Posted by
Troy and Penny Taylor
In:
Interesting tid-bit
How Italians move
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| Look closely ...there is a ladder from the truck to the balcony. A side note, our stuff went in the elevator or was walked up the stairs :) |
Posted by
Troy and Penny Taylor
In:
A day of new!
First day of school + new bunk beds = Awesome Day for Noah and Rowen!!
Posted by
Troy and Penny Taylor
In:
One month ...
One month ago we moved to Italy. Lots of learning and experiences have taken place. We arrived and hit the ground running! We liked the first apartment we saw and said -"Let's do it!" We went from a hopeful move-in date of August 1 to well the apartment is not ready so …August 12 …no, scratch that, August 23 and by the way you won't have a signed contract until then. Buckle your seat belt -this is gonna be a long ride. So with the Proctor family knee deep in language school and unpacking (their container came) and the girls apartments too small for our family, we decided to stay with new friends, John and Ann Blackburn. What tremendous people they are!! They provided us with food, shelter, and wonderful friendship.
As of this blog, we have a signed contract and are moved-in and getting settled. We really like it! Shopping has taken on a whole new dimension. We walk or ride a bus (usually walk)then carry everything. So you only buy what you can carry …that means lots of trips. There is not a Wal-Mart and car. It is mom-n-pop stores, finding things, price checking, going back (wait, where was that store again??) and getting it home. Throw two kids into the mix and sometimes you have more than you bargained for :)
Everything costs!
Eating out: -the water or ketchup cost extra. No free refills. Bathrooms: there aren't any or they cost. Mail: we have had to pay other people to mail documents to us (example: we needed "official" translation of the kids birth certificates. So we send them off, pay (a lot) for the service, and then have to make the arrangements (and pay) to have them picked-up and delivered to us!!! Crazy!). Phone: our cell phones are pre-pay. So we put 10 euro (approx. 14USD) on Troy's phone and then called the gas co. With the talk time and on-hold time, that money is gone. Shelling out more :)
Heat: It has been in the mid 90's. That is not hot compared to what our Mound City friends have experienced!! The big difference is no a/c. We walk (so you get hot and sweaty)to arrive at an non-air conditioned destination. We certainly enjoy cold showers here :) We do have an a/c unit near the bedrooms. They say it is very expensive to run it …we used it to get a good nights sleep the first night. We will have to see what the bill looks like.
I am not complaining! Not at all …just trying to be descriptive in some of the major differences between the US and here. Those are the big ones …the differences that stick out and make our life look different. I like the walking -not always the carrying -lol. Believe it or not I value the heat. I think it makes me recognize and appreciate the comforts I have/had.
In valuable phrases: "I don’t speak Italian" "excuse me" "I'm sorry" "Thank you" "How much does this cost" and (drum roll) "One cappuccino please"
As always ...pictures to revive you from reading this long post :)
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| Don't be fooled -this is "the dryer" |
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| Noah road a train for his birthday! He (of course) loved it. |
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| I loved that he wanted to wear the cape he got on his 4th birthday :) |
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| Noah's party was the first gathering we had in our new home. Pictured are a few team mates and the friends we stayed with before the apartment was ready, John and Ann and Avonlea Blackburn |
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