Mala In Italia

Alla fine

2011-03-11T01:57:00.002+01:00

So Mala in Italia is coming to an end. It is really hard to put into words why I have decided to leave and I would be a liar if I said there wasn't more than a little part of me wanting to stay. But I'm off travelling again, another adventure on another continent, with different people, cultures, landscapes, and languages.

I've been in Italy for almost 2 years now and there hasn't been a day of it that I've hated. It was daunting deciding to move here for the second year, rather than just working and travelling around as I did in the first year. However, I cannot believe just how easy it was to set up life here and how it felt like home so quickly. I made great friends, both local and with other ex-pats. I found a cute apartment to live with easygoing flatmates in a well serviced neighbourhood. Work was fun and interesting, and I never got bored of going to my favourite places, eating, drinking, and socialising, or discovering new hidden restaurants, bars, and clubs for memorable nights out.

So why leave if there is nothing forcing me to? I think there are 2 main reasons, and I am pleased to say neither of them are to do with things going wrong or failing. Firstly, there is still more of the world I want to travel through. When I originally gave up my career to travel at the beginning of 2009, I wanted to see more of South America, and an opportunity to work out there came up again. Probably the older I get, I will have more responsibilities and a greater difficulty in just packing up and going across the world for long periods of time. So I need to make the most of now when I don't have serious duties to others. The second reason is because my life in Italy is one big holiday. Although that may sound like fun and I am still enjoying the endless partying, I mentioned the problems with this and work in my last blog post I lavori.

I have learnt a lot about Italian politics while being here. Many of the younger generations have no faith in the system, let alone those with power, and I completely understand why there are so many Italians living in London nowadays. I often get asked why I would choose to live in Italy and my answer can be encompassed by 'la moda di vita' to which they agree, but then I get bombarded with endless angry listings of all the problems people face in Italy. My opinion is that every country has their own problems and their citizens will moan about them. With such a great diversity of societies and cultures around the world, there are always going to be pros and cons of living in each, especially when you are fortunate enough to experience some of them and have the opportunity to change which country you reside in.

After falling in love with Italy while working as a tour leader here, I thought I may have been ready to settle down in this beautiful country. However, I am still in a restless state, needing new challenges to keep me on my toes, and my brain ticking over. I've realised that when things get too static, wherever that may be and whatever ever I may be doing, I think about all the other possible experiences there are to have, and then there's an urge to mix things up. Life is short and I want to fit in as much as possible. Hence MalaOnTour again.

I lavori

2011-03-05T16:33:00.001+01:00

Over the past year I have had four jobs in Italy (not including the continuing database consultancy work from the UK) - the first at La Specola was part of the EU Scholarship program and organised for me; the second I found by walking around town one afternoon with my CV asking around at every hostel and pub until I was luckily enough to meet a hostel owner whose friend had just taken over another small hostel, David Inn, and needed a receptionist; the third was at the L'Irish pub which I had spent a few months in, drinking and watching football and getting to know the staff while on their cigarette breaks; the fourth was lecturing at a university for foreigners which I was offered by another teacher there who was a regular from the pub who knew my academic background.

Nepotism is alive and kicking here and I learnt to embrace the fact that to get anything, and not just work, it is who you know and not what you know. I could have continued lecturing because I was offered another course. I did not understand that course title and was not even sure what type of subject I would have been teaching when I was first told about it. However, because I had a relatively good relationship with the dean, it did not matter that I knew nothing about what they wanted me to teach. I just couldn't accept because of not wanting to be a complete phoney.

