increase in crime. Whether this is true I do not know. I honestly think that the media is concentrating too much on the crimes committed by foreigners therefore making it seem as if the crime rate in Italy has increased.

There is a positive side to this though, immigration. There is a small seaside town in Calabria, Riace, which is located in southern Italy, that seems to be going against the norm in regards to hostile feelings towards immigrants. Thanks to immigrants, Riace is still on the map.

The Calabrian regional government is funding a project to help immigrants by providing housing, training and jobs. Thanks to the project, several crafts workshops have opened in Riace, helping preserve ancient craft traditions. Workshops specializing in for example glass, pottery and fabric.

Riace's population has steadly diminished over the years. People fleeing in search of work. So these new residents of Riace are helping save this little village of about 400 people from a possible extinction.

This project has been so sucessful that the regional government of Calabria is now working on a law that could help place new life into towns that are fading away throughout the south.

Go Riace and Calabria! May you set an outstanding example for Italy, the world and humanity!

March 2009 Entrecard Top Droppers

2009-04-01T13:39:00.002+02:00

I would like to Thank my top droppers for the month of March. I hope you stop by and check them out and give them some drop love.

In March I was not able to drop on Entrecard as much as I would have liked, due to getting my new baby, my new 20" iMac and also for awhile my Firefox was really dragging. I hadn't emptied my cache in who knows how long so therefore really slowing down Firefox. My computer technician was so kind to empty it for me. I now how to do it and am back to dropping like before.

I Learn Online Marketing
Life's a Pizza Pie
A Simple Life
Mommy's Little Corner
Computer Aid
The Modern Mom
The Way I See It
Big Boys Have Toys Too
moms...check nyo
Back to School For Grownups

Good News

2009-03-30T11:23:00.003+02:00

Have you read or heard any positive news stories recently? It seems all we are bombarded with from the various media sources are negative stores. Whether the stories are about war, the economic situation, crime etc. Of course hearing such negativity constantly on a 24/7 basis is enough to bring anyone down, maybe even to the point of depression.

Let's put a stop to this! Please share your good stories!

New iMac 20"

2009-03-23T17:33:00.005+01:00

I am obviously back online, with my new beautiful iMac 20". My personal computer technician brought my new baby iMac home Thursday night and was pretty much done installing and transferring everything by Friday evening. He's such a doll! Don't know what I'd do without him. He is such a good computer technician, I am not saying that just because he's my husband. My desktop photo is a photo outside of Death Valley California that I took on last year's trip to the United States.
My new 20" iMac is an incentive to quit smoking as I've mentioned in previous posts. In January when I first mentioned about trying to cut down on smoking and getting my new iMac, I was able to cut down to ten cigarettes a day. Then I fell off the bandwagon and was back up to a pack a day. Over the last few days, each day I have been smoking less and less. Today so far I have only smoked 6 cigarettes and it hasn't been so bad.

Offline

2009-03-17T21:38:00.003+01:00

Over the course of the next few days I will be offline due to receiving my new iMac on Thursday evening while my computer technician husband transfers everything over from my old computer to the new computer. We haven't fully given up smoking, in fact increased a bit since the computer technician made the original offer about if I gave up or drastically reduced smoking he'd get me a new computer. Well, have started again reducing smoking. Especially also since cigarettes, at least for Camel Lights, have gone up to 4 euros (about $5.20) a pack. Good time to stop smoking before the government decides to increase the price again!

Economic Crisis in Italy?

2009-03-10T16:01:00.002+01:00

This morning I had run a couple of errands, the grocery store and pharmacy. Ok not a big deal, but what was kind of eerie was the fact that traffic was next to nothing, even considering the time of day and day of the week. The supermarket had some people, but again considering the time of day, is usually busier. My first thought is maybe that the economic crisis is starting to hit home a bit here in Italy. Busto Arsizio Italy seems almost like a ghost town at the moment.

Last week was the same situation at the supermarket and also with the traffic, so today is not a one-time occurrence. Personally speaking as of today we're doing not so bad. The computer technician's business has slowed a bit, but nothing to worried about, yet. I've actually picked up 3 new students in the last couple of weeks and have been averaging 20 hours a week. People in general here, at least what I've heard from my students, are a bit nervous about keeping their jobs. So many of them are making sure to continue their English lessons in hopes that "keeping up" their language skills will be a plus for them in regards to keeping their jobs.

The world wide economic crisis is only bound to get worse before it gets any better. In two months, January & February 2009, 370,561 Italian workers have lost their jobs according to a headline on Italy's newspaper Corriere della Sera.

Realistically speaking, tough times are ahead for Italy, for everyone worldwide for that matter, financially speaking. Over the last years credit has become easier to come by in Italy, taking after the United States. People in Italy aren't as maxed out so to speak (no pun intended) on credit card debt compared to the United States, but many people do have mortgages, car payments, payments on furniture (it is expensive in Italy to furnish an apartment) and find it difficult to make it to the end of the month. This is before the global economic crisis hit.

Selby England

2009-03-02T18:46:00.004+01:00

The main sanctuary of the Selby Abbey. The Selby Abbey is an Anglican parish church in the quaint town of Selby, North Yorkshire, England.
One of the at least three small "chapels" in the Abbey.

Front entrance to the Abbey
Selby Town Square right in front of the Selby Abbey. Selby is a small town, around 13,000 people and found it was a very clean town and people friendly. When we went to visit the Abbey, church services and tea had just finished. The priest was just leaving when we entered and told us "You JUST missed tea and cookies, we would have loved to have you join us.". How nice!

February 2009 Entrecard Top Droppers

2009-03-01T09:48:00.002+01:00

I would like to say a big thank you to all of my Entrecard droppers who've stopped by, especially my top droppers. They are for the month of February:

My Note's
Septagon Studios Inc. News Blog
Computer Aid
Back to School for Grownups
All Blogspot Templates
ThemeLib
Guilty Pleasures
Dunia Soer
A Simple Life
Online Social Networking

Stonehenge England

2009-02-25T14:56:00.002+01:00

Last Thursday we visited Stonehenge. It was very interesting to see, but we were a bit disappointed in the size since we were expecting it would be bigger than it actually was.
The day was rather cloudy, cool and windy. Ok we weren't expecting tropical weather, especially considering we were in England and a couple of weeks before it had snowed six inches.

Back from England

2009-02-24T14:30:00.003+01:00

We arrived last night from our little trip up to England. It was SO nice being computer and cell phone-free for five days. Usually we're a Macintosh household but the computer technician had bought a little Acer Aspire laptop to bring along for the trip, using it as a "navigator" versus bringing along the TomTom (he discovered big mistake), check email etc. Friday he ended up downloading a virus and disabled the laptop for the rest of the trip. I told the computer technician, maybe it isn't such a bad thing, not being constantly attached to the pc 24/7.

Last night we flew into Bergamo Orio al Serio Airport on Ryanair from Liverpool. The plane was packed, mainly of supporters of Manchester United Football team. Manchester United is playing against Inter this evening in Milan. Evidently the supporters started drinking in the airport and after the seatbelt light was off on the plane, a good share made their way to the bathroom. One supporter sexually harrassed one of the flight attendants, the police where waiting for him when we landed in Italy. The entire one hour forty five minute flight consisted of the Manchester United supporters singing and talking loudly. I even tried listening to my iPod, volume full blast and still couldn't drown out their voices. I reall felt sorry for the flight attendents for what they had to put up with last night.

This week sometime I will be posting more about my trip to England along with some photos.

On a different note, I've mentioned in the past that I have tried to remove the nofollow code from my blog, but evidently my blog is still nofollow. I'm not "fluent" in HTML, could anyone help?

Vigevano Italy in photos

2009-02-18T18:37:00.004+01:00

This is in Vigevano Italy, taken back in 2002 shortly after I moved here. Again, with my grandfather's old 35mm camera which I still have to this day.

Don't you just love black and white photos?!?!?

My Photo Portfolio part 1

2009-02-13T18:19:00.003+01:00

I love Black & White photos. I took these photos a little over ten years ago in an old 1880's village west of Murdo South Dakota along Interstate 90 with my grandfather's old 35 mm camera. This was before digital cameras where in-style so to speak.
I have not retouched these photos in any sense, with the minor exception of putting my blog address on the photos using Adobe ImageReady and reducing the size so the photos would fit onto my blog.
I have no "formal" photography training, with the exception of when I was in high school, my junior year, I was in photography club and also some help/training from my grandfather with black & white film. Black & White photography was a passion of my grandfather. So much so he had his own little dark room in the basement to develop his photos.
I want to develop, no pun intended, this skill into a job. Would love to actually get paid to travel the globe and take photos. My experience you ask? I have plenty of personal experience traveling around various parts and of course hiding behind the camera photographing my memories.
Wednesday the computer technician and I are off to England for five days and of course at least one camera if not two will be in tow. While I'm gone and away from the blogging/internet world, enjoy the photos. I'm going to be scheduling some posts while I am gone with more photos. So check back often!

AC Bellinzona

2009-02-10T13:46:00.003+01:00

The football/soccer season in Switzerland has started up again after having a Christmas break. Sunday was the first match of 2009, AC Bellinzona played FC Sion and won 1-0. In all honesty I have really never been much into watching sports, but we started going to AC Bellinzona matches almost a year ago and enjoy going to see the matches. At the moment AC Bellinzona's website is only in Italian, I am working on the English version now almost as we speak.

