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Kristen Suzanne

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Digital Nomad

Italian Bus Drivers, Buying Bikes, and the Mall in Italy – Our Italian Expat Life

June 8, 2019 By Kristen Suzanne

Kamea and I decide to find a bus that will take us to the mall, which is about a 12-minute ride from our apartment in Rovigo, Italy.

We walk to the bus stop (a parking lot), where there are four buses sitting, mostly empty. There is one man standing in the middle of the lot, and he looks official. He has on a tie and a vest. Clearly, he’s the ringleader of the bus drivers.

So I go up to him. I ask him if he speaks English, “Buongiorno. Parli inglese?”

He said, “No.”

Then, he put his arm around me, and walks me over to a bus where he said someone does speak English (in Italian, of course). I can see that the person is young – yes, chances are good he speaks some English.

We need to get to the mall.

The man with his arm around me tells the other bus driver I need help. I ask this young driver which bus will take us to the mall.

All of the bus drivers are sitting in their respective buses, talking to each other with the doors open and their feet kicked up on the steering wheels, talking over each other as they are all answering (in Italian) how we get to the mall – a common example of the relaxed and helpful demeanor of Italians. They’re friendly and everyone is willing to jump in and help, offering their expert opinion.

I’m reminded of this when I read in one of my favorite author’s, Elizabeth Minchilli’s book, Eating Rome…

Over the years I’ve learned that if I don’t recognize a vegetable (at the market), I needn’t worry about how to prepare it. A simple “Come se fa?” (“How do you do it?”) usually results not only in the fruttivendolo giving me her favorite recipe, but, nine times out of ten, the other women waiting patiently for their turn will also chime in. Before I know it, I’m the focus of a lively discussion on the merits of whether to roast or braise, garlic versus onion, or the dilemma of deciding to make a soup or pasta.

Back to my day… the young driver confirms that yes, the correct bus to get to the mall is here and points the way.

[Read more…] about Italian Bus Drivers, Buying Bikes, and the Mall in Italy – Our Italian Expat Life

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Filed Under: Digital Nomad, digital nomad family, digital nomad kid, Expat, Expat Life, italy, travel

Bank Account in Italy – Accomplished!

May 19, 2019 By Kristen Suzanne

jump
Jumping for Joy!

I have a bank account. In Italy.

I am happy and excited, because it was a weird process. I feel kind of cool, too. I mean, like, a bank account in a foreign country? Apart from the less-than-ideal flagging of myself to the IRS, I’m walking with a bit of swagger. Italian swagger that is.

Another step in becoming a part of this community and country.

I wouldn’t have opened an Italian bank account, but I needed to in order to have broadband internet at home. Apparently, they only let you pay for it with an Italian bank account.

Opening the account was touch-and-go for a while. I’m actually amazed it all went through. The bank wasn’t really prepared to make it happen. It’s possible I’m the first non-citizen the manager of this branch had ever helped open an account.

But, after two days of working and waiting – complete with multiple visits to the bank – we finally got it working. At least I got my steps in those days.

For starters, no one at the bank speaks much English, if any. Even armed with Google translate it was an uphill task. But, I figured I was in professional hands and I wasn’t at too much risk. At one point the banker called his wife, who’s an English teacher, to have her translate for me, which wasn’t really clear either because hearing an Italian speak rapid-fire English isn’t much clearer than if she’d been speaking Italian.

I’m getting better at just nodding my head – in a knowing way, smiling, and saying “Si. Si. Si.” Of course, I have no idea, but that doesn’t matter. I learned that when I say non capisco (“I don’t understand”), the Italians just keep repeating themselves and don’t skip a beat, and not a bit slower.

I read about other expats having similar experiences… it’s not just me.

So, I happily signed my name to about 48 Italian bank documents. I mean, it’s just a bank account, isn’t it?

Finished at last!

The banker and I both exhaled loudly once it all went through.

Then, he said in his limited English “your request was very strong for me.”