When first looking for jobs in Florence, I had tried answering job adverts in the Italian and English speaking press, as well as on various websites but to no avail. There is a very high unemployment rate everywhere in Italy, and even those lucky enough to have jobs are often underpaid and over worked. I know some waitresses that get charged if they drop and break plates and glasses, but even for those in a profession such as accounting, the situation is not much rosier, all things considered. After working for a couple of decades for the same medium sized respected firm, an accountant may not even earn enough to pay for a rented apartment, a car, and have spare cash for a good social life. It is difficult for people to buy their own places (but this is certainly not confined to Italy), and it is easy to understand why grown ups still live with their families, and even still share rooms with their siblings. It is not really because of the importance of family why Italians stay together so much longer than a lot of other western cultures, it is necessity more than anything.

Being a foreigner has both helped and hindered me. One job I was paid pittance in cash under the table, but another I was stupidly overpaid, on contract, and needed a bank account. I have enjoyed all the work I have done here, especially the fact that they were part time jobs which has given me plenty of time to socialise and do what I want, when I want. I consider myself extremely lucky to have found good work when I needed it, as I have heard of some absolute horror stories of not being able to find jobs, or putting up with unbearable work because there are no other options. However, I think that if I had wanted a full time professional career job, I would not have been so successful. The only option would have been getting a job with an international, probably UK based, company who had offices in Italy. Italian businesses solely based in the country would very rarely hire a foreigner unless there was a personal connection or if the most specific qualifications and experience were needed.

So thinking about the future, options are limited in Italy. My liver would not be able to cope with working in pubs for a prolonged period of time. I have my TEFL certificate, but teaching English in Italy has never appealed to me, even when I was offered as many private students to teach as I wanted. I do not know what new career to start if I was ready for a full time job again, although as previously mentioned, I doubt very much I would be able to get a professional job here. And marrying someone rich to take care of me and not having to work is something I never want to do. However, my options are infinite around the world.

Umbria

2010-12-21T15:19:00.002+01:00

As a Christmas present to ourselves, my friend and I headed to Umbria for the weekend. Last year I really enjoyed the tour stops I made frequently to some small hilltop medieval towns, especially because of the local food. I had always wanted to visit one town in particular at Christmas time though because of their festive decorations. I made sure I was not going to miss the opportunity this year.

Gubbio boasts the largest Christmas tree in the whole wide world. It isn’t actually a tree, but the mountainside lit up like one. We arrived at midday, settled in the hotel, and devoured duck for lunch, which was my favourite dish from a menu that I had sampled many things from last year. A walk around town, a trip up in the bird cage, and a small hike to the top of the hill to play king of the castle in the old fort, followed. We then headed out of town as it was getting dark, to get the best view possible of the whole hillside. Almost at our destination, I turned round to get my first glimpse of the tree with the lights on. I know I enjoy Christmas time more than most people my age but I could not believe my own excitement as I jumped for joy at seeing the lights. We carried on to a little church where we were told we would get a good view from. There was also a large nativity scene, as well as a statue depicting St Francis and the wolf that once terrorised the local farmers (as legend goes). Back in town, we discovered another type of presepe – streets with wooden statues and a whole lot of wool decorations. The evening progressed at one of my favourite bars in the whole country (Fusion Cafe) before dining like kings at the best restaurant in town (Taverna del Lupo).

The next day was another small adventure. Even on a Sunday the train timetables seemed to work in our favour. We stopped off in Perugia, so that my friend could see for herself what a disappointment the capital city of such an amazing region is. Then we headed to Spello to a very famous enoteca (Enotca Properzio) and sampled some of the delicious local food and wine. Stocking up with Christmas gifts for friends and family, the only thing we had to do on the train ride back home, was to sleep so that our bodies could finally digest all the Umbrian goodness we had scoffed over a great festive weekend.

Mercati di Natale

2010-12-21T15:10:00.000+01:00

Piazza Santa Croce often gets turned into markets and exhibitions throughout the year, which I normally make a point of visiting. At Christmas time there is a ‘German Christmas market’. The stalls are mostly selling food and unfortunately seemed there seems to be the same stalls that were set up as in the International Food Fair a couple of months ago. Apart from a few stores cooking up sausages, it didn’t seem very German to me. There have also been little day markets popping up in other piazzas around town which have all (well almost all) been inspected for presents and tastings.

