Back in the U.S.A. by Hart

As some of you may remember, back in August, I was alone with the children for 3 weeks while Justin started working in Italy. I had them start school since I still had no idea if or when the company would send us out to join him. Finally, we were given the green light, and 3 days later we were on a plane to Venice.

The first two months in Treviso were spent at Palazzo Brando, which is the Italian version of the Residence Inn. It was a great place for us to start, to get used to the town & lifestyle, and to make some friends.

Then we moved into the house that we found our first week in Italy (but had to wait for) in the beginning of November. This was a wonderful change - but then no internet for a month! Just as we were starting to get settled in, everything was unpacked, kitchen was stocked with dishes & pots & pans, we hired someone to help keep the house clean (sorry, but I can't watch 3 kids & clean 4 bathrooms on my own!), our 90 days in Italy was up. In fact, Justin was in the U.S. for the last 3 weeks because he was waiting for his work visa to be issued. That didn't happen in time, so we all had to leave.

Boo hoo.

This time, I didn't have to fly with the kids on my own. Justin flew out last Thursday - got stuck for 10 hours in the Frankfurt airport & luggage never arrived. Then, on Saturday, we all flew back together. Well, now I just sound like I'm complaining, but Justin reminded me that we've had so much amazing luck lately, things were bound to have to balance out at some point.

Now we are renting a little beach cottage in Santa Cruz, visiting with friends and family, and getting ready to enjoy the holidays here in the U.S. Yesterday we bought a little tree & decorated it this morning. I'm happy to see that beautiful angel on top - couldn't have used her in Italy because the plugs are different. We drove down "Christmas Tree Lane" in Palo Alto, & there are radio stations that only play Christmas music here. Things are feeling festive.

The most important thing for me, though, and the children, is stability. This is something we haven't had in our lives for 4 months now. It is taking a toll on all of us. So, after the holidays, my hope is to return to Italy, settle down, and stay put for a while - get back to studying Italian, making new friends, eating & drinking well, and enjoying la dolce vida.

Aack, what am I saying? Let's have la dolce vida here!!!

November, The Lost Month by Hart

So many times in the past month (while we had no internet access) I told myself - write down your ideas for the blog & then you can post them when the internet is turned on. Of course, then life got in the way. Now, I wonder if it is worth it to try to go back in time. So much has happened here & more happens every day. Maybe I'll just move on. However, here are some of the things I was thinking of writing about - if anyone is interested in any of these topics, let me know & I'll post something with pictures.
Our trip to Paris (was going to title this one Food Poisoning in Paris) the trip was mainly amazing.
Our new house - also amazing - especially now with internet!
Halloween
Thanksgiving
Chanukah
Our day trip to Nove (ceramics) & Asiago (cheese)
International Women's Club outings - guided tour of Treviso, guided art tour, Christmas market, hike in Asolo
Kids playdates/ new friends
Yoga
Snow
Justin being in the US while we are here because of visa/document problems
What we like about Treviso/Italy & what we miss about California

Mainly what we miss are our friends. We are making new ones here, but we'd like to keep the old (gold) ones also. Now that we are back online, you can comment here, send email, or skype. Also, if we're still on your holiday card list, our address is:
Vicolo Piave 1/A
31100 Treviso, TV
Italia

Sending love to you all. Will write again soon (I promise!)

Lessons (Italian, Cooking, Cultural) by Hart

Well, luckily we're all flexible in this family, since there are many differences between the home & life we were used to in Palo Alto & our new life here in Treviso.



Out of necessity and interest, I've begun Italian lessons. Twice a week a mom from the kids' school comes to our home in the evening. I put the baby to sleep & Ellie & Liam watch a movie while Justin & I have our lesson. So far it's going well, although the grammar of Italian is difficult (many more articles, sentence structure is different, genders, and everything has to agree in gender & quantity). Justin keeps having work dinners (lucky!) and has missed a few lessons, but overall the situation is working out well.



