My Neighbor

lunedi, 29 maggio 2017

Today I want to tell you about my neighbor Giovanni.  He and his wife and their 2 dogs live behind me and use the road behind my house to get to their house.  One dog is a large shepherd and clearly is a guard dog.  He stays outside and anytime I come or go he barks so I guess that is a good thing.  He is not friendly from what I can tell.  The other dog, LuLu, shown below, runs loose as most dogs in Italy do and he will chase me enough to just bark at me and Oscar.  Seems friendly but doesn't get close enough to tell.  In this picture he came to visit when I first arrived in Italy but he didn't stick around too long.

LuLu

Last September when I came to make the arrangements for my move I stayed in this house.  I saw this man every day and he would just stare at me.  If you have ever seen "Under the Tuscan Sun" it reminded me of the old man that would never wave to Francis until the end when he tipped his hat.  One day Giovanni came right into the yard and walked all the way around the house.  The gates were not locked so it was easy for him to do this but by American standards he was trespassing.  I let it go as I was just here for a week.  But when I returned a few weeks ago to live I knew I would eventually have to meet him and try and understand him a bit.  

My first few weeks here we did not meet.  He would drive in and out and I might see him but there was never any acknowledgment by either him or me.   He would just stare at me as if I was front outerspace.  The day the moving van arrived I knew that might throw him and it did.  He stood in the street and watched.  He did want to leave with his car while the unloading was going on but the moving van was blocking the road so Angela told him it would be 15 minutes or so before the truck would be gone.  He seemed to accept that and left.  

Shortly after the moving van left we were introduced.  Angela was here and explained that I was a cousin from America and I would be living here.  So now he waves as he drives by and I do the same.  I also learned he is very hard of hearing.  So the ice has been broken.  His wife will wave if she is outside as I leave to go somewhere.  The dogs still bark no matter what.  On Saturday night before I left for the family dinner there was a loud pounding at the door.   Like an idiot I say "Who's there" in English (DUH!). No answer so I open the door and there stands Giovanni with a plate of cherries. You see it is now Cherry season and everyone has cherry trees.  I had already received cherries from cousins Giuseppe and Angela and now my neighbor Giovanni.  He also was "formally" introduced to Oscar.  I thanked him and he left.  

This morning before I went grocery shopping there was another loud knock at the door.  I have come to know now that it must be Giovanni.  He is holding a bag with 5 eggs in it plus a zucchini.  He asks if I life zucchini for which I reply yes.  I thank him and he leaves.  Not more than 5 minutes later another knock at the door.  Yes he came back with a bag of zucchini and zucchini flowers.  I LOVE zucchini flowers.  I have made them a few times when I could find them at the Mill City Farmers market in Minneapolis.  That wasn't too often.  So now I have some fresh picked.   So what do you do when someone gives you fresh zucchini flowers?  You cook them and eat them NOW.  I made my run to the grocery store and when I returned I started cooking!!  Here is a picture of the before and after. YUM they were delicious!  

So I have a feeling I will be seeing a lot of Giovanni this summer.  He is a sweet man but with his hearing challenges we may have some difficulty communicating but I am sure I will find a way.  

Fino a tardi!

It works!!!

dominica, 28 maggio 2017

Well folks it finally happened.  The internet and wi-fi in my house finally work!!!  Yesterday, after I posted on my blog from the wi-fi bench I walked back up the 131 stairs and began to do some chores.  As I was cleaning floors (now doesn't that sound glamorous?) I hear Luigi calling my name as he walks up the front stairs to my house.  Earlier when I was at the wi-fi bench he placed another call to the internet company.  Now Luigi is a very calm guy and I very rarely hear him get rattled BUT this time he was very vocal and I could tell he was trying to get them to understand that 5 days without service is unacceptable.  After the call I didn't think anything would happen but when he came to see me it was to tell me the service should be working.  Sure enough when I looked at the modem the correct lights were lit.  I held my breath as I opened my laptop and tried to access some website.  HALLEJUAH!!!!!  It worked.  Apparently when the line was being repaired in the area the wi-fi service was suspended.  It was not reset and all was well.  Interesting that it took days and many phone calls to get it fixed.  But as I type it is working great.  I even video chatted with a friend yesterday afternoon.  It is unbelievable how dependent we are on the internet (for good or bad) but it is the way we live now.  So with that big task finally complete I am moving on to others.  But last night I was able to enjoy a family gathering for dinner. 

Giuseppe had organized a family dinner at a local restaurant.  I have been there many times in the past for other family dinners when I was in Italy.  16 people including me were there.  Even Natalina and Angela my mom's first cousins came for the dinner.  They honor me so much when they do attend as dinner never starts until 9:30 or later and we didn't finish until after midnight.  They are amazing ladies.  I have attached a picture of them with me from last year at this same restaurant.  

