The Process of Moving 3

The movers work fast and are very professional. Idle chit chat aside they are doing a great job even if every single one of them smokes. We move into the hotel tonight.

Our living room with 2 couches all wrapped up and bubbled taped for safety.


Deme's office is not ready to be packed up. He waited until the last minutes to prepare.


Now he has his stuff on the floor of my office. What a disaster!

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The Process of Moving 2

This weekend was full organizing and stress, all compounded by the fact that our daughter is a continent away. Demetrio is on his way to Rome to pick up a few remaining items that he has at his mom’s house. I am staying in Torino working on getting rid of as many things as I can in the apartment (some people got away with some really great stuff) and waiting around for landlord to decide if he would like to come see our kitchen and possibly buy from us. Our original landlord passed away about seven months ago and our apartment has now passed on to one of his nephews. This new landlord has been very lukewarm about stopping by, but I think Demetrio put some pressure on him. He has agreed to drop by tomorrow at 3:15 p.m. I happen to really like our kitchen. The idea of tearing it down and shipping it in a container in pieces back to Seattle is really something I do not want to see happen. I am hoping the landlord will realize its value and keep it for his next tenants.

We have only this week to cancel the telephone, Internet, gas account, bank account, return to our company car, see friends and take care of all other loose ends. I sent out a stock e-mail (something I never do) to friends and family informing them of our new mailing address and phone number. Everything seems to be moving so fast. After a long and bureaucratic existence in Italy for the past two years, Microsoft Redmond really has its act together.

Our cupboards are now empty, our refrigerator bare. The past two nights we have been eating dinner at the Chinese place on the corner from our apartment. Our friends have been stopping by to say farewell. Most of them are happy for me and a bit jealous themselves. In unison, they agree that I belong in the states. I had a wonderful time in Seattle and I was sad when the two weeks ended, so I must say I’m looking forward to moving. I’m looking forward to our new health/company benefits, a complementary membership to a gym for Demetrio and reduced cost/membership for me (they have a childcare facility for members); I’m thrilled that I will be closer to my sister. She has been taking Veronica on daily walks since I’ve been gone. We will be able to live in our condominium again (with its Jacuzzi tub and two-car garage). I think most of all I will look forward to being close to good friends and to feeling as if I am an equal partner in society.

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The Process of Moving 1

Moving really is one of life's most stressful situations. Demetrio is due to start his new job on April 1. That gives us exactly 1 week to have the apartment packed up, cleaned and vacated.

We arrived back in Torino yesterday, I have bragged for years that have never once got jet lag but last night I couldn't go to sleep until about 5 a.m. I think part of me really missed Veronica and going to bed without her in the house was just about unthinkable.

(My two weeks in Seattle were wonderful. I got to reconnect with my sisters Sara, Anna and Kentra as well as many friends. I think this is the right move for us. I know Demetrio feels a bit defeated that he did not make our life in Italy work but even he agrees that moving back to the states will give Veronica many more opportunities and it will make our lives a lot easier. Of course his mother is very upset by the whole move but she understands that he must go with the job is.)

I woke up around noon and was overwhelmed with all the organizing there was to do. Microsoft is allowing us an air cargo shipment of 300 pounds or is it 300 kg? (which arrives at its final destination in about two weeks) as well as a 40 foot container which arrives in Seattle in six to eight weeks. Our task today was to separate out everything that went in the air shipment and everything that was going to go in the container. I was disappointed that the moving company will not allow us to bring any food items. I spent today distributing all of the dry goods in the kitchen amongst good friends.

We were successful in selling (at dirt cheap prices) our dishwasher, stove, oven, big screen TV, DVD player, audio receiver, Braun multi-mixer and other miscellaneous appliances. We ended up giving away smaller electrical items and all our liquor and some of our wine too. Part of me feels like we're losing a lot of our personal belongings and the other part of me feels like we're lightening the load. We have two more days to tidy up the apartment before the movers come. As each hour passes the apartment becomes emptier and emptier.

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Everything Must Go!!!!

We have one week to get rid of all the stuff in our apartment! Yikes. The movers will come on March 28th (when we are back from vacation) and do a small air shipment then provide a larger 40' container for the rest of the stuff. If you are in or near Torino and are in need some gently used stuff. Leave a comment or email me!

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We are in Seattle

We are in Seattle and so no new posts for a week or more. It is very official, we are moving back to Seattle in April. More later as my mom and three sisters are also here doting on Veronica and we have been busy, busy, busy.

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Cutting the Apron Strings

My husband left Italy for the first time when he was 21. He came and went once more when he was 28 and now he is leaving for the third time. His mother is of course very sad at the thought of us moving back to the states especially with Veronica. The reality is she has two daughters living in Italy and with us in the United States she will have many chances to come and visit. Her plate at this moment is quite full and she takes care of her two grandchildren full time and one another grandchild part-time. She also is managing her household as well as another rental property. Her dream of having all her children living close by is shattered for the moment. (We never said that we did not want to come back someday.)

In preparation for a move, Demetrio has started going through and deciding which things to want to take with him to the states from his mom’s house. (Yes, he still has things stored at his mom’s house.)

