After a long sweaty trip to Verona our life in the north is coming together. We went up to go apartment hunting and stayed with one of D’s friends who is also in the air force. I had met him a few times in Rome while he was here but I was excited to finally meet his wife, but I found out she was down in Puglia with her family. D thinks we will really get along and she is in the same boat as me: living in a new area, military husband, no job and lonely. She sounds hilarious and that we have a lot in common-another added bonus of moving!
We visited apartments ranging from a hole in a wall near the train station (EW) to a HUGE apartment with 2 balconies overlooking Via Mazzini (For you Romans think Via Condotti/Via del Corso). I was in love with it but it was just barely above our price range. I was surprised how cheap rent is there compared with Rome-def works to our advantage. We also looked at a really pretty attic apartment a tad out of the center, but it had a view of the entire city! On foot it was about 10-20 to Piazza Erbe (we are trying to live car less the first year). Add another 10 minutes to get to D’s office and it seemed too far away. It was also on a hill and there wasn’t so much as a grocery store or a bar near, being that the apartment was flanked by a convent and a monastery. We were going to go for it anyway when we found the PERFECT place! It was just around the corner from the Via Mazzini apartment, so the street intersects with Via Mazzini but it is a on a side vicolo (which equals less foot traffic/tourists/noise). Plus, Bershka is on the corner-heaven! So the apartment is completely remodeled, and actually when we looked at it, the bathroom was gutted and being completely redone. In all ways it was perfect: size, location, newness, and rent. We would def be able to manage the city with bikes and walking. The apartment has a huge bedroom, a living room a separate kitchen and dining room and the bathroom. All for under 600 euro per month (our budget from the military)!

The owners were not in town (they live in Mantova) when we called initially but told us to stop by and look at it as the workers were there. We immediately called them back after looking at it and told them we wanted to take it. The bathroom won’t be done until the end of the month which is perfect for us since we want to move in the beginning of August. We offered to drive to Mantova but they told us they were actually vacationing in Garda and to come down (accomplishing my secret mission to go to the lake during that week even though D had initially poo-pooed the idea since we were not on vacation).

The next day we went to meet them. They were an old retired couple and were extremely nice. We chatted for a few hours and signed the lease.

I can’t wait to move!!! It’s even more exciting now that I can picture where we are going to live.

Tags: apartment in verona, Bershka, Italy, Jessica Romes: Road Trip!, moving, Moving within Italy, My Neighborhood, renting in Italy, Shopping, Verona, Via Mazzini

We FINALLY found out when Daniele needs to report for duty in Verona: September 1st. This means that we need to find an apartment in July since Italy closes during August. I am really excited. This gives us plenty of time to find the perfect pad and move calmly. We are heading the Verona the first week of July to hopefully find something and sign a lease, then move during July/August. D has almost all of August off of work so it should be fine. The earlier the better, since things like internet and the like can take weeks to set up.  We have a lead on a great place near the river-it’s gorgeous and in the center-hopefully it will still be available when we go up there.

In other news: I am feeling a lot better. Basically back to normal. Still have to get another round of x-rays but I think the worst is definitely behind me.

Stay Cool.