I learned something interesting as well.  In genealogy they are first cousins once removed.  But in Italy my second cousins call them Aunts.  Even though they are not in their direct family.  So all the first cousins of my mothers are either Aunts or Uncles (Zia and Zio) to all of my second cousins.  A bit confusing but for me I always wondered why everyone called them Zia Angela and Zia Natalina when in fact they were not a direct Aunt.  Hope I didn't confuse you too much.

And of course a family gathering is all about the food. Apologies upfront for no pictures.  I am usually so wrapped up in the moment I don't think to take pics of the food.  But as always there was plenty.  Huge antipasti platters filled with assorted meats plus plates of wonderful vegetables (2 different types of green beans, eggplant, zucchini, fried dough balls (I keep forgetting to ask the name) but they are heaven and not  greasy at all.  And if that wasn't enough then comes the pizzas -  5 different types.  And of course you have to have dessert.  So a great night all the way around in celebration of my new car and my internet connection!!! 

And for your viewing pleasure I have uploaded a short video of Oscar at the sea (just to make sure I could upload videos now that I have a faster connection. I think it worked but then again maybe not.    I'm sure someone will tell me if the video does not show up.  

Fino a domani!!

The rest of the story……..

venerdi, 26 maggio 2017 (posted on Saturday -from the wi-fi bench.)

Happy Birthday Mom!

My mother would be 99 years old today.  She is on my mind a lot lately as I  wonder what she would be thinking with my recent move to Italy. I hope she is smiling and happy with my decision.

I’m sure many of you have seen my Facebook post of my new car.  Well here is “the rest of the story”.  

Last night (Thursday) was another eye opening experience.  Nothing I wasn’t prepared for but another of those - are you kidding me? moments.

I had a few more steps to complete before I could buy my car.   I went to a place to transfer the registration or what we might consider transfer of title.  It is a private business - not run or controlled at all by the government.  They were very helpful and efficient.  The office had pictures of New York City on all of the walls.  The workers told me the owner is either from New York or lives in New York. I thought that was interesting.     This part completed and pretty pain free the next step would try my patience.

When buying car insurance in Italy you better save your money!!!!  A cousin’s son-in-law is an insurance agent.  I thought I was prepared - bringing a letter from State Farm about my driving record and insurability - even translated into Italian.   When I showed Giovanni the letter he shook his head and say “No”.   He proceeded to explain that in Italy and (possibly other European countries) you need a “certificate of risK”.  It gives a % of insurability and if high enough your insurance can be a lot cheaper.  The problem - our insurance companies in the U.S.  don’t provide this certificate.  After a few calls back to the states to talk with my past agent I learned that the best they can do is provide a letter of experience but no risk certificate.  But that is not acceptable in Italy.  The end result is I am spending more money - alot more money. OMG!  Insurance is expensive in Italy.   But it is a bit of a tradeoff - many things are much less expensive than the U.S.  - but auto insurance - not so much!  I also learned they will not accept a credit card for payment.  So I must bring a check.  

This morning (Friday) Angela and I are at the bank bright and early at 9:00 a.m.  We get right in and are helped again by the same young man that has been helping me this past week.   He confirms my account now has the money transferred from the states.  That’s a good first step!!!  I then provide the detail, vendor and amount of money needed for a bank check to buy the car.  He goes away and comes back with a check for the car.  He also provides a book of checks.  I wasn’t sure I would need them earlier in the week but just like in the states you do need checks occasionally.  So he now provided a book of checks for me to use.  The first one will be to pay for the car insurance.   The check book contains 10 checks.  It is similar in appearance to ours and the basic information is the same.  So now with my bank check and regular checks in hand it is off to the insurance agent, Giovanni, to pay for my insurance.  

I write Giovanni a check with the only challenge  - making sure I spell all the information on the check correct in Italian.   He provided a packet of information that will now remain in the car.  He also provided a device we will have installed on the car.  After one year’s time it will track the kilometers I have driven.  Based on that information next year I may be able to get cheaper insurance.  One can only hope!!!

So NOW we can go pick up my car.  We arrive at the dealer and there she is - sitting in the show room just waiting for me.  I provide all the required documents and the check.  He gives us instructions as to where to go to have the “kilometer reader” installed.  A few more instructions, a few photos and I am on my way.  A total of 2 hours from when I left my house this morning.  Not bad at all.   

A quick stop to have the “reader” installed and then I stop to fill the tank - yes it was almost on empty.  $56 dollars later and my tank (31 liters or a bit over 8 gallons) is full.   Yes gas is expensive in Italy. It calculates out to more than $8.00/gallon.  Thank goodness I bought a hybrid. Will be interesting to see how it performs.  I will report on it later. 

