Category Archives: Blog Post

The other day my son asked if I have a “narrator,” or voice in my head. Apparently, he had heard some people do and some people don’t.  “What do you mean by ‘narrator?’” I asked, just to clarify, even though I was pretty sure I already knew.  “It’s a voice you hear in your headContinue reading “Meditation, Italian Prison and the Voice in my Head”

Since we moved to Italy, I’ve been working hard to learn Italian. It’s a bit tricky, being a whole new language and all. Fortunately, I found a couple good Italian classes to help me out. The other day, as I was leaving class, I ran into a new acquaintance who said, “I really want toContinue reading “Misadventures in Italian”

I may have mentioned that driving in Italy is like playing Grand Theft Auto. I’m already a timid driver, with a strong interest in not getting hit or hitting others. So, Italian driving is a bit of a challenge for me. Recently, my son asked to go visit a friend in Florence, about an hourContinue reading “My Big City Italian Driving Adventure”

Living in a new country is full of the unexpected. Some unexpected things are big (like Italian driving). Others are small (like having to weigh, bag and sticker your own produce before going to the register). It’s just part of adapting to a new culture and it keeps you on your toes. Recently, I ranContinue reading “Adapting to a New Culture”

Once, when we lived in Western Washington, I was driving my middle son to school and he said, “Mom, what’s that thing in the sky?” I said “What thing? Where?” He said, “Right there – it’s like a big spaceship looking thing.” I looked and sure enough, hovering just behind the clouds was a weirdContinue reading “It’s the Little Things”

So there I was, in need of a dentist in Italy. As it turns out, the best, English-speaking Italian dentist was located in the heart of Pisa. As this area is a spider’s web of one-way roads and vehicle restricted zones, I decided to park outside the historic wall and walk 15 minutes to theContinue reading “Funny Dentist Stories: The Italian Dentist”

A year or so ago, a dentist noted that my back left molar was slightly cracked. It wasn’t terrible, so he said we could wait and keep an eye on it. Four months ago, a different dentist noticed the crack and recommended the tooth be capped ASAP. He explained that if we didn’t cap it,Continue reading “Funny Dentist Stories: I Didn’t Go To Dental School”

Driving in Italy is like a sport. Actually, it’s more like a back alley, black market, underground, live-or-die “sport” like chicken-style, to-the-death drag racing or subterranean cage fighting. It’s fast, it’s furious, there are no commonly observed rules, and it’s definitely survival of the fittest. I knew all of this well before we moved toContinue reading “Learning How To Drive in Italy”

After five months of waiting, the paperwork for our move to Italy was complete (the first set, at least), the official passports and visas were in hand, the house was sold, the car was shipped, the other cars were sold, the Unaccompanied Baggage was on a plane, the Household Goods were on a boat, andContinue reading “Moving Pets Abroad: The Great USDA Debacle”

That initial feeling of ecstatic glee lasted for weeks. I couldn’t believe it; we were moving to Italy! Italy. My lifelong dream was about to be realized! I was walking on air. Then, slowly, insidiously, something else started creeping in; a different kind of feeling entirely. It was a strange feeling; not anxiety or stress;Continue reading “How We Moved to Italy – Part Two: Feelings”

Ok – so, how did we end up living in Italy? Let’s start at the beginning. Way back at the beginning. Like 1980’s way back. Back to when my dream of living in Italy first formed. Back when I was just a little girl growing up in the small town of Lolo, Montana, a one-stoplightContinue reading “How We Moved to Italy – Part One”