I'm also working through a language program on the computer which I bought before we came here. It is very helpful - teaching me a few new words & lots of repetition each lesson. But, there are some things it's taught me that are incorrect. For instance, "Io voglio" means "I want". But, (I learned from the real live Italian teacher), it is used by children when they are being naughty & demanding - "I want! I want!" Instead, a polite person should say, "Io vorrei", which is closer to "I would like". So, I take the computer program with a grain of salt.



Finally, I have two language exchanges with Italian women each week. One is a mom from the school. We go to her house & talk (mainly in English for now). The idea is that over time, as I become better at Italian, we can speak half the time in English & half in Italian, so we can both practice. The other woman is a nutritionist that I met through the International Women's Club of Treviso. Most of the women in that club come from other areas: the U.S., other parts of Europe, Japan, Israel, etc. This woman comes because she wants to improve her English. She & I meet & walk around town and talk. Becaues of these exchanges, I am already understanding so much Italian! It's the talking that's hard.

The kids seem to be picking up Italian too. At school they have to speak English, but they are pulled out for Italian lessons and even have some math lessons in Italian. In the playground at lunch, the children speak Italian, so they are also learning "playground talk". This seems like a great age to learn - much easier than as an adult!



Ander is now going to a babysitter 3X/week in the mornings. Originally I wanted someone to come to my house, but this arrangement is good because the caregiver has a lot of toys and there is one other child with Ander. It's more interesting for him there. She speaks English, but with the children she speaks Italian. So, he'll definately get the language! The question will be - will any of us retain the language once we go home? We have a few Italian friends in Palo Alto, so we'll rely on them as much as we can to practice.

This week, when I met for my language exchange with the mom from school, I had a little cooking lesson. We sat in the kitchen to have a coffee, & she started going through her frig to teach me the names of some items: proscutto crudo, proscutto cotto, pancetta, etc. . . There is an abundance of pork products here, and Italians feel very strongly about the importance of each type - where it comes from, qualitites that make it unique, what dishes it is good for, etc. Before this, I really didn't know the difference between proscutto & pancetta (I thought they were the same thing, just cut differently). Man was I wrong! She also taught me how to make Pasta Carbonara, which is a local dish. The pasta sauce is made mainly from pancetta & eggs. Of course, she told me, it is important to use spagetti #5 for this dish. In my mind, who cares? I talked with another American about this later & she laughed. Her husband is Italian & when she made this dish for him (with #3, not #5 pasta), he told her it was all wrong. In our way of thinking, #3 cooks faster than #5 & it tastes the same. For them, each ingredient & step in cooking is a part of their heritage & identity. I hope to take a "real" cooking class while I am here in Italy. Then, when I return to the states, I'll have to take another one - to teach me how to cook other types of food from scratch. Will I be converted? Or will I return to my Trader Joe's ways?


Recently a new Italian aquantance invited me to a shop where you can buy designer children's clothes & jackets for 1/2 off. I thanked her politely, but told her I didn't need anything for the kids. The truth is, I'm not a person who would spend $150 on a jacket for a kid who is going to ruin or outgrow it right away. If the jacket was normally $300, I still don't feel that $150 is a bargain. Why would a kid's jacket ever cost $300? Well, then, she told me that there is another shop where they have adult clothes & jackets. Again, I said no. Really, I wouldn't spend $300 on a jacket for myself either! Of course, here you don't just come right out & say "no". It would be rude. The kids were sick & home from school, so I had a good excuse. The next time she asked, Justin was on a business trip in the US, another good excuse. Then she suggested that we go after school one day & her babysitter could watch my kids. I didn't feel I could say "no" any more without losing her as a friend & alienating myself from the whole Italian community here! It was totally inconvenient for me, but I felt obligated to go. Then, on the way there, she told me that if you spend $500, then you get another $30% off. That's when it hit me - "I'm going to have to buy something! And, it's not going to be cheap." In the end, I was able to find one thing that wasn't too expensive. Another woman was with us & she bought something too, so with all of us, we got the extra 30% off. As time goes on, I'll learn more about how to navigate these situations gracefully. For now, I'm just observing how different things are here, and enjoying the warmth of my new designer coat!

