The Undocumented Bear

Note: This article has been updated for clarification and correctness. KS

I have a friend named Azim, who was my student a couple of years ago when he first arrived in Trieste as a refugee. We have run into each other on and off since then and now I am working with him and his friend Abbas to help them run their own micro business. 

Here is what I can tell you about Azim. It's actually not much because he would rather talk about the present than the past and I don't have enough cultural literacy to be able to interpret the information he has given me into something more. 

He is 32 years old. He was born in Afghanistan but his family fled to Iran because his country was at war. In Iran he lived in a refugee camp and then in the city of Asfahan. He was never recognized by Afghanistan as a citizen and he was not recognized by Iran, either. Not being Iranian, he was not allowed to go to school in Iran. He began working in a tailoring shop when he was 7 years old. He became an expert tailor. He learned how to read and write on his own. When his father died, he decided to go towards Europe. After a long and arduous trip he ended up in Norway where he applied for asylum and worked as a tailor for two years. When his number came up, he was denied asylum and sent back to Afghanistan because that was where he was born. Having never lived there and having no rights there as a citizen (because he was never recognized there), however, he decided to try again, this time he ended up in Trieste. 

Have you ever met anyone without a nationality? With NO CITIZENSHIP? Can you imagine what that must feel like? Now, I don't want to go on a political tyrade here, but I do want to humanize for a moment the refugee situation we are experiencing here in Trieste. 

So I met Azim when he ended up in my classroom. What impressed me about him was how hungry for school he was. He spoke English quite well, but he came to the beginner class, too, just so he could be around learning longer. When he told us his story, I understood why. Our kids don't understand that school is a privilege. 

Sometimes when we teach we go to the sewing machines. It is pure, hands-on problem-solving in English. Azim  became everyone's teacher. He could sew so fast, and was so at ease with fabric and needles and thread while I just bumble my way through the basics. Sewing is  an art and mastery is a pleasure to witness. From then on, we begged Azim to volunteer for us when we taught sewing to children. He was so patient with the kids and what a gift to see sewing as a skill that brings people together.  

After that, we saw Azim less. His English classes had finished and he was busy taking other courses and doing internships as part of the city's unemployment programs. Each time he hoped that he would get hired. Mostly, however, companies rely on these programs to help them get by, as times are still hard economically in Trieste. 

He came to my office one day to talk. I knew what he was going to ask. All of our refugees come back at some point desperate to find work. They love Trieste, they say, but there are no opportunities here. I know what he means. Contracts are very hard to come by. Ask any new graduate. It is very difficult to find a full-time job. Add to that being a foreigner and things are even more difficult. 

I try to spread the word to my friends and acquaintances that my refugee friends are looking for work and they give the same downward-tilted shake of the head and the sigh that say I know, these are tough times. 

Everyone tells them that, too. They say they want to go to the UK, Germany, Denmark, and we try to tell them, even worse than Italy right now! Governments have changed, there is no more tolerance, people don't want to help anymore. But this myth exists. Somewhere there is a job for me. 

But I don't believe that crap. Nobody wants to hire anybody these days. It's that simple. If you want to make it you have to create your own business. I have written about this here before, so I am sorry if I sound like a broken record, but THE FUTURE IS IN ENTREPRENEURIALISM, PEOPLE!! 

I could feel myself perk up with a little blast of Do-It-Yourself energy. 

YOU CAN SEW! YOU NEED TO MAKE THINGS!! YOU NEED TO SELL THINGS! YOU NEED TO RELY ON YOURSELF!! 

Duh, his look tells me, thanks for the MAN-SPLAIN, Karoline. As if I hadn't thought of that. 

He pulls out his phone, opens up the gallery and shows me photos of magnificent women's purses he makes out of used jeans. 

YES, I SAY! DO THAT! BUT NOT PURSES. Something else... 

We go back and forth for a while. He sticks on purses for a bit, I get stuck on baby clothes and baby blankets since my colleague is pregnant and I need to get her something. 

Then I get this BRILLIANT IDEA (and in this whole altruistic affair, let it go down in history that it was my dang idea!! At least that!!). BEARS. Yes, Bears made of Used Blue Jeans. 