As you can tell from the photos, Sunday was a nice sunny day. Was a bit windy but frankly I did not mind, was thankful for the sun, blue skies and stunning view as always from the Bellinzona community stadium.

Italian Cuisine

2009-02-03T18:16:00.002+01:00

Italian cuisine is one of the most famous, if not THE most famous cuisine in the world. Right up there with Chinese cuisine. But does this mean that here in Italy a person does not have the choice to eat dishes other than Italian?

Well, evidently authorities in Milan and Lucca are wanting to crack down on ethnic restaurants. The ethnic restaurants that are allowed to have their doors open, according th Luca Zaia, the Minister of Agriculture and also member of the political party the Northern Legauge (Lega Nord in Italian), should only use Italian ingredients according to an article in The Times Online.

Italian cuisine is not a "unified cuisine" like some may think. What you may eat at the Olive Garden is just Americanized Italian Cuisine. When in actuality the cuisine is broken down regionally, even provincially or even down to a city level. So a typical dish in Milan, like risotto for example, will be totally different compared to a typical dish from Naples.

Another thing, some things that were thought to be Italian were actually imported. For example the San Marzano tomato, the main ingridient of Italian pasta sauces, was actually imported from Peru to the Kingdom of Naples back in the 18th century. It is rumored that Marco Polo brought spaghetti to Italy from China.

What could cause Lega Nord to try such a thing? Maybe it is because Lega Nord has voiced concerns about crime and immigration. Maybe it is because of the ever increasing numbers of kebab restaurants popping up around the country along with other ethnic restaurants opening up shop. Milan has seen a 30% increase of ethnic restaurants in one year alone.

January Top Droppers

2009-01-31T08:52:00.000+01:00

I would like to thank all of my Top Droppers for the month of January. You guys are all a great bunch!
Picture to People
The Way I See It
14-Year-Old Tech Guru
Computer Aid
My Note's
A Malaysian Abroad
Dunia Soer
Online Social Networking
Bingo Sites Online for Women
The Virtual Dime Museum

Joint Blog Anniversary Give-Away

2009-01-28T11:02:00.003+01:00

Mira over at Random Thoughts is having a Joint Blog Anniversary Give-Away Contest in honor of her one year anniversary of blogging. Thought I would jump on the bandwagon and enter. What do I have to loose? There will be a total of 12 lucky bloggers winning in total thousands of Entrecard credits and cash along with other great prizes. For more information about the rules and if you want to join in on the fun, visit Mira here. Here is a list of prizes:

1st PRIZE
$25 - c/o Random Thoughts
Customized Blog Layout (blogger platform) c/o My Web-Blog Designs
1 Swarovsky Bracelet c/o Yen's Handmades [Click here to see the ITEM]
$20 + 2000 EC credits c/o Windmill on the Hill
$10 + 500 EC credits c/o My Life's Journey to Success
$10 + 500 EC credits c/o Things I Did Not Know Before
$10 + 500 EC credits c/o Unique Ideas For Your Beach Weddings
2000 - EC credits + 1 month 125x125 ad space c/o Night Clicks
1000 - EC credits + 1 month 125x125 ad space c/o NetFreeSource
3000 - EC credits c/o Random Thoughts
1 month 125x125 ad space c/o Dashing Beauty
1 month 125x125 ad space c/o Tales of a Pinay Single Mommy
1 Photo Pop Art Make-over c/o Sweety Tots

2nd PRIZE
$20 - c/o Mira's Web Journal
2500 - EC credits c/o Mira's Web Journal
2000 - EC credits c/o A Moment to Exhale
20GB Web Hosting c/o http://angelic-melody.net + 500EC credits
1000 - EC credits + 1 month 125x125 ad space c/o My Countryhome
1000 - EC credits + 1 month 125x125 ad space c/o Live Love Pink
1000 - EC credits + 1 month 125x125 ad space c/o Samantha's Own
1 month 125x125 ad space c/o 1716 South
1 month 125x125 ad space c/o Garage Sale
1 Photo Pop Art Make-over c/o Sweety Tots

3rd PRIZE
$15 - c/o A Moment to Exhale
3000 - EC credits c/o Big Boys Have Toys Too
2000 - EC credits c/o A Taste of Both Worlds
1000 - EC credits + 1 month 125x125 ad space c/o Kharlota dot Com
1000 - EC credits + 1 month 125x125 ad space c/o A Girl for All Status
1000 - EC credits + 1 month 125x125 ad space c/o A Fil-Am Journey
1 year text link ad c/o http://glamorous-heart.info
1 month 125x125 ad space c/o Symphony of Love
1 month 125x125 ad space c/o Sweepstakes Girl
1 Photo Pop Art Make-over c/o Sweet...Pretty...Naughty

4th PRIZE
$10 - c/o My Barefoot Journey
2000 - EC credits c/o Mommy's Little Corner
2000 - EC credits c/o My Online Paradise
2000 - EC credits c/o Kinda Life of Mine
1000 - EC credits + 1 month 125x125 ad space c/o Just About Anything
1 month text link ad Thomas Travel Tales
1 month text link ad Great Finds and Deals

5th PRIZE
2000 - EC credits c/o Wife of a Warrior
3000 - EC credits c/o Life's Sweets and Spices
1000 - EC credits + 1 month 125x125 ad space c/o Simply Irresistible
1000 - EC credits + 1 month 125x125 ad space c/o My Sweet Haven
1 month text link ad Work At Home Jobs
1 month text link ad Erlinda‘s Wandering Thoughts

6th PRIZE
2000 - EC credit c/o The Solitairy Love
1500 - EC credit c/o My Barefoot Journey
1000 - EC credits c/o My Kitchen Table
1000 - EC credits + 1 month 125x125 ad space c/o Kalidadis
1000 - EC credits + 1 month 125x125 ad space c/o Cooking is Fun
1 month text link ad CompTechGadgets.com
1 month text link ad Healthy Living and Lifestyle

7th PRIZE
1000 - EC credits + 1 month 125x125 ad space c/o Simplement Belles
1000 - EC credits + 1 month 125x125 ad space c/o Moi et mon univers!
1000 - EC credit c/o Scrappy Mommy
1000 - EC credits c/o Dashing Smiles
1000 - EC credits c/o Everything Plus the Kitchen Sink
1000 - EC credits c/o One at a Time
1 month text link ad Thomas Web Links
1 month text link ad Bohol Paradise

8th PRIZE
1000 EC + 1 month 125x125 ad space from My Daily Sunset
1000 - EC credits c/o My Kitchen
1000 - EC credits c/o My Life and Family Journey
1000 - EC credits c/o My Whole New World
1000 - EC credits c/o Definitely Maybe
500 - EC credits c/o I Thought So
1 month text link ad Batuananons

9th PRIZE
1000 EC + 1 month 125x125 ad space from Lovely Pink
1000 - EC credits c/o Small Side Bits
1000 - EC credits c/o In His Steps
1000 - EC credits c/o Moments of My Life
1000 - EC credits c/o My Crossroads
1 month text link ad Filipino Online Community

10th PRIZE
1000 EC + 1 month 125x125 ad space from Hobby and Such by Carlota
1000 - EC credits c/o My Life's Adventure
1000 - EC credits c/o Wonderful Things In Life
1000 - EC credits c/o The Joy of Life Forever
500 - EC credits c/o Life's Journey
1 month text link ad from Nita's Random Thoughts

11th PRIZE
1000 - EC credits c/o Medan Daily
1000 - EC credits c/o Wiehanne Lounge
1000 - EC credits c/o Simply WP
1000 - EC credits c/o Everything Under the Sun
1 month text link ad from Nita's Corner

12th PRIZE
1500 - EC credits c/o A Moment to Exhale
1000 - EC credits c/o My Barefoot Journey
1000 - EC credits c/o EastCoastLife

Congratulations President Barack Obama

2009-01-24T20:08:00.001+01:00

Congratulations President Barack Obama in your victory and inauguration as 44th Presidents of the United States of America and for being the first African American elected into such an important position. You bring hope to a country and also the world that is in need of drastic change. My fellow citizens of the United States and of the world are watching and demanding that much needed changes are actually made. The economy, jobs, health care system and education just to name a few.

During the election campaign, many people here in Italy would ask my opinion. Who I thought would win, who I voted for etc. Italians were very curious to know, in a good way. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi made the comment about President-Elect Barack Omaba that he was "intelligent, young and tanned". Things that make you go mmmm.

Marsa Alam Egypt

2009-01-19T20:22:00.003+01:00

Here three photos from one of two trips that we went on to Marsa Alam Egypt. A local mosque in El Qusier Egypt
Low tide along the beach in front of our hotel. Yes this is the Red Sea, look how clear the water is! The little boy was the son of a German couple staying at the resort. He was such a cutie and oh so well behaved!
My personal computer technician and yours truly standing next to a 4-wheel scooter and its owner in El Qusier Egypt. Basically it was a normal scooter with big "training wheels" in the back.

Quitting Smoking

2009-01-12T12:55:00.002+01:00

I am trying to quit smoking. I am down to half a pack or less a day, started this last week. Consider that I used to smoke a pack and a half a day. The computer technician has also greatly reduced how much he smokes a day. Then again, he's been fighting a nasty cold the last couple of weeks so needless to say he has not had much of a desire to smoke. The computer technician said that if I am able to quit completely or GREATLY reduce how much I smoke that he would buy me the newest version of the iMac. Yes this is a good incentive for me to quit, but at the same time I am happy with my current iMac, which is about two years old. The new iMacs are nice, with a bigger screen compared to what I currently have but I do not like the gray and blac design. Other than that there are no differences between the new iMac and what I have, at least in my opinion. Then again, I'm not the Mac expert my other half the computer technician is.

