Savoring These Moments With You: "We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto..."

A few of the more standout"Italian" moments so far....

A few weeks after we arrived in Italy, Kevin's company held their annual Family Day. It was a day of kiddie rides, music, food, games, etc and we were happy to finally have something to do. All of Kevin's co-workers, including his boss, would be there so it was our first real company event. I knew Zoey would have fun, but felt a little nervous about crossing that line from American family to Expat family and having to socialize with all of these Italian families. Fast forward a couple hours to when we met up with Kevin's co-worker, Francesco, and his family. They have two daughters, Anna who is 6 and Camilla who just turned 3...and they might just be the sweetest little Italian girls we'll ever meet. Anna immediately took Zoey under her wing and, despite not speaking a word of each other's language, they ran off holding hands - ready to have fun together. I remember Zoey looking back at me for a brief second...her eyes questioning if it was ok and needing a little reassuring nudge from Mama. I shook my head and off they scurried. Zoey and Anna were inseparable for the next two hours! We stayed much later than we had planned because it was always "One more ride!" - either in English or Italian. They smiled and laughed and seemed to communicate just fine without any words at all. It made my heart happy and proved that you can make it somewhere unfamiliar - you can enjoy "different" and make wonderful memories despite the barriers.

So, let's just say someone had a fear of creepy crawly things. My advice to them? Do NOT move to Chieri, Italy!! Spiders, slugs, snails, stinkbugs...oh my. And when I say spiders, I mean BIG spiders. Not the little guys or daddy longlegs from back home - we're talking palm-sized, fat, furry things. I hate it. The spiders find their way in...luckily the slugs and snails have stayed outside so far. But ooey gooey slugs and snails that you'd never want to step on! And the bugs? Constant. We think they are like the "stinkbugs" from back home and I don't think there has been a day we've been living here that there hasn't been at least one flying in our house. Kevin captures them and puts them back outside, but they just keep finding their way in!

I mentioned Italian driving in a post back in June - saying its crazy and how the laws seem to be merely suggestions. Well, Italian driving got the best of me about a month after living here and our car paid the price. But, it wasn't the lack of following rules that got me - it was the Italians waving their hands in the air and yelling at you! Here's how it went. I was picking Zoey up early from school and another school on the property must have had a half day. So, the driveway entrance was crowded with a line of traffic that was leaving as I was trying to pull in. Everything was fine until I had to pass through a metal gate. I didn't think I had room, so I stopped. I didn't think two cars could realistically pass through at the same time. I waited a few seconds and a line of cars started forming behind me - waiting for me to move. Cue hands flying and Italians yelling. I looked at the Italian guy behind me and he was furiously waving his hands as if to say "GO! You have room!" I thought maybe he could see something I couldn't. I inched forward and, yep, couldn't fit. The passenger side of our car scraped against the metal gate. I tried to readjust and move away from the gate, but no luck...I just had to keep going through. Our car still wears the "driving in Italy badge of honor"...

Doors and windows in Italy are an interesting thing because houses are set up like fortresses. There are a million old-fashioned keys for each door and window and everything seems to lock from the outside whether you want it to or not. See where this is going? Both girls had just laid down for a nap and someone rang our gate buzzer. I went out to see who it was and in a split second - just as I realized I didn't bring a key with me, the front door swung shut and I was locked outside. First things first, don't panic. I tried the back door. No luck. Locked. I thought about trying to climb up to the balcony doors in the girls' room, but saw that those were closed and locked too. Kids inside. Mom locked outside. Ok, I started to panic. With no other choice, I just started yelling for Zoey - hoping she'd hear me and come to the window. Minutes passed by and I just stood their yelling. Neighbors must have thought I was insane! Finally, the front door swings open and Zoey is standing there in her underwear - thoroughly confused about what was going on and what the all the commotion was about. I assured her everything was fine, put her back to bed, and immediately found a place to hide a key outside.

Starting preschool was a big deal for all of us and was probably one of my biggest causes for concern about this whole move. The school had a couple "back to school" events before the first day, so I attended each and every one with Zoey to help her adjust to the new surroundings. One event was a lunch at the school - to get to know the routines of the cafeteria and eat a school lunch. We lined up with our trays and were served a delicious, homemade Italian lunch. As we were eating, I saw Zoey's teacher, "Ms. Christina" lined up in the food line. I pointed her out to Zoey and suggested we go and say hi. Without much more talk, Zoey got up, walked over to her by herself, and gave Ms. Christina a hug! I was shocked!! Ms. Christina squatted down and they chatted for a minute and then Zoey came back to me. I couldn't believe she had done that all on her own!! Maybe she was more ready than I was.

We met the Welsh Guscott family about a month into school and clicked right away. Hattie, the mom, and I get along fabulously and feel like we'd be friends outside of this whole expat situation. Kaitlyn and Zoey are both in Pre-K, but in different classes, and buddied up instantly. The babies, Harrison and Kaia, enjoy playing together and make each other smile. Kevin and Jay play soccer together on Thursday nights. I decided to invite them over for dinner soon after meeting them - nothing fancy, but a chance to get to know each other. Well, Murphy's Law was in full effect that night. Just as Kevin told Zoey "be careful with your milk", she spilled the entire glass all over the food on the table. Meanwhile, both babies were screaming their heads off. And, as I tried to pull the last couple of things out of the oven, the oven door glass fell off and shattered into, literally, a million little pieces. Yes, that was our first attempt at hosting a dinner party. Luckily, everyone just laughed it off.

Besides the little critters around our house, we also have a few cats that seem to like our house the best. We think these cats have homes, but, for some reason, they are never there. They are ALWAYS at our house. One cat in particular (Zoey has named him Superman) seems really happy that we have moved in and brought along places for him to curl up. He quickly made our patio chair his personal napping spot and was even seen curled up in the stroller seat one day! Damn cat. I guess he thought we were friends because one day, when I left the front door open a little because I was running in and out, who walks in? Superman, of course! He was about to make himself right at home and go upstairs, but I shooed him out and yelled at him for being so bold. I hate cats. But there's something about Superman that now pulls at my heartstrings just a little...

And now...my first doctor's appointment with an Italian OBGYN. Let's just say modesty isn't top priority here. The doctor speaks mostly Italian, so my tutor, Nicoletta, offered to come with me to all of the appointments (the doctor is her doctor, as well). When I showed up at my first appointment, I had never met the tutor and didn't really know what I was in for. The office is very different from home, but I got over that small detail as soon as the doctor wanted me to undress and lay naked on the table - without a sheet! Not wanting to be rude, I did as I was told, and the appointment continued and ended soon after. Stripping down in front of Nicoletta, who I had just met 5 minutes prior to that, was a sharp reminder that I was very far from home.

Lastly...the almost-weekly event with my girls that I love! On the day I keep Zoey home from school, we try to have "cafe morning". We head to our local cafe (the place I am trying to become a regular at because how fun is that!), order our cappucino or tea and choose our brioche (Zoey always picks one filled with chocolate!), and sit for awhile together. We just have fun (and the old Italian ladies ooh and ahh over the girls!).