He looks at me like I am wack! 

But at this point I have A VISION. I see the future! It is paved with teddy bears. And I remember that we have an embassy visit on Tuesday. 

Yeah, so, like can you make a teddy bear by Tuesday? And he is like, um, ok, I guess. And we decide to meet on Tuesday. 

In the meantime, I go back and forth on it. He will never do it on time, where are we going to get a pattern? What does this mean? How can he do this legally? 

And I make an appointment with an accountant, because if we are going to launch this super duper teddy business, we need to make it real, people! 

He basically tells me it can't be done. Unless they open a business and I am like duh, that is why I called you. I later found out it is even simpler than that if they start out as Hobbyists and sell at a few markets a year, but that is for another story. 

So fast forward to Tuesday. They come with TWO bears. One looks like a mouse, but I don't have the heart to tell him. Later in the meeting he says "One is a bear, the other look like mouse," so that cleared the air. 

We told the story. I threw some marketing magic into the mix. 

The symbolism of it all! Two hands up thumbs faced in, framing the pretend movie screen. 

A Bear (and a mouse)

A Refugee (and his friend Abbas, who sort of showed up and became part of the project)

What do we all need? Love, Security. 

Could these bears be the secret to both?

Fade out.

The embassy was enthusiastic and with American Corner Trieste they donated stuffing. The Salesian nuns donated used clothes, "Even the poor don't want to wear clothes that are torn and tattered, maybe the Teddy Boys can salvage something," said Sister Giovanna, and the Teddy Boys got to work.

They made 41 (forty-one) prototypes in about a week. Each one is marvelous and unique and dressed up with CRAZY COLOR COMBINATIONS. Seriously. They are gorgeous. They were the belles of the Fourth of July party we had on July 1st. Little people lined up while parents got out their wallets.

I thought I saw Abbas tear up when he saw the little girls choose outfits and then change them and change them and change them again. That was a turning point and perhaps the moment where he realized that Bears are kind of a big deal, and also that the CLOTHES are THE BEST!!

Then I thought about it. 

Bears, made in Italy, by men who are from Afghanistan but not really and Iran but not really and Trieste, but not really. 

Where will they end up? And where will they tell people they are from?

The bears are refugees too. They have no real documentation except the receipt we give people who  buy them. They do not have passports. Some will get stuck in suitcases and flown to distant destinations, especially since my mom got a hold of a picture of them and ordered ten for her friends and neighbors.

Another is on its way to New York next week.

Will they be turned away at the border?

If they are allowed to stay, will they be able to vote on important toy issues?

There are no clear answers yet. I will keep you posted.

Photo: Lucia Villegas

Italian Taxes if American and Self-Employed

I don't know about you, but when I left the states in 2003 I expected to kiss my retirement goodbye. I had no idea that there was such thing as international pacts between countries and totalization agreements so that you can still retire even if you live in another country. I found out last year by accident and now I am doing my best to get my ducks in a row so that I, too, can someday enjoy my golden years...

First thing to know about living and working in Italy: If you work for an Italian company, you will pay your social security, which is called INPS, here in Italy. This means that for most people there is no issue. You should still do your American taxes each year but you will probably be exempted from having to pay anything there because you can't be taxed twice and you will have paid more here than you would have paid there anyway.

Everything changes, however, if you are self-employed. Once you open a VAT number (Partita IVA), you need to check out the table below. Here is the link.  

Note: This is an agreement between Italy and the US. Each country has its own agreement, so take a look at the Social Security website to get your info if you are living abroad but in another country. The rules are probably different.

What I want to highlight here is that if you are a US citizen, you should pay into the Social Security system in America, and NOT IN ITALY if you are self-employed. You need to get yourself a certificate of coverage BEFORE you start working as a self-employed person, otherwise you will have big problems, like I am having now after paying into the wrong system for 6 years. OUCH! If you do pay into the wrong system, like I did, you need to start paying into Social Security and send a copy of your tax documents to Social Security so that they can then issue your certificate of coverage and you can use that to ask INPS for reimbursement (you can only go back seven years).