2009 New Year's Goals

2009-01-04T15:45:00.002+01:00

I've made some goals for 2009. I prefer the word goals versus resolutions, the word resolutions does not seem as "serious" as goals. What are your goals for 2009? Mine are rather simple and short:

- Actually keep in touch with friends. I have been such a slacker in that regards and I am going to improve.
- My computer technician husband and I finding new jobs, but not here in Italy, within Europe and not in the United States.
- Healthier lifestyle.

December 2008 Top Entrecard Droppers

2009-01-01T13:46:00.003+01:00

Would like to thank the following people for being my "Top Droppers" for the month of December. Thanks guys for a great month and to everyone out in the blogsphere, Happy 2009!
Picture to People
The Virtual Dime Museum
Back to School for Grownups
MJ's Rambling Thoughts
Moshi & Kibo's Dog Blog
Bryan Karl - Everything Online
The Way I See It
Juliana's World
Photography by KML
San Diego Backroads

Christmas Drama

2008-12-29T12:04:00.002+01:00

First Thank You everyone that left Christmas wishes. Sorry I haven't been able to personally thank everyone.

Needless to say I am VERY thankful Christmas is done and over with until next year. Christmas Eve was kind of quiet, spent at my husband's parents place with relatively no drama. Christmas Day spirit was spoiled by someone who felt that they needed to be the center of attention and try to start a relatively stupid argument with the computer technician (aka my husband - from now on he'll be referred to as "the computer technician).

Merry Christmas 2008

2008-12-23T15:16:00.004+01:00

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays everyone! I know this is a couple of days early but tomorrow I do not know if I will be online very much, if at all. For sure not on Thursday. Tomorrow evening we're going to my husband's parent's home for a "light" Christmas Eve dinner, then on Christmas Day we are going to be at my husband's sister's home for lunch. She's a very good cook, but usually cooks enough for an Army.

Do you feel the holidays have become too commercialized? I feel that they have. But at the same time, if the present is something that someone needs, I have no problems at all with that and is money well spent. Yes our family gets together to eat and exchange gifts. I do enjoy going shopping for gifts, but for gifts that the receiver would enjoy and can actually use. I do not believe in buying to "impress". Books are a great gift. I've made a Wishlist over on Amazon.Co.UK of books I want to read. At the moment I am bookless, having read everything I have. Why the UK version of Amazon you ask? Well it is easier and faster to receive books and such from the UK compared to North America.

The photo is of the company across the street from my apartment building with their hanging Santas.

Busto Arsizio Christmas Market 2008 part 2

2008-12-23T13:33:00.002+01:00

Busto Arsizio Christmas Market 2008

2008-12-21T15:58:00.002+01:00

Here are some photos of this year's Christmas Market here in Busto Arsizio, Italy. I will be posting some more photos in the coming days, so stay tuned!

As you can see it's been unseasonably MILD here recently. It snowed a couple of weeks back, maybe a couple of inches maximum. Since Thursday its been in the 50's every day. Today the high temperature was 61. No this is NOT normal for this time of year here and according to the forecast is not supposed to let up until towards the end of the week. There is a CHANCE of snow on Friday. So no White Christmas here this year.

2008 Christmas Tree

2008-12-17T14:12:00.004+01:00

Here's our Christmas tree for this year. Pretty simple and basic tree. I'm the one in charge of putting the tree up and tearing down, the computer technician (the husband) usually does not help out with that. This time of year he's usually pretty busy with work so helping with the tree is the last thing on his mind.

A fellow reader brought up on my last post about the Christmas Markets that I forgot to mention. Christmas Markets are pretty popular in Europe. Depending on the city, the Christmas Market usually starts the end of November or beginning of December and runs until Christmas Eve. The Christmas Market here in Busto Arsizio (site is only in Italian, sorry!) opened on November 29th, including fireworks in the evening. It is not a very big market, maybe around 13 different stands. Products available ranging from sweets, wine, grappa, dolls, ceramics, Christmas ornaments, candles and other choices.

Traveling this time of year to visit different Christmas markets seems to be pretty popular. I know a couple of people that enjoy doing such, not only in Italy but also for example going to Germany and Austria where there are bigger and better markets compared to what a person can find in this area. This afternoon I found an interesting website that lists some but not all of the Christmas markets here in Italy and also Europe. Unfortunately the site is only in Italian.

Christmas in Northern Italy

2008-12-16T12:00:00.003+01:00

This is my seventh Christmas here in Northern Italy. Where has the time gone?!? It almost seems like yesterday Christmas 2002, my first Christmas here. I always stay here in Italy for Christmas, I do not go back to the States for the holidays. The main reason being is that I do not wan to run the risk of getting stuck in an airport for a day or two due to a blizzard.

So what is Christmas like here, at least in Northern Italy? There are not a lot of differences between Italy and other countries like the United States or Canada. Some people do put up Christmas trees and decorate it, depending if they have the space for the tree in their apartment. In this area there are more apartment buildings compared to single family homes. Therefore there are not any Christmas lanes like in the States or Canada. More and more people though are decorating their balconies, usually with Christmas lights and the "in" thing is also having a hanging Santa Claus off the balcony.

Last night we went to a Christmas Party in Milan. The parts of the city we were in was all lit up, with tree trunks covered in Christmas lights. Strands of lights on light poles to appear as trees.

A typical bread, usually in and around Milan is panettone. Panettone is kind of a sweet bread with raisins and candies. Then there is pandoro, which is kind of similar to panettone, but sweeter and no candies.

Our family Christmas traditions are pretty simple and "normal". On Christmas Eve we go to my husband's parents for dinner and usually open presents. Then on Christmas Day we go to my husband's sister's house for lunch. This year we're going to be opening presents on Christmas Day, for my niece. She still believes in Santa Claus.

Happy Birthday little lady!

2008-12-10T13:15:00.002+01:00

Today is my niece's fourth birthday. She's quite the little gal, the apple of her Uncle and Auntie's eye. Happy Birthday Annina! Annina is a nickname for Anna. Yes she was named after me and we ALMOST share our birthdays. My birthday is tomorrow. My niece would have been born on the 11th but my sister-in-law had to have a c-section due to my niece's umbilical cord being wrapped around her neck. For me it is not important that we share or birthday or not, but that she is happy and healthy. The above photo was taken in May when we were in Rimini, she was having bread and Nutella for breakfast.

I always speak English with her and she responds back in Italian. She responds back correctly and has learned that if she doesn't understand to ask. I've spoken only in English with her since the day she was born and I'm not about to stop now. That way, by the time she starts school she'll have a head start compared to the others when it comes to the English language.

The Friendship Flower Award

2008-12-09T14:58:00.003+01:00

I would like to thank Windmill over at the Windmill On The Hill for the honor of The Friendship Flower Award. This really made my day, thank you so much! The rules for this award are as follows: Copy this badge and put it on your blog; Link back to who passed you this award and Spread this award to at least 7 bloggers you are friends with.

I am passing this award to the following seven people who's blog I enjoy dropping on every day on Entrecard. The lucky winners are:

Tricia's Musings Home and Garden

Juliana's Lair

Rebellious Arab Girl

Mom's Cafe Home Cooking

Christy's Coffee Break

It's Not Just Humour, It's Steven's Humour

That Grrl

November Top Droppers

2008-12-03T20:51:00.004+01:00

I would like to take a moment and thank my top Entrecard droppers for the month of November. If you are a fellow card dropper on Entrecard, please stop by these great sites and show them some love. If you're not on Entrecard yet, hop on over and check out what all the buzz is about!

Either this week or beginning of next week, I would love to put together a blogroll of all of the Canadian bloggers that are on Entrecard. My reasoning for doing so is since at this point in time it is not possible to search blogs on Entrecard by geographic location. So I figured why not start up a blogroll/list of Canadian Blogs/Bloggers. If you are one, please feel free to comment and let's get the ball going!

November top droppers:
Picture to People
HRM Business Practices & Notes
The Way I See It
My Thai Friend
Learn How To Make Money On The Internet
Photography by KML
The Ad Master
Bryan Karl - Everything Online
Computer Aid
WindMill on the Hill

Ireland photos November 2005

2008-12-01T14:17:00.006+01:00

Back in November 2005 my husband and I spent about three days near Dublin Ireland to have a bit of a "vacation" after I had spent about 4 months in the United States to be at my dad's bedside when he passed away.
My husband arrived the day before I did, on a Monday, rented a car and checked into the hotel. I had left my hometown on Black Friday by bus to Chicago. NEVER again, a 16 hour bus ride to go 600 miles! Spent the weekend in Chicago, then about an 8 hour flight from Chicago to Dublin to find my wonderful computer technician hubby waiting for me at the Dublin airport.
The weather was typical Irish weather, a bit rainy and DAMP.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T11:25:00.003+01:00

I FINALLY have my wonderful iMac back in my possession! My husband at the moment updating/upgrading it. HOPEFULLY he'll be done shortly with it. At least I have it back and will be able to use it momentarily. Thank you everyone for being so patient during this "downtime". Now I'll be able to catch up on things, including dropping cards on Entrecard, recommencing looking for computer technician jobs in Canada and also of course blogging. My laptop has been handy during the last week but nothing beats my desktop.