Tags: ciao rome, finding an apartment, heat, moving, Moving within Italy, Verona

Well, I dropped out of language school a few weeks ago. It started with being sick, then it was being out of town and then my pre paid 3 months was up. I didn’t really feel like forking over another 450 euro. So for the last few weeks I haven’t studied at all. Just when I think I am managing just fine without school, the barman at our neighbourhood bar made fun of me. Everyone thinks just because I am shy and don’t ramble on in Italian that I don’t know how to speak, or at least say “un Caffè”. Here’s how it all went down: I was at the bar with my suocera (mother in law), we were on the way back from my doctor appointment (more on that below) and I was kind of spacing out when he said something. I didn’t say anything back because I didn’t think he was even talking to me and I was deep in my own thoughts. Then he said something along the lines of “She still doesn’t speak any Italian?!?” Then my MIL said told him no only a little. At this point I had realized he was talking to me and in Italian asked what he had said. Apparently he wanted to know if I take my coffee in a tazzina o un vetro (a little mug or a shot glass). For one, no bar person has ever asked this to me, and two WHO THE HELL CARES!? The thing that really pissed me off was how I had just had a visit with my doctor and talked to him for a half hour in Italian about my medicine, how I was feeling and the upcoming plans for my medication. Did I mention this was ALL IN ITALIAN? Then when I don’t hear the bar guy ask me what my preference in coffee cup is, I am told I am basically an idiot for not speaking Italian. I know it’s not his fault, but I got no love from the MIL either. I mean, I talk to her the most out of everyone and our whole relationship takes place in Italian, but in her opinion I speak very, very little. I think maybe she is like protecting me from being embarrassed. I don’t know. I also think that people don’t actually realize how shy I am sometimes, especially when I have to think really hard before I speak. I don’t know, it’s just annoying to me. It makes me feel like I have made no progress even though I know I have. So after that whole scene I came home and signed up for Cyber Italian. I did the free trial and took the placement test and it seems pretty decent and a steal for only 40 dollars (not euro!). You get 6 months of self paced lessons, vocab, quizzes games and chats with a teacher and other students. I’m not sure what to expect, but we’ll see. I do know that I need some sort of structure or I just don’t study. I think this will be good for that.

****Ooohhh as I was writing this I realized there was a “chat with the professor” going on. I joined in and it was really fun! The teacher is an Italian living in Rome. I am quite impressed. Now I want to jump in and start the lessons. There are 2 chats a week, one in text and one over video. It seems cool and is 100 times cheaper than my school. I’ll keep you updated on how it goes. So far so good!****

Speaking of doctors (see above) I am so, so happy I have excellent doctors around me now. The one I saw the other day was my dermatologist. I have suffered from acne since I was like 14, it’s not the horrible disfiguring kind, but it’s enough to make me really self conscious. In the US, with my spotty medical insurance, I either couldn’t afford the treatments or the doctor, or they were reluctant to put me on anything other that antibiotics, which didn’t clear up my face and left my body virtually defenceless against everything that might require antibiotics (think really painful kidney infections). So basically I was screwed and still had zits. Now I have the best derm I have ever seen (and I have seen many). He is Italian and speaks no English. I glad I went with him regardless (I had a REALLY bad experience with an English speaking doctor in Rome, I will write about that soon). He had no hesitations putting me on accutane, something I have wanted forever. I am so happy! It’s been 3 months and my skin looks clearer than I can ever remember. I’ve had some gnarly side effects like back pain and crazy chapped lips, but it was nothing like suffering from the breakouts I had previously. Thank god I have universal healthcare, that’s all I can say.

In other news, I wanted to thank everyone for their advice on my blog conundrum. I still might switch over to a new site though LOL. I have great new ideas for a complete overhaul. I am kinda leaning toward moving and recreating a new pretty blog, but it is nice to know that if I get lazy none of you will care that much! Thanks buddies!

Still no word on our exact move date. GRRR. However, Daniele has been poked to death with all sorts of needles in preparation. He has to get every vaccine known to man since he will be in Afghanistan and Iraq. Poor pookie.

Tags: Learning Italian, My Neighborhood, Verona

In my head, my bags have been packed for months. Basically since D first applied to the job in Verona. My mental luggage is Coach by the way, LV is way too pretentious. People that have heard about the move have asked me why I am so eager to go, because Rome is beautiful and lalala. Basically, I like parts of Rome: the historical center, Trastevere, ect. What I HATE is where our apartment is. In NOWHERE land. To get to the places I actually like in Rome requires me asking for a ride to the train station (because it is out of walking distance, not because I am lazy), taking a half hour train to Tiburtina, then taking a Metro. So it’s like an hour of gross public transportation, and due to school I am required to do it twice a week. So on all the other days of the week I choose not to go through all these motions. The fact is that I live depressingly far from anything cool. Also worth noting is that my little villaggio consists of a tiny pastry shop, the forno, 3 bars and a pizza place. Oh and no sidewalks. Oh and people drive down the roads at 110kph. So walking to any these places is a death wish.