Stazione Leopoldo has an Italian Christmas market. Even though there is a 7.50euro entrance fee, going to this market really made up for the disappointment of the one in Santa Croce. Stazione Leopoldo, as the name suggests, used to be a train station. The inside of it is now an exhibition hall but it also has gigs and clubs nights on occasionally. Unfortunately I have never managed to go before now even though I have wanted to, and I could imagine it would be the perfect venue for a good old fashioned rave. Half the market place had stalls to buy all sorts of Christmas decorations, toys, and presents. The second half contained local or artiginal food stuffs. With free tasters on every stall, and even a small wine tasting, I did not have to buy dinner that night. There was also a cooking demonstration where we got to sample the dish, but strangely it was probably the worst thing I have eaten while in Italy.

With a fake snow machine outside the entrance and beautiful lights, it really push-started my festive mood and got me into the Christmas spirit (or should I say spirits!).

Luce

2010-12-21T15:03:00.000+01:00

What I have really enjoyed over the last few weeks is seeing all the Christmas lights going up around town. Every street seems to have their own decorations, - rather than just the main city thoroughfares - and even the ones heading out of town. I wonder if like Bath where I also lived for a time, Florence reuses the same decorations year in year out, or if it is different and novel every time?

L'acqua non si vende

2010-12-09T14:16:00.005+01:00

While doing some Christmas shopping in the centre the other day, I heard the now familiar sound of big thunderous drums beating energetically, and coming up the street there was a medievalesque Tuscan marching band. With all the many many problems in Italy, I learnt about yet another issue that people think is worthy of protesting. This time it was due to the privitisation of water. Using the music that would have managed to raise the spirits of the most defeatist troops, it certainly made the shoppers, both locals and tourists alike that were in town, aware of the situation.

Zanzare

2010-11-22T16:43:00.001+01:00

It’s November, 10 degrees Celsius during the day, and there are still mosquitoes around. I’ve had to live my life getting bitten more than most people but it is one thing I cannot get used to and something I have to moan about. Luckily the supposedly vicious tiger mosquitoes have disappeared. However, I seemed to have no more of a problem with them as I did with other species. I am rather good at killing them now, splatting them with my hands. Perhaps next year I will start practising with chopsticks, Mr Miyagi style.

Il conto bancario

2010-09-23T16:39:00.002+02:00

So last month I finally got a bank account sorted. Although it wasn’t essential to have one, I was getting a little worried about the unlocked box full of fifty euro notes in my top drawer, and that I would soon be cashing cheques and walking round town once a month with over a thousand euros in my bag.

Knowing that Italian banks have charges for almost all transactions - a concept I find hard to accept as personal banking back in the UK is almost completely free - I was just going to get the cheapest possible, an account from the post office. My wages would be able to get paid into it but without a bank card, I would have had to stand in line for a ridiculously long time to withdraw any money. As with many post office systems in different countries, the Poste Italiane is notoriously slow and having to deal with them to do anything vaguely competently will invariably take up a seemingly endless hour of queuing.

The day I decided to open my account, armed with two work contracts with my address on them, my passport for ID, and my Codice Fiscale, I waited for over an hour just to find out the person I needed to talk to wasn’t there and I had to make an appointment for the next day. The next day I returned again with all my paperwork, just for the person to tell me that without my Residenza, I would not be able to open anything. This came as a surprise seeing as a friend was able to open an account there without having the certificate. Who knows what the official policy on this is, but I'm sure it will not be the post office workers that do.

The last thing I wanted to do was to go round to all the banks in town to find out just which ones would give me an account with my Residenza, and get told about the elevated charges on the account because they are ones specifically for foreigners. So I reverted to doing things the Italian way. I contacted my friend who worked for a bank to see what he could sneakily do for me.