The bank account has fees, of course. So for our WiFi and SIM cards (totally about $50 a month), I’ll incur an additional ~$10 per month in bank fees. Which is great… sixty dollars for broadband and three mobile device accounts is way less than we ever paid in the U.S.

I wouldn’t have opened one but I needed to in order to have WiFi at home. Apparently, I could only pay for it if I had an Italian bank account. So for the monthly bill of WiFi and SIM cards (totaling about $50 a month), I’ll incur about $10 a month in bank fees on top of it.

But. I’m in Italy.

Living La-friggin’-dolce-vita. I’ve got zero complaints.

Similar Posts:

  • Getting Internet in Italy – Our Expat Life
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Filed Under: Digital Nomad, digital nomad family, digital nomad kid, Expat, Expat Life, italy, travel

Getting Internet in Italy – Our Expat Life

May 18, 2019 By Kristen Suzanne

Time for Internet in Our Apartment in Italy

Getting WiFi in our apartment in Italy is similar to the USA in that you need to make an appointment for the installation.

Based on horror stories I’d heard, I expected the process to take a month — an eternity when your livelihood depends on broadband internet access.

Yet I’m continually surprised at the efficiency in Italy. It’s not German efficiency, but it’s not Mexican either. The trains in Italy — mostly — run on time. (France, meanwhile…) Where is all the waiting in lines I read about? When I requested an appointment, I only had to wait a week. Sounds reasonable, right?

The day came and the cable guy arrived to hook up the cable. He was punctual, friendly, professional, and efficient. (And German, turns out.)

One Problem

Um… he didn’t bring the cable modem. You know, the one provided by the cable company that sent the technician to our home?

Basically, he just came to make sure I had the hookup. Well, we had the hookup. Apparently the modem would be delivered at some unknown future date. Maybe I will be waiting a month after all?

It’s always sometimes fun experiencing the different ways of having things done when traveling the world. However, I confess some things would benefit from a smattering of American-style urgency. I couldn’t wait for internet in our apartment. We needed it, like, yesterday.

[Read more…] about Getting Internet in Italy – Our Expat Life

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  • Italian Bus Drivers, Buying Bikes, and the Mall in Italy – Our Italian Expat Life
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Filed Under: Digital Nomad, digital nomad family, digital nomad kid, Expat, Expat Life, italy, travel

Forgetting an iPod on the Bus in Italy

May 15, 2019 By Kristen Suzanne

bus in italy
Kamea on a bus in Italy.

Public transportation in other countries is usually simple and wonderful. After that first ride.

The complication usually only comes in understanding the bus schedule and figuring out how to buy tickets. It’s not always the same in each country.

However, once you know the system, it’s friggin’ awesome.

Buying Bus Tickets

 

In Italy, you typically buy bus tickets at the Tabaccheria (tobacco shop), or you can pay cash on the bus. Paying cash slows the bus driver down especially if he/she has to make change, so getting tickets in advance is always a better idea.

In Rovigo, one bus ticket costs 1.30 euro. From the time you get on the bus, it’s good for unlimited rides for 75 minutes. Which means, if I can do my shopping and hop on a bus, I don’t pay for the return trip. Though this requires a certain degree of planning and efficiency, as the bus only stops at my store every 45 minutes or so.

The first time I braved the bus in Italy was with Kamea, as Greg had to stay home.

Through all our travels, I rely on Greg for logistics and navigation (my job is keeping my eye on Kamea). However, with his hip hurting he’s been staying home while I go out to explore either alone or with Kamea. Therefore, on my first bus outing, I had Greg figure out where I would pick up the bus and how I would get home. He studied the bus time tables online, hoping they were accurate.

Time to Try Our First Italian Bus

bus tickets
Buy bus tickets in bulk so you always have some.

I bought a bunch of tickets, and armed with a notepad detailing the times for the bus, as well as the names of the stops I needed, we headed out.

Our goal? Lidl grocery store. We needed beef, yogurt, olive oil, and much more.

We went to the bus stop and looked for bus #10 and it arrived – on time! Wow… this is all working out!

