Soggiorno, moving and planning for the future...

Soggiorno

 

I got a call this morning from an Italian woman telling me that my application for a Soggiorno had been approved, and that it was ready for pick up. A Soggiorno is basically equivalent to what Americans call a Green Card. The Soggiorno gives me permission to live in Italy. Unlike a Visa which allows a person to stay in another country up to 3 months, the Soggiorno allows me to live here a lot longer.
So, funny enough, after 2 1/2 years of already living here, and only 6 months left, I now have permission to live here. Italy is a funny place.

Time to think about moving!

It's hard to believe that we only have 6 months left here. Allen will be home from Iraq in September, and then we leave two months later. There's so much to do before then. And with every move, there's always stuff to go through and donate, or throw out. I'm becoming quite good at organizing and knowing exactly how much weight all of our household items will accumulate to, and what the movers will accept and not accept. I must say, however, that this move is going to be a lot different than all the other moves in the States. Moving was SO much easier in the States because all you had to do with your old junk, was box it up and drop it off at the local Good Will. Over here, there are no thrift stores to drop things off at, only recycling centers and an occasional flea market. Both places only accept certain things, and it therefore becomes tricky trying to throw out old things.  I have a feeling it's going to be a long process, and I will need to start soon.

Another tricky thing about moving from here will be finding homes for all my 220 volt appliances... Crock pots, electric water kettle, Vacuum cleaner, Dish washer, hair dryer, radio, alarm clocks, lamps, computer modem, fans, etc., etc. It can be really interesting trying to sell certain things on the classifieds, especially the bigger things since most people don't have trucks to haul them in, including us. :) Thankfully, I have 6 months to figure it all out and start planning. 

What does the Future hold for us?

 

 

 

We're still waiting to hear back from Keesler Air Force Base to see if Allen got the teaching position. Normally the Air Force assigns us according to open positions in his career field, but since this is a special assignment, he had to apply for it. He put his application in right before he deployed, and we are hoping to find out before July if he got the job or not. Pray hard that he gets it; we'd sure love to be back in Biloxi doing what we love and being in the South again. But wherever the Air Force decides to send us, I'm sure we'll adjust and be happy wherever we go.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Maron, Italy

-----Euros, Dollars and even some Lira----

Money is a funny thing when you're living in a foreign country. Today as I was at the grocery store, I walked to the checkout counter to pay for my groceries. As I handed the lady some money, I noticed a confused expression appear on her face while she looked at a particular coin. She handed it back to me, and the confused look on her face immediately transferred to my face as I realized it was a Turkish Lira instead of a Euro. "How in the world did that get in my wallet?", I thought to myself. It was true that I had saved some Turkish Lira from our time spent in Turkey, but it was odd to me that I found it in my wallet of all places, and especially after all this time.

 Still confused and not quite thinking, I then reached in my wallet and proceeded to hand her another coin in it's place. Without realizing it, I handed her an American Quarter instead of a 50 cent euro coin, which are exactly the same size. At this point the cashier is becoming amused and she chuckles before handing it back to me. Feeling a little silly at this point, I finally pull out a euro coin and give it to her, all the while realizing the people in line behind me we're becoming quite amused too. I've never been great about being put on the spot, no matter how amusing I am. I could feel my face getting red and I thanked the lady, apologized for the error and quickly walked out with my groceries.

This isn't the first time I've confused my money over here. I often carry American money in my purse, as well as Euro because I use both. On base we use American money, and off base we use Euro, so it only makes sense that confusions are bound to happen from time to time.  Now about that Lira, I'm still trying to figure out how it got in my wallet. It's a mystery.

Here are some pictures to show you the differences of money. Some of the coins are very similar and it's easy to mix them up.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Via Scortegadora,Brugnera,Italy