June 25, 2007 Blog

June 25, 2007
11:53pm Rome, 4:53pm Houston
Today was my first day in the PwC office. I actually wasn’t there for all that long – arrived around 8:45 (their office hours start at 9) and left around 2:30. When I got there the receptionist couldn’t get a hold of anyone to come get me & of course she spoke only Italian and my little bit of Italian didn’t help any! But finally some of the ladies from HR came and got me and took me to get my computer and I got that all set up. I found out I’ll get a blackberry, but that will come tomorrow (any of you that know me well know that I’m a crackberry addict & so this is good news for me! ;-) ). Other than that, I met a couple of people in the office, met with my partner sponsor for about half an hour or so & spent the rest of the time at my desk catching up on e-mails that I’ve missed over the last couple of days since I haven’t had internet access. I also found out that the agency helping me find an apartment had set up appointments for today thru Wednesday for me to look at apartments, so I had to leave early today to do that. It was a bit weird being in the office and not being able to understand most of what people were saying – hopefully that will change! When people would introduce me they would tell them to speak English & so then they would – but I can’t expect them to do that all the time! The office is set up a bit different than in Houston – they have 1 room for all associates, 1 room for all senior associates, and then the managers & senior managers have offices where there are 3 of them in 1 room. The partners of course have corner offices to themselves. Most of the time the doors to the offices stayed closed too, which is different from Houston. Getting my computer was an experience too! The keyboard is a bit different – the letters are pretty much in the same place but the punctuation and symbols are in different places. And some of the stuff on my computer is in English & some is in Italian. I’ll get use to it all eventually.
For lunch a girl who is originally from Germany invited me to go with her (she speaks perfect English). We went and had a bowl of fruit with gelato (ice cream) & whipped cream – I LOVE that that’s an acceptable meal here! It’s soooo good!
So apartment hunting – wow!! Now I’ve been lucky and have not really had to do apartment/house hunting for that long in the past. When my sister & I got our apartment – we went looking for 1 day and looked at about 5 or so apartments and from that we knew right away which one we wanted. As far as the house we were in (one my sister is still in) it was one of my sister co-worker’s houses that she was going to put for rent because she was transferring for her job – so we just looked at it & then decided from there. So this is the first time I have to go for days to look at different apartments! There was a girl that picked me up & took me around, but due to the difficulity of parking in Rome, we drove to the 1st place, walked about 10 minutes to the 2nd place, took the public bus to the 3rd place and back and then drove to the last place. Not all that bad, but the weather here is at least in the mid to upper 80’s and her car didn’t have a/c and some of the apartments didn’t have a/c or it wasn’t on…and 1 of the buses didn’t have a/c either. I thought I was going to sweat to death! When we were waiting for the bus, the shoes I was wearing had little heels & I felt them sinking…I looked down & they were actually leaving marks in the asphalt…that’s how hot it was! Out of the apartments I’ve looked at 1 was way too small, 1 was just too old & don’t like the neighborhood (looks out to a meat plant they are building!), 1 had a lot of “character” but is on the 3rd floor with no elevator and has no a/c or internet, and the last one I like the size & it comes with a lot of stuff but I’m not so sure about the location. I’ll see what tomorrow and Wednesday have in store! I knew that the apartments would be old & small, I just wasn’t ready for how old & small! They are really different from the US!
Another adventure I had today was my 1st trip to the supermarket. It wasn’t all that different from one in the US, just carry different types of products. For the fruit they have the machines like in Central Market where you have to weigh the fruit and then print the labels. I almost didn’t do it because I wasn’t sure if I could figure out what to do with it all in Italian, but I figured it out with no problems. Another difference is that you have to actually pay for your bags – you tell them how many you need and they charge you and then give them to you for you to pack yourself. I also had to carry it all a couple blocks to the residence I’m staying in – that was a workout!
Oh also was finally able to get on the internet in my room! Now I feel connected to the world again!
Well I better close – it’s late here & I have another day of apartment shopping tomorrow!
Ciao!
12:22am Rome (6/26) 5:22 Houston (6/25)

