Hey guys,
Welcome to my blog about our move to Trento, Italy. I (Susie) will be the primary blogger, but Tyson will occasionally step in with some writing of his own. I hope you will enjoy reading about our adventures and feel free to e-mail me with any questions or picture requests you may have.
My first reaction to the news: I had that feeling that you get when you win something--butterflies in my stomach and the urge to jump up and down. I had seen pictures of Trento and it looked so beautiful; I was very excited to get to live in such a lovely town. The first thing I did was call my family and let them know the good news. They were excited too, but admittedly a little sad that we were moving so far away. They thought we lived too far away when we were in NY. Hah. Tyson and I have started learning Italian using the Rosetta Stone and it's a great starting point. I can't wait to become more fluent in Italian, learn about their culture, and eat all their delicious food! Or as I can say now, I want to mangio the food and bevo the vino. Still a bit of learning to go.
A new culture: Although we are not yet in Italy, we've already learned some things about Italian culture. For one, it's very laid back and slow-paced. People take their time getting back to you and seem to go on vacation quite a bit. One of things I'll have to work on is just relaxing and not worrying about getting everything done in a timely manner. I think if you try to do that in Italy, you'll just end up stressed out. Right now, we're currently waiting on our "Nulla Osta" which means "Nothing Blocking" and will allow Tyson to apply for his work visa. Until we get that document we just have to be patient and wait.
When are you leaving?: Since I've been asked this question repeatedly by many different people, I figured I would put it on the blog for all to see. We don't know yet. But what we do know is that we're leaving NY on September 26th. Everything depends on when we receive our Nulla Osta, which can take a while to process. Until then, we'll just have to chill like a couple of Italians. We'll be in Texas while we're waiting, so if anyone wants to hang out, let me know!
Preparations: Tyson loves to make fun of me for this. I love planning things. For me, it's a way to relieve my worries about the unknown. Obviously a move out of the country is a huge unknown, so I've been busy packing away our things and getting things we'll need for the move. Ty loves to say "Why did you pack that thing up? I needed that!" Usually it's some fairly obscure kitchen tool that he hasn't used in about a year, but apparently needs for cooking right now. I still maintain that I haven't packed away anything too important, though I did regret packing away the wine glasses. I should have kept those babies out. Tyson, you win this time...
Sentiments: One of the coolest parts of moving to Italy (for me) is that my beautiful and wonderful mama was Italian. She passed away almost 3 years ago and I still miss her every day. I know she would have been so thrilled to hear the news and would definitely want to come visit us.
My mom wasn't from Italy, but she was raised in an Italian-American household. One of the biggest lessons she taught her 5 children was that "Blood is thicker than water" or "Il sangue non รจ acqua." This phrase is apparently German in origin, but I've always associated it with Italians because of how much they cherish their families. I think that's part of the reason their culture is so relaxed--their priority is hanging out with their family, not their job or career.
I really wish my mom could be here to see everything, but I know that this experience will be great for me and Tyson and we'll learn so much from it. I plan on learning everything I can about the country where my mom's family is from. I think it will help me feel closer to her.
Also props go out to my dad, who is also part Italian despite his French last name. Really we're mutts, what can I say? I look forward to you and the rest of the family coming to visit us! Thanks for all of your love and support over the years.
ROC peeps--I am going to miss you guys so much! What would I have done without you? When we first moved here 5 years ago, we didn't know anyone and you were all so friendly and made us feel right at home. I hope that we'll see you guys in the future at conferences and if any of you ever end up in the northern Italy area, please come stay with us! Maybe by that time we'll know enough of the language to show you around.
Ciao for now!,
Susie