He opened up a bank account for me no problems and I got a really good deal. His bank had just started a new type of account aimed at young people with minimal costs. By just using their ATMs and internet banking I will only have to pay one euro per month and nothing more. So now I am happy Poste Italiane gave me problems in the first place, so I had to revert to a bank where I get a real account with a debit card and avoid the dreaded queues in the post office.

Certificato di residenza

2010-09-23T16:11:00.004+02:00

Today I’m procrastinating and even though I have work to do from home, I would rather do something else I have been putting off for even longer...writing new blog posts.

For EU citizens, if you plan on spending more than three months in Italy, you are supposed to apply for your residency certificate and register the address you are living at. Most people do not do this and have no need for the certificate, however it can limit your opportunities to do certain things, like opening some types of bank accounts or buying a car.

So by now I should have gone down to the Anagrafe, local town hall office, and obtained my Residenza. I would be quite happy to do this and to be officially residing in Firenze, except I can’t. My landlord will not allow me to do so. This is not just unique to my landlord, but almost all property owners that do not use agencies to rent their places, will not allow tenants to register themselves at rented addresses.

Of course this is all money related. Just one of the extra taxes you must pay in Italy, is what the ex-pats refer to as the ‘garbage tax’. The more people that live in a property, the more you have to pay to the contracted company which takes away your household rubbish. My landlord’s argument for not wanting me to register at our address is that he will have to pay the extra tax, but I am certain that he does not declare the money he gets through rent. I live with my landlord and I very rarely refer to him as anything but my friend as that is what he is after six months of living together, but he did tell me to begin with that I could use the address as my domicile but if anyone was to ever ask, then I have to say that I am his friend just staying in the same flat. This is not half as bad as another friend of mine who is not even allowed to use her apartment as a domicile or get any post sent to that address. Her landlord is pretending that the apartment is empty, even though three people live there, in order to pay no extra taxes on it.

As I have no current need for my Residenza and the Italian authorities never check if you have registered at the Anagrafe, I have no problem living in my current apartment which I love, with flatmates who are lot of fun, in a neighbourhood with great amenities and perfect distance away from the centre of town.

I do have a friend though that requires the residency certificate in order to get registered as self employed, something she needs for her work. She is currently looking at her options because if you use a rental agency, not only do you have to pay agency fees equivalent to approximately one month’s rent, the rent is at least a third more than a similar non agency rental. That works out to be a whole lot of extra money you have to pay just to get one sheet of paper with your address on it.

Tattuagio

2010-06-25T14:08:00.012+02:00

For over five years I resisted the urge to get another tattoo but towards the end of my tour leading season last year, I decided I would. I designed it and started getting prices while on my final tours in the towns I had revisted many times that summer. The prices turned out to be about twice as much as they would be in the UK so I decided to wait a little while. Then when I knew I would be returning to Italia, I realised that getting it done here would mean more to me. The design itself doesn't mean anything, as with my other tattoos I just like the shape of it.

Starting to earn money just before my birthday, gave me the perfect excuse to treat myself to the new tattoo as a birthday present. I asked a few friends for recommended tattoo artists and one name was always mentioned, Tomasselli Giulio, in the centre of town. The year before I had been to his studio for a quote and really liked the place so decided to book an appointment and get inked a couple days before my birthday.

I enjoyed getting it done and now it's healed and looking great, I love it just as much as my other ones. The only problem is that I have already started thinking about what I could get next.

Campionato mondiale di calcio

2010-06-10T21:22:00.003+02:00

Lazily delayed and jumping ahead of blogs on my pub job, birthday celebrations, and new tattoo, my world cup fever the day before the 2010 competition begins, is taking precedence.

This year I had now finally reached the age when I didn't need to go crazy and celebrate my birthday for weeks on end. In April and May, my usual countdown to my birthday was on the back burner, as I was more excited about the world cup happening soon after instead.