We stepped onto the bus, and I asked if the stop I was looking for was indeed on this route. In other words, am I on the right bus?

[Read more…] about Forgetting an iPod on the Bus in Italy

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Filed Under: Digital Nomad, digital nomad family, digital nomad kid, Expat, italy, travel

How to Learn Italian – An Expat Family’s Tips

May 2, 2019 By Kristen Suzanne

Italian flash cards
Mini Italian flash cards and coffee.

I want to learn Italian (and Spanish in the future). It’s a priority for us.

One of our main goals with world travel is to become bilingual (or tri!). Um… it’ll make me a bad-ass. #spyshit. And, it’ll increase my brain’s longevity because learning another language is serious anti-aging stuff.

In our attempts to learn Italian we began with Duolingo, flashcards, and YouTube. I soon created a full-on language learning system incorporating many different resources.

Maybe too many, but having variety feels appropriate.

  • Duolingo app
  • Anki flashcard app
  • Traditional flashcards
  • Italian music
  • Learn Italian with Movies
  • YouTube (Dolce Vita)
  • Audible
  • Podcasts
  • Language School

​I’ll briefly go through each one.

[Read more…] about How to Learn Italian – An Expat Family’s Tips

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Filed Under: Digital Nomad, digital nomad family, digital nomad kid, Expat, longevity, travel

Our Italian Apartment Is Now Home

April 28, 2019 By Kristen Suzanne

Aspiration – a lovely balcony in Italy (not mine… yet).

Finding an Italian Apartment

We knew we’d need an apartment lined up for us upon arrival in Italy.

After thinking about Italy for the past year, I was eager to settle down into an Italian apartment for awhile. Beyond the benefits of having a semi-permanent place to park our travel-weary bones for awhile, it’s important that we establish residency while applying for dual citizenship.

I guess it sort of means we’re going from digital nomads to expats. We’ll still explore the world, but at a slower pace and with a home-base in Italy.

Renting Sight Unseen

Some people land somewhere and then look for a place. But others like things lined up beforehand. I fall into the latter category and especially so because of our dual citizenship process. The sooner we had our name on a lease with utilities set up, the better.

I learned from reading about other people moving to Italy that it’s not uncommon to rent something sight-unseen, crazy as that might seem. Well, we were about to do that ourselves.

With help from ICA (the group guiding us through the citizenship process), we were offered the option for a 3-bedroom apartment. This was exciting because it meant more space and we could invite guests to stay. I always just imagined we’d end up in a 2-bedroom, but with a 3-bedroom option, I was cautiously giddy. Remember, it was sight unseen.

It was close to the town center (really important!), and it was only 700 euro a month plus utilities and internet. I wasn’t sure what to expect to pay, but I knew northern Italy could be more expensive than southern Italy. So far we’d been paying close to southern Italy prices (in Portugal and Croatia), and those weren’t three bedrooms. However, they were through Airbnb, which always costs more.

Our Italian Apartment

Via email, we received pictures of the kitchen and bathroom. It had a washing machine, and it was recently renovated. We didn’t see pictures of the bedrooms, but we were told there were beds, nightstands, and wardrobes. We were also told that a couch would be there by the time we moved in. But text-based assurances and two photos just couldn’t tell the whole story.

But, 3 bedrooms?!

I was excited. Like I said, that meant guests. I confidently started to invite people to come visit us in Italy!

This Italian apartment had promise. My gut said to throw caution to the wind – fuck it! – let’s do it. It would give us a place to land immediately upon arrival and should make things easier. We signed the 1-year lease and trusted that everything would work just fine.

Besides, I was eager to get this off my to-do list. I loved the idea of landing somewhere and being able to jump right into making our home.

How Did the Apartment Turn Out?

[Read more…] about Our Italian Apartment Is Now Home

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Filed Under: Digital Nomad, digital nomad family, digital nomad kid, Expat, family, italy, travel

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About Kristen Suzanne

I’m an author  living in Italy. I write about food, fitness, and our experiences as I travel the globe with my family.

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