Hello everyone! Jason and I have finally started an online journal where we will be sharing stories and pictures of our adventures here in Italy and throughout Europe. There isn't much to say about our departure from Chicago to Italy, except that everything went exceptionally smooth. We stayed overnight in Virginia to catch the AMC "military" flight the next morning to Italy. We had heard that these airplanes, although in size are like regular commercial airplanes, can be very cold and uncomfortable. Well, I suppose we got lucky. We ended up sitting in 1st class, and the flight couldn't have been better! Reclining seats, movies, frequent meals...I felt as if we were royalty! Aside from one short stop in Shannon, Ireland (where we passed on drinking a pint of Guiness at 5 a.m.), we arrived in Italy around 10:00 a.m. One of the orthopedic surgeons who had been here for the past couple years, Jorge, picked us up at the airport and drove us to our new home in the Navy lodge. We quickly dropped our luggage off and went to a local restaurant to try some authentic Italian food. After eating, we spent the rest of the day exploring the navy base and getting accustomed to our new home. As the days have passed I, being the new Navy wife that I now am, had come to learn a few things. I quickly learned that I would need to carry my military ID EVERYWHERE, because you need to show it before doing anything. Not a major deal, but it would be like having to show your drivers license before going grocery shopping. Some of the other interesting aspects of military life are the absence of normal, American commercials on TV! All the commercials are made by the military advertising about, you guessed it, the military! Oh, and we stand to say the pledge of allegiance prior to seeing any movie at the theater here on base. Need I say more?!!!
So now I will talk about the Italians. They are truly the most friendly and warm people you could ever meet. We have had nothing but good experiences in our interactions with them since our arrival. While we were out one day, exploring the city, we of course got lost and couldn't find our way to the funiculare (a cable car system that takes you from the ground to towns that are elevated up in the hills). This adorable, very elderly lady at the bus stop must have realized we didn't know where we were and began explaining to us in Italian where we needed to go. And, of course, we had no idea what the heck she was saying. So, she began walking and showed us the way. With her help, we got to where we were going. Aside from being very caring and hospitable, I have also learned many other major characteristics of the Italian people. The first is that they drive in a way you will never see anywhere else. Though they drive on the same side of the road as we do, if you are on the "autostrade", or highway, you had better stay out of the left lane. You will be doing maybe 60-70 miles an hour in the left lane, and before you can blink an eye, someone is flying up behind you at 90 miles and riding your tail with only about an inch between. Thats when you move over and stay over. Also, their streets are extremely narrow. Funny story. One day, we were riding with Jorge into town. He turns down what I believed was a tiny, one way street. Well, along comes a car speeding down the street opposite us. I closed my eyes because I knew that our car would collide with the other car as we passed one another. When I opened my eyes, we not only passed the other car without hitting it, but a man on a scooter actually came in between us. So, just when you think you are going to get ran over by a car or a "motorino", they come as close to you as possible and keep driving along. Oh, yeah, and another thing about Italian driving. Stop signs and rules of the road are completely optional. And while we don't yet have a car, we do have Italian drivers licenses and look forward to experiencing driving the Italian way very soon!
Okay, to make a very long, drawn out story short, we have had a great time here so far. We moved into our new house on base, which is 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a whole lot bigger than our tiny, tiny place in Chi-town. We have made lots of friends and have hosted lots of barbeques, and even had time to lay out at the pool and perfect our tans. This Saturday we are leaving to take the train to Sigonella, Sicily for a week so Jason can relieve one of the Ortho surgeons at that hospital for vacation. Jason has also been enjoying working here, and just the other day he performed his first surgical case as an attending! I am so proud of my hubby! He has his own office and has become good friends with his new colleagues.
Well, thanks for taking the time to read this very long blog, and we assure you that there will be lots more to come along with pictures of our adventures! We miss all of our family and friends from back home, and we hope you continue to read about and share this experience with us along the way! Ciao!
