Triestini can spot their own kind from a Kilometer away. "You can tell by the way they walk... Check out those sunglasses!" My husband says, "Italiani in vacanza!!"
The Triestini say the Germans wear sandles with socks and, in summer, they are anywhere they can be naked (boats, nudie camping grounds, anywhere in Croatia...).
Americans are also abbastanza obvious. Use this guide and maybe you can fool the Triestini (not likely), or at least not stick out too much.
1. Yellow gold.
Leave it at home (it's considered old-fashioned) unless it's your wedding ring. White gold is okay.
2. The Diamond Engagement ring.
Triestini don't do engagement rings. They would prefer that money go toward a down-payment for their very own apartment or an awesome vacation. Two rings on one finger means you are a widow/widower and you are wearing your deceased partner's ring.
3. Bottles and Bottles of water.
What is it with Americans and obsessive hydration? American tourists can be spotted in European capitals wearing contraptions in the Baby Bjorn family designed for holding bottles of water. They seem to be hanging everywhere: on the backpack, over the shoulder, one in each hand. You might as well be wearing a sign that says: "I am not from here, please pick my pocket."
Having a bottle of water with you in your bag is fine. Many Italian cities have water fountains in various places where you can fill up your reusable bottles with "aqua del sindaco," and it is perfectly delicious (Trieste and Rome are great for this). Better yet, why not do like the Italians? Stop at a bar and order something to drink and have a conversation with someone or do some people watching! Be careful what you order if you don't want to stick out. According to my mother-in-law, "Water is for washing." She would order an espresso or a glass of wine.
4. White Tennies.
Italians prefer shoes that can work in both casual situations and in a professional context. Their reasoning is you can never be overdressed, only underdressed. For this reason, it is a safer bet to go dark, which is always more elegant than white, or, godforbid, dirty.
5. How you stand can make a difference.
This video by an ex-CIA Chief of Disguise explains that you can even spot an American a mile away because of how they have a tendency to lean on one leg rather than distribute weight evenly to both legs...
6. How you use space.
Americans are used to having lots of space and not having to touch anyone on public transportation. David Sedaris says you can spot an American on a metro in Paris because they "hug the pole" rather than hold on with one hand so that others can hang on, too.
Same with elevators. Americans will not get on a full elevator. They will wait for the next one. A European will squeeze in and be happy to be so close to the door so they can be the first off.
7. Going to the back of the line.
If there is a line, Americans will go to the back of it EVERY TIME.
I was just in Rome with American friends who have lived in Italy longer than I have. At the conference where we were presenting, they saw a line and went immediately to the back. I did not.
Like a good fake Italian (observer), I went to the front of the line to understand the situation. There were actually TWO lines: one for speakers (no waiting) and one for guests (big long line). I registered immediately and went back to rescue my friends.
All this is not to say that I don't look American. I do. I also sound American, but I do not look or act like a tourist. It's all about situational awareness. You want it to be clear that you know what's up!
You know me, I just want you to fit in!
Showing posts with label Working in Italy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Working in Italy. Show all posts
Monday, November 19, 2018
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Let's Stop Being So Available
I had a shocking experience in the Adult Classroom this week (it was not at the Italian American Association, but in a company). I realized that many adults can't detach from their cell phones anymore.
There have been cell phones in my classes for as long as I remember, but the difference is that in the past they were a discreet presence. You would do a hip grab to see if that ringing phone was yours, you might pull it out of your pocket to see who called or where the message came from, if you actually took it out all the way you would be genuinely embarassed to take attention away from those around you.
That has changed. Apparently people are now allowed to disengage on a near constant basis. What I mean by this is that they were physically present in the space (a small group course, workshop format) yet they continued working with their laptops and cell phones as if they were in their office and not in a classroom, and when I say working, I mean checking their emails and text messages and responding to them in real time all the while I am trying to teach the coolest lesson plan I have come up with in a decade and yet I am feeling like an analog dinosaur speaking in Morse Code because they are just NOT FOLLOWING ME AT ALL.
What I wanted to say to these people was this:
JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN BE AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY, DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU SHOULD.
The messages I received:
Real people are a waste of time.
Creativity is not useful.
The participant is in no way responsible for the success of a course.
One student even told me that she "tuned out" because I showed a video that was longer than 4 minutes. Wow.
So it was a depressing day because it didn't matter what I did, there was always going to be something better going on somewhere else.
And it hurt. Boy, did it hurt. I have never left a workshop with less energy than I had going in. I usually go home riding high on the energy of an excellent group making something incredible out of nothing.
At first I couldn't figure out where I went wrong.
Yes, there were a ton of unforeseen annoying obstacles because there always are. Normally we get past them with a little empathy and a sense of humor. Technology that doesn't work the way we want, a room that doesn't fit our needs, big whoop, we laugh and go to Plan B.
But this time there was no shared understanding. Instead, each glitch was an opportunity to check email again (and rack up nasty feedback points for the form at the end of the day).
Phones and laptops became barriers that never allowed us to connect as human beings, and that broken circuit made all the lights go out on the string.
There is a huge price to pay for this semi-presence.
1. It kills the vibe of an otherwise positive atmosphere.
2. It communicates disrespect for colleagues and the instructor.
3. It substitutes reflection with distraction.
4. It makes it impossible to create a productive working group.
It's not just in the classroom, though. Even in restaurants, chefs are getting annoyed at people taking constant photos of their food rather than enjoying the experience. One article I read (which I can't find at the moment) linked an increase in complaints for cold food with people taking longer to eat it because they have to photograph it first.
They say success is a string of failures. I count yesterday as a turning point (which is what you call a failure when you don't want to keep feeling like a loser) because it made me approach my next workshop differently. I planned like crazy, put as much paper material together as possible and ordered a room with only chairs. Then I made an excellently detailed plan with a disclaimer.
