Sunshine, Vistas and The Illusive Permesso di Soggiorno

It's official! I am Italian!

It happened on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at about 12:30pm.  It was sunny day and the temperature was rising,  a rarity these days - I mean, I was so hot I took off my scarf! I was leaning against the wall at the top of Piazza Italia with my Brazillian friend and taking in the views of the Perugian countryside.

We were just chatting about life, friends, and where to get the best pizza in Perugia when I felt like someone was watching me.... so I peered over my shoulder just as this paparazzi snapped my photo!! Okay, so it was just a German tourist, but he thought I was Italian! That makes it official, right?  He showed me the picture which turned out to be pretty cool with the hills in the background and then he walked across the street to meet his wife. I am pretty sure he deleted the picture having burst his bubble when told him I was American. I mean, come on. Who wants random American girl in their romantic, whimsical Italian photograph?

Comunque (co-muuuunk-way: aka, my favorite Italian word meaning "anyway" or "whatever")... this was a sign!  At 3pm I was going back to the Questura to pick-up my Permesso di Soggiorno!

Cut to 3pm, Wednesday November 11, 2009:

When I arrived at the Questura there were about 50 people waiting at the gate. At first, the officer on duty wasn't going to let me through because my name wasn't on the list, but I insisted in a rather agitated voice, "No! La signora mi ha detto che devo venire oggi!" Clearly he realized he was wrong and I was right as I pointed to the date and time wrecklessly scribbled on the back of my documents: November 11, 2009 between 15:00 - 17:00. So, he let me in.

Since the sun was still shining and they had just called #24, I took a seat in the sun and waited for #63. Somewhere around #44 I started to wonder why my name wasn't on the list. It should have been on the list. How strange! I checked the date again: 10/11/2009. What's today's date? 11/10/2009? 11/11/2009?

Insert culture lesson here:

Did you know that in Italy they write the calendar date as day/month/year? I did, but I read it wrong. "Cazzo!!!!" I was supposed to be here yesterday. I am such an idiot! How on earth could I have done this to myself!!!! This is not a good thing. So much for being officially Italian today, Julia. (N.B: This emphatic "parolaccia" or "swear-word" sounds a lot less serious when I say it in Italian then in English which is why I feel okay screaming it in my blog. Cazzo!!!!)

I decided to wait for my turn since it had already been an hour, and frankly, what else was I going to do? Eventually, I would need an appointment at the Questura. I only hoped that I didn't have to go see the same guy I spoke to regarding my tatuaggio.

Here's the short version: I tried to explain politely that I had made a mistake, but the officer just looked at me like I was an idiot (warranted), yelled at me a bit, told me I would have to come back for another appointment, walked away, came back, spoke to his colleague, left again and eventually came back with my Permesso di Soggiorno. He took my fingerprints and basically threw it at me, as best as one can when standing behind bullet-proof glass. Then we joked about how we write the dates differently in the States. Sometimes, I think they just like to mess with you for fun.

So now I am offically legal (3 months later) and allowed to stay in Italy and study until July 2, 2010, if I want. I guess we will have to wait and see what the Spring has to offer. As for now, I'll see you in Philly for the holidays and will be in CA by the end of January...after that who knows what life holds for me. The good news is I can come back to Italy whenever I want... which I am hoping coincides with some more sun and warm weather! I am such a wimp! 

EuroChocolate 2009

 You may have heard the rumors....and they are true. Here it is EuroChocolate: 10 days of chocolate heaven. It would only have been more heavenly if there was actually free chocolate. Instead, you have to buy it. There are a lot of opinions on the worth of this chocolate festival -- cultural vs. commercial. In my opinion, it was awesome. Like I said, more free chocolate would have been nice. They did also sell these "Chococards" which gave you some free tastings and alleged discounts... but it didn't seem worth it, at all. In any event, here's what Perugia looked like for 10 glorious days in October....

Don't forget about Floppy, Goldie, Bonkie, Princess Georgia, Woody, Chickie, Jake, Spanky, Matteo, Maddy, Saddie and all other doggie relatives past and present :)

And it just keeps going and going and going.... chocolate covered banana anyone?