So another big task completed.  But with it some smaller, just as important, tasks have been completed as well - and less than 3 weeks into my residency.  Now if I could just get my internet fixed!!!   But what better way to end the week than sitting on my front porch with Oscar and enjoying a glass of wine!  

Best wishes for a safe and happy Memorial Day!  

Fino a lunedì

The wait continues.... (seriously).... but still making progress

giovedi, 25 maggio 2017

So the internet is still down. Pretty amazing that a business can stay in business with this type of service.  My only thought is there must be no competition.  In this small area that would make sense but still sad that no one seems to care that their customers are not happy and do not have service.  Oh well, nothing I can do but wait.  But I do have confirmation it is the line in the area.  There have been sightings of the “TIM” (Italian company) truck.  

Unpacking is progressing.  In fact making better progress than expected.  You see, this house is full of stuff that belongs to my cousin.  The house was rented out in the summer so it really was complete BUT here I come with just the same amount of stuff and in some cases more - I.e. clothes.  So little by little Angela and I are doing the transfer - out with her stuff and in with mine.  Today the kitchen was the task and I am happy too say everything I brought fits - with room to spare.  Now I do have to get used to storing things differently.  For example in the kitchen is a huge cabinet - it has 9 very large deep drawers and 12 much smaller ones.

This is used to store all of my cook/bake ware, dishes, utensils, etc.  You can also store food (dry/can goods) if you wanted to.   Everything is now put away but I am sure in time I may change the location of things as I become more accustom to cooking in the kitchen.  

A few items were completed yesterday as well that are leading to finally buying my car - we hope tomorrow.

Angela took me to the Comune again so I could secure my Carta D’Identita.  Remember I was waiting for the Chicago Italian consulate to respond to the Comune?  Well the Comune is still waiting but since they know my cousins and again, remembered my application for citizenship they decided to process the application without what ever it was they wanted from the Consulate.  Which begs the question why didn’t they just do that last week?  Another Italian mystery I may come to understand some day.  I have included a photo of this document.

Have no clue why it won't show right side up (sigh)

 It serves as your key piece of identification.  It is good for 11 years and cost 5.42 euros.  With that in hand we head back to the bank and I need them to communicate with my bank in the U.S.  They need to “securely” communicate my new account/bank #s so when I need money it can be transferred electronically.  Now I need to correct some info I posted earlier about banking.  Consider this next section - “Italian Banking - Part 2”.  As Angela and I discussed our first trip to the bank she reminded me it took 2 hours.  I wrote something about a 20 minute event.  Time flies when you are clueless.  HAHAHA!!  So this time I was much more aware of the length of time it took to transact my business.  All I wanted was a secure email to be sent to my bank.  Well an hour later we leave and I am praying that it worked. I had a written document showing me it was sent BUT……….   Luckily later in the day I did get a call from my U.S. bank advising me all the necessary information came through. This is important as this is how I will get money when needed.  I chose to keep my money in the U.S.  Money will then be transferred into my account on a periodic basis.  But the immediate need is I can now get a check from the bank to buy my car on Friday.  

And I had a great surprise late this morning as Angela and I were working in the kitchen.  Another cousin stopped by.  But this was probably the most important cousin.  It was my Mom’s first cousin Angela!!!  She is the one that has taught me to make pasta.  I am so honored.  She is 86 years old and had not been to Acquavella in 2 years.  Today she told her daughter Rita, I want to go visit Karla.  She brought me some eggs from her hens that were just laid this morning.  Not a bad welcome gift!!  She is amazing. Her body is wearing out but her mind is a sharp as a tack!!  She remembers everything and can tell you birth dates of anyone in her extended family.  She promised she would return and I would cook for her.  She even said maybe we could make fusilli!!  I can’t wait to spend more time with her as she has some great Gentile family stories that I want to get recorded.  She is one of the last first cousins (of my mother’s) that is alive and can remember the past.  I don’t want to lose this opportunity.

Well I am off to do more work so I can buy a car tomorrow.  I am sure there will be plenty of “interesting” things to tell you about domain.

Buona serata!!

I Hit the Jackpot - sort of!!

martedi, 23 maggio 2017

I’m back - sorry for delay in my posts.  Lots going on!

Remember my bet on which arrives first - my things or the internet modem?  Well it was a tie - sort of - both arrived but the ending is not the same - read on for the detail.  

I had a very relaxing weekend and then Sunday night - just when you think everything really quiets down the activity picked up.  I had gone to the grocery store for a few things and also to see IF the store was open on Sunday night.  It was, so I bought what I needed and returned home to find a few cousins and their spouses had stopped to visit.  Luckily my cousin Angela was here so was able to detain them until I came back.  They brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers and some home made limoncello!!!!  