PARTICIPANTS ARE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED TO REFRAIN FROM BRINGING ELECTRONIC DEVICES INTO THE CLASSROOM.
And just to make my point, I turned off my own phone for an entire six hours. When I turned it back on, I was happy to note a good 15 different fires that had been addressed to me and subsequently (and rightly) extinguished by somebody else because I was not available.
There have been cell phones in my classes for as long as I remember, but the difference is that in the past they were a discreet presence. You would do a hip grab to see if that ringing phone was yours, you might pull it out of your pocket to see who called or where the message came from, if you actually took it out all the way you would be genuinely embarassed to take attention away from those around you.
That has changed. Apparently people are now allowed to disengage on a near constant basis. What I mean by this is that they were physically present in the space (a small group course, workshop format) yet they continued working with their laptops and cell phones as if they were in their office and not in a classroom, and when I say working, I mean checking their emails and text messages and responding to them in real time all the while I am trying to teach the coolest lesson plan I have come up with in a decade and yet I am feeling like an analog dinosaur speaking in Morse Code because they are just NOT FOLLOWING ME AT ALL.
What I wanted to say to these people was this:
JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN BE AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY, DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU SHOULD.
The messages I received:
Real people are a waste of time.
Creativity is not useful.
The participant is in no way responsible for the success of a course.
One student even told me that she "tuned out" because I showed a video that was longer than 4 minutes. Wow.
So it was a depressing day because it didn't matter what I did, there was always going to be something better going on somewhere else.
And it hurt. Boy, did it hurt. I have never left a workshop with less energy than I had going in. I usually go home riding high on the energy of an excellent group making something incredible out of nothing.
At first I couldn't figure out where I went wrong.
Yes, there were a ton of unforeseen annoying obstacles because there always are. Normally we get past them with a little empathy and a sense of humor. Technology that doesn't work the way we want, a room that doesn't fit our needs, big whoop, we laugh and go to Plan B.
But this time there was no shared understanding. Instead, each glitch was an opportunity to check email again (and rack up nasty feedback points for the form at the end of the day).
Phones and laptops became barriers that never allowed us to connect as human beings, and that broken circuit made all the lights go out on the string.
There is a huge price to pay for this semi-presence.
1. It kills the vibe of an otherwise positive atmosphere.
2. It communicates disrespect for colleagues and the instructor.
3. It substitutes reflection with distraction.
4. It makes it impossible to create a productive working group.
It's not just in the classroom, though. Even in restaurants, chefs are getting annoyed at people taking constant photos of their food rather than enjoying the experience. One article I read (which I can't find at the moment) linked an increase in complaints for cold food with people taking longer to eat it because they have to photograph it first.
They say success is a string of failures. I count yesterday as a turning point (which is what you call a failure when you don't want to keep feeling like a loser) because it made me approach my next workshop differently. I planned like crazy, put as much paper material together as possible and ordered a room with only chairs. Then I made an excellently detailed plan with a disclaimer.
PARTICIPANTS ARE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED TO REFRAIN FROM BRINGING ELECTRONIC DEVICES INTO THE CLASSROOM.
And just to make my point, I turned off my own phone for an entire six hours. When I turned it back on, I was happy to note a good 15 different fires that had been addressed to me and subsequently (and rightly) extinguished by somebody else because I was not available.
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Hooray For Useless Languages!
Today I went into my classroom and made the following list on the whiteboard. See if you can figure out what it all means.
International Cities:
Dubai, Budapest, Nurnberg, New York, London, Manchester, Paris, Lisbon, Bolzen, Rome, Florence, Bologna, Ancona, Milan, Sao Paolo, Dakar.
Professional Sports:
NBA, World Championship Sailing, World Championship Paratriathlon, Formula Indy.
Other Sectors:
Insurance, Toys, Tunneling, Engineering, Food and Bev, Wine business.
Did you get what they have in common?
My students couldn't figure it out either, so here the solution.
These are all of the cities (actually it is a partial list of just the sexiest ones) that I have visited for work in the sectors above (Formula Indy was not work but thanks to languages). I had all of these opportunities because I studied what other people called "useless languages."
The "useless" languages that led to these experiences were French, Portuguese and Italian. I have lots of others I am working on with varying degrees of commitment as well: Albanian (specifically Kosovan), Triestino (yes, it's a language), Wolof, Slovenian, and, most recently, Swedish.
What are your useless languages? Who knows what doors they will open for you.
International Cities:
Dubai, Budapest, Nurnberg, New York, London, Manchester, Paris, Lisbon, Bolzen, Rome, Florence, Bologna, Ancona, Milan, Sao Paolo, Dakar.
Professional Sports:
NBA, World Championship Sailing, World Championship Paratriathlon, Formula Indy.
Other Sectors:
Insurance, Toys, Tunneling, Engineering, Food and Bev, Wine business.
Did you get what they have in common?
My students couldn't figure it out either, so here the solution.
These are all of the cities (actually it is a partial list of just the sexiest ones) that I have visited for work in the sectors above (Formula Indy was not work but thanks to languages). I had all of these opportunities because I studied what other people called "useless languages."
The "useless" languages that led to these experiences were French, Portuguese and Italian. I have lots of others I am working on with varying degrees of commitment as well: Albanian (specifically Kosovan), Triestino (yes, it's a language), Wolof, Slovenian, and, most recently, Swedish.
What are your useless languages? Who knows what doors they will open for you.
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Get your Students to talk NOW
Today's post is about teaching foreign language. Specifically, I want to propose an answer and a solution to this question:
Why is it that practically everybody has to study a foreign language, yet so few people actually speak the language they are trying to learn?
