I have learned that moving into a new house in a new country is very....let's call it interesting. I am just getting my internet hooked up today in the house (yes I moved in 2.5 weeks ago) and I hear that this is actually fast. Everything is in Italian of course which adds a level of complication and time so going to set up our gas in the house took about 2.5 hours! I went to the gas company, you take a ticket and sit down and wait for your number to be called. When your number is called you go talk to the person at the desk and you have to have hand written paperwork filled out. Can you remember the last time you had to go set up a utility in person (1960?)? Actually, I have never done this in person since I wasn't born until 1980 :-).
We moved into our new house on the 31st and we were expecting our new mattress to arrive that day or I should say that is the date we agreed to when we purchased our mattress a few weeks prior. The store owner only speaks Italian so I was a little intimated to call and muddle my way through so my friend Elizabeth saved the day and called for me (BTW, she has saved me so many times since she speaks Italian so well she has really made this transition time easier for us so grazie mille E!). This is what the conversation was like for her and hopefully I am retelling the story right, but this is the general idea:
E asked the store owner whether our mattress was going to be delivered today.
Store: oh no it takes at least 15 days to get a mattress!
E: Well today is the 31st, what day did they order it?
Store: The 15th.
E: Soo....they ordered it on time. When will it arrive?
Store: next week
E: Early next week?
Store: NO! late next week
E: You do know they are just moving into their house and they were counting on this mattress, right? you said the 31st.
Store: Yup, it will be delivered late next week.
The following Friday (yup, late next week) we received our mattress..... :-) Apparently it takes over a month to get a mattress.
After we arrived in Italy I went and registered our dog for her Italian paperwork and I also tried to get her passport at that time, but since I didn't have a house at that time we couldn't get it. In order for dogs to travel around Europe in between countries they have to have a passport so that is why I am trying to get hers. Now that we are in the house I needed to return for the passport. I show up on a Wednesday morning at 9:30 and bring all of my paperwork. It is a really tall building with a sign that says dogs and cats are not allowed in the building, but they can go in the back door at the basement, but that door is locked. The vets are upstairs on the 2nd floor (we would call this the 3rd floor, because their floors are numbers -1, 0, 1, 2, etc.). So if you don't bring 2 people (1 to stay outside with the dog so you can run upstairs and tell them what you need and they can go downstairs and unlock the door for you...hmmm) then they have no idea you are there.
Ok so finally after figuring out the 2nd floor meant the 3rd I found the office. I told the lady in my pathetic Italian I want a dog passport and she asks me when I want it and I tell her as soon as possible. I show her Sasha's registration and she flips through some binders (it doesn't look like she is actually doing anything) and exclaims that a passport isn't even possible until maybe the end of December! I ask her why and she starts talking very rapidly and loud and shouts something I can't understand. I tell her I am sorry I can't understand her and she calls someone and tells them "this girl is here and can't speak Italian" (yeah, I understood that part!) and then she slams down the phone and tells me to return at 2:30 the same day. OK! So right at 2:30 I return, but instead of going to her I seek out a Vet directly (haha she didn't know who she was dealing with did she? <sneaky smile>) He tells me that I can come back in 2 weeks and have an appointment with him and then we went to see this lady I talked to earlier and she was not happy he gave me an appointment! (BTW, sasha is already registered with this office, her chips have been scanned and there is no 'real reason' my dog needs to come back). So back to grumpy Italian lady, she hands me some paperwork and a fee I have to go pay and I give her my sweetest smile and tell her "grazie mille" (many thanks).
I need to point out that she is only 1 of 2 people that have been really crappy since I moved here. Everyone else has been extremely helpful when they see you are trying to figure out the language and figure out what you are supposed to do! The other crappy person was at an electronics store and she screamed at me and told me to get out when I tried to exchange an iron. I accidentally bought the wrong iron and as I was leaving the checkout counter I noticed this and told her I wanted to exchange it. She didn't like that and literally started screaming at me to get out of the store. I had to go find 3 other people and finally got the exchange done, but no one was very happy about it. LOL....expat life. :-)
So far I have made 2 trips to Ikea and there are probably 2 more in my near future. You really don't realize how much stuff you "need" until you start from scratch.....towels, cleaning supplies, kitchen cookware, etc.... One really neat thing about Ikea is they sell wine and beer. I told Matt if he starts getting to bored he can always get a beet at Ikea :-) Then he made a comment that he must be insane taking his wife to Ikea and letting her have prosecco (an Italian light, fizzy white wine) at lunch before they start shopping..hehehe.....
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| 2nd Ikea trip |
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| Swedish meatballs, lingon berry juice, prosecco and potatoes |
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