Although I may be slightly biased, the pub I work in is the best drinking venue to watch sports in around town. It was because of watching sport in the pub in the first place, I got to know the staff and got myself a job there. Maybe I should have asked for money off my rent this month as I plan on living in the pub and watching as many games as possible, while enjoying free, if not then at least discounted drinks.

I am quite surprised that Italian terrestrial tv is only showing one match per day during the group stage, given the infamous Italian passion for calcio. But saying that, I am also surprised at how many men I have met over the past few months who do not follow the sport at all. Either way, it gives me an excuse to go to the pub, drink, and shout at the screens without being considered a complete weirdo.

My biggest decision is which seat in the pub I am going to make my sgabello alto del campionato mondiale. It is a difficult choice, with four tv screens of differing size and quality, four rooms with differing air and heat conditions, regulars to occasional Italians to foreigners ratios, distances to the bar, telephone signal strength, and chair comfort and posture. I did have my own spot for the regular European football season which was a perfect compromise between the factors, but that was when it was less than 30°C outside and being in the low ceiling alcove with little air con did not matter at all. Now that the sweltering summer has arrived, I may well have to cheat on the old favourite and find a new spot. However I think I should stop giving this so much consideration as knowing how busy the pub can get on occasion, I may not get a choice for many matches, and may have to stand on tip toes in a stifling corner just to see a small part of a tv.

There are going to be a few countries I will be following closely.
England because it is my birth home.
Italy because it is my new home.
Holland because of my family living there and because of my Arsenal boy RVP upfront.
Australia because of my Firenze wifie.
Brazil and Mexico because I have drawn them in the sweepstakes.
I don't really care who wins just as long as the tournament has some great matches. I do not think it will be as good as in 2006 though when I actually got to go to group matches in Germany and then had the added bonus of winning the sweepstakes at the pub where I was working at that time. Fingers crossed for this time. Game on!

Casa mia

2010-04-29T13:38:00.002+02:00

I have now made my home in a very cute apartment located between the Fortezza and Statuto in a well to do, safe, neighbourhood just north of the old city wall. Compared to a lot of the rooms I saw, this deal was certainly one of the best price wise. I am paying 400€ a month but that includes all bills as well as some other things bought by Mario who I share with and that also owns the place. We have another flatmate called Lisa but I have not seen her much yet. There is wifi, a washing machine, a balcony, a pantry, a big bathroom, and a living area with kitchen, dining room, and living room in one. My room is only a single but is far from pokey with space even for my bike.

EasyStanza was the best website for finding a room. Not only can someone searching for a place look at all the adverts, but the people placing the adverts can also search for a person for their place. It only took me three days to find a room. At first I thought I might have to share a room to keep costs down as these normally cost between 200€ and 300€, however there were plenty of both single and double rooms between 300€ and 400€ so for paying a little extra I could get a whole lot more. I actually saw my apartment on the first day of looking but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t jumping the gun even though I loved everything about it from the moment I saw it.

Generally the rooms I saw in the heart of the city and also in the Santa Spirito area, where I was originally hoping to live, were small, dark, and dirty, with strange flatmates. I had never been to the zone I am living in before seeing the apartment as it is the first real residential area north of town. I now realise how lucky I am to be living here. Not only are you fifteen minutes walk or five minutes cycle ride to the train station and various other places in the centre, but there is supposedly the best gelateria, the best pizzeria, the best café, a few great aperitvo bars, two large supermarkets, a place to buy a newspaper on a Sunday, and a beautiful park to jog, sunbathe, and picnic in, all practically round the corner from my block. An added bonus is that my Firenze family, ie. my mate Kate, also lives within four minutes from me so we can enjoy hangover breakfasts together without any hassle at all.

L'ostello

2010-04-07T18:32:00.004+02:00

I am currently working my third shift at the hostel where I am the receptionist. The hostel is small with only three dorms, on the top floor of an old palazzo in the heart of the city. It is situated on a road with il duomo a block away in one direction and the galleria dell'accademia a block away in the other direction. There are crazy old ladies that also live in the building and swear at the tourists coming to stay if they decide to walk the four flights of stairs past their apartments, rather than taking the rickety old lift.

