February 2004

Strangers on a Train

February 22, 2004

A question that often arises in the travel forums is: “What’s it like to travel in Italy with small kids?” Speaking from my own experience, it’s great. Italians love kids, and, when you enter a train compartment with a child in Italy, you don’t get the suffering looks that you get when boarding a plane [...]

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The Old School Tie

February 22, 2004

I went each year to Ross’ class play, taking a seat in front row center so I could videotape. One year, this put me right next to a dignified old woman who had to be Signora Pavone, the retired principal of Setti Carraro. Our friend Patrizia, whose recommendation had originally helped get Ross into the [...]

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Some Positive Aspects of Italian Education

February 22, 2004

Kids commuting into Lecco for high school I have devoted many words to the things I don’t like in the Italian education system; now it’s time to talk about some things that I do like, particularly in comparison with the American system. American schools are largely funded by property taxes in each local school district: [...]

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Italian High Schools

February 15, 2004

Some Observations from a Non-Italian Parent The Italian public high school system is complex, with dozens of different types of schools, divided into two major branches, licei and institutes. The licei were traditionally the college-preparatory schools, while the technical and professional institutes were intended to put people directly into the workforce. I say “were,” because [...]

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Red-Eared Sliders in da House!

February 15, 2004

We don’t have a normal array of pets. We have a horse (if you can call a horse a pet; at any rate, he doesn’t live with us), and we have two turtles, Poirot and Marple. We don’t know their sexes, so they’re not M. Poirot and Miss Marple, just Poirot and Marple. We do [...]

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The Post Office: An Italian Tradition of Bureaucracy

February 15, 2004

I hope that my friends and relatives have forgiven me for the fact that I have never mailed presents to them from Italy. I either have something shipped directly from a company in the US, or I wait til I’m in the US myself, preferably actually visiting the person in question, to give gifts. This [...]

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Strikes and More Strikes

February 9, 2004

Italy’s 155,000 public medical employees are on strike today, led, with unusual unanimity, by all 42 of their unions. The major issue is that their contracts were due to be renewed two years ago (I suppose that implies cost-of-living increases, at least), and have not been, due to disagreements between the federal and regional governments [...]

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Fearsome Flying

February 9, 2004

“Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said yesterday that he believes security crackdowns over the Christmas holidays, including the cancellation of some passenger flights into the United States, averted a terrorist attack. But intelligence on the threat was so wispy that U.S. officials may never know for sure, he said.” By John Mintz, Washington Post Staff [...]

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Melancholy Baby

February 9, 2004

I’m no good at flirting. I just haven’t had much practice. There were times in my life when I would have liked to, but the opportunity rarely arose; I seem to give off a “don’t come near me” vibe. The year in Benares, when my female teammates were abundantly grabbed and “eve-teased” by Indian men [...]

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Dressing for Italy: Tips for Tourists

February 9, 2004

Foreign travelers to Italy sometimes ask how to to dress so as not to look out of place among the fashionable Italians. This question is hard to answer; much depends on your sex, age, and personal style. It’s easiest to start with some fashion don’ts: No track suits, sweat suits, or the like, and no [...]

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How I Got My (First) Job in Italy

February 2, 2004

I don’t claim to be a comprehensive resource on any aspect of living in Italy; my reasons for being here are different from some others’: I married into it, which made getting a visa (permesso di soggiorno) and permission to work relatively easy. And that was years ago, so what little I remember about the [...]

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