The house is too small for this many people so we sat on the front porch (or what they call the patio) and visited.  Not too much later cousin Antonio and his wife Anna stopped by as well.  I think Sunday night is the night to visit - what a great idea.  They visit early evening before everyone has their evening meal (which is usually around 8:30 or 9:00 p.m.)

A calm relaxing Sunday lead to a crazy Monday.  I was expecting my things to arrive from Naples on Monday morning.  The agency in Naples was very diligent in checking with me to see if they had arrived.   They called to advise me the truck left Naples at 7 a.m. so should arrive around 9 a.m.  I knew it would most likely be later as my village isn’t exactly easy to find or that accessible.  I was in touch by phone with the truck and sure enough around 10 a.m. they pulled into my road/drive area.  My cousin Angela was here to help with Oscar.  They began to unpack the truck and I was checking off items off the numbered inventory.  It was a very efficient operation.  About half way through my cousin looked inside the truck and her eyes grew wide and basically asked  - is this still all your things”.   I knew she might be a bit overwhelmed with the amount - even though for us Americans it was not that much.  I had filled a 20 ft. container.   I know her concern was where I was going to put everything.  But I quickly reassured her that it is not as much as it might appear.  By the end of the unloading process I think she agreed.  Photos of the house with boxes distributed are below.  Now the fun begins - unpacking and figuring out where to put things.  

Not long after the movers left the “technica” (technician) for the internet was at my door - Hallejuah!!!!!  The long wait for internet service will be over!  He comes in and starts working with his laptop.  He connects the modem and assigns a password for the wi-fi.  Within 30 minutes he is done and I test the wi-fi - I get the signal!!!!! Oh happy day!  He packs up and leaves.  About 30 minutes later after I finish whatever box I was unpacking I decide to open my laptop and test the internet - OH SH_____!  It does not work!  I can not believe it.   Yes folks, the service is down.  And as I type this on Tuesday afternoon the service is STILL down.  (Back to the wi-fi bench tonight to send this post). I hear that it is an area thing and not just me - Not sure I believe it but at this point in time I don’t have much choice but to believe it. I have finally encountered the one thing that makes me say “what was I thinking with moving to this place????”   No - seriously I am frustrated but not enough to question my decision.  Patience, patience, patience.  

I have plenty to do with unpacking boxes and now that my things have arrived I can watch good ‘ole American movies on my laptop.  My large box of DVDs arrived safe and sound!!  So at the end of the day when my brain is tired from speaking (or trying to speak) Italian I can decompress and watch a movie and not have to worry about understanding the language. And a big bowl of gelato goes great with a movie (instead of popcorn)!!

This morning (Tuesday) Angela and I returned my rental car to Salerno.  I will be without a car for a few days but considering the cost to extend the rental it was an easy decision.  We drive to Salerno, return the car and took the train back home.  Tomorrow I will go to the bank and back to the Comune di Casal Velino to complete some of the necessary steps towards buying my car.    Until then I hear boxes calling my name to be unpacked.  

Fino a domani!

Italian Banking

Venerdi 19 maggio 2017

Another day and another important task checked off the list.  I opened an account at the local bank.  It was basically pain free and didn’t take too long.

But first of all this was market day in Marina di Casal Velino.  After finishing some outside chores in the morning I headed out to the market.  I have been to this market many times on my visits to Italy.  But this time I had a different view.  I was paying close attention to just exactly what I could and could not buy.  These markets have clothing for men, women and children;  shoes, purses and jewelry for women; bedding, some children toys,  kitchen items like cookware and utensils, small kitchen items you might find at a dollar store; plants and flowers; and of course food.  Today I even saw lights that you might hang in a dining room or living room.   That was a first for me.  I have included a few photos.  

Check out the lights hanging at this vendors stall.

This street has mostly food vendors - fruits and vegetables.

I have no idea what kind of fish this is but I doubt I will ever buy it.

Every bean, grain and nut imaginable.

I came home with some great fresh fruits and vegetables.  This will become, most likely, an every Friday event. However if I miss it I can always go to another market in a different village on a different day.

So chores done I head off to Angela and Luigi’s for lunch.  After lunch we will all go to the bank together.   They, too, have some banking to do.  

Entering the bank is always so different.  For those of you that have traveled to Europe you know what I mean.  To enter you stand in front of a “beam me up Scotty” tube type door.  You push the enter button and half of the tube opens up. You step in side and the door closes behind you.  Within a second the front half of the tube opens and you walk into the bank.  No one is getting in and out of this bank quickly - that’s a good thing.  

