The phrase of the day: Buona Sera

I promised one of my best friends, Vanessa, that I would share a new word/phrase with her every day so that she is "fluent" by the time she gets here which I thought was a fabulous idea. Sooo, let's all learn Italian!

We've been here for two days now and so far, so good. I'm starting to get a bit stir crazy because we've been surrounded by the four walls of the Navy base and I'm extremely anxious to get out and about. Ben is a hundred times more laid back than I am and could sit at home all day happy as a clam. He's doing his best to try to make me understand that we will be here for three years and I need to take it one day at a time. I'm doing my best to remember that. Italy is not going anywhere but I am so ready to explore! I am definitely one of those people who cannot sit still, especially when I'm in another country. I think I've made five trips back and forth to the Navy Exchange just to get out of the house since we've been here. The workers are going to know me on a first name basis pretty soon! Let's just say my spice/sauce cabinet is pretty well stocked by now and they are not Italian spices. In fact (and I laugh as I type this) the closest we've gotten to eating Italian food is spaghetti that I made last night out of a Classico jar. I didn't even make spaghetti out of a Classico jar back home! Who does that in Italy?! It's dire straits when you have 5 steak knives to work with and only the basic kitchen tools. That and the excuse of jet lag/laziness of course:) There were no complaints from Ben, thankfully, since the only other choices he had for dinner on base were A&W, Taco Bell,or Subway (which we've already had three times since we've been here- for lunch). Classico spaghetti was gourmet Italian compared to the other two. Oh are we in need of a car!

On a positive note, there are plenty of Italian civilians working on base. I got of a taste of Italy when I heard Italian bus drivers yelling at each other outside my window yesterday. I'm sure I'll be learning what those words meant pretty soon. It's not exactly swearing if it's in another language, right?
 Just kidding!

I am proud to say, though, that we did get off of base for fifteen minutes yesterday. Our sponsor (who is the guy assigned to helping us with a smooth transition) took us to a car dealer to look at what they call "Naples junkers" yesterday. Before I left I didn't quite understand what a "Naples junker" is but I am now fully aware of what it means. A Naples junker is a heavily banged up car and when I say heavily I mean missing a bumper, having a huge dent in the side, etc, etc. They are very scratched versions of Mr. Bean's car. In fact, when we were looking at cars yesterday I couldn't help but laugh because all I could think about when I saw these various mini cars (Fiat's and other Italian cars) was the scene where Mr. Bean tries to parallel park his mini car.However, the reason why THESE cars are such junkers is on account of the way people drive in this country. Mr. Bean has nothing on Italian drivers. In the five minute that we were actually driving yesterday, two cars cut us off to turn left from the right lane, one guy was tailgating (and I mean right up ON the bumper) someone else, one guy flashed his headlight several times, and another one ran a stopsign. Joe (our sponsor) told us that he has been bumped and had some Oh "you know what" moments so far. By the way, by no means are any of these things illegal- there is no Italian highway patrol here. It's drive with survival instincts or drive at your own risk. I had been bugging Ben for a mini-cooper once we moved here but I was certainly singing a different tune once we got on the road. In fact, I think I'll just take public transportation over the next three years. And I won't even complain!

This is what an Italian car looks like BEFORE a Neapolitan driver can get his hands on it:

We also learned that we most likely will not get a housing unit on base once our temporary living stipend is up. This means we will be looking for a place out in town. I don't know what scares me more- driving in town or living next door to all these crazies! In reality, I'm really looking forward to having Italian neighbors (who are the sweetest, most hospitable people in the world, by the way- I've already spoken with many of them on base) and am just going to keep my fingers crossed that we are wise and intuitive enough to pick a safe home to live in over the next few years. We're looking forward to looking shopping for an apartment, even if only to rent. Who would've thought that the first home we'd be shopping for as newlyweds would be an Italian home?! I love it!

I can guarantee that the experience of living out in town will lead to many, many more stories! That and our field trip during orientation this week!

With that, I'm off to make my hubby dinner and this time it's not Classico spaghetti. :) Ciao!

Getting situated with our home

After the chaos of the lost passport/Visa situation, Ben and I were relieved to have our details in order and officially prepare for our move to Naples. We said goodbye to family and friends and left on March 23rd. Considering that our Bali honeymoon journey took over 24 hours+ the18 hour trip to Naples was nothing! With 10 pieces of luggage total (and yes, you all know how I pack), Athena, and each other, we flew from San Diego to Chicago, connected from Chicago to Munich and then connected again from Munich to Naples.


Fortunately, our seatmates on all of our flights were fine with a 5 lb Chihuahua sitting on my lap and the trip was nice and smooth. No turbulence either. I would take a ten hour delay any day over being stuck on a turbulent flight, thank you very much. We walked out of the airport with 9 pieces of luggage- after hearing horror stories from friends who've studied in Europe and had their bags delayed we were actually pleasantly surprised that we didn't lose more!

I had always heard that Italians talk with their hands so I wasn't surprised when I put Athena down on the grass outside the airport, an Italian version of a chihuahua took after her, and the owner did a little dance in front of me gesturing and saying "Don't worry" loudly over and over again. I guess the dogs are just as passionate as the owners because it looked to me like their 10 lb Italian "chihuahua" wanted to eat mine for dinner when it was really just trying to say hello.

We made it to the base and settled in to our two bedroom, two bath temporary lodging which feels like a mansion compared to our former 620 square foot San Diego apartment. It's funny, I don't even know what to do with all of this space! The things we take for granted growing up...

The apartment style villas contain all amenities. Washer/dryer, fully furnished, gas stove/oven, plates/cooking utensils, even a microwave and toaster! The only thing missing is a dishwasher which is no biggie when you have someone who washes dishes as well as Ben. :) I cook and do laundry, he hand washes the dishes, we're a great team. It's funny though, I have yet to learn how to use the washer/dryer because the writing is all in Italian and it took me about twenty minutes to figure out this toaster situation! Apparently, you pull the little sleeves out, pop the bread in, and then start the timer. Who would've thought? It sounds simple, but trust me, little details like this when you are jetlagged and working with foreign appliances make you feel not so smart!

Ben and I made our way to the Navy Exchange and Commissary to explore what they had to offer. I think people probably thought we had never been to a grocery store before because we literally went through every single aisle, no cart or basket or anything, staring in awe at the US products they offer and exclaiming, "Wow! They have this!!"  with our mouths hanging open. Everyone else was merely trying to buy their groceries or manage their five kids under the age of three which seems to be a standard that every family on this base seems to follow. Which, by the way, we don't have a problem with, it just ain't for us! Anyhow, the most heavenly moment for me was when I walked down the Oriental food aisle and located my beloved Sriracha sauce, low sodium soy sauce, white Nishiki rice, and best of all Nori Maki rice crackers! It may not seem like a big deal but for those of you who really know me, you know that I couldn't survive without my Asian food and exactly how much I spent at the Ranch 99 Asian market before shipping all of our "essential items" to Italy. Ben pretends like he is indifferent to these Asian products but secretly I know he was just as relieved as I was. After all, who do you think cooks his meals? :)

After cooking our first Italian dinner, steak and salad (very authentic, I know) we finally passed out at 10 pm. Our dog/child who still looked and walked like a drunken sailor after being partially sedated on the last leg of the flight passed out with us.

Here we are on day two bushy tailed and bright eyed at 5 AM ready to take on our new lives! Stay tuned...