June 24, 2007 Blog

June 24, 2007
9:17pm Rome time (6/24), 2:17pm Houston time (6/24)

Today was an exciting morning followed by a lazy afternoon. After I got ready this morning, I caught the Metro to the stop next to St. Peter’s to try to catch mass at St. Peter’s or a church nearby. It ended up taking me about 45 minutes to get to St. Peter’s and was about 10:25 once I finally got there. When I got to St. Peter’s piazza, the line to get into the basilica was so long I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it inside in time for mass. My sister & I had gone to church near the basilica last time we were in Rome, so I just went there instead (thank goodness most Catholic churches have masses around the same time & they did have a 10:30 mass!).
After mass I headed to St. Peter’s square to see if I could catch the weekly greeting and Angelus prayer that the Pope does from the window of his apartment every Sunday. When I got there around 11:30 the piazza wasn’t that crowded so I could get close to the front, but by the time the Pope came out it was packed. Every time I see the Pope I’m always in awe that I’m even there. He does a greeting in several different languages too! I can’t wait to go to the mass he is celebrating on Friday!! We will be so much closer & it will be a whole mass.
Before the Pope came out I met a couple of tourists from Hawaii that just happened to come into the piazza not knowing that the Pope was to come out. I told them what was going on & gave them some info about what they can do in the basilica and some other helpful hints. I find myself just asking random people where they are from when I hear them speaking English. Even though I’ve only been here a few days, I like giving people any information I can to help them enjoy their visit to my new city.
After I left St. Peter’s I went to a pizzeria across from the restaurant we went to last night and got…you guessed it…pizza! So far I’ve been on the pizza & gelato diet! :-o Today gelato was for dinner! ;-) This was the first time I was at a meal by myself and seemed a bit weird. I was there for about an hour (you have to wait for them to make the pizza fresh and it’s rude to rush people in restaurants here so the waiters take their time). The time passed by so fast when I was eating and talking with Jody and Lil the days before, but sitting by myself it felt like forever! Hopefully I can make friends quickly here so I don’t have to eat by myself all the time!
After lunch I came back to my room and took a nap…a LONG nap (like 4 hrs!). I think the time change and going on 5 or 6 hrs of sleep for about a week caught up with me! I had to take a walk around the area around me just so I wouldn’t go back to sleep. I wanted to go around & figure out what’s all around me anyway…and got my gelato for dinner. Sundays here are so different than the rest of the week. Only a handful of stores and restaurants are open and many that are open aren’t open as long as they are during the week. And when I was on my ‘walk’ I saw many people walking around and sitting on benches just talking and some eating gelato too. It’s so much more laid back then in the States.
I was planning on studying Italian today so maybe I can at least converse some in Italian tomorrow in the office. But due to my long nap, didn’t get to it. I am watching TV hoping maybe I’ll pick some stuff up that way! (As I type this I’m watching “Numbers” that has been translated into Italian!) I am so worried about not being able to meet my partners’ expectations of my ability to speak Italian. I’m not exactly sure what they expect of me on day one. I’m suppose to be taking several weeks of Italian classes here in Rome, but don’t know when I will take those. I really have no idea what I’m going to be doing this week! I know tomorrow I’m supposed to get my computer and phone, but that’s all I know. I have no idea who I’m suppose to meet when I get there, what I’m suppose to do, if they will give me time off to look for an apartment, set up my bank account and do all that fun stuff. And within 8 days from when I arrived (so by Sat.) I have to do the paperwork required to declare my residency. I guess I will find out a lot tomorrow. Or at least I hope! I better get to sleep early today so I wake up in time for work tomorrow! One of my biggest fears is that I will oversleep! I only have a small travel alarm clock & was using my blackberry alarm, but the battery is running down on that & I can’t get it to recharge through my computer for some reason. Hopefully I wake up on time!
Thoughts of the day – tomorrow I start my new work life and as a manager…wow! This all has to be the most challenging thing I’ve done – living so far away from home, having to learn a new language (when I’ve never been great at languages), starting a new position in a different office…I just hope I can handle it all and do everything at least half way decent! Only time will tell.

