beware of hogs

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In the week since my last entry, I haven't been to Rome or Florence or Venice. I've been here in Biella adjusting to life in a new place with new people. On tuesday I started my au pair duties which mostly involve being a chauffeur. On tuesday morning it took me 15 minutes to get out of the driveway. During those 15 minutes of frustration I couldn't understand why anyone would EVER want to drive stick (in fact, this is something I'll never understand). I practiced for about an hour before I had to head into town to get Gaia. In that hour I angered A LOT of Italian drivers. I stalled in busy roundabouts and at green lights and at stop signs...just about everywhere, causing all the traffic behind me to stand idle. I really thought that I'd have to quit my job and hand in my driver's license to the authorities.. for life. A little patience really goes a long way, though, and I can now drive stick like a pro (well, as pro as you can be after a week, and minus the parallel parking of course.) So, driving standard..success..driving in Italy..a different story all together. These people are insane..'nuff said.

In other news, I'm sure you've all heard of the terror of French bureaucracy. This just in..I'm pretty sure Italian bureaucracy is worse. After travelling to Ottawa twice and Toronto once to fight tooth and nail for my visa to come here, I thought I was done. FYI, you're never "done" when you're dealing with foreign bureaucracy. On Thursday I spent over 3 hours at the immigration office only to be told I need MORE documentation that doesn't exist. I'm really looking forward to going back next week with(out) these non-existant documents. The best part is that nobody speaks English. Good thing they somewhat understand my creative mix of French and Spanish with lots of "o's and i's" thrown on the end of words. This said, my experience with Italy's red tape isn't nearly as bad as it could be. I had the displeasure of witnessing many north african families enter the office smiling and leave crying. Yes people, we're lucky to be Canadian!

These are the things that come hand-in-hand with travelling. Its all part of the experience. Don't be discouraged, though, because I also have happy memories from this past week. Here are some quotes from my journal which will help explain what I've been up to...

"Today I went to Massazza and found a dead cat. He was frozen...But I also found a massive abandoned castle. You win some, you lose some..."

"Buffalo Mozzarella is the bomb!"

"Today I saw the real Biella. And by real I mean the old, original part of town on the top of the hill. As I climbed the cobblestone steps up towards the fortified walls everything seemed to get older and prettier. I stopped in front of an old church whose colour has faded over the years. As I was standing there looking at it, an old italian man stopped and said (in Italian) "the colours are beautiful, aren't they?". I responded with a simple yet heartfelt "si!" He smiled big and kept walking. Most of the population here seemed quite old and I can Imagine their families have lived here for a long time. This is another reason I say "the real Biella", because this is the kind of setting I picture when I think "ITALY".

You might be curious about the title of this entry: Beware of hogs. When I returned home from my walk the other day, Samantha asked where I had been. I told her I walked to the village and I thought she'd be pleased. Instead she seemed worried and warned me to be careful.

Samantha: "There's no need to worry in this season, but come spring time you have to watch out for the hogs"

Me: "The what?"

Samantha: "The hogs"

Me: "The what?"

Samantha: "You know, the wild pigs! They live in the rice fields and they can be very dangerous!"

Me" "uhhh ok..."

Still learning something new every day...

Ciao!

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Photos

the "real" Biella
The gate into the old city of Biella

Typical...
Mopeds are a true stereotype

Rooftops
More of old Biella

Comments

[Dad]

Well done!
Beautifully written ... nice pics too ... keep it up and I might just get jealous ;-)

[Kim]

Loving your entries so far. I really hope everything gets settled at the Italian office thing-a-ma-gig! You really seem to be positive about it all and enjoying yourself! The photos are breath-taking. I\'m very happy you have not yet been killed in a car accident or mauled by a wild hog. Hahaha! Come back to us in one piece please! Love, OOE

[Mom]

Brave Girl!
Hi Ali: I love your pictures. Please don't get eaten by a wild pig. Love, Mom