Just 10 miles north of Milan is Monza, a city with all the fashion and haughtiness of Milan, at a fraction of the size. Monza is the third largest city of Lombardy and the capital of the province of Brianza. The city stretches out like tentacles, reaching its influence well into the surrounding towns. Maybe because… Read more »
Marco and I just got back from a lovely 8-day vacation in Paris. Of course with that amount of time we couldn’t skip the Château de Versailles, the opulent royal palace for generations of opulent French kings. We had heard it was the top of the top in Europe. The palace to end all palaces. Opulence and… Read more »
The first time I saw Monza I knew as much as any other chauffeured tourist knows. That is to say, nothing. I didn’t know how close it was to Milan or how close it was to my future husband’s hometown. I didn’t know that the people were well-off yet surprisingly leftist politically, that the library… Read more »
It was February when I moved across the world – from the Midwest of the United States to Monza, Italy – to settle down into a small apartment with Marco. Though it was all very exciting and very new, when the novelty wore off I was left with too much free time and no view… Read more »
I’ve always been quick to acclimate to change. For new situations, new locations or, in this case, new homes, I ride my emotional roller coaster then move on, taking the change as a normality. It’s officially been a week since our move to the new house and though I already feel like the queen of the… Read more »
I didn’t even see the apartment in Monza before we moved in. Desperately trying to finish school and save money, searching for an apartment overseas was not the easiest. Seeing that we were lagging, Marco’s mom served as our realtor, finding for-rent signs and ads and driving to multiple places on her own; touring, deciding. Finally she called… Read more »
It’s no secret that the Italian post office is hell. Small boxed-shaped buildings, the ufficio postale replaces flames with little old ladies, torture with numbered tickets and inefficiency. Then of course there are the poor, spiteful devils who work there. Past post office visits include: – Trying to buy a roll of stamps only to be told they… Read more »
After my first year living in Italy, I think a bit of reflection is always useful. You know like, how is my relationship with Italy after a year? How has it changed? Does she still love me?! But a lot has happened and digging in to the nitty gritty (of couuuurse she still loves me…right?!) would take a trained professional –… Read more »
Last week I cried out of frustration – again. Maybe I was tired, or hungry, or already frustrated by a frustrated Marco. Maybe I’m just one to easily cry – but that’s not the point. The point is, even after nearly a year of my life in Italy, I still have my moments. I still… Read more »
To accompany my Monday “When Plans Go Awry” post and based off the popularity of my “Parents’ Visit, In Numbers” post I decided to continue the theme, this time based off of my time working with small children, predominately from the ages of 6-9, with 5 and 10 year olds thrown in at times as… Read more »