9:51pm Rome/ 2:51pm Houston

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2nd full day in Rome (what happened on 6/23)

June 24, 2007
1:00am Rome time (6/24), 6:00pm Houston time (6/23)


2nd full day in Rome (what happened on 6/23)

Well today I was able to get around Rome a little better then yesterday, but still ended up taking a taxi home because they are doing some sort of service on the metro line & closed it down at 9pm instead of 11pm as I thought…so still don’t have the public transportation down all the way yet. I haven’t figured out the bus system at all & am sacred to just get on a bus. As soon as I figure that out I think I will be much better at getting around & my feet won’t hurt as bad! This morning I was able to catch the metro & go to the Spanish Steps using both metro lines without a problem – went the right way & everything! I will need to learn to allow a lot more time to get places though because I never know how far I will need to walk.
I met up with Jody & her mom again today. It’s so great to be able to spend time with them here! I feel a bit like a tourist here though and that I’m just on vacation with them, so it really hasn’t sunk in yet that I’m staying here to live and work for years and they will be leaving in a couple weeks! I think the gradual transition is better though! J Being able to enjoy my “new city” with a friend is great! Tomorrow they leave to go to Southern Italy for their guided tour, so I’m on my own for several days. On Thursday they come back to Rome as part of their guided tour, but I probably won’t see them until Friday when hopefully they will still be able to attend mass with me! Friday is a Roman holiday – the Feast of Sts. Peter & Paul, so the Pope is going to be doing mass in the morning. Several weeks ago I sent in a fax request for 3 tickets and received a fax back saying I got them. I have to go pick them up 2 to 3 days prior to the mass and that will tell me more details about when we need to go etc. I am looking forward to that mass so much! My sister & I went to an evening prayer service that Pope Benedict presided over when we were in Rome last time, but not to a full mass.
Today the 3 of us went to St. Peters. Every time I got into that piazza and in the basilica I just feel at peace. At night sitting in the piazza just looking at St. Peter’s light up & hearing the water fonts in the background – it’s so relaxing and I just feel in awe of how enormous the basilica is & somehow just feel at ease in the arms of colonnade (designed by Bernini). Tomorrow I think Pope Benedict is suppose to come out and do a prayer at noon, I’m going to try to attend mass at St. Peter’s (or somewhere close by) and then stay a while at the piazza so that I can try to see him. Maybe eventually seeing the Pope won’t be so exciting and where I’m in such awe since I can do it more often – but for now I get excited just thinking about it!
Back to today…
So today we did a lot of walking, shopping, & eating – I think we were pretty “Roman”. I think eventually I’ll have my fill of pizza and gelato…but not just yet! We shopped for hours, but I didn’t buy anything yet…want to wait until I start getting paid in Euros so that I don’t have to deal with the foreign exchange rate. I will have to pace myself though, or I’ll end up spending my whole pay check on clothes before I even get paid! :-o I didn’t bring or ship all my clothes from back home, but gave a lot of it away (about 4 or 5 garbage bags I think). I figured I would want to buy a lot of new clothes here…you know so I fit in and all. ;-) I’m not sure what the dress code is in the office, but once I find out I will also have to buy some more clothes for work as well. I’m guessing it’s business professional, but not sure yet. Guess I’ll find out on Monday!
Going around in the shops today, I found it odd that in most stores they were playing music that was in English. And in the areas where we were, most people in the stores seemed to speak some English…so I find myself speaking English all the time and not practicing my Italian. Also since there are a lot of English speaking tourists in maybe of the spots we’ve gone to, I seem to hear just as much English as Italian. I think maybe I remember more from my class than I think, but I’m so self conscious about it and worried that I don’t know that I find myself not even trying. I need to get better at just trying to say everything in Italian & not worrying about if I’m wrong. I can understand some stuff – like when the taxi driver asked if it was too hot in the car and random signs etc., but still not whole conversations or anything. I need to get even more focused on learning this. In 6 weeks I need to be able to converse like an Italian!
Being without my blackberry, internet service & a cell phone is a bit nerve-wracking for me. For instance, tomorrow I want to go to mass and usually when I don’t know where to go or what time masses are, I go to a website calls masstimes.org & look it up no problem. But now I’m without everything, so no such luck! Guess it’s good to have to be detached from some of those things though...at least for a bit. It will make it a bit hard for me & Jody to keep in touch as she travels around Italy and then we try to meet up later…but we will manage.
Thoughts for the day:
· So far things I’ve enjoyed about Italy:
o the leisure pace of things (I’m sure in some cases this will get annoying when I’m in a hurry though)
o the fact you can eat at a table on the sidewalk at almost any restaurant or bar and just watch everything around you as you eat
o being able to have a glass of wine with your meal and it being almost at cheap as water and it’s actually good wine
o There being so many things to see and you can people watch almost anywhere.
· Things I’m freaked out about now:
o I’m going to work on Monday and have no idea what to expect
o The fact that I don’t know that much Italian and need to learn it quick
o It’s finally soaking in that I’m actually going to LIVE here and am not just on vacation…and that Jody is only here on vacation for a couple weeks and then I’m on my own and not sure when I’m going to see friends or family again (probably Nov. though).