Italian 102: How to order an espresso

Given recent linguistic errors at the Questura, I have been traveling less and spent most of October focusing on improving my Italian. As far as language learning goes, it seems that I take one step forward and twelve steps back. I learn something new -- maybe a new phrase or a colloquial expression, and think to myself, "I am a genius! I finally getting it!" Then I order a simple espresso at the bar and I start to crack under the pressure. Let me just tell you that remembering the basic grammar is not like riding a bicycle. One forgets certain things. Often times, my errors involve the present tense of a verb.... i.e. I want, you want, he/she/it wants.... an espresso, please. Yes, sad but true.

In case you are wondering: Voglio un caffe espresso per favore.

Voglio - I want
Vuoi - You want
Vuole - He/she/it wants OR if you are speaking to someone and want to be very polite this is the "you" formal use
Vogliamo - We want
Volete - You(plural) want
Vogliono - They want

But really people, if you are going to place an order at the bar you should be more polite, and actually I prefer cappuccino: Vorrei un cappuccino per favore.

Vorrei - I would like
Voresti - You would like/ or would you like? get it? there's an interrogative here too!
Vorrebbe - He/she/it would like
Vorremmo - We would like
Vorreste - You(plural) would like
Vorrebbero - They would like

And it only gets worse. There are approximately 90 different ways to express a single verb. Actually, the pure knowledge of this fact alone makes me feel better about myself.

Sometimes, I enjoy thinking of my brain and my ability to learn Italian in terms of Perugia's topography. The Etruscans who first inhabited Perugia built this giant wall around the city. Take a look:

In addition to being very tall, it's incredibly thick  - like my skull. It's impenetrable - like my brain. Frankly, it's not very pretty - no resemblance there of course. And since it's ancient, it's kind of falling apart (read: as is my mental health when worrying about why I am not improving). I swear, I can hear a word 39 times and still not remember it. I can write it down, create sentences, use it in context and still, I will forget that slippery little word, invariably.

Sure, there's the periphery of the city, which is beautiful (obvious resemblance), but really, it's the center of the city, inside the Etruscan wall, inside my sad little brain, where life bustles and it just doesn't bustle quite as quickly as I would like these days... Nonetheless, school continues into November which will be my last month studying here in Perugia. I'll try my best and try not to drown. At the end of everyday, it's always worth it. Heck, I am in Italy people, life isn't that bad!

One last thought: Maybe if I understood English grammar my Italian would improve.... when was the last time you thought about a subject and predicate? Do you have any idea what that is? I don't.

Italian 101: Why Prepositions are Important (AKA please forgive me for my ridiculous statement)

So, about 27 days ago I had to go the Questura which is basically the civic branch of the Italian Police Department. The Questura deals with a tiny little matter know as "immigration". You may be familiar with the Italian immigration system and the necessity of the illusive "Permissio di soggiorno" which in English means, "Permission to Stay". This is all very important paperwork and one really wants to make a good impression at the Questura, as you might imagine. You should probably dress nicely and comb your hair. Remember to be polite.

On the other hand, if you are me, in addition to looking good and sucking up to the police-person behind the bullet-proof glass, you sort-of want to show-off your brilliant Italian skills.

All goes according to plan. I show up. I wait in line. Ten minutes later the policeman is looking at my documents. Everything is in order. He directs me to another room where I will have to go get my fingerprints taken. Got it. Go out the door, take a left, it's in the back of the building. There's even a sign outside that tells me where to go. No problem.

So I arrive at my second stop here at the Questura. I am the only one there! Excellent, no line, no wait. I feel a little sorry for all fifty of those poor people still waiting in line. The gentlemen in this new office is on the phone and directs me to take a seat. He doesn't really seem like a police officer given that
A.) He's dressed in plain clothes.
B) He's dressed worse than me.
C) He's on the phone discussing his cable TV subscription and trying to get a lower rate which he apparently saw advertised somewhere.
D.) While on the phone his really good-looking friend shows up to apparently just hang out.

