Look at this photograph… oh wait, no.

(Yes I just quoted Nickelback, for all those who want to mock me, so be it, but it was the only quote I could think of about photographs that worked for me here and it’s a little Canadiana infused into the blog)

So there are photographs, they are pretty and tell a nice little story about where I’m living and the places (actually place) I’ve been. But you’ll have to take my word for it, because right now I neither have the Internet power or patience to download them. I have tried uploading them to Flickr, to Facebook, to this blog… but all of them take much too long with dial-up and I don’t want to waste the time or money doing so. I will try other means of getting them on the web soon.

And for those of you wondering, no Italy isn’t technologically behind in the times, it’s just that the place that I live is high up in the mountains/hills. Cell phone and cable reception is a joke as is ADSL, it does exist, just not in this house or anywhere near here (believe me, I’ve wandered around looking for a wireless connection on my iPod). But what I said about cell phones and cable is true, the only place in the house that they can get reception is if they’re by the windows, we have satellite TV so that’s not a problem (hooray for English programming) but apparently if we did rely on cable it’s sketch, especially when the leaves fall from the trees and fall starts, this makes the cable gods unhappy I guess and turns the TV’s to snowy screens.

But enough about that stuff.

Little update about life in Italy. In a word, it’s great. Wonderful. Fabulous. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Choose your adjective.

I was going to use the photos to narrarate my story, but alas, words will have to suffice.

This week was pretty busy, well busy for me in Italy. I actually left the mountain, where I usually spend my days either reading, studying Italian, listening to chickens squawk and birds chirp, naming said birds and roaming the countryside. It’s all very exciting.

I got myself registered as a citizen and have a Italian version of a social insurance number, meaning I can legally work here, although so far none of the places I’ve interviewed at haven’t seemed too concerned with that. But I have gone on interviews, two to be exact (technically that should be three but when I arrived at one of the schools after much searching they weren’t there for the appointment… very business like). Both were in Vicenza, a city about 40 minute by train from here and really beautiful (pictures would show that, I swear) and I really liked wandering around the city, sitting in the main square and shopping around (window, no buying… yet). At one of the schools I’m going back for a second interview on Monday, where I’ll show them a practice lesson. The second school is world wide and they’re sending me to training next week, apparently their way of teaching is different and I can get a job at any of their schools if I have the certificate. I’m not sure if I’m going to stay with the company, but free training and the chance to meet other English speaking people appeals to me… also a job if I move elsewhere has a slight advantage as well. I have a third interview on Monday morning in Schio, which is much closer for me and easier and cheaper for me to get to, so I’m kinda crossing my fingers for that one.

Other than that, it looks like I’ll need to get driving around here. Most of the school jobs here send out the teachers to companies to teach during lunch or after work, so there are very few jobs within the schools. This means I’ll have to drive myself to these places, a problem for me because I don’t have a car, but even if I did they’re all stick shift (I don’t know how to drive them) and driving here is scary (and confusing) as all get out. I’m considering driving lessons, if I could only find a place that can teach me in English.

My Italian… well it’s sad. I understand more than I speak, I’m practicing, I’m studying, it’s just hard because the dialect here also confuses the heck out of me. Because of the language difference between my uncle and I (who I hang out at home with all day) we don’t really talk while we’re at home, except maybe one word conversations.

But like I said, life here is so great, I’m having a wonderful time and the anthropologist in me is trying to make cultural studies everywhere I go. Such as one on the differences in pedestrian crossings here in Italy and in Vancouver. I swear I will be run down in the street, apparently I’m too polite, I have to walk in front of cars or they wont stop and waving to say thank you is crazy.

Another wonderful thing about Italy… heated towel racks. I’m serious, getting out of the shower to a heated towel, I’m not sure I can go back. Almost makes up for having to pay for public toilets (I refuse, as a small bladdered person, it could get expensive) and the whole squatting aspect of said toilets.