Feeling Homesick?

A friend passed me THIS LINK. You can practice your Italian and get Oreos at the same time. But, can I just say something? If you're missing any of these items AT ALL, I think you and me need to have a talk.

Happy Eating!

All Clear- Stalkers on Holiday

Just an update. One of our stalkers was caught and the other seems to be on holiday. :)

The Association has two stalkers at the moment

People think that since we are a library with lots of English books in it, there used to be an American consulate down the hallway (did you know that Trieste had one of the first Consulates in the world?? The first one was in something like 17something something... ), most of us speak English and happen to be from America, that we ARE America and therefore should be stalked.

But we are NOT America! So please, don't send us anymore weird letters with crazy pictures on them! For one, I know you hate America, but I also know you love it, otherwise you would not want to be in the Army so bad. Also, it's not our fault your ex dumped you. Also, no, I cannot put you in touch with Obama or fly you to his office with a plane from the Aviano base.

No, we are not America, we are a cultural association trying to get by. Send checks, money orders, loose change, but quit sending us wacko letters!!

Finally Went to the Beach

And it wasn't so bad. We took the baby to the spiaggetta, where the little ones go. It's one of the few places where you can enter the water gradually, so it's awesome if you have a baby in your arms. Since it was her first time, I wanted to ease her into it, and that's tough if you jump in to where you can't touch.

It was a success by the way. The water was pretty chilly, but it is SO HOT AROUND HERE these days that WHO CARES.

I feel like a better mom now, at least according to Triestino standards. Phyoo!

Not been to the Beach yet?

I have been bad. It is July and I have not been to the beach once. I was reminded of this yesterday when I was teaching some English to business people and we were talking about our vacations. Of course that's what's on the Triestinis' minds lately. The days have been beautiful, so who can blame them. What came out of these conversations yesterday was how much vacation these people have!! Mamma mia-- some were going on 3-week vacations in August, others had a week in May, two in July, and the office is closing in August for a week! One person was actually complaining about how LITTLE vacation time she has left (she has been on 3 major trips this year!)

What a loser I felt like. Here I practically make my own schedule and I haven't even taken the baby to the beach. But that's probably it. In theory I have all this "time" but I don't really feel like I have that much at all. In fact, the days fly past and I have stuff to do on all of them, including weekends. Most of it is work.

What am I doing wrong?

Not that I want to be an employee again. I have definitely outgrown that gig. But... I don't know. I need to think about this more.

A note about the beach, though.

There's no sand. It's rock and cement. Many Triestinis say the sand is "unhygienic" (for real!).

The best part of the beach is playing in the sand, right? So maybe baby isn't missing so much. We're going to have to make a plan for the weekend. I want to make sand castles. I guess that means going to Grado or Lignano. But then there's the problem of traffic.
Hmmph.

Postal Service is Half Price in Slovenia

Did you know that a regular postage stamp that costs 60 cents in Italy costs 38 cents in Slovenia? Scandalous, no? I just sent a packet of info to Lubljana where I am applying for the baby's passport (can't get an appointment in Milan until the end of July and it's 4 hours away, Lubljana is only an hour and a half away and they had openings immediately). I sent a non-standard A4 envelope FULL of documents and it cost me (dig this!) 58 cents to send. Plus the post office is open Monday to Friday all day until 7pm and Saturday morning. I'm pretty sure my package got to the Embassy about 8 seconds after I sent it. I'm only telling you this because Italian postal service sucks big time  I am, frankly, incredibly pleased with myself for finding this out.

And what I learn, I immediately pass on to you, dear reader.

Buying Naked Property

Need an investment opportunity? In Italy you have the choice of buying an apartment or house outright or buying it "naked", which means you get the house for a discount. Here is the catch. The owner is still in it, and not only that, but they have the right to stay in it (and you can't) for the rest of their life. Prices are adjusted depending on the occupant's age.

As far as the seller is concerned, this is a great deal for people who need cash outright and have no heirs to pass their property to. So it's a win-win. Unless the occupant outlives you. Then it's a bummer.

We're thinking about doing this. Interest rates suck. Why not?