The Halfway Point

Our adventure is halfway over. We are feeling extremely fortunate to have this opportunity and the many, many experiences we've had. As Dave pointed out earlier this week, any slice of this trip could qualify as 'a trip of a lifetime'.

Tonight we had our weekly dinner at the local pizzeria and talked over how things have gone so far.

What do you miss most (that's not human, because, obviously we miss people)?
   Dave- Our shower. And the grill.
   Ben- Michigan Tigers (Soccer team- we decided that this answer would qualify)
   Ethan- My V-Tech watch
   Lindsay- My bed. No, the washer and dryer.

The boys being goofy on the bus.

What's your favorite thing about Italy?
   Dave- Taking Walks
   Ben- Playing Pokemon Go
   Ethan- Learning Italian
   Lindsay- Public transit has made daily life and tourism easy

Rudderless: Culture Shock

I've had a rough week. There is no Starbucks here.

It's not so much that I miss Starbucks itself (though I do). I had envisioned that I'd be able to spend some time working at coffee shops while I'm here. It's such a part of the Ann Arbor, university town culture, and I love it. But it just isn't done here.

For one, eating and working are not combined here. Many people don't even sit down at the coffee shop, they just take their espresso quickly at the counter and move on. Those who sit are generally there to visit with friends. When we did ask for the wifi password at one bar, it was a string of letters and numbers on a sticker, on top of the cash register, behind the bar, underneath the calculator- which shows you how infrequently people ask for the wifi password.

This is one small cultural difference that can easily be worked around, but in combination with literally everything else that is new and different here, it's made for a rough week. I don't function well without structure and routine in my life. For the first few weeks, after getting the boys off to school I had a purpose each day. Learn this, go there, figure that out, etc. Now it feels like I drop them off and I'm purposeless, drifting around and trying to find things to fill my time.

I'm fairly certain that this is being compounded by culture shock. I've traveled a bit, and also studied culture shock as part of my teacher training. When living in a new place, there is a period of time that is the 'honeymoon', where everything is new and enjoyable. After that comes a period of homesickness and struggle, followed by gradual improvement and acceptance. I'm floating around somewhere in the 'grumpy and struggling to improve' phase. I'm tired of apologizing for not being able to make myself understood. I'm tired of waiting for the bus. I would rather not fight the teenagers for room on the bus in the morning. Being out in this new world is frustrating and exhausting.

So I'd rather just stay home. Which is why the last week has been so rough. I'm also tired of doing laundry and dishes. I'm tired of studying Italian at the kitchen table. I've already done two puzzles. And played enough solitaire. Wifi only works in one room here. Man, I'm starting to sound whiny.

This morning, I got up determined to have a better day. I went to the coffee shop around the corner, where the barista has been friendly and taken the time to help me with my broken Italian. I sat for half an hour and (gasp) worked on a few things while I was there. Then I found the post office and figured out which form to use to pay the bill for the boys' school (more on that another time). Finally, I succeeded in getting Dave some medicine for his sore throat at the pharmacy. I may not leave again until it's time to pick up the boys, but that was a win for today.

This town is big enough that there should be a Starbucks. McDonald's doesn't even have mochas, just a regular Italian coffee bar. Though now that I think about it, I did see a guy working on his laptop there the last time I took the boys...

Ethan: I had a friend over yesterday and today

I had a friend over yesterday his name is Giovanni and Antonio too!
I was so excited yesterday and I am so excited for today too!

This is a picture of fish in the area of the Prato.

With Antonio I am going to teach him a game.

This is a picture of fish in the area of the Prato. 

Starting School

The libretto is very important
and has to go with the students
to school each day.

The school's policies and procedures
are listed in the libretto, including
emergency drills. It also has pages for
field trip permission and excusing
absences.

The boys' first day of school here was a Wednesday. We took the city bus to the school and arrived later than we'd planned, about two minutes before the bell. The boys' teachers were waiting to meet us in the hall, greeting the boys in Italian and telling them to join the line. Both kids shrunk into us, squeezing our hands. Dave walked with Ben up to his class, and I walked with Ethan. I had hoped to give the kids a pep talk and an extra hug, but it all moved so quickly... Before I knew it, they were following the other students into their classrooms. Luckily their classes were next to each other, and I got to wave goodbye to both before instruction began. I peeked in on Ethan, who was starting to tear up, and his class was getting ready to meet in a circle in the middle of the room. Ben looked at me from his desk with wide eyes. We smiled and waved.

And left. It was hard.

Padova Impressions, Week 1.5

The Prato, near our house.

We've been here for a week and a half, and we are all starting to feel more comfortable in Padova. I haven't had as much time to write as I'd hoped- this week has been full of shopping, cleaning, and finding my way around!

Padova is a big city. As I may have mentioned, I didn't really have time to do a lot of research before we came. Dave told me that it was a university town, so in my mind I was picturing Ann Arbor. Apparently during the school year, it's about five times the size of Ann Arbor! It's big. There are two trams and 25ish bus lines that provide public transport. During the morning when everyone is traveling to work and school, every single bus and tram is full. The city itself has suburbs.

Also in the Prato.

Up until I spent two weeks in London in 2000, I thought I'd enjoy living in a big city. After just those two weeks, I was tired of feeling constantly dirty and missed quiet, green space.