A Short List:

Old tax returns/diplomas/Boy Scout diary
Old photos
Bags of old love letters and correspondences
A T-shirt given to him by his first girlfriend when he was 14
Many old clothing/shoes/belts
Over 300 vinyl records
Boxes upon boxes of books
Things for the kitchen
Old VHS tapes ( including Wham Live in China, Katrina and the Waves, Now 6, the making of We are the World, and many many more.)
Old cassette tapes (things copied from the radio, tapes made by old friends, Belinda Carlisle, and many many more.)

One of the things I like about Italy is that it is not as disposable a society as the one we have United States. People save things for ages, men and women ride around in 25-year-old bikes with flat tires and rusty spokes. There are many old cars on the road, and if you leave something outside the dumpster, someone else is bound to come and pick it up. Things are recycled repeatedly and I think it is a good thing but leaving boxes of junk at your mom’s house is not a good thing. Her basement is full of her children’s stuff; she has even rented an attic space to store all the things for children leave behind. Now that we have begun to really scale down in preparation for a move, I wonder if she feels like she/he the apron strings are being cut forever because the next time she opens up a closet, there will not be anything of Demetrio’s left in her house.

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Mission Accomplished w/Autoscuola Montebello

I can pat myself on the back because today I passed the second exam required to obtain my Italian drivers license. I started the day very early and had to be at the driving school at 7:30 a.m. There were four of us taking the exam today and we were accompanied by two instructors in two different cars. We were driven to the area in which the exam would be given. As we pulled up to this nondescript street, I was surprised to see five other cars from various auto schools parked in the same area. Each auto school had four to eight students that were to be tested today.

Our examiner arrived 15 minutes late and to our dismay this was the first time he would be giving driving exams. Our instructors did not know him and did not know his methods. We were all wondering if he was going to be strict or lenient, would he be soft spoken or loud and most importantly would he be gentle. We paced and paced and paced as we waited for him to arrive. Normally the driving exam’s range from about 10 to 20 minutes but we would not have such luck today. Being it was his first time to give the driving exam he took each of us for a 30-minute ride. I was the last one to take the exam, everyone before me passed and I was left quite frozen as I had been standing on the sidewalk and waiting for an hour and a half. (The owner of the auto school told us this is the way things are done even in winter. He offered me a seat in one of the instruction cars that was not being used. In addition, I was also offered a quick trip to a bar in case I needed something to drink/eat and needed to use the restroom.)

When it was finally my turn, I was as nervous as can be even though I have been driving for over 15 years. (I had practiced driving exams yesterday and the day before yesterday for about an hour each. I have not driven a stick shift in over a year but it was no problem.) The examiner told me to relax, to breathe, to obey the rules of the road and not to drive like a Formula 1 driver. As I drove, I was careful to use my signal lights, to look In my mirror’s, to turn my head and body completely as I backed the car up, to give precedence to drivers on the right and I was super careful when I navigated around a giant traffic circle. In the end after a rather anxious 30 minutes, I passed the driving exam and walked away with a new driver’s license. With this new drivers license I can drive anytime I come back to Italy and anywhere in the European Union. It expires in 10 years time is a €300 I think it was worth it.

I must say a few words about the auto school that helped me get my driving license. Marta, Nino and Adriano were wonderful to me. Marta drilled me on street signs and the rules of the road for two straight weeks. Never once did she raised her voice or get frustrated when I forgot the rules. Nino, her husband accompanied me to the DMV to take my oral exam. He was the picture of calm as he paced the waiting room on my behalf, giving me tips here and there while encouraging me. Adriano took me for two separate practice-driving exams and showed me the theoretical rules of the road. He never once got annoyed and treated me with the utmost respect. I cannot say it enough good things about this auto school. They cater to foreigners and have helped countless people get their driving license. If you are in Torino, near the center of town you definitely have to check them out. Give them a call today. Even if you are not from the area they may be able to give you some valuable advice.

AutoScuola Montebello
Via Montebello, 4B
10124 Torino
+39 011.88.23.94


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Driving School-The Practical

After a short four days in Rome, I came back in Torino to immediately begin my driving lessons. The driving school that I am attending has arranged for me to take driving lessons this Thursday and Friday before my test on Saturday morning. I was very nervous before the practice lesson began. I feel very secure about my ability to drive but very Insecure about possibly being watched and judged by the examiner.

Boasting is not something I do often but I must say I feel (in my honest humble opinion) that I drive well. In fact, I pay more attention, follow the speed limit, avoid using my cell phone while driving, and generally obey the rules of the road more than most Italians do. Today while we were on our way to see Veronica’s pediatrician, Demetrio had to kick the car to get it to stop at a pedestrian crossing. Even with the baby in tow, some Italians just do not like to stop for pedestrians.

My driving lesson began like this: the instructor drove to a quiet part of town and showed me how I should be driving. I took note and then within a few minutes got in the drivers seat. The cars used by driving schools have two sets of foot pedals, one on the driver side and another set on the passenger side. These are the only type of cars that the public is allowed to use during the driving exam. I find them somewhat strange but I guess the second set of pedals is useful in case of an emergency.

I was quite nervous because after having driven for over 15 years of accumulated many bad driving habits. For example: I have a habit of putting my right arm behind the headrest of the passenger seat while I am backing up and looking backward. I also tend to turn the wheel by grasping the wheel on the underside. Both of these things are not allowed. I drove for an hour and a half today but still do not feel that I have put these bad habits away for good. I have another lesson tomorrow morning and I will let you know how I progress.

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