HAIL!!! by Liam & Hart

It was an old boring day. Bleh. The most thing I don't like about boring days is...

HAIL!!!

The most wonderful thing that happened in my whole life. Wow, I loved it. It was really big! My first time seeing actual hail fall from the sky. It's ice. We're going to the mountains where it snows. And, did you know, it snows here?

OK. Actually, the weather was nice in the morning. The kids were at school, Justin was at work. I took Ander out in the stroller to do some errands in town. When I got to the other side of the train station, though, it had started to rain. Of course, I didn't have an umbrella or cover for the stroller. I thought about going home, but remembered that there was no food in the house. Instead of the market shops I planned on going to, I went straight to the close supermarket - then, when we came out, it was sunny and clear again. It stayed nice until the afternoon, when we realized that on one side of the apartment building it was sunny & clear & the other side had very dark grey, ominous clouds. Then, all of a sudden, we heard banging & screaming coming from outside! We looked & huge hail stones were falling - the screams were the neighbor teens hanging out wit their mopeds getting under cover. We all got so excited, that I didn't think to take a picture or movie until it was all over. The photo above is from a while later, after the hail stopped & melted a bit.

It's just another difference from our life in California, but we know we need to be prepared for anything when we leave the house!

Field Trip to Parco Faunistico Cappeller by Ellie

My class and I went on a field trip! It was really fun. We saw thousands of animals. First, we took a bus to the Cappeller wildlife park. It took an hour. I sat with a girl named Kiara. She's really quiet. Then, we got off the bus and had snack. We walked to a presantation. The guide lady showed us skulls, eggs, horns, and porcupine quills. We also played a game. Then, we went out and saw the animals. Seriously, there were at least a million animals in that park. Then, we had lunch. And then we saw some more animals. Anyway, the

picture here was the biggest animal on the planet. Seriously, it was huge! Can you guess who it was ? it was.............CAMEL! It was my favorite animal. When it stood up, it looked like a giant dog with it's tail wagging. :) :)

Day Trips by Hart

Since we've been here, we've tried to get away one day each weekend. We are loving Treviso, but what better opportunity will we ever have to discover all the amazing sights in our backyard?

VENICE

Our first trip was to Venice. We ended up driving, even though the train would have been faster & easier because we had to go to IKEA first to buy a high chair! Anyhow, after that errand, we drove to Mestre & took the train into the city. We walked through town, across the Rialto bridge, and into Piazza San Marco. The weather was perfect that day, & the crowds were minimal. It was like something out of a dream (plus we were still jet-lagged, so everything seemed like it was out of a dream). The kids got hungry half-way to the Piazza, so we stopped at a pizzeria for a late lunch. Later on, when we arrived at the Piazza, Ellie said she thought we were going to get pizza! Um, didn't you just eat a whole pizza 15 minutes ago? All I can say is that girl loves pizza! I found all the shops a real distraction - the kids were constantly asking if we'd buy them something. In the future, I'll let them bring some of their own money & plan on walking slowly so they can browse & pick what treasure they really want. The kids were tired out by the time we got to the Piazza, & there was a larger crowd there, so we decided to skip the rest of the sightseeing & save it for another day - we are only 30 minutes away, after all - we can come back any time we like! So we decided to hop on a water-bus instead of walking all the way back. After figuring out how to buy tickets & getting on a bus going in the wrong direction (it was a loop, so it didn't seem to matter, except it made the trip much much longer) we ended up back at the train station about an hour & a half later! Well, not too bad for our first time out, & at least a lot of lessons were learned.