Normally I address the student because we all have to take personal responsability for our language learning. This time, however, I address the foreign language teacher.
What students want: To speak the language so they can use it in practical situations (especially while traveling around the world on a mega yacht sipping mohitos with the movers and shakers). I know this because I have asked every student I have ever had.
What teachers teach: Grammar, which is more often than not taught in the native language and NOT in the target language.
Why do teachers get so hung up on grammar? There are several reasons.
1. It's easy to put a grade on because it is either right or wrong.
2. It's comfortable and familiar.
3. It is a teacher-centered activity (I teach, you take notes, then you do the exercises at home) and therefore easy to control and not noisy.
4. The pressure to follow "a Program"
5. So kids will do well on standardized tests.
Why do teachers teach in their language and not in the target language?
1. Because the students won't understand if I teach in the target language.
2. Because the grammar is so technical, they will lose something if I do it in the target language.
3. I don't feel comfortable teaching in the language because I am not a native speaker.
The problem with the grammar-based approach.
1. It encourages perfectionism, which is the enemy of language acquisition.
2. It is discouraging (see above).
3. It is difficult to apply to real life because the focus is on rules rather than usage.
5. It assumes there is a uniform "ideal" way of speaking (which does not exist) and therefore leads to impossible expectations and fear of judgement.
How many people do you know learned their native language by studying grammar? Just saying.
I feel that our job as foreign language teachers is to provide as much contact with the target language as possible (you can never get to the point of understanding a language if you never hear it. Simple). The LEAST we can do is use it as our teaching language. Will our students understand absolutely every word? Of course not. Each student will get something out of the lesson based on their experience with the language. The more experience I have, the more I will understand. That being said, I am the teacher, so I will use my entire bag of tricks to MAKE SURE my students understand what is really important in the lesson (that's what tone of voice, body language and cognates are for).
Anybody who teaches teens will know that you get the same blank look from students no matter what language you use. Try it, I am not kidding. So if this is the case, you have nothing to lose by teaching in the target language. It may even keep them a little more alert.
Our second job is to prepare our students to use the language in practical situations. This means setting into motion rehearsed conversations that we repeat a gazillion times until they become so automatic we don't have to think to use them, and we can bend them to fit our real life needs.
Here is one you can start using today in the first five to seven minutes of class. We call this beginning part of the lesson "circle time" because when children are little (pre school- elementary) we sit in a circle on the floor and go through the same information each time (How are you? How's the weather? etc) with flashcards and get them used to asking and answering basic questions. That repetition is comforting and gets them speaking immediately (with no worries about grammar).
Circle time from Middle School to adults looks a little different. I like to go around the room and shake each person's hand and have this individual conversation (I print up a copy and distribute it on day one. I write it on the board when I add a new piece, which is usually once every two to three weeks).
Phase one.
Teacher: How are you?
Student: Fine thanks and you?
Teacher: Fine thanks. Nice to see you.
Student: Nice to see you, too.
Phase one + Phase two.
Teacher: How are you?
Student: Fine thanks and you?
Teacher: Fine thanks. Nice to see you.
Student: Nice to see you, too.
Teacher: How was your day yesterday? (on Monday you can say WEEKEND)
Student: It was fine.
Teacher: What did you do?
Student: (choose one) I went out with my friends. I went to school. I stayed home.
Teacher: Great. Have a good day!
Student: Have a good day!
Phase one + Phase two + Phase three.
Teacher: How are you?
Student: Fine thanks and you?
Teacher: Fine thanks. Nice to see you.
Student: Nice to see you, too.
Teacher: How was your day yesterday? (on Monday you can say WEEKEND)
Student: It was fine.
Teacher: What did you do?
Student: (choose one) I went out with my friends. I went to school. I stayed home.
Teacher: What are you doing today after school?
Student: (choose one) I'm having lunch. I'm going home. I'm going out with my friends.
Teacher: If I were you, I would do the same! Have a good day!
Student: Have a good day!
FAQs:
Is it repetitive? You bet!
Is it a rigid conversation? Oh yes. No creativity required or desired. I make it clear that this is a formal conversation accompanied by a firm handshake and eye contact. Yes, even if it's the worst day of my life, everything is "fine". This is the rule of grooming talk in English.
Do I do this with every student at the beginning of every class? Yes, I do.
Isn't that a waste of time? No. Here's why.
1. I shake their hand and look them in the eye and we talk to each other. This creates rapport and the human connection that is so important for learning.
2. It is a clear signal that class is starting, yet gives them a moment to transition from their native language.
3. It becomes automatic for them, so it is a positive way to begin. If I don't do it, the students are disappointed!
4. I always remind myself that even if my students learn NOTHING from me, this conversation will be part of them for the rest of their lives. They can use it anywhere in the world and make friends immediately.
5. There is about three years of grammar in that little conversation!
6. I teach many types of students including students who have had bad experiences in the foreign language classroom. This conversation increases confidence, especially when they use it on a real foreign person and they are able to have a real conversation.
Is it noisy?
Yes, because students do not typically go silent the moment the teacher's back is to them and they are not in the spotlight. I don't mind this, as long as I can hear the person I am talking to. If the volume gets too loud, I stop and remind the class to be respectful.
The payoff.
Your students will use it on you even when they see you around town and hearing "Nice to see you" from your students is it's own reward.
We teachers need as many personal victories as we can get.
Why is it that practically everybody has to study a foreign language, yet so few people actually speak the language they are trying to learn?
What students want: To speak the language so they can use it in practical situations (especially while traveling around the world on a mega yacht sipping mohitos with the movers and shakers). I know this because I have asked every student I have ever had.
What teachers teach: Grammar, which is more often than not taught in the native language and NOT in the target language.
Why do teachers get so hung up on grammar? There are several reasons.