I would like to wish everyone in the States a Happy Thanksgiving. We are not celebrating today Turkey Day, MAYBE on Saturday after I get off of work. If not with my husband's family, a minimum of just my husband and I. His family isn't really into celebrating "American" holidays like Thanksgiving.

Attention fellow readers and Entrecard Droppers

2008-11-18T09:40:00.002+01:00

I haven't been able to and also today may be a bit slow, if at all to respond to comments and drop cards on Entrecard. Yesterday we were in Switzerland all day and today my beloved iMac has gone into the shop to have the DVD player/burner replaced. HOPEFULLY I'll have it back either this evening or some time tomorrow. My iMac is only a couple of years old, I've had it for the last year without any problems up until now. Why am I having the DVD player/burner replaced? Yes my husband and I are smokers and my computer technician of a hubby figures that the lens on the DVD player is majorly dirty and since my iMac is still under warranty, is having it replaced. So I beg your pardon if for the next day or so that I may be slow to return comments and drop on your blog via Entrecard. At least I still have computer/internet access via my old Mac PowerBook. My laptop is a little slow and old. It's about 8 years old and minus being slow, works perfectly.

I Love Your Blog Award

2008-11-14T16:19:00.003+01:00

Thank you to Dori over at From A Yellow House In England for the I Love Your Blog award! This is the first time I've received a blog award. Thank you so much Dori! Now I'd like to pass on the "love" to the following bloggers. The catch it guys and dolls, that you link back to the person who gives you the award and pass it along to seven of your favorite blogs.

Expat Travels

Communique by Ivanhoe

Paisley Scotland Photos

2008-11-13T10:44:00.004+01:00

This is an old thread mill in Paisley. Now closed and abandoned.

This is Paisley Abbey which dates back to the 12th century.
Side view of Paisley Abbey, with a statue in memorial of Alexander Wilson, who was a Scottish-American poet, naturalist and illustrator. He was born in Paisley and passed away in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Glasgow Scotland

2008-11-11T14:53:00.006+01:00

May 2007 I had the pleasure of going to Glasgow Scotland and spending a week with a good friend of mine. I throroughly enjoyed the week seeing the sights in Glasgow, Paisley and also Loch Lommond. With the advert of the low-cost airlines, a round-trip ticket from Bergamo Orio al Serio Airport, near Milan, to Glasgow Prestwick Airport in May 2007 I spent about $60 on Ryanair. Sixty dollars doesn't even fill my gas tank.

If you haven't had the opportunity to visit Scotland yet, I would highly suggest going. I found Glasgow and the area very clean and green. The people were very warm and welcoming. They were genuienly friendly and open. Nor did I feel any Anti-American sentiment while I was there.

Hopefully later in the week I will be posting more photos from my trip in Scotland.

Top Entrecard Droppers

2008-11-09T10:53:00.003+01:00

I've been using Entrecard for a little over a month and a half now. I have come across interesting blogs that I otherwise would not have. Up till today, here are the top Entrecard droppers on my site, please check them out:
My Thai Friend
People You Need To Know
Picture to People
The Virtual Dime Museum
My Sweet Haven
Thailand Land of Smiles
HRM Business Practices and Notes
Make Money Work Online
Dallas Marketing Services
60 Were Enough

So far I've really enjoyed Entrecard, have found some fellow Expat sites but would love to see more Expat sites or Canadian blogs on there. If you're an Expat blogger or a Canadian blogger and you want to check out other quality blogs and/or you want more traffic to your blog, check out Entrecard now!

p.s. This is NOT a sponsored post.

Italian politics

2008-11-08T14:22:00.000+01:00

Today a little bit about Italian politics. Italy has a population of around 57 million people in a surface area less than the state of California. Between the Senate the Chamber of Deputies there are a total of about 945 politicians in Rome. Each politician earning around 19,150 euros a MONTH, plus benefits. Not including benefits, the Italian politicians cost the Italian taxpayer around 217,161,000 euros a year. This is NOT including the salaries of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi or President Giorgio Napolitano. Does Italy, or any other country for that matter, actually NEED so many politicians in the capital?!? Some perks/benefits Italian politicians enjoy are:
FREE Cell phone
FREE Cinema tickets
FREE Bus & Subway tickets
FREE Stamps
FREE National air travel
FREE tolls on the motorway
FREE Gym & Swimming pool memberships
FREE Alitalia tickets
FREE Clinics (not sub-standard care either, of course)
FREE Life Insurance
FREE Car & driver
FREE Restaurants

Lucerne Switzerland photos part 2

2008-11-07T14:11:00.003+01:00

As promised here are some more photos from my trip last weekend to Lucerne Switzerland.

Comment problem fixed

2008-11-05T15:03:00.002+01:00

It was brought to my attention that the comment feature on my blog was not working. I have hopefully fixed the problem so please feel free to comment away!

Lucerne Switzerland photos

2008-11-05T09:43:00.003+01:00

As promised, here are some photos of my trip last weekend to Lucerne, Switzerland. Keep checking back as I will post more photos later.

Election Day 2008

2008-11-04T08:54:00.003+01:00

As you all know, today is election day in the United States. I have already sent in my absentee ballot about a couple of weeks ago. If you are an American citizen, have you voted yet? If you're not voting today, whether in person or via absentee ballot, why?

This is a big election for the United States, if not the world. There is going to be a "changing of the guard" in the White House. Either McCain or Obama. Either way it is going to be a first. The first woman Vice President or first African American president.

The majority, if not all, of my students at one point in time have asked me questions about the election and who I think will win. Italians are curious people and I mean that in a good way. My impression is that for the most part Italians would prefer to see Barak Obama as president. Several people have asked me directly almost making a subtle hint "Are you going to vote for Obama?".

Alpen Doch, Switzerland

2008-11-03T11:22:00.005+01:00

As promised here are some photos from our weekend in Lucerne Switzerland. Today's photos are from Saturday of the area where our Bed and Breakfast was, near the village/town of Alpnach Dorf. Stay tuned this week and I will be posting more photos of our trip to Lucerne Switzerland.

We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast called The Schuermatt, which is located on a small farm that has cows, horses and a mule or two. The owners, Josef & Madeleine, where very friendly, kind and hospitable. My husband was the one that had to do all of the talking, since the owners speak German and French, neither language I know. I think it's time I start studying one of the two languages, since we've been spending a lot of time in the French and German speaking parts of Switzerland.

As you can see from the photos below, we were surrounded by mountains and it had snowed a couple of days earlier. The air was so clean and crisp and the view was breathtaking. The only sound we could hear was the occasional cow bells. Saturday evening we had a delicious homemade cheese fondue for supper there at the Bed & Breakfast. Breakfast yesterday morning consisted of sliced ham and roast beef, grapefruit juice, yougurt, bread, croissants, three different types of cheeses, jam and nutella, coffee and FRESH (we're talking fresh from the cow fresh) milk.

If the occasional smell of manure puts you off or you're a city person, this place isn't for you. But if you're searching for a down home type of place with everyday nice people, I suggest staying at The Schuermatt. Just make sure if you're unable to speak German or French to have a dictionary with you. Also, don't forget your GPS to get there. The rooms are clean as is the shared bathroom. They do have some cats and dogs, so if you're allergic to either one, best stay away. The cats and dogs are not allowed onto the second floor where the guest rooms are located.

If you're planning a trip to Switzerland and want to stay at a Bed and Breakfast, I would highly suggest checking out this website. This is the site we found The Schuermatt on. Seems to be the "official" listing of Bed and Breakfasts in Switzerland. You can also buy a book of all of the listings also.

Lucerne Switzerland trip

2008-10-31T10:31:00.002+01:00

Tomorrow morning we're leaving for Lucerne Switzerland for the weekend and will return late Sunday evening. So I obviously will be offline starting from this evening until bright and early Monday morning.

I am really looking forward to going to Lucerne. This will be my first trip there. We are going to be going to a football/soccer match on Sunday afternoon but also playing tourists as well.

On the way to Lucerne we have to go through the Gotthard Road Tunnel, which is the third longest tunnel in the world. The tunnel is about 10.5 miles long (16.4 kilometers). We had to go through the Gotthard this spring when we went to Basel Switzerland. I can handle going through a relatively short tunnel, a mile/kilometer or less. But when we're talking miles/kilometers of tunnel and if you're claustrophobic...... But in the end it will be worth it though, visiting Lucerne.

Lucerne Switzerland first and foremost is considered a touristic town along the shores of Lake Lucerne. There is the famous landmark, the Chapel Bridge, which is a wooden bridge originally built in the 14th century.

Mt. Pilatus isn't very far away from Lucerne. We were thinking of taking the Pilatus Railway, the world's steepest cogwheel railway from Alpanchstad to the top of Mt. Pilatus, till we seen the price tag. Then again, considering in that area, like in many places, it has snowed recently so I highly doubt the cogwheel railway is in operation at the moment.

Next week, hopefully Monday or Tuesday, I will start posting photos from our trip to Lucerne Switzerland.

News in Italy

2008-10-30T18:05:00.003+01:00

If you would like to read the news in Italy in English, check out the website Life in Italy. The site is usually updated on a daily basis Monday through Friday and the news comes from the Italian news source ANSA. Thew newspaper Corriere della Sera also has a small section in English. Usually they will publish an article a day, again Monday through Friday.