VERONA

The second weekend here, we visited Verona,which is about 1 1/2 hr. drive from Treviso. When I traveled to Europe after college, I went through Italy two times, but never had time for the little towns - pretty much only saw the biggest & most famous cities. It turns out that Verona is the 4th most visited city in Italy! The weekend we went, there was some big festival going on (which we didn't know about ahead of time), so there were a lot of people there & a lot going on. I always love Rick Steve's guides, so I took mine along & we used it to navigate the city & see all the "important" sights. First, the Arena, which dates from the first century A.D., & is still used for concerts (the day we were there, they were setting up for a Peter Gabriel concert). Must wean the baby, then find a babysitter, then we can talk about going to a concert at the Arena! Walking around town, we saw a marching piccolo band, accordian players, & dancers. We visited the House of Juliet (not really her house, but still romantic - especially since a great friend of mine's boyfriend traveled to Europe to surprise her & somehow arrived just as she was standing in the balcony & then he proposed). Along the walls, thousands of lovers have written their names. Having 3 kids in tow makes it a little less romantic, but we all started off with stars in our eyes! This was a really nice moment to teach the kids about Romeo & Juliette, too, so now they know the story - must think of this as educational for them.

near NOVENTA DI PIAVE

Last weekend we spent the afternoon on Saturday at a classmate's birthday party at a winery the parents own about 45 minutes out of town. It was so beautiful driving through the countryside! During the party, there were entertainers hired to play with the kids, & the parents watched & chatted while sipping prosseco (the wine of this region) & eating tasty snacks. It is typical for all the kids in a class to be invited to the birthday parties here, but it still is so nice to be included & everyone is so friendly!

PADOVA

On Sunday we visited Padua. There is a famous chapel there called the Scrovegni Chapel, which was built & then painted around 1300. It's considered to be the first piece of modern art - although the frescoes were all religious in nature, the subjects were portrayed in a more human way than earlier works. Please don't shoot me, art history major friends, but I'd never heard of the Scrovegni Chapel before - however now I think it must be one of the wonders of the world! It is so well preserved after all this time. Now they have a series of air locks and they limit the number of people to view it & the ammt. of time you have inside in order to keep out the moisture. It was amazing and beautiful & I highly recommend that anyone coming to Italy visit this masterpiece. After our 15 minutes in the chapel, we viewed the art gallery. I would have thought 8 & 6 were too young to appreciate the art & history of Europe, but so far things are working out for us. I really enjoyed looking at the art with the kids, & talking to Ellie about what we liked (& didn't), why some paintings might be important, & how the artists might have created their works (color, shadow, perspective, etc.).

JESOLO

Tomorrow we are going to another birthday party - this one in Jesolo (a beach town an hour away), at the family's beach house. Nice. We booked a hotel room & plan to play at the beach on Sunday. It probably won't be play-in-the-water warm, but we can at least build sandcastles & walk along the shore. Wonder how it will compare to our beloved Santa Cruz?

Hi everybody! wer'e having so much fun!

Happy Children by Hart

In general, the kids have been adapting to this move very well.

Ellie has noticed that Italians love dogs & almost everyone has one or more (usually small & cute) dogs. She was asking for a dog before we came to Italy, but her want has increased since we've been here. Our compromise is that once we get a house she'll be able to get a pet - NOT a dog, but maybe a guinea pig or hamster. She just needs something cuddley to love, is that so wrong? I made the mistake of shipping her most beloved stuffed animal (dog), Peanut, who is still in customs until we move into the house. Hopefully in the next month we'll move & those problems will be overcome. As far as school goes, Ellie seems to be doing well. Some subjects are very easy for her - spelling was always one of her talents, but now she is in a class with 98% native Italian speakers. She is picking up Italian amazingly quickly. They also have a subject here called, "mental maths", so she is learning to solve math problems in her head. There is an indoor pool nearby, & I've got the kids on a waiting list for lessons twice a week. Hopefully they'll get in before the bad weather begins, so they can still get some exercise. For now, lots of walking!

Liam is also adapting well. He likes school. He really likes the uniform! He has his first playdate scheduled for this afternoon - we're going to a park where kids ride bikes & scooters (the other kid is providing the vehicles). This weekend he is going to a birthday party for a classmate. PE has been a bit of a problem - they played Dodgeball his first day & didn't explain the rules. He came home & told me everyone was mean & they were all throwing balls at him! Poor guy. Liam (oh, now he goes by William at school) is also doing well in class. It is tough being thrown in with 2nd graders, but he's keeping up. He's getting used to doing homework. He comes home & explains Italian grammar rules, "Mom, if it ends in an 'o' it's a boy & if there's more than one of them, the end changes to 'i', like gelatto - gelatti, gelatto is a boy, mom!"