The young couple that run the hostel are cool. Their friend cleans the rooms and brings her old dog Dia along. On my first shift we drank beer, on the second we rocked out in reception, and today I spent the afternoon chatting to mates over the internet. The plan is to teach myself more Italian, as most of the time I have nothing to do, but this is my first week so I am taking it easy. I have a funny feeling though that it may also become a place to sleep off my hangovers. What a great job to have, especially with the weather warming up and that lazy summer feeling returning.

Tutto a posto

2010-04-06T15:27:00.010+02:00

When everything was pointing to another seasonal job (either guiding hikes in the Dolomites or helping in a Sicilian beach hostel) in order to stay in my beloved Italy, I was feeling really low about having to leave the life I had set up over the last ten weeks. Importantly, I have some great friends here that make my social life so much fun, as well as making living here feel like home already. Although Firenze isn't my most favourite city in Italy because of the tourists and the slight snobbish nature of the locals, there is no denying its beauty. I also appreciate the small size of the centre and being able to walk everywhere within half an hour, without buses, tubes, etc.

Over the past month I had been checking Bakeca, Kijiji, and some other websites for available jobs. I applied to hotels, shops, restaurants, small businesses, basically anything advertised that I could in theory do. I did not get replies, only one from a gelateria in Roma which I stupidly turned down an interview for. Needless to say panic was setting in and I had to be more proactive. So after a long day last week touring the centre of Firenze with my CV, I fortunately managed to find myself two jobs. One is as a receptionist in a cute small hostel in the heart of the city with a view of il duomo at the end of the street, and the other one is in an irish pub which I have been frequenting to watch sports. [I plan on writing more blogs with further details of my new jobs]. Both are in the two types of places I really wanted to work. Somebody must have slipped a rabbits foot in my pocket that day because with the work crisis in Italy at the moment, I thought I had no chance in finding anything.

Sto rimanendo in Italia e a Firenze - sono contentissima.

Teenage mutant ninja beetles

2010-03-12T17:29:00.000+01:00

I'm over half way through my scholarship already. Time is flying at supersonic speeds and I wish it would slow down. Working at the museum is great fun. I can come and go as I please (although I normally work from 0930 to 1600), the people I work with are lovely, my tasks are varied so as not to get bored and most are mindless so it doesn't feel like hard work. I get on with my room mate very well and wouldn't choose anyone else from the project to share with. I am making lots of Fiorentine friends, most of whom I speak Italian with successfully. I have found a few more favourite bars and restaurants to add to the list I started last year. So all of these things will make it incredibly difficult and sadening for me to leave in a month's time.

This weekend I have big plans which will make some people, including myself, very happy. My Friday feeling started twelve hours earlier than it should have done and so at work today I couldn't help but think a species of beetle I came across in the collection looked like teenage mutant ninja turtles.

Caffé

2010-03-03T18:24:00.001+01:00

After trying about ten different cafés in between my apartment and the museum section I work in, and not including the twenty-five plus other places around town I have also been to for a coffee, I finally found one that I have chosen as the best for my breakfast espresso. The price of a caffé is standardised around town if you stand at the bar and drink it, therefore price did not factor in my decision. I can't really explain why I prefer one cup to another apart from my opinion that sometimes it taste burnt like most English, and defintely all American coffee. At Caffé Santo Spirito the coffee is delicious but what really sealed the deal was that I noticed the baristas knew the names of many of the customers there when I first went in. Today it was confirmed as the right choice as with only three previous visits, I walked in and the barista placed un caffé in front of my place at the bar for me with only the exchange of "buongiorno".

My favourite coffee shot of the day however is the one after lunch in the department made in an electric moka. The modern functioning of an Italian classic surprised me but I am now tempted to get one.

