On October 28th we left Seattle and boarded a plane towards Bologna, Italy, and the unknown. Today is February 28th, which means that was 4 entire months ago. It feels like a life time.
Marcella on the day we arrived, and in Malta last week.
Here are a few of the things that have happened since then:
- After 6 weeks of frantic searching we found our lovely large apartment in the city center. We moved in right before Christmas and we’re still getting settled (there was an almost disastrous IKEA run just this past weekend).
- We survived three VERY long weeks without any internet in our apartment.
- We celebrated Thanksgiving (in an AirBnB), Christmas (with new friends in Ferrara) and New Year’s (in bed with a tub of gelato).
- We’ve taken exactly one family trip so far- a long weekend in Malta.
- Marcella started half day daycare and loves it.
- Mike left his job at Automattic and is currently freelancing.
- We’ve eaten pounds of cured meat and gelato and drank gallons of lambrusco.
Overall, life in Italy so far has been challenging, and oftentimes frustrating. Not speaking the language is a big issue and we are working on it. Simple things like making a doctor’s appointment or getting our names added to the apartment call box become so complicated thanks to the language barrier.
Nonetheless we do like it here. We love the city and we continue to try to get to know it better. We’re making some friends. Marcella is thriving and loves Italian food, daycare and any chance for travel. Leo doesn’t care much where he is as long as it’s warm and there’s food.
What’s next? First up a bunch of family visits. First my parents and then Mike’s will be headed out over the next couple months, which means a lot of travel around Italy. After that hopefully some more European travel (Paris is already in the works for May). And warmer weather which means more exploration and enjoyment of Bologna.
And let’s be honest: probably a lot more ham too.