Ander is having more trouble than the other kids. First off, he got a new tooth the first week here. Now he has a cold. He is also going through some developmental changes - standing & cruising more, even balancing for a second or two. He's also started dancing, as you can see in the video! His language has definately been impacted by the move - he used to say at least 15 different words. Now he mainly says "mama, mommy, & ciao." I did get him to say "bubbles" the other day, but he isn't even saying "dada" any more. Hopefully this confusion won't last too much longer. Ander is also not sleeping well. He's been waking & nursing all night. I say I'll stop the night nursing when he's healthy again, but who knows what new thing will be an issue then. Hoping for the best (& a little sleep for mama)!

Old Boats by Liam

We went on a street and we went on a bridge and we SAW BOATS!!! The boats were made out of wood and they were very old - 200 years old! They were in the water and they were covered with moss. There were ducks and fish living in them, and lots of mosquitoes. We walked pretty far on a wooden walkway (like the one at Baylands, but much longer).

Market Day by Ellie

We went to the market today. It was cool. It was like the farmer's market because it had tents. First we saw these cool toys that only cost 1 Euro. And then we saw these shirts that were really fuzzy (they were fur coats). Then we saw these cute pets. There were chipmunks, hamsters, birds, guinea pigs, fish, & turtles. Then we bought some vegetables including the giantist tomato ever on Earth! (my mom took a picture of it sitting in a pasta bowl) Then we saw a fish market, cheese and meats, and then we went home.

Treviso, a Beautiful City by Hart

A little info about Treviso: The river Sile, which runs through & around Treviso does not come from the mountains as most rivers do. Instead, it comes out of the ground (there is a place near-by where you can see the start of the river, & we will definitely visit it). Sile has a pretty constant height/current/temperature because of this. It flows to Venice, & long ago it was used to bring goods from Venice to the Northern part of Italy & other parts of Europe. Huge wooden boats would be filled up with goods & then they would be pulled by animals upstream (there are paths/roads on both sides of the river) to the center of Treviso where they would be unloaded. Where I walked with some moms from the kids' school the other day, there were the remains of some of these boats, almost a boat graveyard, because they stopped being used when cars became popular. The boats I saw decomposing in the river might be 200 years old!

I have been exploring the city as much as possible these days, since the weather is still very good. We've had two downpours (one lasted a whole day & the other was only at night) so far. I'm trying to walk as much as I can since it's the only exercise I'm getting & we're eating all this pizza & gelato. I made my way to the tourist information center & picked up a bunch of pamphlets, but haven't gotten a chance to look at them yet. I definitely know my way to the grocery store, the post office, the pharmacy, Piazza San Marco in the middle of town, & all the way across town to Porto San Tomaso. It takes about 15 minutes (without kids walking with me) to get across town from the South to the North. The city is bustling at times, with people walking in the streets (in fact, this morning there was a bit of a Disneyland -unreal- vibe). Other times, when shops are closed for lunch from 12-3:30, everything is pretty deserted; it's peaceful. Either way, though, it is beautiful; the narrow streets, the cobblestones, the arches, the water flowing through the town, the people, (& Ellie would say, "the dogs" - there are so many little dogs here!).

I am also trying to get the kids some exercise, so I've taken them on walks too. Yesterday after school I took them to see the decomposing boats in the Sile. Today, we walked to the market which is on Tues. & Sat. mornings. It is similar to a swap meet, but everything is made in Italy instead of made in China. The kids dictated stories to me about these walks, so you can read more about that soon.

Finally, for tonight, I'm including a sunset photo from our balcony. The apartment we are in has some major issues (mainly childproofing), but I love the clouds with the silver linings!

First Days of School by Ellie

Today is probably the BESTEST day in Italy! I wasn't stressed, my teacher was nicer than ever (Even though I've only been in school 2 days!), my friends actually offered to play with me , AND , it's soooooooooooo different! me like!


me miss you soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!!!!