1. It's easy to put a grade on because it is either right or wrong.
2. It's comfortable and familiar.
3. It is a teacher-centered activity (I teach, you take notes, then you do the exercises at home) and therefore easy to control and not noisy.
4. The pressure to follow "a Program"
5. So kids will do well on standardized tests.
Why do teachers teach in their language and not in the target language?
1. Because the students won't understand if I teach in the target language.
2. Because the grammar is so technical, they will lose something if I do it in the target language.
3. I don't feel comfortable teaching in the language because I am not a native speaker.
The problem with the grammar-based approach.
1. It encourages perfectionism, which is the enemy of language acquisition.
2. It is discouraging (see above).
3. It is difficult to apply to real life because the focus is on rules rather than usage.
5. It assumes there is a uniform "ideal" way of speaking (which does not exist) and therefore leads to impossible expectations and fear of judgement.
How many people do you know learned their native language by studying grammar? Just saying.
I feel that our job as foreign language teachers is to provide as much contact with the target language as possible (you can never get to the point of understanding a language if you never hear it. Simple). The LEAST we can do is use it as our teaching language. Will our students understand absolutely every word? Of course not. Each student will get something out of the lesson based on their experience with the language. The more experience I have, the more I will understand. That being said, I am the teacher, so I will use my entire bag of tricks to MAKE SURE my students understand what is really important in the lesson (that's what tone of voice, body language and cognates are for).
Anybody who teaches teens will know that you get the same blank look from students no matter what language you use. Try it, I am not kidding. So if this is the case, you have nothing to lose by teaching in the target language. It may even keep them a little more alert.
Our second job is to prepare our students to use the language in practical situations. This means setting into motion rehearsed conversations that we repeat a gazillion times until they become so automatic we don't have to think to use them, and we can bend them to fit our real life needs.
Here is one you can start using today in the first five to seven minutes of class. We call this beginning part of the lesson "circle time" because when children are little (pre school- elementary) we sit in a circle on the floor and go through the same information each time (How are you? How's the weather? etc) with flashcards and get them used to asking and answering basic questions. That repetition is comforting and gets them speaking immediately (with no worries about grammar).
Circle time from Middle School to adults looks a little different. I like to go around the room and shake each person's hand and have this individual conversation (I print up a copy and distribute it on day one. I write it on the board when I add a new piece, which is usually once every two to three weeks).
Phase one.
Teacher: How are you?
Student: Fine thanks and you?
Teacher: Fine thanks. Nice to see you.
Student: Nice to see you, too.
Phase one + Phase two.
Teacher: How are you?
Student: Fine thanks and you?
Teacher: Fine thanks. Nice to see you.
Student: Nice to see you, too.
Teacher: How was your day yesterday? (on Monday you can say WEEKEND)
Student: It was fine.
Teacher: What did you do?
Student: (choose one) I went out with my friends. I went to school. I stayed home.
Teacher: Great. Have a good day!
Student: Have a good day!
Phase one + Phase two + Phase three.
Teacher: How are you?
Student: Fine thanks and you?
Teacher: Fine thanks. Nice to see you.
Student: Nice to see you, too.
Teacher: How was your day yesterday? (on Monday you can say WEEKEND)
Student: It was fine.
Teacher: What did you do?
Student: (choose one) I went out with my friends. I went to school. I stayed home.
Teacher: What are you doing today after school?
Student: (choose one) I'm having lunch. I'm going home. I'm going out with my friends.
Teacher: If I were you, I would do the same! Have a good day!
Student: Have a good day!
FAQs:
Is it repetitive? You bet!
Is it a rigid conversation? Oh yes. No creativity required or desired. I make it clear that this is a formal conversation accompanied by a firm handshake and eye contact. Yes, even if it's the worst day of my life, everything is "fine". This is the rule of grooming talk in English.
Do I do this with every student at the beginning of every class? Yes, I do.
Isn't that a waste of time? No. Here's why.
1. I shake their hand and look them in the eye and we talk to each other. This creates rapport and the human connection that is so important for learning.
2. It is a clear signal that class is starting, yet gives them a moment to transition from their native language.
3. It becomes automatic for them, so it is a positive way to begin. If I don't do it, the students are disappointed!
4. I always remind myself that even if my students learn NOTHING from me, this conversation will be part of them for the rest of their lives. They can use it anywhere in the world and make friends immediately.
5. There is about three years of grammar in that little conversation!
6. I teach many types of students including students who have had bad experiences in the foreign language classroom. This conversation increases confidence, especially when they use it on a real foreign person and they are able to have a real conversation.
Is it noisy?
Yes, because students do not typically go silent the moment the teacher's back is to them and they are not in the spotlight. I don't mind this, as long as I can hear the person I am talking to. If the volume gets too loud, I stop and remind the class to be respectful.
The payoff.
Your students will use it on you even when they see you around town and hearing "Nice to see you" from your students is it's own reward.
We teachers need as many personal victories as we can get.
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
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.
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!!
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.
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 |
Friday, July 20, 2018
Why I Can Finally Blog Again!
I have been strangely silent, I know. But this is because I was feeling STRESS about my situation with Social Security and INPS. Here is what happened.
Italy and the United States have a special agreement when it comes to paying taxes. When you become self-employed, you are supposed to pay Social Security in America, not in Italy (INPS) if you are American. (Dear American ex-pats in other countries, For international agreements between the country you are living in and the U.S., you will want to check, beause there are different agreements for each country). The problem with this is that your accountant in Italy will not know this and your accountant in America will not know this, so you are liable to pay twice (which really hurts) or, (like I did) pay once, but in the WRONG COUNTRY and then have to pay again in the correct country before you get reimbursed in the wrong country, so either way, you pay twice and (in shallah) get reimbursed later.