Well I better close now and try to get some sleep so I can go on another adventure (guess that espresso I had earlier today did more than I thought!).

Buona notte!

1:47am Rome (6/24) 6:47 pm Houston (6/23)

(additional photos can be found at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31314&l=68e47&id=800405227 )

1st day in Rome – 6/22/07

June 23, 2007
1:15am Rome time (6/23), 6:15pm Houston time (6/22)
1st day in Rome – 6/22/07


Wow! How crazy the last couple days have been for me! I’m completely exhausted, but figured I better take time to capture some of what has happened the last couple days before I forget! Before I go into telling about my 1st day in Rome, I have to back track a couple of days.
So my flight was originally scheduled for June 21st around 11:30am. I was suppose to fly Houston to Toronto, meet up with my friend Jody & her mom in Toronto & then fly with them from Toronto to Rome. Things has worked out perfect up until that point – my company was able to book me for the seat right next to them even though we booked weeks apart & everything. I get to the check-in desk at the airport in Houston & see they have that my flight was cancelled. I get to the desk & the Air Canada guy tells me he is going to do his best to get me on a flight that day, but it might have to be tomorrow. But I was still trying to figure out how I could fly with Jody to Rome – both of us had been excited about flying up together & I didn’t comprehend that he was thinking I would have to wait a whole day to fly out! After about half an hour of him looking up schedules & calling airlines, he was able to book me on flights from Houston to Amsterdam & then Amsterdam to Rome on different airlines. BUT the flight did not leave until 7pm! Thank goodness my sister had gone with me to check in, so we were able to load my stuff up & I just hung around Houston until the afternoon when it was time for me to go back to the airport for my flight. Thank goodness all went well with those flight - the only close call was that I only had about 1 ½ hrs between flights in Amsterdam, in which I had to go through passport control, security, get my boarding pass & go clear across the airport (or at least it seemed that way) to catch my plane. They were already boarding, but I had some time to spare. I still have calluses on my hands from carrying all my stuff through the airport (I had some HEAVY carry-on bags!).
I was kind of dreading the ride to the airport, having to say last good-byes & having to fly all that way by myself (after I found out I wasn’t on the same flight as Jody & her mom). Surprisingly I was not as emotional, stressed, or anxious as I thought I would be – I think maybe I was just too tried to be any of those! The nights before I had been up until about 2:30am or 3:00am packing and then had to wake up by 8am! To be honest, I think it’s now just hitting me that this is where I will be living & working for 2 years…so now I’m starting to get nervous about it & questioning whether or not I can actually do this!