Creative Cooking by Hart

We've been eating out a lot since we arrived - well, the food is so good, & we are still getting settled. But something has happened which I never thought possible: Justin is getting tired of eating pizza!

Yesterday I took the baby to the market & really took my time looking through the aisles. I cannot believe how many sections of the store are devoted to products made from white flour! After spending almost a whole year eating gluten & dairy free, this has been a real shock for me. It reminds me of when I lived in Costa Rica for 3 months while in college - I had been a vegetarian for a few years, but I knew going into the experience that I wanted to have an open mind - I ate 6 different types of meat in the first 24 hours there because I was with a family & I ate what they offered. This time, I get to make all my own decisions (& luckily eating no gluten & dairy was a choice for me not a medical necessity). So, what to eat?

Here's how I made Italian Mexican food last night:

• warmed/toasted a piadine (like a flour tortilla) in olive oil
• melted provolone cheese on it (this provolone actually has a very strong flavor, unlike the provolone in the states, but it was the most mild cheese I could find)
• added roasted chicken (luckily they have this here, since it's a staple of our diet - someday I'll learn to make my own, but this is too convenient)
• added black beans (yes, I schlepped one can of black beans from home - um, was the extra weight worth it? probably not, but we enjoyed it anyhow)
• then, we all added what we wanted: lettuce, chopped tomato, chopped grilled bell peppers (very popular here), a mixture of zucchini & mushrooms (mushrooms are in season here & are delicious! )that I sauteed earlier, & salsa (I found a mini-jar of Old El Paso at the store, right next to the soy-sauce, which I also bought for the pantry)

OK, it sounds like too much of too many things, but it actually tasted pretty good!

Tonight, back to Italian: pasta (we're having fun taking turns picking out the shape since there are about 100 different kinds), tomato sauce with zucchini & mushrooms, and a salad with chicken. The food here doesn't keep as long as in the states, so my new trick will be to only shop a little at a time & make sure I use the food before it goes bad. Actually, that's a good habit to get into no matter where we live!

Home Tour by Hart

As you can see from the photo, the world is our oyster here! This is one of the homes we were taken to on our tour - Liam's favorite, by the way. This home was pretty far outside of town, but on a huge estate. The main building had a giant entryroom with 4 rooms off of it. To the right was the kitchen (our guide said his whole flat could fit inside the kitchen!). To the left, through a few more rooms, was the private chapel. Anyone want to get married in Italy? Upsatirs, there was another giant room with 4 more rooms off of it. On the top floor, there was a whole 2br flat with a kitchen & bathroom. As you can see, the grounds were extensive. This picture was taken half-way from the road. The back yard was even bigger, with a fountain, swimming pool, tennis courts, fruit trees, etc. There were tons of statues in & outside the home, plus huge vases, & the walls were cloth-covered. It was truly something out of a movie. I am sorry to tell you, though, that there is no way I could live there. I mean, without at least 10, maybe 20 servants. It would be very lonely out there all the time, just me & Ander. Plus, I'm afraid I'd never see Liam again, once he got into exploring. Oh, did I mention all the antiques that I'd be worried would get damaged? It was amazing, though.

There are two other homes we saw, which are front runners:

The first was modern (not usually our style, but we both liked this one a lot). It was located a short walking distance from the city wall. It is smaller than our Palo Alto house, but well designed & seems like it would be comfortable for our family. It was really beautiful.

The other house is older, but updated. It reminds me of the house Elizabeth Bennett's family lived in in Pride & Prejudice. Well, half of that house since this is a duplex. The family that lives in the other half also have children who attend the International School. The house is located very close to the kids' school & Justin's work, but there isn't really any place to walk from there so I'd have to drive to do my shopping.

I'm really glad that I'm just looking to rent, because having to make these decisions if I were buying would be extremely difficult. Whatever happens, I'm sure it'll work out -you know I'll keep you posted!

Rabbit Food by Liam W.