La Specola

2010-02-21T13:32:00.001+01:00

So for one week now I have been working at the Zoology section of the Museo di Storia Naturale in Firenze, next to Palazzo Pitti. This section of the museum is housed in Palazzo Torrigani, formerly used as the observatory. As well as having the first Wunderkammer for public show, and an amazingly detailed collection of human anatomy wax models, the museum still contains old telescopes and an accurate meridian line. The view from the observatory tower is easily the best I have seen from anywhere else in the city.

On Monday, after a thirty minute stroll to work along the Arno, I arrived at the museum and met my supervisor. In true Italian style we first went for a coffee in a cafe a few doors down from the museum. I was introduced to another colleage who then took me for a tour around the museum. I got to see the public rooms, as well as the more interesting collections not on view. My favourite room was the one that housed the herpetological collection. It was once a corridor leading straight through to Palazzo Pitti but is now shelved on either side and stocked full of jars containing frogs, salamanders, lizards, and snakes, and also bags with whole crocodiles and turtle carapaces in. The museum also has a spectacular skeleton room, open only for special bookings. No photos are allowed to be taken in there even by staff which was a shame because the two echidna skeletons in there were just the cutest things.

When I worked at the Natural History Museum in London, a specimen there helped me decide that the shoebill stork was my all time favourite bird. Walking past it everyday on my way to the office always made me smile. So I couldn't quite believe my luck when I came across an almost identical specimen of this species in the Florentine equivalent ornithological collection.

No specific tasks had been set for me to do when I arrived, so the week was spent doing different and interesting work, apart from one day when I sat in front of a computer doing nothing much, which reminded me of how bored I got with my last desk job. I arranged display cases, labelled up specimens, corrected the translation of a scientific paper, checked the entire collection of lepidoptera for parasites, stuck pins in coleoptera, drowned echinoderms in alcohol, and looked through important anatomical literature from the seventeen and eighteen hundreds. I will be doing some GIS work next week, so I can say I am not wasting my education being here in Italy but I am really looking forward to doing more mindless tasks to make the day pass quickly before experiencing the wonderful lust for life that is evident when the sun goes down and the Italians come out to play.

Che bella giornata

2010-02-07T15:39:00.001+01:00

After a couple of grey rainy days in Firenze, I woke up this morning to see bright blue sunny skies. My four hour walk took me along the parks flanking the Arno all the way to the foothills east of the city. It was the perfect way to spend my first Sunday back in Italia.

Chocolate festival

2010-02-06T18:42:00.002+01:00

Seeing as I'm not the biggest chocolate fan, the exhibition I went to in Santa Croce wasn't that impressive, although some of the chocoholic girls I went with couldn't get enough of it.

Scuola di lingua

2010-02-05T15:03:00.003+01:00

I have just finished my last Italian class for the week. On Monday we had a test to determine what level we were at. I was put in the intermediate class which I was happy about. Every day we have a two hour grammar lesson and then a two hour vocab and conversation class. Although most of my classmates are not as comfortable with the language as I am and I have not learnt anything new yet, it is helpful practising the grammatical structures formally.

We attend the London School in the north end of town. There are posters of big red buses and there is a tube map on the wall, so I have constant reminders of home. As expected with such a name, the school mostly teaches English to Italians. The three different teachers we have are lovely but it is obvious, and true, that they have not taught Italian much before.

For once in my life I am being good and studying outside of class on my own. We will have to wait and see how much I have improved at the end of the two week course when I have to take another test to see which standard European language level I am at.

Codice fiscale

2010-02-04T19:33:00.003+01:00

This morning I headed to agenzia delle entrata to get my codice fiscale. After all I had been told about the queues, I was in and out within quarter of an hour. I told the man at reception what I was there to do and he gave me a short form to fill in with my name, date and place of birth, and my address in Firenze. Then he gave me a ticket number for a counter in the other room and commented on my "beautiful smile". I got called almost straight away. The man at the desk counter entered my details on the computer, checked my passport, and printed out a piece of paper with my tax code on. Codice fiscale - done!