I tend to check my stats on my blog on an almost daily basis, which include search terms used to arrive on my blog. Terms I see on a frequent basis are foreigners in Italy. I don't know what these people are searching for, whether it is what life is like here in Italy for a foreigner or how many foreigners are there in Italy. I just read an article today that there are nearly 4 million legal immigrants in Italy, or about 6.7% of the population. Undocumented immigrants, illegals, are about 500,000. The undocumented work in the underground economy, which includes domestic help.

Who are the largest groups of immigrants in Italy? Romanians with a population of about one million, followed by Albanians and Moroccans.

New Blogger Template

2008-10-29T15:16:00.004+01:00

As you can obviously see, I've changed my template and is a work in progress. Please don't mind the dust. What do you think of my new "Image"?

***Update February 13th 2009. I am getting rather tired of the template I have now. It is rather depressing and I need to change it to of a more "Italian" theme and am clueless how to do it. Help!!!

Bellinzona Switzerland, again

2008-10-25T12:39:00.006+02:00

Yesterday went up to Bellinzona, Switzerland again. It may seem that we are there quite frequently, which in fact is true. My husband had to go to Bellinzona Switzerland for work and he invited me to tag along. Yesterday was a beautiful sunny cool day so was a perfect day to get out of the house and also a change of scenery. While my husband was working I went for lunch and was able to almost finish our Christmas shopping. Have all but one person done. Yeah!!!

Here are some photos from Bellinzona Switzerland. Look at the detail of the painting on these buildings! I enjoying going up to Bellinzona Switzerland, it is a small town of about 17,000 people, it is a clean town. People seem to be friendlier compared to here in Busto Arsizio Italy. People actually make eye contact, return your hello.

Gratitude

2008-10-20T12:32:00.003+02:00

Gratitude - Appreciation or thankfulness - positive emotion or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit one has received or will receive.

What are YOU grateful for today? List in the comments of this post of at least five things you are grateful for today.

10/22/08 Update - Are you up for a challenge? I dare you to write down, either here or on a sheet a paper, every day for a week straight, things that you are grateful for.

Things that I am grateful for:

1. I am happy for the wonderful lunch date my husband and I had yesterday. It was a gorgeous day outside, perfect for getting out of the house and into the Italian countryside.
2. I am grateful now that I am at the half-way point in my Christmas shopping. Four people down, four to go. I am thankful I have started early and not postponing until the last moment.
3. I am grateful I am over my cold and feeling healthy.
4. I am happy and thankful for a beautiful day outside.
5. I am happy and grateful for having such a wonderful and caring husband.

United States Presidential Election 2008

2008-10-14T11:51:00.003+02:00

Usually I try to avoid writing a "political" post, but after being asked countless times first if I am able to vote from abroad for the November election and second WHO am I going to vote for. I usually try to keep the political conversation to a minimum. Yes I am able to vote via absentee ballot and I am not going to disclose in this post who I am going to vote for. Especially since my vote does not really count to begin with. I am voting because it is my right as a citizen of the United States. The winner is based on the votes of the ELECTORAL COLLEGE and not really BY THE PEOPLE. Do I think this is correct, that I as an average American citizen, even if I live abroad, vote and for the electors, who in turn may or may not vote for the candidate in question, no.

In the Electoral College, each state has a number of electors based on the number of Senators and Representatives in the United States Congress. So basically the smaller the state, the less electoral votes. South Dakota, for example, has only three electoral votes.

I was doing some blog reading this morning and came across a wonderful post on one of the blogs I read. "How Bush got elected twice (The Electoral College for Dummies)". I highly suggest reading it.

Yes I am a proud citizen of the United States of America, I admit that. But I am not the flag-waving type nor do I have the United States flag tattooed on my forehead. If you drive by my apartment, you will not see the United States flag hanging off my balcony. My country of birth, the United States of America, is far from perfect, but what country is?

This then leads to another question that I have been asked several times in the last six and a half years that I have been living in Italy, is if I like living in Italy. But it is the WAY the question is asked by the locals. It is asked in such a way that the person asking is implying "Do you prefer living in Italy?" and expects the answer "Yes" and they are rather shocked when they do not get the answer they were expecting. I always respond, "It is different. There is now way to compare the two countries. It would be like comparing apples and oranges. But are fruits, but that is where the similarities end." There are positives and negatives about Italy and the United States. One country is not superior to the other. Get over it and accept that fact.

Influenza & Canadian Thanksgiving

2008-10-13T18:01:00.003+02:00

Influenza sucks. The hubby and I have been sick a week yesterday with what seems to be a nasty cold/influenza. I'm fairing better now compared to my husband, but still not 100%. Thus the reason for lack of a post.

Today is Thanksgiving in Canada. Happy Thanksgiving to all of my buddies in Canada. Don't eat too much turkey!

Here's another photo from Istanbul, Turkey. Unfortunately I didn't get a photo, but seen a delivery scooter for KFC!

Istanbul Turkey

2008-10-05T10:25:00.005+02:00

My husband and I just got back Friday night from spending three days/two nights in Istanbul Turkey. It was a rather short trip yes but no regrets in going. Just wish we had more time to spend there. The main purpose of the trip was to watch AC Bellinzona (Swiss football/soccer team) play a Turkish team in their third round for the UEFA cup. AC Bellinzona lost, 1-2 but both teams played well.

We arrived in Istanbul Wednesday afternoon. Talk about traffic from the airport to the hotel! My husband made the comment a few times that the traffic in Istanbul is 20 times worse than in Naples Italy, yet there is never an accident. It was amazing, taxi drivers driving like crazy, slamming on the brakes, yet no one ever touches the other. Wednesday evening we ate at a wonderful restaurant overlooking the Bosporus Straight (aka Istanbul Straight) with a gorgeous view of the Faith Bridge. The Faith Bridge is a bridge that connects the European and Asian sides of Istanbul. After supper we went to a local "trendy" disco, Reina, still along the Bosporus Straight. Needless to say we didn't get back to the hotel very early. We were supposed to be up early Thursday morning for a guided tour of Istanbul, leaving at 9:30. We asked the front desk for a wake-up call at 8:30, which came and went. Finally, someone from our group came knocking on our door at ten. We declined going on the tour, since we had only slept about 4 hours plus my husband's back was kind of bothering him. We ended up having a nice relaxed lazy day, hanging around the area. When the other people came back from the tour, they said they enjoyed it, but where destroyed due to seeing so many places in such a short amount of time.

Seen on several occasions street vendors. Seems to be pretty common. Seen men selling things like bananas, pretzels, corn, bread or even a shoe shine. I was pleasantly surprised how clean Istanbul is, considering its size. Of course there are neighborhoods that are cleaner or dirtier than others, but first consider the size of the city but also how old the city is. Istanbul was at one time Constantinople.

Expatriate

2008-09-23T15:03:00.003+02:00

Expatriate - noun - A person who lives outside their native country.

Today is a sad day at Ann's School of English. Today is one of my students' last day of English lessons before he moves to London in the beginning of October. He's been a great student and a nice student. I will surely miss him. It has been a real pleasure and honor to be his English Teacher.

He's not the first student of mine to fly the Italian nest for greener pastures abroad. In fact he's the third, all have flown north to the United Kingdom. One student is studying to be a chiropractor in Wales and another is living and studying graphics in London. I occasionally hear from my ex-student living in London, she's enjoying her new life there and has no plans on returning to Italy to live.

It takes guts to up and move to a foreign country. Especially if it is MANY miles/kilometers away. In my opinion, the longer a person lives in a foreign country, the more you learn, in addition to the obvious new culture and language. You see things in a different light, you start to think also in a different way, even about your native country.

If you are thinking of or have recently moved abroad, here are some suggestions:

- If you have visited a country and think "OH it would be SO awesome to live here", think again. Remember that visiting and living somewhere are two totally different things.

- Do NOT compare anything between your home country and your new country. You'll drive yourself crazy and only leads to homesickness and the-grass-is-always-greener-on-the-other-side syndrome.

- Be flexible. Things in your new country are done differently in respect to your native land. Get used to it. In the end you'll learn how to do things in a different way.

- Learn the language, NOW. You will become independent and also integrate.

- Immediately meet LOCAL people, not only fellow expats. Having locals as contacts can prove to be useful now and even down the road. Connections are ALWAYS a good thing.

- If you're having a bad day and you're really missing things back "home", start a list of things that you like and are grateful for in your new country. Try to do this on a daily basis. You'll start to see that things maybe aren't so bad after all in your new country.

- Enjoy your new country. Get out, see the sites, visit and participate in local festivals and events. This will help you integrate, meet new people and enjoy your new chosen home.

Our Apartment in Italy

2008-09-19T09:57:00.003+02:00

In a previous post I've mentioned that apartments here come literally unfurnished. Dug through some old photos and found some of our apartment before we moved in. These photos are mainly of our kitchen, one of the bathroom and also the living room. As you can see, there is absolutely nothing furnished, except the bathroom sink, toilet, bidet and bathtub. That's it. No light fixtures, no plumbing in the kitchen, not even any kitchen counters. Then, once you've moved in and are comfy, if something goes wrong, say for example your bathroom sink springs a leak, you're the lucky person that gets to pay for the repair.