When we were in the grocery store, Mommy couldn't find the baby food. Then, she found it. Mommy found some baby food that was yummy pears. Then, she looked all over and found yummy yummy apples and other yummy stuff. And then after that, she found one more thing that was actually r.a.b.b.i.t.! r=really a=awesome b=big b=bumpy i=I know t=terrific
. . . . . . . . . . . . . rabbit food! We don't want to buy that rabbit food, and we did not buy it.

Yummy Gelato! by Ellie

Me, Mom, Dad, Liam and Ander have been getting ice cream every night. We've been walking to different places everywhere. My favorite flavor so far is coconut. It's so delicious!!!

Mostly Dad lets us get gelato. Mom just dosent get it.

The First Week by Hart

Well, we've already started to enjoy some of the Italian way of life. Our apartment has a few flaws (mainly tons of stairs which makes it tough with kids, especially a baby), but it is right outside the city wall. Treviso is a mideval town with a wall around the center city and a river/moat? flowing around it. There are also rivers & canals throughout the city. Many of the streets & sidewalks are cobblestones. Cars drive in the city, but many people walk, & some of the streets are so narrow no car could get through.

From our apartment, we can walk 2 blocks to the train station tunnel (which we will go to tomorrow for our first trip to Venice). We walk through the tunnel & on the other side, we're inside the city. There we find cafe's - the closest one to us has the most amazing freshly squeezed OJ, plus croissants with apricot jam inside &, of course espresso. There are also many restaurants (pizza & pasta mainly, but also gyros). We've been eating out a lot so far since we are not exactly settled yet. We also found a grocery store, so we have purchased some groceries. Everything here is a little different - in the store, when you want to purchase fresh fruits or veggies, you have to weigh them & get a sticker printed out to put on them. Then, take them to the register. The first time I went to the store, I didn't know that & the clerk went & did it for me. I think my experience here is going to be a lot of trial & error!

On Thursday, we visited the kids' new school, the International School of Treviso. It is nice & the children & teachers were very welcoming. It will be challenging, I know, though, since most of the children are native Italian speakers. In class they'll be speaking in English, but on the playground. . . well, Ellie & Liam will have to pick it up quickly, I guess. They'll be pulled out for Italian lessons. I'm sure they will learn more easily than me! The school also has a pool & many after-school activities. We'll see about that once we get settled.

On Friday, we went on a home-finding tour. I'll devote another post to that.

Today it rained. Of course, I shipped my boots. Hmmm - may have to buy some here! Oh, did I mention all the beautiful clothes and shoes in the shops in town? I just like looking, but I know at least one friend who would LOVE to shop here.

Tomorrow, Sunday, everything around here will be closed (places are also closed Mon. mornings, Wed. afternoons, and every day from about 12-3:30). Our plan is to visit Venice tomorrow, so more about that later!

Never Flying Again by Hart

Do you really want the details? I'll try to give them without complaining too much.

On Sunday morning I started freaking out because I couldn't fit everything in our luggage - plus it was so heavy & there was so much of it. My excuse is, "We're moving to Italy!" I got that issue figured out only to get stuck in traffic on 101 for almost 2 hours - there was a terrible crash & when we figured out that we would miss the flight, we turned around & got home in 10 minutes! Amazingly, Justin's work was able to get us on the same flight the next day. That night my mom & dad took us to a hotel near the airport where we ate dinner & then we were on our own. Surprisingly, we had a great night's sleep. Oh, & Ander started pointing. So cute.

On Monday, we got to the airport 4 hours early, so we could check in & get seats together on the plane. I ended up having to pay a lot for the extra heavy luggage (I think the guy was new on the job because Justin said he's never had to pay - this one was a stickler for the rules). The flight was fairly uneventful although timing bathroom visits is tough with the fasten seatbelt sign & food/drink service. Liam had to hold it on the take-off & Ellie on landing. We did not have mini TV's at our seats, but the kids watched the movie on the upper TV screen. Liam & Ander slept the last 5 hours. Ellie only slept one hour. I didn't sleep at all.