To show that you are exempt from paying INPS in Italy, you need a Certificate of Coverage from the Social Security Administration. This is no problem if you request it at the time you become self-employed. In fact, my friends who learned from my mistake got theirs no problem. At that point you just send a little letter to INPS telling them to cancel your position with INPS and you hold on to that Certificate of Coverage in case you get audited and the Italians want to see the proof.
Today is a day for celebration because.
I RECEIVED MY CERTIFICATE OF COVERAGE
and
I SENT IT TO INPS.
Now let's just say a group prayer that INPS pays me back with the Quickness because I had to pay a giant tax bill in the states (and who knows how much the penalties and interest will be. It gives me tremors just thinking about it!) even though I ALREADY PAID THIS MONEY IN ITALY.
Here is why it was worth doing.
1. It's the Law. And I was breaking it without understanding that.
And I am NOT A RULEBREAKER.
2. This little-known perk: My Italian husband who has never paid into the American Social Security system now has a right to his own little pension (half of mine in addition to the one I will receive) which he can claim even if we get divorced (as long as he doesn't get hitched again).
3. The number of years you need to contribute to the Social Security system in the US is 10 years (or 40 credits, which is the equivalent of 10 years of work) to be in the system, so everything you earn above that is gravy. The longer you stay and contribute to the system the more you receive when you are retirement age. In Italy you must contribute at least 25 years to get the minimum. Keep in mind, even in America, the less you contribute, the less you will get later.
4. When I moved to Italy I thought I was kissing the idea of a pension goodbye forever. I didn't know anything about Totalization agreements back then, so all of this has changed my view of being an old fart. Now I can't wait to get old!!! ;) For those of you who don't know what a totalization agreement is, it just means that many countries count the years you worked in other countries towards your pension. Great news for expats who paid their taxes in the foreign country.
Now that this situation is on the tail end of being solved I have found my desire to blog again without complaining.
See you soon and I hope you are enjoying your summer!!
Italy and the United States have a special agreement when it comes to paying taxes. When you become self-employed, you are supposed to pay Social Security in America, not in Italy (INPS) if you are American. (Dear American ex-pats in other countries, For international agreements between the country you are living in and the U.S., you will want to check, beause there are different agreements for each country). The problem with this is that your accountant in Italy will not know this and your accountant in America will not know this, so you are liable to pay twice (which really hurts) or, (like I did) pay once, but in the WRONG COUNTRY and then have to pay again in the correct country before you get reimbursed in the wrong country, so either way, you pay twice and (in shallah) get reimbursed later.
To show that you are exempt from paying INPS in Italy, you need a Certificate of Coverage from the Social Security Administration. This is no problem if you request it at the time you become self-employed. In fact, my friends who learned from my mistake got theirs no problem. At that point you just send a little letter to INPS telling them to cancel your position with INPS and you hold on to that Certificate of Coverage in case you get audited and the Italians want to see the proof.
Today is a day for celebration because.
I RECEIVED MY CERTIFICATE OF COVERAGE
and
I SENT IT TO INPS.
Now let's just say a group prayer that INPS pays me back with the Quickness because I had to pay a giant tax bill in the states (and who knows how much the penalties and interest will be. It gives me tremors just thinking about it!) even though I ALREADY PAID THIS MONEY IN ITALY.
Here is why it was worth doing.
1. It's the Law. And I was breaking it without understanding that.
And I am NOT A RULEBREAKER.
2. This little-known perk: My Italian husband who has never paid into the American Social Security system now has a right to his own little pension (half of mine in addition to the one I will receive) which he can claim even if we get divorced (as long as he doesn't get hitched again).
3. The number of years you need to contribute to the Social Security system in the US is 10 years (or 40 credits, which is the equivalent of 10 years of work) to be in the system, so everything you earn above that is gravy. The longer you stay and contribute to the system the more you receive when you are retirement age. In Italy you must contribute at least 25 years to get the minimum. Keep in mind, even in America, the less you contribute, the less you will get later.
4. When I moved to Italy I thought I was kissing the idea of a pension goodbye forever. I didn't know anything about Totalization agreements back then, so all of this has changed my view of being an old fart. Now I can't wait to get old!!! ;) For those of you who don't know what a totalization agreement is, it just means that many countries count the years you worked in other countries towards your pension. Great news for expats who paid their taxes in the foreign country.
Now that this situation is on the tail end of being solved I have found my desire to blog again without complaining.
See you soon and I hope you are enjoying your summer!!
Friday, October 20, 2017
Teaching Teenagers Again
It has been a long time since I have taught teenagers during the actual school day. When I do it here in Trieste, it is normally a one-shot thing and I come in and leave like a rock star. Teaching every day in a school where kids are required to go and you are their TEACHER, is a completely different beast. I had forgotten about how many of them come in and sit down all slumped over like they just woke up 5 minutes ago, or, worse, they are still sleeping. It doesn't matter what hour you have them, by the way.
Some glare at you in a daze but suddenly become animated the moment you start teaching. The problem is that this burst of energy has nothing to do with you. It is to begin a cross-room dialogue with another zombie who has just awoken from the dead.
At these moments, here is what goes through my mind.
1. What am I doing here?
2. Why don't they know how cool I am?
3. Can't they understand how lucky they are to have me?
4. Why can't I be famous (and somewhere else)?
5. Who are their parents?
6. Are those locks on the windows to keep them from throwing stuff or me from pushing them out?
But you can't lose your top. You have to just sit and wait. Like a dog you are trying to train when you give the command. Don't repeat, don't get angry. Wait. No rewards until that hinder is on the pavement.
However, it is as if my NOT speaking is just PERMISSION for them to apply makeup, fill up the silence by talking to friends, or throw small objects at each other (small, plastic, round, are the characteristics of choice).