Luigi and Angela did their banking first so I stayed outside with Oscar (who came along for the ride).  When Angela was finished she came out to attend to Oscar and I went inside.  Once inside Luigi and I went straight to the directors office.  Now there were others there before us so I have no clue how we were able to bypass all these others so quickly but again I have learned to play dumb (easy to do) and don’t ask questions. I meet the Bank director (who is female by the way - YEAH!) We sit down in her office and Luigi and she begin a conversation.  I am starting to realize this is how all business is transacted - you start with a friendly conversation - a very civil thing to do.  Not sure how productive it is but I like it!!!  I  chime in occasionally when she asks a simple question but Luigi begins to tell her my story.  I know this as I have heard him tell it many times. It starts out with my first trip to Italy in 1996 and the letter I wrote to the family (refer back to my prologue if you want more detail).   The bank director is smiling the whole time as many people here are amazed that I wanted to live here.  Well after about 10 minutes we finish and are escorted to another person in the bank who will actually do the work to open an account for me.  I guess I passed the test - thank goodness!  So 20 minutes or so later and many many signatures (infact more signatures than when I sold my home - seriously!) I now have a bank account in Italy along with a Bankomat (ATM) card.   Now I just have to get my bank in the U.S. to transfer some money into this account and I should be able to withdraw cash and use my Bankomat card!!  No pictures of this activity - doubt the bank would have allowed it and didn’t want to test them.  With the weekend approaching and still no internet my posts may slow a bit.  My apologies and if anyone knows where my modem is please let me know!!

Aspettando pazientemente……..

Oscar's New Italian Veterinarian

giovedi 18 maggio 2017

Well I now have a TV!!!!!  Progress!!!  The store (not just TVs as it turns out but similar to the store I found) - was very helpful and cheaper.  Check out my TV!  It works great.  I can change one channel to English if I want - any international channels (not sure what they are yet) can be changed to English speaking - pretty cool.  But I am watching mostly Italian so I can continue to learn more words, etc.  Watching the news I find is the best right now although I am now confronted with hearing about American politics - UGH!!!!!  But I can’t really understand it too much - that is a good thing!!!

This morning Angela, Tony and I did some outside work.  Tony brought over his weed wacker and we cleaned up the front yard.  He cleared both sides so if I want to begin gardening I can.  

May start slow as still lots to do in the house once my belongs arrive - speaking of them…….

Received another call from the shipping agent in Naples.  All is good - customs clearance handled (but not without a bit more cash out the door).  They will unload the container tomorrow and then deliver my things on Monday.  The truck(s) will leave Naples and should arrive between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m..  I will be very happy if they arrive before noon.   Either way Monday will be a busy but great day!! And my things may win the race with the internet modem!!  Still no sign or word about it.  Sigh………..

Also in the afternoon Oscar and I were able to meet the local vet.  Chiara is a young (well younger than me) lady.  Vets here however see all types of animals - not just domestic dogs and cats.  Due to the many farms in the area she also tends to farm animals.  I get a great feeling just talking to her although she speaks no English. Angela was here as well to help with simplifying what she was saying.  She advised me to be very careful with Oscar and not to stress or overwork him - i.e. no long walks except maybe early in the morning or late in the evening when the sun is not hot. This climate is very challenging for dogs such as Oscar, pugs, bulldogs, etc - those with flat faces.    She also reviewed the various medicines (allergy, flea/tick and heartworm) he is on and agreed they should continue.  We reviewed his vaccinations as well and he is good to go!!  It is so comforting to know she lives here in the village and is just a few steps away.  Her office - or laboratorio as they call it here is not that far away - 15-20 minutes -  if I need to take Oscar there.   

Now this is a cool thing - here in Italy the pharmacies dispense medicines/drugs for animals as well as humans.  You just need the prescription from the vet.  So I can get Oscar’s special allergy medicines from Luigi!!!  Can’t beat that!!  He can also order Oscar’s heartworm and Flea and Tick drugs.   When I asked Chiara if I needed a prescription for Oscar’s special allergy medicine she smiled and said “No -just go see Luigi”!  Another benefit of having cousins who are so well known and respected in the community.    

Buona giornata!

The Container Has Arrived!

mercoledi 17 maggio 2017 - (Wednesday, May 17)

A quiet morning - doing laundry (a load takes about 2 and 1/2 hours to wash) and sitting on the front porch while Oscar takes a snooze!  Can’t get much better than this!!  And yes this is my clothes line.  I love it BUT the first downside of Italy - crunchy towels when they dry.  Hmmmmm I need to figure something out - maybe fabric softener will help a bit next time.  