Il mio apartamento

2010-02-02T18:59:00.002+01:00

On arrival at the tiny airport of Firenze, I found out the apartment I would be staying at had changed. For whatever reason the Tuscan organisers had to swap apartments round, I thank them greatly. Our apartment is absolutely stunning - two ensuite bedrooms with spacious power showers, washing machine and dishwasher, satellite channels on the plasma screen in the open plan kitchen, dining, and lounge area, excellent central heating, free wi-fi, and situated off a gated courtyard right in the city centre. Also, the apartment and our linen is cleaned every week for us. Talking to the other scholarship participants in different apartments, we certainly hit the jackpot in all respects. Life couldn't get much better for me right now.

Leonardo da Vinci Scholarship

2010-01-29T14:41:00.010+01:00

As I was about to leave Italy last year, hoping and dreaming I could return soon, luck was by my side when I came across an advert for the EU's Arts and Culture in the European Society project, part of its Lifelong Learning Programme. Having no previous jobs in this sector, I thought I would apply on the off chance of being accepted to get paid work experience in Florence for 10 weeks. My application was successful and so now I have a great opportunity to try something new. With accommodation and travel paid for as well as a stipend for food, this has turned out to be an easy way to set up my new life in Italy. I have ten weeks with a cushioned temporary position which should be plenty of time to then sort out a permanent place to live, a full time job, and get tangled up in whatever red tape is necessary.

The first two weeks of the programme includes a language course. I am comfortable in conversational Italian but having no formal teaching, I am looking forward to understanding the language a lot better. After that I will have eight weeks working. I will not be told where or what my placement is until I get there but it is likely to be in one of Florence's interesting and beautiful museums or galleries. To be honest though, I don't mind what my placement is as I will just be too excited about being back in Italy.

There are twelve of us heading to Italy for the Leonardo scholarship (the name is perfect given our destination, but the scholarship is organised for other countried and other sectors too). At a brief meeting the other day, the predominantly female group seemed friendly and diverse enough to have a good time with. We drew lots on apartments and I found out that I will be sharing with three other girls not too far from the main train station.

Given my thirst for socialising the stipend I get given isn't as much as I had hoped, and as I don't want to dip into my savings just yet, I may find a part time evening or weekend job in a bar. It's been three and a half years since I've worked in a pub or club but the happy memories are still fresh in my mind. Having such a no responsibility job for a while is greatly appealing. Working in a gelateria is another ideal option although I have a funny feeling a job opening selling gelato and granite - la dolce vita - will be harder to find.

What am I doing?

2010-01-27T00:39:00.003+01:00

After having an amazing 2009 travelling around for a living, I have decided to stay still for a while and just live in my favourite country. I was not planning on blogging my 2010 adventures of setting up life in Italy but as before, the thought of having to send out group emails, or repeat myself to everyone that asks, has made me think that I will just put it out there for the world to see, if and when they want.

I thought I wouldn't have that much to say or that the blog wouldn't be that interesting, but when I started looking online to figure out what red tape I have to battle with in starting a new life abroad, my happily unexercised brain began to hurt. Reading official, unofficial, guide, and governmental websites, I found the information to be contradictory and mostly out of date. So with this blog I am going to provide a public service for any EU citizen moving to bella Italia in 2010, or until they decide to change the rules again. By documenting what I have to do to get the necessary paper work, to find a job and a place to live, to sort out banking, and noting how long I have to wait queuing for the required registrations, hopefully I will save other people's heads from hurting. However, I have been warned I may spend a while feeling like banging my own head against a brick wall because of Italian bureaucracy. Whatever trials and tribulations I may face, it all adds to the adventure of Mala in Italia.