All this complaining leads me to why I have been mentally packing for months. It all has to do with simple math. Living in Verona + living in the center = Jessica is happy forever! (Someone remind me of this equation in case I ever complain about life in Verona).

Why am I so optimistic?

Firstly, D will be making more money, so we can can actually afford to do cooler stuff than we can here. Secondly, I have 80% of the say in where we will live. When I came to Rome, I had no choice. For the first few months I lived in D’s bachelor pad until I couldn’t handle the naked chick posters anymore. Then we remodeled and I was a little happier. If only we could transport our apartement somewhere else, everything would be perfect.  So basically I am the bridezilla of apartment hunting and have been scoping out gorgeous apartments in the center of Verona. They are not that expensive either. We are finding beautiful two bedrooms (notice not just 2 rooms in the whole apartment)  and even one with 2 bathrooms (I SO want this apartment!) and around 80-90 square meters for around 700 euro. Which is crazy to me because apartments in Rome are so expensive.  A few of my friends lived in absolute holes in the wall *shared* apartments for 500+ euro a month! Which is mental in my opinion, especially since they were far from the center (but not as far as me, but we don’t pay rent-the only positive). Back to Verona- A lot of the apartments have wood floors, which I love because it reminds me of my old bedroom in my parent’s house. The views are spectacular as well. All of these things combined make me very very happy.

Now all that’s left in my larger, more complicated “happy in Italy” equation is to make friends. (Ideally their names will be more varied than Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha, which are the only friends I currently have).

Tags: Jessica, Moving within Italy, Verona

Well they came! The official documents for Daniele’s transfer to Verona. Now all he has to do is go to Verona and take a class about working on the front lines. I guess I didn’t mention that he will have to go to Iraq and Afghanistan occasionally. So he has to take a week long class that retrains him on all the Geneva Convention stuff, rules of engagement, NATO rules and weapons training. Then we find out when we move, if it’s in June or September. I am crossing my fingers for June. I am so ready for a change.

I have only been to Verona once, but I loved what I saw. Here are some pics I took of places that will soon be all too familiar!

Tags: Moving within Italy, Verona

This my be premature, but I am just too excited NOT to post this! It is with 99% certainty that D and I will be moving to Verona! Can you see it now: Jessica in Verona! (I am putting that on my list of things to do blog wise). We are basically waiting for the official signed documents from the Italian Air Force to come through. D has “friends” in the troop relocation office, of course, so that’s how we were able to find out before the official movement announcement came through. Red flags were also raised when the NATO base he had applied at requested info on yours truly to do a background check. I guess they wanted to rule out me being a spy or something-haha. However, we had long given up hope that he would get the job when we heard nothing for months. I was shocked when D came home last night and said that Verona was back on! I am so happy for him because he will be working on a NATO base which is a huge step up in his career. I am also happy for me as well (hee hee). I am dying to get out of Rome and live in civilization northern Italy. The work contract is only 4-5 years initially so we would have the option to return to Rome in the future (basically we can come home if it sucks). The move may take place in either June or September, we will know more info once we get the official documents. I hope that you, dear reader, will take this journey with me. From my extensive Googling there doesn’t seem to be a ton of Verona expat bloggers, especially a fabulous 24 year old female blogger like myself. I will keep everyone updated as we find out more in the coming weeks! This is such a blessing and could not come at a better time for us. D and I are so excited to experience a different place together and build a better life for ourselves.
Please let me know if you have any info or tips regarding Verona or life in the north.

Tags: Moving within Italy, Verona