This morning one of our cousins will be coming to the house to finish installing the wiring from the TV antenna which they installed on Sunday into the house so I can install a television.  I have not bought one yet but early this evening Angela, Tony  and I will go to Vallo della Lucania.  She tells me there is a store that sells just televisions.  I was just going to go to the electronics store I discovered but she believes this is a better place.  Vallo is a larger city - population about 8,600+ and has a bigger commercial center.  Will be fun to see what other stores are there.  I have shopped their with Angela in the past but don’t remember the variety of shops.  Always fun to explore and make note for future reference.

Also I received news on my container.  It arrived in the port of Naples on Friday.  YEAH!!!!!  Today I received a call from the agent here in Italy.  There is a slight problem (surprise, surprise).  First of all the shipment had to be “investigated” - whatever that means.  I was told it happens to almost 90% of incoming containers.  But the investigation is done and all is well.  Apparently that is why they did not call earlier.  BUT - there is always a BUT.  Apparently the container company in the U.S.  needs to release the container to Italy.  Not quite sure what that means but I was told it may cost me more money.  I will pay to get my things BUT the shipping company in Miami will be hearing from me. No sense arguing with the Italians.  I don’t want to upset the apple cart here until I have my stuff!!  Keep your fingers and toes crossed.  That would be a nice surprise to have my things next week. 

Here is a picture as the container was leaving my house in Plymouth, MN.  

Now I just have to wait………!  Any bets on which arrives first - my stuff or the internet modem?  

Fino a domani!

So Close but Yet so Far...........

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

My day starts with Angela at my door telling me the workers are coming so she will stay at the house while I go with Luigi to the Comune di Casal Velino.  I need to secure my “Carta di identita”.  (Identification card).  It proves I am a resident and is needed for many things - medical services and buying car.  We go to the Community building and are able to walk right in and start the process - no lines, no appointments - so far so good.  Luigi explains what I need and he begins to ask questions about where I will live, etc.  There is quite a conversation between Luigi and the gentleman helping us.  Once that is completed Luigi has a form that must be signed by Angela.  She is the owner of the house that I will be living in.  Once that is done he turns to me and starts to ask specific questions - married/children/city where I as born, etc.  Interesting that he remembers my citizenship documents arriving from Chicago as he was at the one that recorded the event.  Once complete he prints off a paper for me and has me sign it.  I find out at this point in time I am still NOT registered and won’t leave with my carta di identita.  The paperwork must be sent back to the Consolato (consulate) in Chicago for some reason.  When it returns then I can come back and bring a photo (similar to passport or drivers license photo) and my card will be created.  So what this means is a few more days delay in buying my car.  I need that card to prove residency and a passport does not work.   The paper I have however can be used if I need medical treatment.  Haha - for those of you that know me really well that will be a very rare occurrence but glad I have the document.  

We decide to take care of the photo as long as we are out.  So we stop back in Marina at a photo store and within 15 minutes I have the photos I need.  Now we just have to wait………..again!

Upon returning to the house we find the worker still installing the cable for the internet.  This is no small task.  I have included a few photos of what this looks like.  Amazing but considering the age of the village and the infrastructure nothing is a surprise any longer.

Best I can figure out I will have DSL service.  The technician connects a cable to the telephone pole and strings it to another pole and then over to the wall near the house.  The first picture is the pole that brings the cable to the wall.  Look for the gray cable strung across the street.  Once at the wall it is connected to the wall with a big hook and then brought down to be fished through a series of plastic tubing underground - under the stairs, up the hillside, under the stairs again, in front of the house to finally come through a junction box that will then take it into the house.  This entire process probably took 7 hours.  

The connection is now installed BUT the modem will be brought “domani or dopo  domani” - “tomorrow or after tomorrow” by another person.  So close but yet so far………..

All in all progress is being made.  One never knows what tomorrow will bring!!

Baci e abbracci!

Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

I am going to start adding dates to my blog posts.  As you can tell many times I write them but don’t send the same day.  So this blog post is about Monday, May 15, 2017.