Cost of living in Italy

2008-09-12T10:07:00.001+02:00

What is the cost of living like in Italy you ask? Like in other places around the world, it is going to vary depending on what part of the country you live in. We live northwest of Milan 20 miles so of course it is going to be a bit cheaper compared to living IN Milan. Also take into consideration that the wages here in Italy may or may not be what you are used to. An average blue-collar may bring home anywhere from 800 to a little over one thousand euros a month. Our monthly expenses break down as follows, being a rough estimate:

400 Rent
100 Condo expenses
50 Phone & internet connection
45 Electricity
45 Gas (stove, oven and hot water heater (boiler) etc.)
375 Groceries

1015 Grand total in euros ($1,421.05 USD)

Of course this does not include as you can see any "extra" entertainment, going out to the restaurant etc. When I go to the grocery store I go to the discount chain stores like Eurospin and Lidl and avoid the big chain stores like Esselunga & GS, unless I need something exotic or ethnic. If I shopped at the big chain stores, our grocery bill would be a heck of a lot higher for about the same amount of food.

In general I have heard, no personal experience though, that in northern Italy the cost-of-living is more expensive compared to the south but then the wages are lower.

The Secret

2008-09-05T15:56:00.005+02:00

Have you read the book or seen the movie, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne? I have seen the movie, read the book a couple of times at least and try to listen to all or part of the audio book on a daily basis. The basis of The Secret, the Law of Attraction. What do you know of the Law of Attraction? Do you believe in the Law of Attraction?

Have heard some mixed reviews from people. Have had some students, after reading an article about The Secret where rather hesitant and not interested. But after listening to the audio book, they had at least one good thing to say about The Secret. All of my students said and agreed with the point of thinking more positively. Thinking positively on a constant basis isn't always easy. I admit, especially the last few years I thought more negative thoughts than positive. Changing one's way of thinking isn't so easy nor does it happen overnight. But with persistence a person can achieve anything.

Yes I do believe in the Law of Attraction, that also what we think we create. Why is it that when we continually think negative thoughts that negative things happen in our lives? Think about it. Why is it when you continually complain about something that more things come into your life to complain about?

Another key point in The Secret, besides having a positive attitude, is being grateful. It is suggested to write down every day what you are thankful for right now. When you wake up in the morning, be thankful. What are you grateful for RIGHT NOW?

I do have a Vision Board on my desk. I have photos of my perfect house in Canada, the Canadian Flag, a photo of millions of dollars and also a Superenalotto lottery ticket. What is on your vision board?

Expensive panino

2008-08-20T14:02:00.003+02:00

Tusa Sicily - British tourist overcharged for simple sandwiches.

About a week ago a British tourist was visiting the small village of Tusa, population of 3,200, which is on the island of Sicily along the northern coast. For three sandwiches and drinks the bill came to 43 euros, listing the sandwiches at 10 euros each. The bar did not have posted a price list, which they are SUPPOSED to have posted and visible by the public. In my area, sandwiches on average are max 5 euros, give or take a few euro cents.

The mayor of Tusa has apologized to the tourists on behalf of the city.

If you do come to Italy to visit and go out to each, make sure you check your bill before you pay. Mistakes can and do happen. But also unfortunately there are a few bad apples in every bunch. But also to make sure that you are not taken advantage of. Bars and restaurants here are supposed to have posted in a visible place their price lists.

Story from www.ansa.it

Housesitting

2008-08-19T11:24:00.002+02:00

We've been housesitting for about a week and half now for my husband's parents. They'll be back on Saturday, thankfully. They are at the moment in Rimini at the seaside. EVERY year we have the "honor" of taking care of the in-law's place and thankfully they live only a couple of miles from our place so if we ever need anything from our apartment it is not a problem. This year is a bit different compared to years gone by. First my in-law's are only gone two weeks instead of the usual three. Second, their beloved family dog passed away in January, so no dog to take care of.

I haven't posted anything recently due to doing not a whole heck of a lot while housesitting plus having a lousy internet connection. Today is the first time the internet connection has been somewhat decent. Then again, consider at the moment I'm using a laptop in my in-law's 2nd floor apartment and the wifi connection is down in my husband's basement office. I'm just thankful to have an internet connection.

For those of you who are searching for "Bellinzona Italy", hate to burst your bubble but Bellinzona is in SWITZERLAND not Italy. Bellinzona is in the Italian part of Switzerland in the Canton of Ticino. Nice little town, we've been there a few times and probably more in the future to watch the local football/soccer team, AC Bellinzona, play.

August is over half way finished already, where as the time gone? For many Italians this is their last week of vacation and back to work next week. I've had the last week and a half off due to all of my students being on vacation. Tomorrow I start back to teaching. This week a whole three lessons, then next week more. As usual, I have lost a couple of students along the way, which is pretty normal with private students. Plus I have also decided to up my rates for new students from 15 euros to 20 euros an hour. This is the first time I've increased my rate since I started teaching English five years ago. Prices have gone up on everything, including paper, ink for my printer/photocopier. I have to earn a living somehow. If you are IN Italy or another country teaching English and looking for advice, you are more than welcome to ask advice. If you are looking to MOVE here to teach English, especially if you are coming from outside the European Union, it is not so easy.

U Comment I Follow

2008-08-10T18:02:00.002+02:00

You may have noticed I've added a "U Comment I Follow" badge on the right side of my blog. You may have seen this also on other blogs and are wondering what the heck this is. Randa Clay has a great article about this. In a nutshell, many blog platforms are set up so that a piece of code is inserted where there is a link in a comment. Then search engines will not acknowledge that link while they are crawling the internet. What does that mean for you? Less link love. What can you do to remove such code from your blog? Then check this great article out.

I have removed the nofollow from my blog template so when you leave a comment with a link back to your blog, that your link will get some love. Are you the next fellow blogger to join in on and removing the nofollow from your blog?

Santuario Sacro Monte di San Carlo

2008-08-06T12:56:00.004+02:00

About three weeks ago we spent an afternoon along Lake Maggiore in the region of Piedmont. We went for a picnic then it started to cloud over a bit so we decided to hit up the closest village near Arona. This little "village" has a statue in honor of San Carlo. This statue of San Carlo is one of the tallest statues in the world, after the Statue of Liberty. It is possible to go up to at least the base of the statue of San Carlo. I have heard at one point in time it was possible to climb inside up until his head but do no know if it is still possible.

Umberto Bossi flips the bird

2008-07-28T10:36:00.004+02:00

The following was on Ryan Air's Italian website with a photo of Italian Reforms Minister and Northern Leage party leader Umberto Bossi. This photo of Bossi was taken when he flipped "the bird" at the Italian National Anthem.

The Government

Supports the high tariffs of Alitalia

Supports the frequent strikes of Alitalia

Doesn't care about Italian passengers

Alitalia is Italy's flag carrier airline and has been having financial problems for a long time now. The Italian government in June gave Alitalia a 300 million euro loan.

I've flown Alitalia only once because they are the only airline that has a direct flight from Milan Malpensa to Chicago O'Hare. I now refuse to fly Alitalia for many reasons. Mainly because of their financial situation and many strikes. You MAY make it to your destination but who knows if you'll make your return flight.

Italian passport

2008-07-21T12:59:00.001+02:00

I've had dual citizenship, American and Italian, for almost two years now. I officially became an Italian citizen September 1st, 2006 through marriage. After almost two years being too lazy to go down to the police station to apply for my Italian passport, I've finally done it. Picked up my Italian passport this morning. I went down to the police station two weeks ago today, was told my passport would be ready in two weeks. Sure enough, it was ready and waiting for me this morning.

Why did I wait almost two years to get my Italian passport? Up until now I haven't needed it so I figure why bother. Also, the Italian passport is more expensive compared to the American counterpart. I had to pay 44 euros and 66 cents for the passport, then an annual tax for every year I use it of 40 euros and 26 cents. So if I use it once a year for ten years, that's 402.60 euros in "taxes" plus the 44.66 I paid for the passport.

When I went down to the police station this morning to pick up my passport, the lady working normally works in the Foreigner office, she remembered me from the days when I had the Italian permit-to-stay so of course we had to chit chat for a couple of minutes. Jokingly she was like "Oh yes, that's right, you need the electronic passport to go to the United States.", knowing full well that I am American. I responded back "Yes, that's right, I forget that my American passport is sooo old."

Italian Men

2008-07-17T11:34:00.001+02:00

I was checked out while waiting for my apartment gate to open yesterday. I was coming home from the supermarket, parked in front of our gate waiting patiently for it to open. A man, around 40, drives by on his moped going the opposite direction as I. He smiles, tried to make eye contact and "appear" charming. All this while on his fancy moped. Evidently he's unable to flirt and drive his moped at the same time since he swerved and almost lost control of his moped. Yesterday was the first time, as far as I know, that I was checked out while driving my car.

I am no Claudia Schiffer or Naomi Campbell mind you. But that hasn't stopped the occasional male from trying to hit on me. It hasn't happened very often, but when it has it has always been an older man, seriously older. Have had a couple of men well beyond 60 from trying to hit on me. Wassup with that?!?!?!

Yes I am happily married and yes my husband just happens to be Italian. Does that make him the "stereotypical" Italian? I don't think so. Yes he is from Italy, born and raised here. Yes we live maybe a couple of kilometers from his parents. Yes he talks to his mother every day. Again, does that make him a stereotypical Italian? No. He is able to cook and clean when he wants, he is fully capable of doing that. Is he a mama's boy? No.