If you are a dual citizen (American & Italian), you can choose to contribute to either the US or Italian system. I would encourage you to contribute to the American system for three reasons.

1. You only need to make 10 years of contributions as opposed to 20 years in Italy to ensure a minimum pension. You have to wait until retirement age to collect, of course, but everything you pay over the minimum is good news for you.

2. If you are married to an Italian or any other person who has never paid into the American Social Security system, they have a right to a pension of their own, which is calculated as 50% of your pension. This means that if I receive 1000 dollars per month, my husband has a right to a pension of 500 per month in addition to my pension.

3. The American system pays more, especially if you decide to work PAST retirement age. I know you are full of energy, so this may apply to you. If you are doing well and retiring early on the other hand, more power to you, that is my goal too!!

Another thing to consider. It is better to collect social security from one country or the other, not both. Once the countries know that you are collecting from another country (and they know because countries talk to each other), they reduce your benefits by up to 50% on both sides. Just so you know.

Let me know if you have any other issues about social security you want me to address here and I will do my best to find out how things work for you. Otherwise, I will update you on my progress of getting my situation in order.

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Summary Of Agreement Rules

The following table shows whether your work is covered under the U.S. or Italian Social Security system. If you are covered under U.S. Social Security, you and your employer (if you are an employee) must pay U.S. Social Security taxes. If you are covered under the Italian system, you and your employer (if you are an employee) must pay Italian Social Security taxes. "Certificate Of Coverage" section explains how to get a form from the country where you are covered that will prove you are exempt in the other country.

Your work status	Coverage and taxes
You are a U.S. National working in Italy:
For a U.S. employer	U.S.
For an Italian (or other non-U.S.) employer	Italy
As a self-employed person	U.S.
You are a U.S. national working in the U.S.:
For an Italian employer	U.S.
As a self-employed person	U.S.
You are an Italian national working in the U.S.:
For an Italian employer (or Italian-controlled business)	You may elect either U.S. or Italian coverage (see "Election Of Coverage" section)
For a U.S. (or other non-Italian) employer	U.S.
As a self-employed person and you are a resident of the United States	U.S
You are an Italian national working in Italy:
For Italian employer	Italy
For a U.S. employer or as a self-employed person and you are a resident of the United States	You may elect either U.S. or  Italian coverage (see "Election Of Coverage" section)
You are a dual U.S./Italian national working in Italy:
In employment or self-employment covered under both systems	You may elect either U.S. or  Italian coverage (see "Election Of Coverage" section)
You are a dual U.S./Italian national working in the U.S.:
In employment covered under both systems	You may elect either U.S. or  Italian coverage (see "Election Of Coverage" section)
As a self-employed person	U.S
You are a third country national regardless of the employer:
Working in the U.S.	U.S.
Working in Italy	Italy

How Much Money Will I Make in Trieste

This is a question I get a lot from people who are thinking about moving to Trieste. The answer is, in Triestine fashion: BOH! It's difficult to know. While I can't give exact numbers, I can give you some things to think about as you plan whether or not you want to come, and what your life will be like once you get here.

As with all things in Trieste, the process is slow and arduous. Spoiler Alert! You should come here with a financial safety net. If you are desperate for money, then I would suggest you go to a city with a more dynamic work market or take a little time to pay off your debts and simplify your life.

Other things to keep in mind.

1. There is no pre-existing job for you here. You have to create it.

2. If you don't speak Italian you will not go very far. This is a good reason to have a safety net-- it will give you time to learn the language enough to be able to work.

3. It will be nearly impossible for you to find a job BEFORE you actually come here. This is hard for anglo-saxons to get, but the human connection is important here. Your CV isn't enough.

4. If you are a woman,  you are the most difficult to employ unless you are in your early 20s (I have written a lot about this in the past. I will have to dig up the links).

5. If you are over 40, idem.

6. Pay attention to the kind of visa you are using to stay in Italy. That will also determine whether or not you can work legally.