Okay – now back to my 1st actual day in Rome. So my flight arrived around 4pm Rome time. By the time I got my bags, found a taxi & made it to the place my company has booked for me for my 1st month, it was about 5:30pm. The place isn’t really a hotel because it’s for extended stay so it has a small kitchen & table in it (and when I say small I mean small!). It’s set up more like a dorm room then a hotel room. But it is very small – the bathroom, kitchen, ‘dining area’, and bed area are all about the size of my bedroom back home…combined! I knew it would be small, but just didn’t expect this small. The shower is so small I barely can move in it & I already had water all over the bathroom when I took a shower! And the most disappointing part is that I checked before to make sure I would have internet access & they said I would have to pay 20 euro a month, but they did have it. It is important that I can have internet access…because in addition for that to be the easy way for Jody & I to communicate (oh and yes my blackberry is not international, so I no longer have a crackberry!) and me being addicted to the internet, I am going to use vonage as my phone & you have to have the internet in order for it to work. So after I can’t figure out how to get the internet to work in my room, I go ask the guy at the front desk how to get it to work. He tells me, ‘Well we have it but it is not working right now & will take a couple days to get up. I will let you know when it is up.’ So I guess I’m getting a crash course in having to have patience with Italian life & how things aren’t so “rushed” like in the States. The other thing is I usually don’t wear a watch because I always had a cell phone or blackberry with me that had the time. So I get to my room & realize I have no way to communicate via phone or e-mail and when walking about I have no idea what time it is! Two things I realize after a day I will have to remedy pretty soon!

Since I wasn’t on the same flight as Jody, we had made plans before I left that we would meet up on Friday at the Piazza in front of the Pantheon around 7pm and then eat & do stuff from there. Since it took so long to get to my hotel, I didn’t have much time. So I dug through my suitcases, found what I needed, took a shower to freshen up a bit (you know how you feel after an overnight flight…a shower is definitely in order!). I was already running behind schedule, but figured it shouldn’t take that long to get to the Pantheon. I had asked the guy at the front desk if he had a map showing the metro etc. & he said no but I could buy one at one of the stores & he also told me there was a metro stop not too far from my place if I just took a left at the next street. I forget that people in Italy are use to walking more than Americans & when they say it’s a short walk that could mean at least 15 minutes. So here I am trying to find the metro stop & I was walking at least 15 minutes. I get to the station, but a ticket & then realize I have no clue where I need to go next. I knew there were only 2 metro lines in Rome & I thought that the Pantheon area would be marked well on the metro line…but of course it wasn’t. And I stopped at a place along my walk & asked about a map but the man said they didn’t have any. I go to a platform & after looking at 3 of the maps realize I was on the wrong side, so then have to go to the other side & wait for another metro. I finally get off the metro & go out they way I thought I needed to based on the map in the metro station. I go into a store which I thought would sell stuff like that & they didn’t have any maps. So I keep walking & asked a group of guys standing on the street if they could tell me where to go (and apparently my Italian/English mix is very bad because they didn’t know what I wanted at 1st). They tell me how to get there, but I never saw the piazza they told me to turn left at. So I walk & walk & start taking turns. Finally I find a store that has a lot of maps & found one that I needed. I start going back on track, but I was a bit far so it took me a while. When I got close to the Pantheon & was checking the map to make sure I was still on track a guy asked me if I needed help. He spoke perfect English & found out he moved to Rome about 35 years ago & has been here since. He pointed me exactly where I needed to go. It was nice to hear from someone who’s moved there and liked it!
I finally get to the Piazza around 8ish (of course I don’t know this b/c I don’t have a watch!). Remember I have no cell phone, no blackberry & so I have no way to contact Jody and I wasn’t able to check messages so I don’t know if she has e-mailed me with changed plans etc.). So I walk around the Piazza and at first didn’t see them. I knew I was late, so I was thinking maybe then left. As I went around the last piece, I finally saw them. That was such a relief! They told me they were giving me a few more minutes & then they were going to leave. And Jody had no idea my internet didn’t work, so she wasn’t sure why I wasn’t responding to her e-mails/phone messages. Once I finally got there, we went and had a nice long dinner where we sat at a table outside & then went to Piazza Navona and had gelato. The whole night it just seemed a bit unreal that I’m actually here. AND that it worked out that Jody was here with her mom at the exact same time. A year ago I wouldn’t have even thought of it ending up this way. And Jody has been so supportive and encouraging of me doing this overseas assignment ever since I told her I was thinking about it-it’s just perfect that she is here when I first move here.