What do you think are some stereotypes of people from where you are from?

Armenia & The Secret

2008-07-15T15:26:00.001+02:00

This summer we have had a pretty calm and quiet so far. We've gone to a soccer/football match or two up in Switzerland to watch AC Bellinzona play. In fact my husband is leaving bright and early tomorrow morning for Yerevan Armenia and returning Friday morning. I'll be staying home, I am not offended that I am unable to go. Work is work. We haven't planned any summer vacations as of yet. For sure not the first week in September since my father-in-law is having heart surgery.

On a different note, have you read the book or seen the documentary The Secret? If not, it is about the Law of Attraction and thinking positive. Personally I enjoyed the book the best, had some very good points, especially about thinking positive. I have been thinking negative for way too long and has thus affected my life. Day by day I am thinking more and more positive. Do I believe in the Law of Attraction? Yes I do. Do you? Do you have a "success story" you would like to share after reading/seeing The Secret?

Independence Day

2008-07-04T14:30:00.003+02:00

Happy 4th of July/Independence Day to everyone, whether you're in the United States or an American living abroad! I am usually asked either by my students or people I talk to here in Italy what are the traditional "customs" for today's holiday and whether or not I celebrate America's Independence here in Italy.

The first year or two I was here in Italy my Italian husband and I would "celebrate" American holidays such as Thanksgiving and the 4th of July/Independence Day. Sometimes his family would be more than accommodating and join in on the "celebration". As the years have come and gone, we've celebrated American holidays less and less to the point now American holidays are just another day that are only briefly mentioned.

Am I less "American" because of this? No I do not feel that I am. I still vote in every election. I still cook American cuisine along with Italian and whatever else finds itself into the pot. Do I miss celebrating holidays like Independence Day or Thanksgiving? You bet I do, but I live in Italy now, not the United States of America. Halloween is starting to become "trendy", but is nothing like in the United States. It's an American holiday. Yes Christmas is celebrated in Italy since Italy is a Christian/Catholic country, but Italians have their own customs.

Look what I found in my garage sink!

2008-06-27T17:40:00.004+02:00

Went downstairs to our garage to to an inventory of what is in our chest freezer, which there is nothing really interesting by the way. Just happened to glance in the sink that is in the communal part of the underground parking area and look what I happened to find. Yes it is real, not a toy. Tried to poke at it a bit with a blade of grass to see if this what I believe to be a small octopus was alive, no movement. We live in the city in a "heavily" populated area and the nearest body of water is the Ticino River which about 10 miles away. How this octopus arrived in our sink, who knows. Maybe someone went to the lake or river then decided to put him in the sink or who knows..... A couple of years ago I found a snail on one of our balconies.

Oleggio Italy

2008-06-23T13:25:00.003+02:00

This is a photo of a church in a cemetery near Oleggio Italy. We took this photo when we were out for a Sunday drive two years ago. I had posted this on my old now dead blog. This photo ended up making, at least the online version, of the China Daily News. Why they decided to include this photo I do not know nor do I know what the article said about the photo and mention of my blog since I am unable to understand Chinese. Evidently they liked the photo. Enjoy!

Busto Arsizio Italy

2008-06-20T11:44:00.001+02:00

I've finally uploading a photo slide show of photos I've taken here in Busto Arsizio. Please feel free to rate and comment!

Basilica di San Giovanni Battista

2008-05-30T14:16:00.003+02:00

Do you believe in angels, spirits, ghosts or anything similar?
This morning I went downtown Busto Arsizio to do some shopping and also to take some photos around town. I will be creating a slide show later and posting on YouTube so keep checking back. The photo I have posted turned out rather interesting. I took it inside a church downtown, in the Basilica di San Giovanni Battista (Basilica of Saint John the Baptist) which building was started back in 1600. The photo was taken looking towards the front of the church towards the alter with the flash. There was nothing between the camera and the front, no fingers, hair etc. This is an untouched photo, I have not done any adjustments with photoshop etc. I have no idea what the white could be. Any clues? Post what you think this could be.

Italy Germany & Austria video

2008-05-28T17:13:00.002+02:00

Here's the most recent slideshow I've created with various photos that my husband and I have taken around Italy, Germany and Austria.

Death Valley Slideshow

2008-05-26T11:54:00.005+02:00

I've created another slideshow and have posted it on Youtube, this time around photos of Death Valley. Yes I can say am getting "addicted" Youtube and making photo slideshows! Stay tuned in the next days for some more slideshows. At the moment I am uploading a slideshow with various shots around Italy, Germany and Austria and creating another slideshow of Gradara Castle in Le Marche. Once the weather actually turns decent here, aka some sun and NO rain, hope to bop around town and make a slideshow of the town I call "home", Busto Arsizio.

Photo slideshow on Youtube

2008-05-22T15:44:00.005+02:00

I've created a slideshow with some of my photos from my most recent trip to the States back in February. Check it out!

Rimini Italy

2008-05-20T22:57:00.003+02:00

Here are some more photos from my recent trip to Rimini Italy. These are along the Adriatic sea. Obviously low season, once the warmer weather sets it, if it ever does since it has been rather rainy wet and cooler than normal, this beach will be packed, especially in August. Why in August you may ask? In August Italian cities, towns and villages almost literally become ghost towns as everyone is on vacation/holiday for at least two to three weeks during August. Companies shut down with the exceptions of grocery stores, some pharmacies and gas/petrol stations. Basically the bare necessities. Many people flee their homes to pack the beaches, mountainsides or go abroad whether it is within Europe or over the oceans. Seems though this year, not as many may consider going abroad, especially to the United States. Yes the Euro is strong at the moment but MANY things have gone up. Things such as food, gas/petrol and salaries haven't risen to compensate for such an increase. How much of an increase you ask? In a matter of a couple of months, one liter of long shelf life milk went up about 20 euro cents. What is 20 cents you ask? For someone living on a limited budget 20 cents here twenty cents there adds up at the end of the month.

Thoughts and Prayers

2008-05-16T18:24:00.001+02:00

I ask all of you, my fellow bloggers, to have my father-in-law in your thoughts and prayers in these days. He's just been admitted within the last hour or so into hospital. He was supposed to be scheduled to go in next week to have some exams done before having heart surgery this summer. Then he fell ill yesterday, with a high grade fever with no real reduction in temperature today. Considering he's 82, he had some years ago a bout of encephalitis and came out of that for the most part ok. So considering his age, minus the encephalitis, low blood pressure and damaged heart valve, he's been in relatively good health, at least during the last six years I've had the pleasure of knowing him. At 82 he's still able to speak three languages, has been independent and able to get around on his own and take care of himself. Let's all just hope that this is just a case of influenza or similar and that he pulls through ok!

The Castle of Gradara

2008-05-16T10:56:00.004+02:00

As I promised in a previous post, here are more photos from my trip last weekend to Rimini. These photos are from our Sunday stop in the village of Gradara. Gradara is a small village along the Adriatic coast near Rimini with a historic castle, The Castle of Gradara. The castle and village are located on the Italian regional borders of Le Marche and Emilia-Romagna.

The Castle of Gradara started out as a medieval keep built in 1150 by the De Grifo family to guard the town of Gradara. Eventually the local Malatesta lords obtained Gradara for themselves and turned the tower into a castle and protected it with an inner defense wall. The Malatesta family kept the castle for another two centuries and lost it to the Sforza family in 1464.

According to legend, Francesca da Rimini and her lover Paolo were murdered in the castle in 1289 by Francesca's husband Gianciotto. Paolo just happened to be Gianciotto's brother. When Gianciotto discovered that his brother had betrayed him and was having an affair with his wife, he murdered both Francesca and Paolo. This tragedy was immortalized by Dante in the fifth canto of The Inferno. Again, this is just a legend as there is no documentation to prove the truth of this story.

Today the Castle of Gradara belongs to the Italian State, purchased in 1928. Over the last twenty years restoration work has been done and continues to be done. Today, open to the public, are all of the rooms on the "piano nobile", the noble floor.

Riccione Italy

2008-05-12T09:24:00.010+02:00

Just got back last night from spending the weekend in Rimini, Italy. The weather was sunny and gorgeous the entire weekend. We stayed just outside of Rimini, in a small tourist town of Torre Pedrera and the Adriatic Sea was a five minute walk from our hotel. Overall had a wonderful time, even though I am not much of a person to hang out at the beach. Saturday morning went with my father-in-law and brother-in-law to the nearby town of Riccione. Riccione is also located along the Adriatic Sea is a popular destination with young people due to the number of discos. Even during the day Riccione seems to be a hustling and bustling tourist town. I enjoyed the little time spent in Riccione, was a very clean town with a very different atmosphere, in a positive sense. These are some photos that I took Saturday morning of some statues in downtown Riccione. Keep checking back as in the next days I will be posting other photos from my trip this last weekend.

Bellinzona Switzerland

2008-05-07T09:43:00.006+02:00

Wednesday my husband had to go to Bellinzona Switzerland for work and we went again on Sunday for lunch with my father-in-law and went to a football/soccer match, AC Bellinzona versus FC La Chaux-de-Fonds. AC Bellinzona won the match, 3-1. Tomorrow my husband is driving up to Vaduz Liechtenstein to see the match AC Bellinzona versus FC Vaduz, I will be staying home first I have to work tomorrow evening and second when my husband gets home on Friday morning we are off to the sea side for the weekend. We're going to Rimini, Italy which is along the Adriatic coast.

