a lot's happened since then
three years ago, on 28 october 2016, I MOVED TO ITALY!
and i guess you could say a lot's happened since then
• my husband and i self-renovated a large villa that had been closed up for years (mold and peeling plaster just two of the issues), living in chaos and dust and unpacked boxes for close to 8 months • we stood in numerous immigration lines, attended italian cultural classes, endured house inspections (electrical, plumbing, medical), and more . . . all in order to obtain our first 2-year permesso di soggiorno (permission to stay) • we waited 10 weeks for our 40-foot shipping container to arrive with all of our stuff from the u.s., unloading all of its contents (with help from a few local men) by making several trips across a busy street (on the same day the health inspectors arrived with their clipboards and stern expressions!) • i've made many close new friends, sadly losing our wonderful next-door neighbor earlier this year to illness • i've felt overwhelmed again and again and again having to adjust to a new country, a new language, a new culture, the metric system (for determining the distance between points and for cooking and for buying things and for figuring out the weather forecast), the euro currency, the 24-hour clock, a different date format (DD/MM/YY >> some initial confusion over food expiration dates), on and on and on . . . though i obviously knew about ALL of these things before moving, the impact was immense when encountered all at once • i've embarrassed myself over and over and over with my limited italian language skills, but have continued to study and learn • i became an italian citizen (in just 3 years, as opposed to the usual 10-year process, based on lineage through my italian grandma) • i started offering travel-size (5-day) mini online courses • i began moderating a facebook group for women from all over the world to connect with each other (and have developed several online friendships as a result) • i've had a few issues with my health, and a few experiences with the somewhat-confusing-but-oh-so-affordable national healthcare system • we've made three trips back to the states, every summer, and have taken one fun excursion to austria (with our two sons in december 2017) • i've expanded my wellness coaching business by offering THE ARRIVAL, a week-long retreat in my home, and have hosted FOUR so far! (all amazing) • we've welcomed many visitors into villa magnolia (reuniting with our sons each christmas) • we've explored several different places in italy (with so many more waiting for us, in this country and throughout europe) • i reluctantly entered the devastating world of grief & loss once more, when my dad died 4 months ago • i've grown much tougher, braver, stronger
a few people have expressed to me how quickly the time's gone by my response? it seems more like TEN years!
that said, though i feel as if i've aged a bit, i also know without question that i've lived a whole lot
“you can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth” ~h. l. mencken