Back to the night…so they had a shuttle to catch to get back to the hotel by 11pm because that was the last shuttle. So I walk with them there & then we looked at the map & there was a metro stop not far from their shuttle stop. So I go on walking. When I got close to the Colosseum the road is blocked & there are tons of people and some guy talking on a microphone. I go closer to see what it is and find out they are having a boxing match outside that was about to start. I don’t know enough Italian to understand the whole thing, but I do know it was 3 or 4 boxers from different countries competing. I stayed long enough to watch them walk in & then the 1st round. It was cool to just walk down the street & run into something like that & with an awesome view. So then I walk around the Colosseum since I had to go there to get to the Metro stop since the streets were closed. I end up taking pictures & being just in awe of the place at night. As I’m taking pics, this guy starts asking me where I’m from etc. We introduce ourselves and I find out he’s from Rome & his name is Carlo. He asks if I want to go for a walk with him. I tell him no thanks I need to go home. He said ‘well can I give you my number and call me tomorrow?’ I figured why not just get the number – of course neither of us have a pen so he goes to this food stand and gets one & gives me his number. I really don’t plan on calling him back, but I have my 1st Italian guys number (and in less time then I ever did in Houston! :-o). So I hurry then to the metro stop, buy my ticket at the machine, am trying to figure out which way to go & this police guy is yelling at me to get out & something else in Italian. So I’m trying to figure out what’s going on & he doesn’t speak English – but he’s closing the doors so I realized the metro was closed! I knew Romans stayed out all night & I just figured the metro would run until 2am or so.
So I go out & look at my map – I was thinking about walking to where I’m staying…but it was a long, long, long walk & I was already exhausted. Then I see what looks like a taxi area. There are taxis there, but no one in them. I see a group of people also looking for taxis & they were speaking English. I start talking to some of them & find out that this young Italian lady & man were trying to help them get a taxi. The guy was on his cell calling for some for them. I was talking to the guys in the group (one older gentleman & one guy from the UK probably a bit younger then me) and they tell me they are going to go to a discotec while the rest go home because it’s the younger ones first time in Rome and he wants to experience the nightlife. They invite me along, but I tell them I’m way too tired and then if I go with them I still have the problem of finding a way home. Finally after being there about 15 or 20 minutes, I was able to waive down a taxi and 10 Euros later I finally end back up at the place I’m staying.

After all the mishaps today, I know I did not prepare at all for life here and there are many lessons already learned:
1. I need to learn more Italian quick! Even after some Italian classes back home, I’m still not comfortable asking questions & responding in Italian. Maybe once I get into it more of what I’ve learned will come back to me…I just need some kind of miracle in this area! ;-)
2. I can not leave to go somewhere without looking at a map first. I’ve never been good with directions & I have no idea how I thought I could just walk out and go around Rome without 1st mapping out a route & having a map.
3. Always find out what time things like the metro stop running!
4. I need to figure out the bus system or I will walk my feet off!
5. And spending the evening with Jody here reminded me to cherish every blessing that you have be given, especially good friends!