These photos are when we were in Bellinzona Switzerland last Wednesday. There are three three castles in Bellinzona; Castelgrande, Montebello and Sasso Corbaro. I visited a little bit of Castelgrande which is in downtown Bellinzona. Castelgrande as it exists today was built in various stages and work began back in the 14th century.

Italy's New Prime Minister

2008-04-15T10:57:00.002+02:00

As you have more than likely heard by now Silvio Berlusconi has won the Italian elections and will serve AGAIN as Prime Minister of Italy. This will be Berlusconi's third time as Prime Minister.

Silvio Berlusconi is one of Italy's richest men. His man company is Mediaset which is made up of three national television channels. Then there's Arnoldo Mondadori, Italy's largest publishing house. He also owns the popular football (soccer) club AC Milan.

Do I think Silvio Berlusconi will be a good Prime Minister the third time around? I highly doubt it. Like ANY politician, no matter where, they are all talk and no action for the common person. One piece of legislation from one of Berlusconi's previous governments was the reform of the labor system, called "legge Biagi", promoting labor flexibility for new workers which lead to a record-low unemployment level. Yet at the same time, this Biagi law is one of the causes of the "uncertain job" problem affecting many people.

What is an "uncertain job" you ask? An uncertain job is basically a temporary job, with for example a six-month contract. In Italy it is difficult to find a job with a permanent contract. How is the Italian economy supposed to go forward and improve when one lives from one temporary job to the next.

Italy in my opinion needs a government with interests for the common people. Improve working conditions, wages and contracts. Reduce the number of politicians in Rome and decrease their salaries, investing the money saved into Education, Health Care and research, aim at keeping young, intelligent and creative minds in Italy, not forcing them to go abroad in order to earn an honest living in their chosen field. Italy and Italians have great potential but are limited by a government that only looks out after itself and not its citizens.

2008 Italian Elections

2008-04-14T16:10:00.001+02:00

Today I voted for the first time as an Italian citizen. What struck me as odd/strange is when we went to vote was that there were two lines, one for men and the other for women. I asked my husband as to why, his response was that it has always been that way. Other than that oddity voting was rather painless. This election is federal and also local elections. The ballots are different, in the sense that basically just shows the symbol of each political party that is running and you put an x mark through the party you want to vote for.

The Museum Club, Flagstaff Arizona

2008-04-09T14:27:00.005+02:00

The Museum Club is located on Route 66, The Mother Road, in Flagstaff Arizona. While in the States back in February I had the honor of visiting such an interesting and haunted place.

Why is The Museum Club such an interesting place you ask? Let's just say it has a haunted history. I had read a story or two about The Museum Club before going on my trip, but that was just the tip of the iceberg so to speak. I read several stories, just mentioning about two ghosts, of a couple that used to own the bar back in the 1950's.

I got to talking with the bar manager and asked her if the stories I had read where true, about the place being haunted. Her response, oh yes and then some.

The Museum Club is a two-storey building. On the main floor there is the bar and dance floor and on the 2nd floor an apartment and ex-bordello. The couple that owned the bar back in the 1950's, the wife went upstairs to retire for the evening, fell down the stairs and broke her neck. She fell into a coma and died shortly after. Her husband, unable to deal with his wife's death, even 2 years after the fact, shot himself in front of the fireplace located in the entrance of the bar.

Each corner of the dance floor in The Museum Club has a dead tree, from floor to ceiling. One has bullet holes from gun fights from years gone by. Another used to be used to hang people from. This tree happens to be in front of the back bar that dates back to the late 1800's. The bar manager showed me a photo of this area, one can see a ghost hanging from the tree.

I highly suggest checking out The Museum Club in Flagstaff Arizona. If you go, don't forget your camera and remember to take plenty of photos of the interior!

South Dakota Primaries

2008-04-09T12:25:00.001+02:00

The South Dakota presidential primaries will take place on June 3rd, 2008. Who am I voting for? That I have not decided as of yet. I do not blog about politics or try to avoid doing so, whether it is American or Italian politics. This time is an exception, so do not worry this blog is not going to become one of the SEVERAL political blogs in the blogosphere.

Within the last week I have been asked at least on two occasions who I am going to vote for in the Primaries, whether for Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain or Ron Paul. The lady that runs the green grocer across the street from my home even "suggested" that I vote Democrat, in her opinion the United States is ready and needs a change. Whether it would be the first woman president or first president of color. I agree wholeheartedly, that the United States of America needs a "first" president, but at the same time that "first" president needs to stand for change, change for the people not about corporations. I am proud to be an American but I am ashamed of what the current and recent past administrations have done to my and my fellow American's country. The United States of America has turned into The United Corporations of America. Whatever happened to Thomas Jefferson's America?

The Black Forest

2008-04-07T10:01:00.007+02:00

Returned last night from spending the weekend in The Black Forest in Germany and watching a soccer (football) match in Basel Switzerland. The match was Basel versus AC Bellinzona. Basel won 3-1.

What were able to see of The Black Forest was absolutely beautiful. We stayed at the Pension Vogelbacher which is near a little village called St. Blasien. We were unable to do a lot of touring of the area due to having to be in Basel Switzerland by noon yesterday and we arrived late Saturday evening near St. Blasien.

We arrived to the Pension Vogelbacher near St. Blasien Germany late Saturday night about 7pm due to being stuck in traffic in the German part of Switzerland because of a truck turning over in the Gotthard Road Tunnel. We had to sit in traffic for over an hour. The St. Gotthard Tunnel is the 3rd longest road tunnel in the world, just under 16.4 kilometers (10.5 miles). The Gotthard has two lanes, one going each direction. It's only 10.5 miles, but when you're a bit claustrophobic those 10.5 miles seem like 100! Then on the way home last night, no accidents thankfully but ran into quite a bit of snow and a thunderstorm.

Why do you want to teach English in Italy?

2008-03-30T17:32:00.004+02:00

Earlier today was a nice sunny day so my husband, a friend of mine and I went for a picnic near a small village in Piedmont called Pombia. The photo is of an old chapel where we had our picnic.

I usually check out my stats for my blog on a daily or almost daily basis. Every time there are people checking about teaching English in Italy, whether it is about the pay or life as an English teacher. Yes I wrote a post about this back in March 2006. My question is though, WHY do people want to come to Italy to teach English?

I moved here to be with my Italian husband, not to teach English. Yes I have been teaching English since February 2003 due to not able to find work doing anything else at a somewhat reasonable wage. I have 12 years customer service/call center experience, but this type of work here in Italy does not pay near as much as I make working 20 hours a week teaching English. But is it easy work, teaching English? Yes and no. Yes in the sense I work at home and do not have to deal with traffic etc. But I have to work my butt off in order to gain students and keep them coming back. During the summer, especially in August when Italy is on vacation, lessons practically cease. So I end up not working, and of course not getting paid.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-28T13:20:00.004+01:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend! Sunday we went to my husband's parent's place for lunch then in the evening had a friend over from Torino (Turin). The two photos here of a box of chocolate eggs one of my husband's clients gave us, from a famous pastry and confetti shop in Milan on via Montenapoleone. The street via Montenapoleone in Milan is the equivalent of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, where you can find all of the big designer stores with just as big price tags. This pastry shop (Pasticceria e confetteria) is named Cova and has been around since 1817 and being on via Montenapoleone, you can just imagine the price tag on this delicious box of chocolate Easter eggs.

Confetti here in Italy are not what you may think, the small pieces of colorful paper but in actuality are candy covered almonds and usually go into the bomboniere and the color depends on the occasion. I am not a particular fan of confetti because I do not like almonds.

O Canada

2008-03-19T15:22:00.004+01:00

I have mentioned in previous posts of my husband's and my dream/desire/need to move from Italy to an English speaking country, preferably Canada. I started looking for work on behalf of my husband in February 2007, with some nibbles here and there but in the end nothing. In November I stopped completely stopped looking, taking a break. I have recently within the last week recommenced looking for a computer technician/systems analyst position for my husband in Canada. Why isn't my husband himself looking for work? His schedule unfortunately does not permit such a "luxury". A normal work week for him his 50-60 hours and comes home absolutely destroyed. Usually ends up being close to 60 hours, for roughly 1,500 euros a month, if that.

I am bringing this topic of wanting to move to Canada up again after finding out a fellow expat in Italy is moving back to the States after finding a position there. Yes I am part jealous but also happy she has such an opportunity to do something she enjoys. I wish her all the best and good luck! I find it encouraging in some ways and hope we are able to find work in Canada.

What does my husband do for a living? He is by trade a computer technician/systems analyst with 13 years experience, working with both Windows OS and also Macintosh. He does have the equivalent of a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science. I at the moment have been teaching English as a Second Language for five years and in the States I was a Customer Service Representative with over 12 years experience. If you are located in Canada and know someone who needs an experienced Computer Technician and is willing to go through the Provincial Nominee Program, please let us know! I can then forward a copy of my husband's resume.

More photos

2008-03-15T12:35:00.001+01:00

I have posted more photos from my road trip to the United States here, click on the link on the right hand side labeled photos underneath my profile photo. Feel free to have a look around, photos are organized by location. Also please check out the banner that is located in the Shout Box that says "Where have YOU been?".