7. Could you live on HALF the salary you currently make? Try it for a couple of months.

8. If your identity is deeply linked to your Career, you will probably be disappointed here.

I know this sounds depressing, but finding your niche here takes a while. Some people give up before finding it. If you are patient and can find lots of other reasons to be happy, then you will love it here.

Working with Italians and Put the Pig in the Bag are Out!

Yes, finally, the books that Klementina Koren and I wrote and self-published are available on Amazon. The one in English is called Working with Italians and it is a set of lessons learned and diary-type gossip about the work we have done helping Italian companies communicate abroad. The Italian book is called Put the Pig in the Bag.  My brother, Ed Steckley, a hot-shot artist in New York, was kind enough to do the covers.

Spoiler alert, we don't talk much smack about the Italians (except the ones who aren't good at making decisions, homophobes, and a couple of scoundrels). We do go into some detail about cultural differences and what makes the Italians, and the Americans, tick. It is a story with two voices:  mine and Klementina's.

This is the link for the English version called Working with Italians.

This is the Italian version , Put the Pig in the Bag, and yes, you have to wait until the end to understand why.

Like any good story, there are always two sides. Klementina Koren published the Italian version and translated my words into Italian, I did the English version and translated her words into English. How's that for teamwork?!

For a complete picture, I suggest you read both, of course.

What do Wine and Non-Profit Language Schools have in Common?

I went to Vinitaly for the first time this year for a consulting job. I got back last night. What an experience.

It made me think a lot about the wine business and what it has in common with what we are doing at the Italian American Association (I know this seems like a stretch, just give me a second to develop the thought).

A couple of years ago, after a project working with Michelin-starred chefs in Dubai (of all places), I came back to my role at the Association with a renewed sense of purpose. Hanging out with people at the highest levels of Food & Bev can do that to you. They have such a different approach to the things we do every day (eat & drink) that you can't help but be inspired by them.

They are artists, poets, philosophers. They talk to the food, they hear the voices of the grapes, in short, they are two steps away from Wacko. But that is what makes them so special. They hear the voices and they Honor them. We get to high-five the angels through their good works.

You would be crazy not to want to apply that to whatever the heck it is you do in life.

So I decided it was high time we concentrated on the Experience we were offering our students and members, and their families, too. I was set on creating a Michelin-starred language school.

Step one. New toilet seats. You can't have a Michelin-level school without new toilet seats. That was a no-brainer.

Done. Then came the intangibles.

We had to focus on creating a top-notch quality environment for our teachers and volunteers. Our mindset changed. We wanted to create a Professional Environment our people would be proud to work in. It turned out to be easier than anticipated. It quickly became a sort of group decision. We had to all agree on it for it to work, actually. We started to see that we were part of something Bigger than ourselves-- something that hadn't been done yet in Trieste.

Our internal team of teachers are Libero Professionisti with a VAT number. You can say what you want, but for those of us who have done it, we know that when you open up your own (albeit small) business, you are defining yourself as a professional. That, and you come face-to-face with the reality that you have to be great at what you do if you want to survive and eventually thrive. That gave us an even greater impetus to succeed.

Choosing the best teachers is important. Keeping them, even more so. Quality and consistency are the value we offer our students. We started to collaborate more, have teachers co-teach, develop materials together, go on the road to present at teaching conferences here and abroad. We concentrated on learning, and giving the best of the best and not worrying about what money was coming in. Leave the fixation on profit to the for-profit schools. We wanted no part of that.

Fast forward a couple of years. Vinitaly. I am working with producers of Verdicchio di Matelica in the Marche region. I am talking to the President of their Consortium of Producers. It was like talking to one of my colleagues. It's like, this guy totally Gets It. 

1. Identify with your product. I am my wine (Association). 
2. Quality =  Respect. 
3. If you have a quality product, the money will follow. 

Over the last five years we have increased our number of students by 400% without sacrificing the quality of what we do. In fact, most of them come back year after year. The money was not our focus and yet it came anyway.

Could it be that our Association has more in common with producers of fine wines, than with other language schools?

Hallelujah everyone!!

Amen.

Did you know...