I must close since its way too late & I’m supposed to meet up with Jody and her mom at 11am! Since I need to map out the course before then, that means I have to get up on time!
Ciao from Roma!
2:25am Rome time (6/23), 7:25pm Houston time (6/22)

(additional photos can be found at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31314&l=68e47&id=800405227 )

Blog written before I left for Rome - how it all started

May 27, 2007
Any of you who have talked to me in about the last year or so know that one of my goals/dream for the last couple years has been to go to Rome to work. Well that dream is about to come true in less than a month! The short version of the story is that I'm leaving on June 21st to go live/work in Rome for 2 years!
For those of you who want the long version...here ya go:
Since about June 2006, I've been going through the process to get a 2 year assignment in one of our offices in Italy. It's been a bit of an up & down ride. At first they made it sound like it would be no problem at all. Then around Sept./Oct. our global deployment people started saying it looked like there was slim to no chance that there would be anything in Italy for me. (and tried to talk me into going to Moscow for 3 years instead!) I did talk to a partner I know in Moscow, but never gave up hope on Italy. The reasons I was given for there being a slim chance was everything from the Italy offices not needing/wanting foreign workers, I had to be fluent in Italian in order to go and that I wouldn't be able to get a working permit. (All of which were proven to be wrong.)Around late October my partner sponsor was able to contact a partner in the Rome office & I had a phone interview with that partner. I thought the call went well & at the end I mentioned to the partner that I might be vacationing in Italy in late November (I was thinking about it, but didn't have anything planned at that time.). He told me if I did come to let him know & he would schedule a time for me meet with people in the office. So at that point I decided I was going to go to Italy to see if it's really a place I could live & to 'seal the deal'. I was going to go by myself, but then my sister was able to rearrange her vacation time & went with me. We left the day after Thanksgiving & spent 10 days there. It was great as always! While we were in Rome, I spent half a day in the PwC Rome office visiting with partners & managers. My last meeting was with the head office partner & at the end of our meeting he told me I would be getting an offer. (Even though I'm staying with the same company, it's pretty much like re-interviewing for a new job and you have to have interviews, get a new offer, etc.)
The 1st version of my offer didn't come until January. The offer was contingent on me being able to get a working permit. I had several discussions with my contacts in Milan on the ways to get my permit & how they were going to try to get it. For the next couple months the Italy & US global deployment groups went back & forth on ways to get my permit & what the US could accept considering what would have negative implications on me, etc. I was told not to sign my offer until this was all resolved. I finally received a revised contract about a month & a half ago, which had that to go through the lawyers on both the US & Italy side before I could sign it. So finally I received a hard copy of my contract to sign & this past Tuesday I received all the documents I needed to obtain my working permit. Today I went to get the actual visa put on my passport, but I didn’t have all the documents needed so I’ll have to go back next week to try again!
Once the permit paperwork went through, I was finally able to set my start date & have Italy schedule my flight. So I now have a one way ticket to Rome leaving on June 21st! I've been waiting to finally be able to get that flight information for so long! But it is actually a little earlier than I originally expected (I thought I was going to start around July 1), so ever since the date has been decided things have been a bit crazy. I have so much to get done in less than month. I’m excited, anxious, & nervous all at the same time! (Oh & my work schedule has been a bit hectic & I’ve been working until about 11pm or midnight, so that’s made me even more stressed!)
Oh & to answer most people's question - no I'm not fluent in Italian yet, but hope to be within the next couple of months. I took some Italian classes a while back, but stopped when it got to the point where I didn't know if I would get to go (& I was missing a lot of class because of work). I'm taking 10 days of 7.5hr one-on-one classes before I leave (first class is on Monday), so hopefully that will help out some.
That's all I have to share for now...but I'm sure I'll have more soon!