It makes you think about what makes a person successful. I realize it is not brains. There are plenty of them in this classroom. Lots of smart kids. But that is not enough.
Knowing where you are. So that is my mantra. When things get out of hand, I just ask them.
WHERE ARE WE?
and they are trained to answer.
WE ARE AT SCHOOL.
and then I continue.
WHAT ARE WE DOING?
They answer, because it is automatic at this point.
WE ARE LEARNING ENGLISH.
It is a double whammy. One, it gets them back on track (for a few minutes). Two. If nothing else, they will know one sentence in the present simple and one sentance in the present continuous, and that is pretty good.
Some glare at you in a daze but suddenly become animated the moment you start teaching. The problem is that this burst of energy has nothing to do with you. It is to begin a cross-room dialogue with another zombie who has just awoken from the dead.
At these moments, here is what goes through my mind.
1. What am I doing here?
2. Why don't they know how cool I am?
3. Can't they understand how lucky they are to have me?
4. Why can't I be famous (and somewhere else)?
5. Who are their parents?
6. Are those locks on the windows to keep them from throwing stuff or me from pushing them out?
But you can't lose your top. You have to just sit and wait. Like a dog you are trying to train when you give the command. Don't repeat, don't get angry. Wait. No rewards until that hinder is on the pavement.
However, it is as if my NOT speaking is just PERMISSION for them to apply makeup, fill up the silence by talking to friends, or throw small objects at each other (small, plastic, round, are the characteristics of choice).
It makes you think about what makes a person successful. I realize it is not brains. There are plenty of them in this classroom. Lots of smart kids. But that is not enough.
Knowing where you are. So that is my mantra. When things get out of hand, I just ask them.
WHERE ARE WE?
and they are trained to answer.
WE ARE AT SCHOOL.
and then I continue.
WHAT ARE WE DOING?
They answer, because it is automatic at this point.
WE ARE LEARNING ENGLISH.
It is a double whammy. One, it gets them back on track (for a few minutes). Two. If nothing else, they will know one sentence in the present simple and one sentance in the present continuous, and that is pretty good.
Friday, September 29, 2017
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.
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.
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
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.
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.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
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.
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.
Monday, October 24, 2016
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.
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.
Friday, September 30, 2016
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
What It is Like Working With Refugees
I am a lucky person. I work with refugees. I wrote about that here. I think it is time for a little re-cap of what I have gotten so far from teaching these courses.
I hope this partial list will act as a counterweight to what we see in the papers. It seems every time someone foreign is mentioned in the news, it is a story about violence, drugs, honor killings, and terrorism. There is none of that here.
1. My refugees are not angry people. They are happy, grateful, friendly people. They like Trieste.
2. My refugees have a hilarious sense of humor. We laugh a lot together.
3. My refugees are intellectually curious. If they could have 8 hours of class a day, they would.
4. My refugees are making friends with locals. I see them at the beach meeting each other and talking to new people as well.
5. My refugees treat women with respect. They come and greet me when they come in and say thank you when they leave, even when I am not teaching them. They are respectful of all of the women I have seen them around. They speak highly of their mothers, their grandmothers, their sisters, their wives (when applicable). Three of my refugees know how to sew very well because their mothers and grandmothers taught them.
6. My refugees speak several languages already, so learning Italian is going fast for them, English too. I can't believe the progress I have seen them make.
7. My refugees think eating pasta every day is a little much. They think we should eat more rice.
8. A sense of time can be learned. My refugees used to be late all the time, now they are punctual.
9. My refugees help each other. When they see another student struggling, they come along to the rescue in a kind and sweet way.
10. My refugees have given me new hope for the future. I am a changed person because of them. I recognize them as individuals and can now read the news with a grain of salt. There are many many people like my refugees and I hope I get the chance to teach them, too.
If you see someone walking around Trieste who looks like they may be a refugee, smile. See that person as an individual. It will change something in you, too.
I hope this partial list will act as a counterweight to what we see in the papers. It seems every time someone foreign is mentioned in the news, it is a story about violence, drugs, honor killings, and terrorism. There is none of that here.
1. My refugees are not angry people. They are happy, grateful, friendly people. They like Trieste.
2. My refugees have a hilarious sense of humor. We laugh a lot together.
3. My refugees are intellectually curious. If they could have 8 hours of class a day, they would.
4. My refugees are making friends with locals. I see them at the beach meeting each other and talking to new people as well.
5. My refugees treat women with respect. They come and greet me when they come in and say thank you when they leave, even when I am not teaching them. They are respectful of all of the women I have seen them around. They speak highly of their mothers, their grandmothers, their sisters, their wives (when applicable). Three of my refugees know how to sew very well because their mothers and grandmothers taught them.
6. My refugees speak several languages already, so learning Italian is going fast for them, English too. I can't believe the progress I have seen them make.
7. My refugees think eating pasta every day is a little much. They think we should eat more rice.
8. A sense of time can be learned. My refugees used to be late all the time, now they are punctual.
9. My refugees help each other. When they see another student struggling, they come along to the rescue in a kind and sweet way.
10. My refugees have given me new hope for the future. I am a changed person because of them. I recognize them as individuals and can now read the news with a grain of salt. There are many many people like my refugees and I hope I get the chance to teach them, too.
If you see someone walking around Trieste who looks like they may be a refugee, smile. See that person as an individual. It will change something in you, too.
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
If You Want to Teach in Italy
I knew before I came to live permanently in Trieste that there would always be work for me because I was a teacher.
What I was not prepared for was what being a teacher here would really mean. You see, in the States I had a full-time job teaching Middle School and High School French in an independent school. I had a good salary and high prestige in the community (maybe I am not supposed to admit that this is important to me, but it is).