...that if you are American (dual citizens have a slightly different option) and have a Partita Iva in Italy you are supposed to pay into the AMERICAN Social Security system and NOT INPS for your retirement??!

No??

Hey, me neither. But there is this agreement here from 1978!! You want the Italian version for your Commercialista? Here you go.  Here is an overview of the agreement in detail, but in English. 

I will walk you through the process as I do it. This should be fun!!

More to come.

Italy Vs USA: The Banking Edition

Americans believe:

I will make MORE MONEY NEXT YEAR. I can spend NOW.

Italians believe:

I may NEVER MAKE MONEY AGAIN. I'd better save today.

American banks and Italian banks also think differently, especially when it comes to credit. American banks love to give it. Italians do not. The average American has a walletful of cards to choose from. Italians, not so much. Banks stateside and here on the old continent differ on Customer Experience as well (Disclaimer: the thoughts, opinions and declarations of this blog are purely personal and not meant to reflect the thoughts, ideas and/or opinions of all ex-pats living in Trieste, although they often do...) Americans care about it, Italians don't.

I was in my large, unfriendly Italian bank a few weeks ago gathering information on my very expensive credit card (1) and debit card (1) to make sure I could use them internationally and find out how much they would hose me for getting cash abroad.

Here is why I hate my bank (and the hospital and schools and public offices and basically all other Italian Institutions): NO RECEPTION DESK. You walk in and it's like entering a wild jungle. No clue where to go, who to talk to, everyone is pretending they're busy.

The only thing I understand at my bank is what the ATM does.

Finally, a lady came out of one of those private, off-limits offices peppered around the perifery and I walked in (I am probably not supposed to but there are no signs telling me what to do and I pounce on the opaque). I asked the kind (and obviously important) person who I should talk to. Oddly,  he said HE was the one (miracle!). He was even nice. Most people who work in these places are, once you get their attention, and that is the hardest part. He printed up all of the information I requested. When he felt like he had satisfied my every banking desire, he changed the subject and raised his tone of voice to communicate EXCITEMENT about a NOVITA'!

Actually, he was required to get my signature on an18-thousand-page document explaining the change in conditions on my credit card. This was pre-empted with a sales pitch:

"STARTING NOW, YOU CAN ROLL OVER  YOUR BALANCE ON YOUR CREDIT CARD AND PAY IT OFF IN 3, 6, OR 12 MONTHS WITH A LITTLE BIT OF INTEREST!!!"

Excuse me? This is the news? Isn't that why we call them CREDIT cards?*

So, let me get this straight. The ONLY advantage of my having a credit card up to now was that I could wait a month to pay rather than have my purchases (which I can afford because I don't spend money) come out of my account immediately with my debit card?

And I am paying 40+ euros per year for that?!

This bank (all Italian banks) is on the brink of collapse. I think about how much I pay in fees (started out as a free account but that change was another 18-page document to sign) for my account and products that are redundant. And to make things worse, I have to practically break into someone's office to get anyone's attention!

But I get like this every time I come back from the States. Forgive me.

I went back to Wisconsin last week. What struck me was this: it didn't matter where I went-- people were Deeply Concerned about my finding everything I wanted to find. It was a little much at times, but, I also had the feeling that even my lamest whim would be treated with Absolute Urgency.

My mom's bank is comfortable and inviting like a friend's living room. It has puffy chairs for when you have to wait (but you never do) and a machine with free (and good) coffee.

I mean, is it really so hard? Note to Big Unfriendly Italian Bank on the Brink of Collapse: let's work on our communication skills, shall we? And while we are at it, let's sharpen our long-term vision rather than short-term gain.

I am taking my business online, I decided, once I pay the fees to close my bank account (yes, it costs you money to close!!). The service is basically the same, but at least the webpage gives you clear and transparent information.

So there!!

*I pay my balance off every month because I learned good credit card habits when I worked at Bank One in the credit card department in college (my worst nightmares include a headset and a ringing phone that I have to answer like this: "Bankcard Customer Service, This is Karoline. Bankcard Customer Service, this is Karoline..."). Want a cure for the shopaholic blues? Work with credit cards.