So, I end up waiting about ten minutes and he hangs up the phone. Another five minutes later he invites me into the office. So, here I am with the random office guy and his hot friend. He takes my documents and starts entering information into his computer, offering his friend a tutorial on how this is done using my personal information as an example.

Occhii: Brown.

Capelli: Brown.

Altezza: How many centimeters are you?
--I don't know the metric system, I am American, sorry.

Tu hai tatuaggi?
--Pardon?

Tatuaggi??? Do you have any tattoos? At this point, he is pointing to his arms and legs, and to his friend who has a couple tattoos on his arm. His friend is pointing to his own tattoos and repeating the word. "Tatuaggi??? Tatuaggi??? Tatuaggi???"
--Si, capisco. Uhhhh, perche?

Per riconoscere una persona.
--Ah. So at this point they need to know if I have any tattoos so that God-forbid something happens to me or I commit a crime, they will have an additional resource to know who I am.
--Si, io ho un tatuaggio.

Dov'é?
--Nello mio culo. This is it people! This is the phrase that counts! Not only have a just used a slightly vulgar term for my butt - "culo" where I probably should have said "my backside" but I have also just used the wrong preposition.

Mi scusi? Dov'é?
--And I repeat it, like a fool! 

Propio dentro?
--Ahhh, no. No, I do not have a tattoo "in" my butt. I have one "on" it.

Sopra? Che cos'é?
-- No, not above my butt, on it. And no, I am not going to tell you what it is! Does this guy really think I am going to show him my butt tattoo?

And so here we are. We have just shifted away from any real need to even enter this information into the computer anymore and now we are talking about the tattoo that I may or may not have "in" or "on" my butt. This is my own fault. I mean how hard is it to remember the difference between "on" and ''in"???

So, I combed my hair, I dressed nicely, I was polite to a point, and then I tried to show off, or rather, I just tried to speak basic Italian. I have not yet received my Permisso di Soggiorno. Should this be my last blog, it's because I got deported.

Post Script: A fellow American I know recently went to the Questura to ask for the Perimisso. She followed the same steps that I did. The guy at the back office took her documents and said, "Americana? Do you know her? She's American too!" And then he showed her a photo of me. Way to go, Julia! Hai fatto una bella figura!

Tuscan Travels

One might think that blogging is easy to do.... I object! There are just so many things to say and so little time when one is busy wanderlusting through the Tuscan countryside. Life is just so hard these days! Don't hate me, but here are some photos from my recent travels around Italy.

Pistoia & Livorno by moto with my friend Riccardo.

Riccardo lives in Pistoia and I met him in Los Angeles about a year ago when he was working in LA. He still travels to LA frequently for work, but fortunately for me he's a native Italian and knows his way around Tuscany and took me to the sea...

 

Some pics as we walked through Pistoia. I really liked it here, it was like Rome on a much smaller scale and sans all the ancient Roman stuff. It had lots of piazzas connected by little alleyways with cafe tables spilling into the walkway. Don't ask me what's up with the statue of the three men, I forget and I am okay with that. Oh, and I skipped the churches here... I mean how many churches does a person see in Italy? I think I am finished with the church scene. Sorry mom.


Moving on to Livorno, also known as "the Santa Monica of Tuscany" so says Riccardo. Judging by these homes, I think that would be an accurate assessment. The motorcycle ride to Livorno through Tuscany was probably one of the best experiences (outside of visiting with family) that I have had to date in Italy. It was easily the most beautiful day ever. The only thing better than the ride, was the homemade lasagna Riccardo's mom made for lunch which was ready and waiting when we arrived at his parent's home in Livorno.

At this point, I would like to share two critical life decisions made while in Livorno: I am going to buy a cool Vespa the minute I get back to LA, and like this couple above, I plan on shamelessly make out in public from now on. I love Italy.