Oh my  - where to start about today?  I felt good that Oscar and I woke up earlier than in the past few days and got a jumpstart to our day.  We took a nice long walk before it was too hot for him.  Once home I went to the “wi-fi bench” to send my last blog post since I had not been on the internet in a few days.  While typing away Francesco Antonio (Tony - cousin and brother to Angela) stops by to tell me the car I am interested in will be driven from Naples to Marina di Casal Velino. I should meet him at Angela’s, in one hour.  Perfect!!  He leaves and Luigi comes out of the pharmacy as the workers are here and they want to do some more work on the house.  A few electrical things and laying the “pipe” for the phone/internet cable.  So I close up my laptop and hurry up the 105 stairs (which I now can tell you is more than 105 - I think around 130).  I meet the workers who do their work but it is taking longer than expected - but I am not surprised.  I txt Tony to let him know I would be late.  No problem as now the car will not be there when expected.  He would txt me.  Ok so now I have time to do a bit of shopping once the workers are done.    Each day I purchase a few more small items I need - food storage containers, hair dryer, waste basket for the bathroom - pretty basic stuff.  I’m gone maybe an hour.  When home no more than 10 minutes I am in the kitchen and I hear this swoosh sound and water!!!  I open the cabinet beneath the sink and the pipe had burst and water is pouring out - but also spraying straight out as well. Now I am not only soaking wet but I freeze as there is no shut off valve under the sink!  OH SH____!  I pick up my phone to call Luigi and realize I don’t have his number - another OH SH__!  At this point I take off running down the 130+ steps - only to find he is NOT AT THE FARMACIA!!!!  OH SH____ again!  I run back up the steps while trying to call Stefano who is in class in Naples.  No answer.  I try Angela - no answer.  Stefano then txts me and says he is in class and will call later. I txt “EMERGENCY!!!!  Kitchen flooded  - broken pipe!”  He must have then stepped out of class as he called me immediately.    I explain quickly while out of breath and running back to the house.  I think however before running down the steps to the Farmacia I did find a shut off for the water - at least what I thought was the shut off outside of the house.  But to be real honest at this point in time I don’t remember.   Whatever I turned off, It at least slowed the pace of the water pouring out into the kitchen.  Once Luigi was there he showed  me the full shut off and we both begin the clean up while we wait for the plumber to arrive.  Pleasantly surprised he shows up within 2 hours and replaces both water lines under the sink.  By this time I am laughing - what else can I do.  No one was hurt, killed, no damage and it happened while I was home and not away - “glass half full”.  But you have to love those ceramic floors throughout the house.   With this emergency all solved I go with Luigi to their house for lunch and then wait for Tony to txt me about the car.  

Lunch over and we wait.  Angela and Luigi tell me we are going to see another car.  Ok - so off we go to a used car dealer I have seen near the village.  We are going to see a Toyota - Tony is not involved and the other car is nowhere in site and I have no idea how this new car came about.  At this point I don’t ask questions - I need a car and I am going to see one.  Keep it simple Karla!!  To make a long story a bit shorter - I test drive this car - 2015 Toyota Yaris - 25K kilometers (roughly 15K miles), one owner, etc. etc.  All of my required items check and the price is right.  We agree and will now take the next few days to effect the transaction.  I need to finalize my residency, then go to the bank.  Thank goodness my cousins are right by my side.  I would never do this on my own unless I was totally fluent AND educated on more of the Italian ways.  Again the south does things so differently from the rest of Italy - so I am told.  And I keep reminding myself this house is old and no one has really lived in it to test all the systems. I am more than happy to oblige!!

Apologies again but no pretty photos and I wasn’t thinking about pictures when my kitchen was flooding!  But here is a picture of my (hopefully) new car!

Till next time,

Baci e abbracci

Clarity is a wonderful thing!

Now that Stefano is home for the weekend I can clarify a few things with him as he speaks English.  In fact, anyone with college age children pay attention to this next section.  

Stefano received his undergraduate degree last year in Bio medical engineering.  He is now working on his specialization or what we might call a masters degree.  His focus is on prosthetics.  My head spins just thinking about it. But get this - he is taking 5 classes and all of them are in English.  Yes, not in Italian.  That just blows my mind.  English is not his native language yet he is taking masters courses all in English.  I am just amazed at that.   He is smart AND good looking!  He is such a fine young man.  I am positive the girls in the U.S. would be lining up to date him.  

He has helped me confirm and clarify that yes a new cable has to be run to the house.  Not because it doesn’t exist but because of the way it was installed years ago.  He tells me that once it is installed all the additional equipment will also be installed as well so possibly by mid week I will have internet and wi-fi service.  But, one thing I have learned from my years of travel here - don’t count your chickens……….

I have also been struggling with the washing machine - lavatrice - I understood what Angela told me when she explained it BUT there were a few instructions she did not tell me so the first few loads of wash didn’t come out as expected.  After a few clarifying comments from Stefano and a more thorough review of the controls on the machine I think I have it figured out!!  And for those that read the last blog the first photo was of my new clothes line.  I have a small rack for drying most clothes but for larger items - think sheets, blue jeans, etc. this is my dryer.  Electricity is expensive due to lack of infrastructure so dryers are not common - at least here in the south.  With the abundant sunshine and mild temperatures in the winter you dry your clothes outside.  I also view it as being ecological and doing my part to keep the planet green.  Also laundry must be done in the morning so you have all day for it to dry.  No late nights with laundry in this house!!