In Frankfurt, we found ourselves at terminal C & had to go all the way to terminal A. First, though, there was a huge flight of stairs leading out of the plane - I asked an attendant for help with the baggage even though they told me that children should only carry what they can manage. Apparently, they didn't understand that I needed all that stuff because "We're moving to Italy". Then, we took a bus to the terminal. Our flight wasn't listed on the monitors, which was stressful. I was really worried about missing the flight because I had been warned that the airport was huge & didn't have much time after deplaning & taking that bus. We went through a passport check & into the main part of the airport. Then we had to go through a security checkpoint! Luckily no taking shoes off or disposing of water bottles there. After that, we rushed (& man, I've never seen Ellie & Liam book it like that!) all the way to our gate. We were sweaty & tired when we arrived at the gate - then realized we still had an hour until take-off. Time to use the restroom & get my first espresso of the trip & some breakfast for myself & the kids.

The second flight was so nice compared to the first - the plane was clean & newer, & the attendants were kind. It went by in a flash & then we got to see Justin! I had to send the kids out to him & then make two trips to get the big luggage. People already seemed helpful & were smiling & cooing at Ander as people back home said they would.

Justin had a car, but we split up & I took a taxi to the apartment so we could bring all the luggage. Did I mention that "We're moving to Italy?" Actually, I brought WAY too much stuff on the plane & in our checked baggage. I should have shipped at least 4 more boxes. I guess I didn't realize how heavy clothes could be. Plus, I wanted to be prepared for any obstacle. During the whole trip I did not use any of the liquid toiletries that I brought on board. Also, the kids backpacks must have weighed at least 15 pounds each with all the books & games we brought on board - which they never used either! Our computer weighed 12 pounds on it's own! Please, if anyone reading this is going to travel abroad with kids, learn from my mistakes & simplify.

After this trip I've decided that I definitely want to stay here as long as possible so I don't have to do that again! Of course next time I won't be alone with 3 children & we'll be sure to buy a seat for the baby. And, I've learned so much, it could never be that hard again.

Dear Italy by Liam

I thought I was going to be happy at school until Mommy told me something. It made me sad, but I went with it. I know that it's going to be a fun ride. I'll miss my friends but I know I'll be happy. Going to Italy makes me sad, but I'm happy that Daddy has a job. And, going on the plane I bet is going to be fun. Happy - Sad - Happy - Sad - Happy - Sad.

Moving Day by Hart

We've been wanting to travel overseas for a long time now - maybe 10 years or more. When the opportunity arose a couple of months ago for Justin to take a job in Treviso, Italy, we jumped at the chance. Of course, all the bureaucracy of a large company made the process slow & stressful. Finally, last Wednesday afternoon (3 days ago) we got the OK to join him. Since then, I've gotten about 30 emails from different departments, all with information & requiring responses of some sort or the other. We got plane tickets. A car has been reserved for us. Justin is moving from a hotel into a furnished apartment where we will live until we find more permanent housing. We've been contacted about cultural training. We've been contacted about language training. We found spots for the kids in an international school. We packed up our essentials & items that might be needed through the winter. And today, the movers came.

The movers arrived at 8 this morning & I was relieved to see that all our stuff fit in one air shipment container. We aren't taking much, but it still seems silly shipping kids' clothes & toys all the way to Italy. That seems less wasteful than buying new stuff when we arrive, though. Luckily, most things can stay right where they are at home until we return.

For those of you who are just now learning about our trip, the plan is to stay in Italy for the duration of Justin's current job which should be about 6-9 months. It is possible we will return sooner than that, but hopefully not! We would love to keep in touch through this blog, on Facebook, through email, or via Skype. I will miss all my friends & family, but I think it will be most challenging for Ellie & Liam. I can already tell they are feeling sad about leaving.

Tomorrow I fly with the kids (ALONE!!!). Maybe I'll post about that next time, from Italy.

Until then, arrivederci!

Italy, Here We Come! by Ellie

We're going to Italy! It's going to be so much fun. But, we will miss our friends. We'll miss some holidays, too, like Halloween. Check out our blog and see our cool photos and stories.