Where else have I been?  Well, I was also in Siena and the Chianti region two weekends ago, drinking wine and relaxing in the countryside. Additionally, I ate some wild boar for the first time which was amazing. I am salivating just thinking about it. Here are some pictures of Siena:

Il Campo and flags from the winning team of Il Palio, a horse race held every year in the Campo. Each horse represents one of the 17 neighborhoods (contrade) of Siena.

 So, here's the cool random note on Siena. The relic of the Sacred Head of Saint Catherine of Siena (patron saint of the city) has been preserved in the Basilica since 1383. It's a bit shrivled and grey, but it's totally a head.... see, I did make it into another church!Can you see it?

Also while in Siena, I met this guy who I am convinced looks exactly like cousin Frank Costa -- is it just me or does anyone out there agree??? 

 Speaking of the Costas.... here's a shout out to everyone of you... lots of representing in Siena!

So, where does everyone think I should go next?

Sunday Morning in Perugia

Ciao tutti! Sorry I have been remiss... just soaking it all in!

I walked up to the center of town today to meet friends for a mid-morning cappucino... or two, and a yummy pastry with marmalade. Yummmm.  It's a gorgeous Sunday morning and my walk gets my heart pumping a bit. The words "I walked up" may not carry the weight of my intended significance. Let me explain. Perugia is on a hill. The center of town is at the very top of this hill. All roads go up or down, most of the time. I walk up, literally, a zillion times a day. My calves perpetually hurt, but I will survive, and happily walk up if it means Italian friends and cappucino on Sunday morning.

Here's a pic of the center of town both day and night:  

The weather these days in Perugia is a little touch and go - one minute it's clear, sunny skies and the next minute the clouds are rolling in and I am caught in either a few sprinkles or an immediate downpour. And I still do not have an umbrella. This of course, is Mary's fault because 1/2 an hour before we left my apartment we "repacked" my bags and she told me I could buy an umbrella here in Italy. Right! I don't need an umbrella! Check! Except, I am sort of lazy about buying items I clearly need.... So, sometimes I stay at the caffé for a little longer than what is socially acceptable if it's raining.

So, a sunny Sunday morning has now become a slightly dark and wet afternoon with a crack of thunder every so often; a perfect day for studying and blogging! It's been 3 weeks now in Perugia and I am finally getting into the swing of life, school, and "per fortuna" friends.

Life:
I joined the community pool for the cost of about $65/month! A bit expensive, but necessary with all the pasta and chocolate pastries I find myself eating. I walk everywhere since it's very easy to get around the city on foot. Lots of great nooks and crannies in this town and beautiful views.

 

School:
Studying seemed like a full-impact sport the first week. My body hurt from sitting down for 4 hours. I needed a lot of sleep. How did I do this before? I am still considering whether I like the school. We seem to waste too much time in class which equals wasting my hard-earned dollars slaving away at the BluePlate. September is a month-long course as opposed to a semester, therefore the teacher crams as much as possible into the class with very little focus... October begins a 3-month semester so I plan on at least studying in October to see how it goes. Fortunately, just living in Italy is a daily study of the language. I read everything I can in Italian - the paper, Vanity Fair, and have picked up a few books in Italian I already read in English... and then I look up every 4th word in the dictionary. But it's working!

Friends:
I have been really fortunate to meet some great Italian friends already who are constantly correcting my Italian and teaching me all the hip and inappropriate things to say in Italian. Today I learned the phrase for "hindsight is 20/20" when talking about a girl that my friend dated a few months ago. He then proceeded to teach me the words he currently uses to describe her.  Having friends here certainly makes life more enjoyable and makes learning Italian tons of fun!

Well, I may have to brave the rain later for some gelato. For now, I am going to study a bit. Ciao Ciao!

Today's Super Lotto: One Cow!

That's right folks. I have entered the lottery in Brattiro, in Southern Italy, to win a cow!!!!!! The lottery, as I understand it, is sometime in September. I can either choose to raise my cow in Perugia on my balcony and/or in my bedroom or sell it for the equivalent of about $800. Or maybe if I win I will just give it to one of our relatives. In any event, I am super super super excited about winning a cow!!!!! Wouldn't you be???