June 28, 2008
In today’s posting, I thought I would take some time to answer some of the many questions which we have been asked. I haven’t figured out how to make the comments you have sent be seen on the blog. I thought I had picked the little box (es) that would, but so far, everything goes to my gmail account. So, here we go:
Are you & Kim happy? So sweet to ask and absolutely yes. With each day, I am happier with Alessandria as we wander the streets and learn more about the city. Another discovery is their interest in live arts. We are hoping to take in some outdoor concerts we have seen advertised. Even though we won’t be going, there’s also the national women’s championship soccer event that will be happening in a couple of days. Last weekend there was a national horse show jumping contest. My point being that it’s a thriving community with a decent amount of "happenings".
Do you have a stove? Do you cook? Say more about your apartment.
Yes, we have a small stove and the burners are gas while the stove is electric. The kitchen and living room are all one room. There is an immovable table attached to the wall that serves as our dining room table as well as my food prep area. We virtually have no counter space. I have been taking on the challenge to cook with the meager assortment of utensils and pots and pans that came with the unit. I would say I’ve done a pretty good job and have enjoyed the challenge. As some of you already know, I am the cook and enjoy the role. Kim does the cleaning up after meals. We try to eat in a lot because it’s one way we are saving money for travel but we still are enjoying some of the quick take-out at the bakery, etc. I was very happy to have found pinto beans and already have cooked a pot of frijoles with Spanish rice. One of our first purchases was a little grill/Panini maker that we both love; we have had some pretty great salami, ham, cheese Panini’s. And, of course we’ve had our share of pasta as well.
I love the shopping and have to be reined in. The number of little markets with all the fruits, vegetables, cheeses, meats, B R E A D S sends me right to heaven’s door and I do go a little crazy. Just this afternoon, Kim and I had a little chat about perhaps aiming for a budget….
Rachel can- and will- in another post go on and on about the food/groceries. We also have a pretty good sized bedroom with one wall ceiling to floor closet space. We have to use one of the kitchen chairs to put our clothes away given how tall and willowy we both are… And it even comes with a wall safe! Feels very European somehow, hiding the family jewels behind the art.
Did you bring enough clothes? HA! Kim and I are both chagrined at all the clothes we brought; but how did we know? Alessandria has turned out to be a pretty casual city and is very much like Seattle with pretty much anything goes. We have both been surprised to see the number of people wearing shorts and tank tops (locals- and no, we don’t). At this point, I think we both could have managed with one suitcase apiece and would have been happy….plus, all the other "things". Packing was a difficult process because it just wasn’t packing for a quick trip; the one year thing got me. Now I realize that what one brings for a couple of weeks could also easily suffice for a year. But again, how could we know? To spare Kim any embarrassment, I will not blog how many pairs of pants she brought; sadly, I am not too far behind. We even have a box in Seattle for winter mailing; we are going to see how winter is here before we add to our closets.
Will you buy a car; how about a bike? We won’t buy a car; too expensive and we will rent one if we decide to travel where there isn’t enough local transportation. Cars, by the way, seem to be a great love for the Alessandrian locales. Even thought this is a very walkable city/town (with its’ totally sweet skinny cobblestone roads) and everything seems so available and close by, people here like to drive. The cars are mostly small size—lots of Smart Cars, Mini’s, Citroen’s, Fiat’s, etc. But also, barreling down the little streets are some larger cars that look very oddly out of place. There is a power hierarchy: no matter what, the car takes precedence unless there’s a stop sign. The wheeled hierarchy goes car, scooter, and bicycle and always, the car goes first. As a pedestrian, it is up to us to move out of the way, watch for cars coming down the small streets and always give them the right of way; this often involves a lot of dodging in and out on our part. Do not play with this rule.
Regarding a bike, that remains a big question. They don’t seem to sell them used and the least expensive new was just about 200€ (about $300). Not more expensive than the US but we are only here for a year and since we can’t find anywhere that sells used, we don’t know if we’d be able to sell them upon departure. I am thinking that I may put up a sign at the local Alessandria informational bureau where they have ads for jobs, housing, etc.
Then what about road rage? It has been amazing to me how rather smoothly things flow given the potential for being hit or accidents between any sort of wheeled vehicle. We did see one young man; I will call him Testosterone Boy, get into an altercation with Mr. Expensive Ferrari Man. As much as I could figure, TB tried to pass MEFM and this is a no, no. Streets are too skinny for double lanes and passing, so whoever is in front, stays in front. Testosterone Boy (who I would say is about 16, very skinny, and is seen zooming about town regularly on a LOUD motorcycle) pulled over and when MFMB saw that he did too. Mr. Expensive Ferrari Man had it all under control and he began giving TB quite the lecture about the rules and his behavior (or so we think). As you would guess and expect, TB argued back but it was obvious that he was out of his league. He then (MEFM) gently tapped TB on the shoulder and walked back to his car (which I was just walking by). I quickly got out of the way because, sure enough, both of them zoomed away engulfed in their post-encounter frustration.
What’s up with you and phones? Why can’t you just buy a disposable cell phone for a year? How hard can this be? Well, here is where I am going to get a bit defensive because Kim and I do know about cell phones and phone cards, and their operation. It is just that ‘We are in Italy’ and that makes all of the above just a tiny bit more complex. We have decided to not buy a cell phone. There are many brands, contracts, etc. and we just don’t think we need one. We are waiting with anticipation to get our home phone with internet line and that it supposed to come on Monday. After several tries in different places, we were able to call Seattle yesterday from an outdoor pay phone. And, even that wasn’t the easiest. We had to try dialing about 25 different times before I looked at the pay phone wall and saw that there were directions in many languages. (Which begs the question, again, how hard can this be, girls??) From that information, our call did go through and we were happily connected. Just a tiny discomfort was the booth (with door open) which got to be about 100 degrees and the sweat poured forth.
So, a home phone, internet connection with Skype is what I am with great anticipation, awaiting. Kim has, however, forewarned me to no expect it to work. I have told her that I will block the door and not allow the technician to leave until I see it’s all connected and the internet is working. (and what happens AFTER il technico leaves? I’ll be heading out the door with Signor technico if, tardi, il computer ѐ non funziona).
What is the time difference? We are 9 hours ahead of Seattle (Pacific Coast Time); 8 Mountain, 7 Central and 6 East Coast.
What is your formal address?
Kim Nicholas and O. Rachel Diaz
Via Verona, N. 41
15100 Alessandria
Italy
Please do not send clothes.
Cribbage 10-8 ….Hollywood 21-14 as it should be… USA, USA USA all the way (cuz we’re bigger and much more obnoxious-except for all those crazy soccer fans).
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