Saturday morning I planned to go to a market in Velino Scalo.  I tried to go to the market near Angela’s house on Friday. I took Oscar with me but the amount of people and commotion was a bit much for him so we gave up on that and I decided to go on Saturday.  Each city has a market day - Ascea is Thursday, Marina di Casal Velino is Friday, Velino Scalo is  Saturday - etc.  So if I miss one village I can always try another day in another location.  Fruits and vegetables are on the shopping list today.  Amazing how many vegetables, locally grown, are already available for sale.  Amazing enough - NOT - there was no market - at least where it was supposed to be.  So I kept driving and came to a Centro Commerciale.  This is a small shopping center.  I have seen it for years but never went inside.  Saturday was the day.

There is a large grocery story - much bigger than the one I am used to.  This was much more like an American store - frozen foods, some packaged food, etc.  In addition the center had a few clothing stores, a shoe store, jewelry store and an electronics store.  I spent quite a bit of time in the electronics store checking out everything I could buy.  From TV’s to dishwashers, refrigerators, to smaller appliances such as coffee machines and other kitchen appliances.  What I don’t know yet is how their prices would compare to Amazon.IT or other places I might not be aware of.  But anything I might want or need it appears I can buy it there.  Even a little stereo system if I want one.  I would compare it to a Best Buy maybe but not sure Best Buy has personal products such as hair dryers, etc.  Once the container arrives and I have unpacked I sense a large shopping trip in my  future!!

Also Angela told me two exciting bits of news - 1.  There is a Vet in the village.  She makes house calls!!  How cool is that.  Apparently she has seen me out walking but I have not met her yet.  So happy about that as with Oscar’s allergies and his aging it is very comforting to know a Vet is close by.  2.  There is a lady who lives near Angela, originally from Germany but has lived in Italy for many years.  She is a golfer!!!!!  Also a very active person physically!  There may be a golf course closer than I expected BUT again, clarity is needed.  Looking forward to meeting some new people outside the family who might have similar interests.  

I was going to send this on Sunday but the Farmacia is closed and I can not get access to the wi-fi bench!  The gate is closed.  So I am adding a bit more to this already lengthy post.  Sunday is family day and a day to relax as most stores and businesses are not open.  I took Oscar down to the sea today (il mare).  We had a great walk along the shore and due to high winds many wind surfers were out.  I tired to post a short video so you can see and hear il mare and the wind surfers.  No success - large videos will have to wait until I have my own network and wi fi set up.  Oscar was also feeling a bit more comfortable with the sand so we ventured closer to the water.  Again videos don't work yet but I have included a picture of his first encounter with il Mare!

Next week - fingers crossed for Internet/wi-fi service, possible news on my container and purchases of some electronics.  One week of silence is about all I can take.  

Baci e abbracci!

Settling in continues.......

Ok so can you guess what this is?  Angela and I installed it on Thursday.    Let me know in the comments!!  

Also any idea what kind of tree this is?  I would have never guessed.  It is a mulberry tree - or in Italian, Albero di gelso.  The berries are yummy and we pick them off the tree and eat them!  Angela tells me you can make marmalade as well as liquor from them. Not sure I will try either anytime soon but fun to know I have other wonderful plants/trees on the land.  

Also on Thursday Oscar accompanied Angela, Luigi and I to lunch. We sat outside - check out this view.  Right across from the sea.  

We tried to get Oscar to go closer but he would not have anything to do with the sand, let alone the water.  All in due time. He is adjusting well and is getting lots of exercise.  There are no flat roads in this village.  Everything is either up hill or downhill or up and down some stairs.  It is helping me with exercise as well until I have time to join the fitness center.

The technica (internet technician) showed up today (Friday) More problems however.  If I understand correctly the cable from the street to the house is non-existent so next week they will trench and lay new cable.  The house is 30 years old but has never really been used as a residence.  So some changes/improvements are required.  Patience is a key word for me right now.  I had hopes of possible wi-fi by the weekend.  This could end up being a few week process at best.  So I will still need to “borrow” wi-fi from Luigi’s Pharmacy.  I sit outside on the bench and use his signal.  Works great but not sure it is a long term solution. At this point it is better than nothing.  

And the search for a new used car continues.  My scout (a cousin) is looking.  They found a nice station wagon but all agreed it was too big of a car for me.  Today we may have found one -  more on this later if it works out.  

I’m looking forward to tonight (Friday) as Stefano, my cousin’s son returns from Naples for the weekend.  He is an engineer (recent grad) but working on his specialization.  He speaks good English and I believe will help me with the Italian phone package.  Oscar and I will surprise him and meet him at the train station. He will be expecting his mom or dad!!

More later.....

Baci e abbracci!