Padova is gorgeous, but it is dirty. There is a large, large population of people here who smoke. Walking around, you will frequently walk through someone's smoke, and definitely will find cigarette butts on the ground. There is a lot of litter as well as graffiti on every block. It hasn't rained since we've been here, and I'm guessing that the lack of water washing away dirt adds to the grime. I've found the level of dirt tolerable, because it's still less than London. We take our shoes off at the door every time we enter as well.

Gorgeous.

I haven't had the feeling of needing green space, though. Our apartment is quiet, and has a nice, sunny courtyard out the window. When I need a respite from the bustle, the apartment has been great. (Especially since the boys started school last week.) As Dave has mentioned, he also did a great job of choosing a spot. We are right near the Prato della Valle, which is a gigantic open oval with a fountain, grass, statues, and a canal. It's a smaller, Italian version of the area around Buckingham Fountain in Chicago. We walk near the Prato every day, and it gives me the illusion of openness and green space.

While there is graffiti and litter, the grass here is pristine. I was hoping that the boys could play some soccer in the Prato, but virtually nobody steps on the grass. For a week, we looked for somewhere we could play soccer. The parks are only open a few hours each day right now, and most have rules posted that forbid soccer and other sports. It's an interesting contrast to how the buildings and streets are cared for.

Another key factor for me is that there is sun here. Almost. Every. Day. Another mom told me yesterday that the winter has been unusually mild so far, but I'll take it. We've only had one day of fog- the other days we've had beautiful blue skies. The high temperatures have ranged from 42 degrees to 55. Lovely.

So while we are in a larger city than I expected, I'm enjoying it so far. It's been a bit since I've published- if I keep working on ideas and adding more here, nothing will ever be posted. I'm trying to do better!

After leaving the park we discovered that we weren't supposed to have soccer balls there. Oops.

Ethan: Trip to Italy

                                                                                                                                                                       




deer Italy






I can't what to go to Italy.I am excited for the mountains. I Want to hike the mountains.

Ben: Italy's Adventure

I can not believe I am going on a mountain this big in Italy. I do not want to go but I want to snowboard. I want to go to Italy because I want to go down the big mountains. I do not want to go because I do not want to go to school there.

We're Going to Italy!

Talk of a sabbatical in Italy began about two years ago. My husband, Dave, is a professor at Eastern Michigan University, and at that point he was just earning the ability to apply for sabbatical. The destination was never even slightly in question. My husband likes to pretend he is Italian. I can't remember exactly when or how it started. His father's family is Polish, and his mom's family is German (he has the lederhosen to prove it). But by his early twenties, Dave had decided to learn to cook Italian food and had started teaching himself the language. Dave and I have taken two trips to Italy- one pre-kids and one when Ben was two. Always one to go after what he wants, my husband wrote to several Italian universities to request that they sponsor his sabbatical. Lo and behold, we will be spending winter 2019 in Padova, Italy.

It took a year for Dave to fully convince me that going was a good idea. Don't get me wrong- I love to travel. I was fortunate to visit Mexico, Australia, Europe (including Italy), and many U.S. destinations before I graduated from high school. This adventure is right up my alley- except that we are now adults with responsibilities. Kids, our house, my job... all of these have been the source of a fair amount of anxiety for me.

Ethan and Ben are in first and fourth grades. This is the time to go. Ethan is now reading well enough that learning to read in Italian won't cause any lasting delays, and Ben will be back home for his fifth grade year and the beginning of middle school. Kids pick up language quickly. I know this, because I teach elementary English learners. They know some Italian vocabulary, so they won't be starting from ground zero. Kids learn English in Italian public schools, so there will be people there that can greet them and help them out.

I've spent a chunk of the last few months prepping our house to leave. We have purged a ton of belongings. I've taken pictures and listed the house on sabbatical housing websites and Airbnb. We've had three sets of strangers rent the house to give us reviews (and offset some of my future lost income). We have done some major renovations to the house, which makes it attractive to others, but haven't invested much recently in furniture or decor that can be ruined.

Job anxiety comes from two places. One is the obvious- lack of income. Dave will still make his salary while on sabbatical, but I won't. We have planned well, paying down a lot of debt and saving as much as possible for the last year. Less obvious (or, perhaps, logical) is the fact that I am not entirely comfortable not working. I battled the feeling that I would be 'letting people down' at work by leaving school for a semester. Teaching is a serious profession to me, and I feel strongly about my commitment to my students. That's been the biggest hurdle to clear as far as my feelings toward the trip- and it has helped immensely that everyone at work has been incredibly supportive of me and excited about this opportunity!

We're going to Italy! I'm finally incredibly, over-the-moon, thoughts clouding every free moment, excited about this! The boys and I (and hopefully Dave) will be documenting parts of our trip here. (Thanks to the Knotts for the inspiration.) We're looking forward to the adventure, and to sharing it with all of you.

The Boys: Italy

Italy,

I can not belive I am going on a mountain this big in italy.

                                                                                               -Ben   November 3, 2018

I can not believe that I am going to Italy. it will be so fun. I will go to school there too.

Ethan November 3, 2018

Ben: Italy

                                                                          I hate italy.

                                                   (Ben's first blog post. October 26, 2018)