When I decided to move here, I consciously kissed my career goodbye and told myself I would get a job doing whatever I could and look for other ways to lead a satisfying life.
It's not such a sad story. I had my dream job TWICE before I left the states and I was 30 when I moved here. Who was I to expect that could happen again? I focused instead on identifying my portable skills, learning a new language, and fitting in to my new country.
I had three months. Then I would have to work again.
When school started, I began teaching again. I have been doing it ever since. After almost 13 years here I have learned a few things that have helped (and hindered) me, and others. Hopefully others contemplating teaching in Italy will benefit.
What I was not prepared for was what being a teacher here would really mean. You see, in the States I had a full-time job teaching Middle School and High School French in an independent school. I had a good salary and high prestige in the community (maybe I am not supposed to admit that this is important to me, but it is).
When I decided to move here, I consciously kissed my career goodbye and told myself I would get a job doing whatever I could and look for other ways to lead a satisfying life.
It's not such a sad story. I had my dream job TWICE before I left the states and I was 30 when I moved here. Who was I to expect that could happen again? I focused instead on identifying my portable skills, learning a new language, and fitting in to my new country.
I had three months. Then I would have to work again.
When school started, I began teaching again. I have been doing it ever since. After almost 13 years here I have learned a few things that have helped (and hindered) me, and others. Hopefully others contemplating teaching in Italy will benefit.
1. Don't limit yourself.
I changed my teaching language, worked for companies, volunteered. I branched out, met lots of people and learned new skills. This helped me diversify, which is nice in the summer when there are less teaching jobs. I supplement my income with translating, revision, and business consulting for internationalization.
2. Show your value added in the classroom.
I changed my teaching language, worked for companies, volunteered. I branched out, met lots of people and learned new skills. This helped me diversify, which is nice in the summer when there are less teaching jobs. I supplement my income with translating, revision, and business consulting for internationalization.
2. Show your value added in the classroom.
It is always good to negotiate your pay, of course. Know what others are making and try to get a little more if there is wiggle room and you know you are worth it.
Then be a kick-ass teacher who gets students coming back year after year. Show your value in this way and it will pay off 100 gazillion times over.
3. You will make less money than you did in America.
On the positive side, life is cheaper here, and you will have health insurance.
Making less money than your potential salary in America is a fact of life. Be ready to take jobs that pay less in the beginning if they can bring you increasing returns later, especially as you establish your reputation. Other points of value can be working for well-regarded schools with growth opportunities, access to master teachers you can learn from, and a professional environment.
4. University degrees from other countries are not recognized by Italian Institutions.
This means that you are not eligible to teach in any type of government structure, including Public Schools, unless you go through a long and expensive process of having your degrees officially “recognized” by the Italian University system. This usually means a lot of bureaucracy and having to take more classes to meet Italian requirements. The good news is that, strangely, the University does recognize foreign degrees in certain cases, so I have taught at the University, but could never get a job at a public school of any level below that.
5. If you are a native speaker you can teach. To survive, you have to teach well and be a good colleague.
Outside of public competitions for small teaching contracts (teaching a class at the university, doing a few hours of conversation in the public schools, that type of thing), as long as you are a native speaker, no one cares what you studied or how much teaching experience you have. This can be good news for people wanting to break into the teaching business.
Be warned, however, that the volume of work you get will directly correlate to how well you get along with the people giving you the work and the students you teach. Both relationships are important. I have found that you must think long-term. By the way, a huge source of work is other teachers. Be good to them.
6. The skinny on getting hired.
Be warned, however, that the volume of work you get will directly correlate to how well you get along with the people giving you the work and the students you teach. Both relationships are important. I have found that you must think long-term. By the way, a huge source of work is other teachers. Be good to them.
6. The skinny on getting hired.
Permanent contracts in private or international schools
have their pros and cons. Some international schools pay relatively well but
the contract will have a limited duration of 2 years, after which your status
changes from “researcher” to permanent employee and costs more fiscally, so it
is cheaper to bring in someone new. Teachers who take these jobs tend to have
student loans to pay back home, so continuing just isn’t feasible anyway, so
this is not always a bad thing. Other schools here hire teachers as locals and
the pay is about half of what you can make if you are freelance. Again, for
some people, security is the key factor.
7. To teach legally you have to be legal.
Assuming you are allowed to work in Italy because you have all of your documents in order, you have three choices. Get a contract with a school, work as an occasional worker (max 5,000 gross per year, all clients considered, no more than 30 days in one place), or open a VAT number and operate like a one-person business.
Here is what is not legal: working and getting paid in
cash. Many people do this and get away with it, but as a teacher in general,
you are in a position of trust and accordingly held to a higher standard. If
you work in cash you are opening yourself up to being treated like the hired
help. You are not considered a professional. Prestige-wise it is about as low
on the ladder as you can get.
8. Opening a VAT number means taking responsibility and has the biggest pay-off
8. Opening a VAT number means taking responsibility and has the biggest pay-off
Prestige-wise, opening a VAT is the way to go, but it is
not for everyone. Taxes are high, and so are your expenses with a local
accountant. That being said, there are VAT “regimes” to benefit young people,
and/or people who make less than 30.000 euros in a year, so there are ways to
get the most out of it. This was the route I chose and I have never regretted
it. The important thing is to always overestimate how much you have to pay in taxes. I tell myself I will have to pay 50% in taxes (even though I pay a bit less) so that I always have enough set aside to cover my taxes.
9. Teaching in a foreign country is cool, but get the info first.
9. Teaching in a foreign country is cool, but get the info first.
Teaching English in a foreign country can open up new worlds for you. The important thing
is to make sure you know what you are getting into. Keep your expectations low so you don't get disappointed and live a simple life and you can't go wrong.
