I'm starting to feel like all my latest posts have started with me saying, "Wow", but well, it fits again. We have now been here in Italy for about three weeks, and as usual I feel like so much has happened and yet nothing all at the same time.
Our travel went really smoothly. The flight into Venice was definitely void of any entertainment, but it was only the two of us in the row and we were both able to sleep a good amount. Once we got into Venice the liason from the post met us right outside customs and we got all our bags quickly so we were able to catch the shuttle back to the post right away. On the shuttle we met an officer who gave us lots of advice on random things and let us use his phone to call our sponsor (an officer who is assigned to help us settle in) who was supposed to take us to our hotel. We spent the first night in an Italian hotel that was right off post. It was fine, but just highlighted the unsettledness that comes from being in another country. Our sponsor gave us and all of our luggage a ride to the on post hotel the next day. We've been staying there since. It's basically like any nice American hotel suite. It's been a blessing just because it's been a place of comfort in the midst of feeling constantly out of place.
Our time since has essentially consisted of us going around to basically every office on post. Micah got a 2 page list of things to do. The tough thing has been that there have been two four day weekends when the post has been closed. Probably half of those that work on post are Italian civilians, so when they have national holidays the offices shut down. When you combine that with the American holidays and the four day weekend every month, it's pretty hard to get things done around here.
Most of that time has been our many trips to the housing office, although comparatively, we were able to get into a place fairly quickly. Our original goal was to find a place close to post so that we wouldn't have to get a car. We ended up being faced with choosing between fairly decent places that still weren't as close as we would have liked and a place about 15 min (4 miles) away, that was by far the best as far as space and Americanization and was a better situation as far as the neighborhood and landlords. So we chose the latter, and are so excited to move in TOMORROW! Check out my Facebook for pictures...for some reason it takes forever to load pictures onto my blog.
Essentially we live in a duplex. It's a house but our landlords, a couple about our parents' age and their two daughters in their 20's, live upstairs. They are the sweetest people, and the picture of Italian hospitality. We finally found a car here, a Euro spec 2003 Ford Fiesta, which was more than we thought we'd be able to get and we were overjoyed because for weeks we couldn't find anything because so many people are coming here right now. The only trick is that we can't get it until the 6th. So anyway, we had to be at the house for several hours this afternoon to wait for our government appliances and wardrobes, and Paoulo the husband, came downstairs with a tray of homemade pasta and water for the two of us to enjoy on the porch swing. Then invited us upstairs for "cafe" with he and his oldest daughter. We were planning to try and catch the bus back to post, but the daughter graciously offered to give us a ride back. Then Paoulo offered to take Micah back and forth with him to post next week.
We are going to love it here, mostly just because of the trips on the weekends, but it's going to take some time to get used to not having things we're used to. We get about ten english channels on TV through the military, but I haven't found anything that I really want to watch, and everything is about a month behind. We can't use Pandora or watch tv online through network sites because of agreements and things, although I still can watch through one site that I found. Eating out is different than the States in that Italian food is the only option, which is good, but pizza and pasta is basically it. The first couple weeks that we were here the EU had the restriction of lettuce, tomato, and cucumber on all restaurants so having to eat fast food on post for weeks got old quick. Besides the commissary, Coke is served and not Pepsi, does not have free refills, and is really expensive as long as water. The PX and Commissary are decent, but with only one other main store in Vicenza it may be tough to get alot of things. We have a theater so we can watch things in English, but they show 4 movies only on the weekends that are about a month behind.
So although getting situated to Italy and settled in our house will take some time, we are blessed to have wonderful landlords and great friends from ROTC that continue to be God's comfort to us. God is God, and I don't have to be...so glad :)