Mi Errore

Oh, the joys of learning a new language!  Nick’s Top 5 from 2013:

#5…At the Post Office
     “Per favore, ho bisogno un frescobaldi.” Clearly a sign of a hangover when you ask for a winery (among other uses of the often-heard Frescobaldi name), instead of a stamp (francobollo).

#4…At the Fruit Stand
      “Anche, tre pesce per favore.” The vendor's puzzled expression alerts you to having asked for “3 fish” (pesce) to be added your order, instead of 3 peaches (pesca). The good news is that you more quickly recognize this mistake…when you repeat the error several times over the next month!

#3…At the Meat Market
     Explaining in your caveman Italian that for dinner you’d like to make simple American-style hamburgers, and asking for a “mezza-kilo di cane macinata.” You think you notice a hint of a smile from the otherwise curmudgeonly butcher, who kindly gives you ground beef (carne) instead of the ground dog (cane) you requested. 

#2…At the Bar
     Casually flicking away something under your eye while talking with the bartender, who asks why you think he’s “up to something?!” A bar brawl is avoided when realizing that your gesture was inadvertently similar to the one used in Italy to suggest that someone is scheming.  


And #1…At the Bakery
     Many simple English words need only an “-e” or “-a” or "-o" added to translate into Italian: error is errore; carrot is carota; American is Americano. So, it seems perfectly reasonable to point to the delicious looking fig pastry at the bakery, while asking for “una biscotta di figa.” But this is a mistake you only make once, when learning that "figa" means you've actually just asked for a (term for female genitalia that wouldn't be used in polite conversation) cookie. Stupido Americano!

Happy Holidays!

Cheesy Creche

Combining two of Italy’s most dominant themes at a local supermarket, for a perfect Parmeggiano Presepio (parmesan crèche). Delizioso!

Holiday Hairdos

The typical haircut experience in Genoa could be an entire chapter in a book. Hole-in-the-wall salons are tucked into nearly every narrow street in the historic center, many of them appearing to have occupied the same spot -- and with the same décor -- since at least the 1800s! No appointments are taken, and you just have to hope that you drop by when the salon is open, the utilities are working, and the line is small. 



Such was our luck this last week, with the additional good fortune of a friendly father-and-daughter team who cut the girls’ hair. It was a(nother) unique experience, and with adorable results!

More Gratitude!

Our indoctrination into Italian bureaucracy finally came to a close, roughly 4 months after we described our early frustrations in this post. That inauspicious beginning was only a small step in what proved to be an epic journey to obtain our 1-year “Residence Permit”. 

Here are the Top 10 stops on our continued itinerary:

1. Navigating US bureaucracy to accommodate the surprise request for the girls' birth certificates, including international accreditation. Then having those birth certificates translated and officially stamped plus certified at another Italian government agency. Returning to the Questura (the Italian "General Headquarters of the Internal Police") to deliver those documents, and again test the girls' patience with the hours-long process.

2. Going through a finger and palm-printing session, while meeting and mingling with people from all over the world.

3. Receiving a form instructing us (sans kids) to attend a 2-hour session on "Italian Civic Formation and Civil Lifestyle in Italy"! Finding our way across town to attend the session in a former school building. Checking in with the staff and learning that the "session" was actually a multi-day, 10-hour course. (Apparently they have been attempting to change the mistaken information on the form for over a year, but the Questura software is too antiquated to allow for editing.) 

4. Scrambling to arrange childcare, while settling in for the “course”: which turned out to be watching dozens of painful, parody-worthy video segments (see sample below), designed to educate us on every aspect of the Italian constitution and government system. (As well as induce somnolence!)

5. The fact that the computer kept crashing was a source of slight comic relief, as we tried to help the IT guy explain to the administrator that the computers have inadequate memory to run the videos. The college students from India and Pakistan (needing the same Permit) did their best to feign interest, but ultimately succumbed to slumber! 

6. We decided to “cut class” for Day 2 (kids, don’t use us as role models!), since we couldn't arrange a second round of childcare help - an excuse both true and convenient. The administrators didn't have a way to handle our partial attendance and were unsure of the consequences, so we returned home to listen to Manu Chao’s 90’s hit “Clandestino”! 

7. Four weeks and fourteen inquiries later, we learned that our application had been processed and we returned to the Questura to pick up our Permits. However, we first needed to check a sheet of printed ID numbers posted inside an old kiosk on the street, to confirm our approval. Fortunately, we were listed. Unfortunately, that only meant we could get an appointment to return again in 3 days to retrieve our actual documents and permits. 

8. Back to the Questura to join the throng of people in the same situation, where we were given number 186 in the queue.

9. Waiting 2 ½ hours (including through a brief hail storm - a sign from the heavens?!), to have our finger prints cross-checked and then be given our 1-year Residency Permits! The girls didn't need to accompany us this time, and when we handed them their ID cards their first question was, “are the Questura visits finally done?!” YES…or at least we hope so!

10. And, finally, what we've learned is the customary last stop on any journey through Italian bureaucracy: opening a bottle of prosecco! 


In fairness, an Italian friend who went through a similar process in Portland pointed out that it's more efficient in the US, but no less daunting or bureaucratic. For us it was also humbling to go through a small slice of the immigration experience, both as a point of reference for what our ancestors went through a hundred-plus years ago (although in the opposite direction, under much more difficult circumstances), and for the challenges of contemporary immigrants. In this season of gratitude, it's another powerful reminder that our hardships really aren't that hard.

TuscAhhhhhhhny!

We spent a long weekend in Tuscany, meeting up with Uncle D (who joined us from Naples). As with all things Tuscan, we were treated to a feast for both eyes and stomachs.

Volterra:

     Our first stop in Tuscany, and our first fancy Italian dinner since arriving into Italy - made even fancier thanks to T!

                   

Siena:

     Spectacular sights, and an equally spectacular truffle-laden pasta. 

San Gimignano:

      Views and vittles combined, including a dessert feast for and of the eyes; a sweet finish to our weekend!

 

Thanksgivukkah

This Hannukah feels special not only because of where we are celebrating, but also due to the overlap with Thanksgiving. In fact, we learned that it will be more than 75,000 years before Hanukkah again falls on Thanksgiving Thursday: 11/28/79811! 

Thanks to the one synagogue in Genoa we were able to pick up Hanukkah candles, even if Smurf-adorned chocolate coins had to replace the standard gold variety. That was a source of amusement for the girls, but certainly hasn't diminished their enjoyment of the holiday, or the chocolate!