My working life is rich, varied and satisfying. My two worlds have finally come together to create something better than the sum of their parts. It took a hell of a long time, though, and I had to take some risks. Some worked out, others didn't but overall I am happy.
10. If this is the way you want to go, be patient and pick up a few hobbies to keep you sane.
My working life is rich, varied and satisfying. My two worlds have finally come together to create something better than the sum of their parts. It took a hell of a long time, though, and I had to take some risks. Some worked out, others didn't but overall I am happy.
10. If this is the way you want to go, be patient and pick up a few hobbies to keep you sane.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Coffee Date? The Italian way of saying "We're Cool, Right?"
When I first moved to Trieste I thought that having coffee was an excuse for not working. You can hardly blame me. Be a fly on the wall of any office in Trieste, and here is what it looks like.
8:30 Empty.
8:45 Empty.
8:58 Empty.
8:59 First employees trickle in.
9:05 The rest of the team arrives. Coats stay on.
9:06 Turn on computer. Wait for the straggler to arrive.
9:07 Entire office leaves and walks to the nearest coffee outlet (machine, or, if lucky, a bar)
9:08-9:30 Empty.
9:31 The actual workday begins.
For an American, this seems strange. After all, we have our coffee at home. It is cheaper, and we can have more of it. That, and, We Know that you are supposed to WORK AT LEAST TWO HOURS to EARN another cup of coffee.
In Trieste, however, that is not how things roll.
You want to try something crazy and see two cultures collide?
I have a fun experiment for you then. Here is what you do:
Tell your Italian colleagues that you already had your coffee and that you will be skipping the morning trip to the coffee machine and see what happens.
Don't have the courage? No problem, because here is what will go down:
Someone will ask you if everything is OK and look at you with concern.
Another person will actually COME BACK and see if you have changed your mind.
Yet another will wonder what he or she did to deserve this snub.
Your office detractor will do a self-confirmation that you think you are better than everyone else.
If you wait a few minutes more, then, like clockwork, YOUR BOSS will stomp into your office and say:
WE ARE WAITING ON YOU! LET'S GO, STECKLEY!
And you will reluctantly get up and follow the other ducks. But, you will summon up your internal rebel to SHOW THEM and NOT ORDER COFFEE! Hmmph! So THAT is what you do.
And guess what. NO ONE EVEN NOTICES. Because your Italian colleagues do not really care about what you drink at the coffee break. They just want you to be there.
Culture lesson!
You see, for Italians, this is a very important time where colleagues make sure that everyone is OKAY. It is the moment we find out who slept last night, who has a kid with a fever, who is not feeling well, who won the lottery. All of this information will help us understand how the workday will proceed.
To be sure, when we talk about the importance of coffee in Italy, we are really talking about the importance of RELATIONSHIP MAINTENANCE.
Less of a commitment than, say, Lunch, coffee is a cheap and quick way (always on your feet, by the way, only sit down for a coffee if you are contemplating marriage or reuniting with an old friend after a twenty-year absence) to reconnect and let the other person know that you are STILL COOL.
You can also use that 5-minute coffee time together to: strategize, thank, get to know, welcome, say goodbye, seal an important deal, or plan a boardroom coup.
The sky is the limit.
Never underestimate the power of coffee in Trieste.
8:30 Empty.
8:45 Empty.
8:58 Empty.
8:59 First employees trickle in.
9:05 The rest of the team arrives. Coats stay on.
9:06 Turn on computer. Wait for the straggler to arrive.
9:07 Entire office leaves and walks to the nearest coffee outlet (machine, or, if lucky, a bar)
9:08-9:30 Empty.
9:31 The actual workday begins.
For an American, this seems strange. After all, we have our coffee at home. It is cheaper, and we can have more of it. That, and, We Know that you are supposed to WORK AT LEAST TWO HOURS to EARN another cup of coffee.
In Trieste, however, that is not how things roll.
You want to try something crazy and see two cultures collide?
I have a fun experiment for you then. Here is what you do:
Tell your Italian colleagues that you already had your coffee and that you will be skipping the morning trip to the coffee machine and see what happens.
Don't have the courage? No problem, because here is what will go down:
Someone will ask you if everything is OK and look at you with concern.
Another person will actually COME BACK and see if you have changed your mind.
Yet another will wonder what he or she did to deserve this snub.
Your office detractor will do a self-confirmation that you think you are better than everyone else.
If you wait a few minutes more, then, like clockwork, YOUR BOSS will stomp into your office and say:
WE ARE WAITING ON YOU! LET'S GO, STECKLEY!
And you will reluctantly get up and follow the other ducks. But, you will summon up your internal rebel to SHOW THEM and NOT ORDER COFFEE! Hmmph! So THAT is what you do.
And guess what. NO ONE EVEN NOTICES. Because your Italian colleagues do not really care about what you drink at the coffee break. They just want you to be there.
Culture lesson!
You see, for Italians, this is a very important time where colleagues make sure that everyone is OKAY. It is the moment we find out who slept last night, who has a kid with a fever, who is not feeling well, who won the lottery. All of this information will help us understand how the workday will proceed.
To be sure, when we talk about the importance of coffee in Italy, we are really talking about the importance of RELATIONSHIP MAINTENANCE.
Less of a commitment than, say, Lunch, coffee is a cheap and quick way (always on your feet, by the way, only sit down for a coffee if you are contemplating marriage or reuniting with an old friend after a twenty-year absence) to reconnect and let the other person know that you are STILL COOL.
You can also use that 5-minute coffee time together to: strategize, thank, get to know, welcome, say goodbye, seal an important deal, or plan a boardroom coup.
The sky is the limit.
Never underestimate the power of coffee in Trieste.
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