Truly Y'all. There are no words for this one. Just so so so so many HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAs.
GWOSS
xoxo
S
Questions About Italy #2
Hey y’all! Today I’m answering more questions about Italy. This is so fun for me to do and often encourages self-reflection. I always learn so much when I type these up. Thank you so much for the questions!
A: We are very lucky in that we have English speaking landlords. It’s very easy to get things done when I can easily speak the language. With that being said, I have had some tricky situations (getting XRays where no one spoke English, enrolling the littles for Italian preschool) where the Google Translate app has been my best friend.
I’ve also made Italian friends and they have been INVALUABLE. I can muddle my way through most conversations now but there are certain things that I have no idea how to express verbally! It’s super intimidating and overhwhelming!
A: We live downtown, so our “neighborhood” is pretty much like the downtown of any city. As far as the layout of our apartment goes, one thing I had to quickly get used to is that Italian homes don’t have wide open spaces/great rooms like American homes do.
We have three floors and each has a small atrium with rooms that open up off of it. The ceilings are really high and this apartment actually has quite a bit of square footage, but it took some getting used to because the layout is so different!
The kitchens here are A LOT smaller than American kitchens. The appliances are different too. Our freezer can’t even hold a gallon of ice cream!!! We shop as we eat much more, as opposed to big grocery trips like I did in the US. There’s simply not room to store everything!
There is no central air…we have a few small units in some of our rooms. It seemed so hot last summer but we’ve adjusted and no longer notice. I feel that the US is going to seem so COLD to us when we move back!
Our washer and dryer are small and take much longer to do laundry. A wash cycle (the short one) is one hour. And it takes at least an hour and a half to dry laundry. It’s been a major adjustment to say the least!
A: Oooooh. Hard one. Florence was probably my favorite, closely followed by Positano/Amalfi. I also have an affinity for Venice. Out of the country, we have most loved the south of France and Spain.
A: H and S attend American school on post. They had some very real worries and fears about being in a school where they didn’t understand the language so we chose to honor their wishes and keep them in American school.
C and L will be attending asilo (Italian preschool) in the fall and will hopefully have two full years before we move back to the states.
I am on post a lot…that is where I drop the girls off for school and that is where I pick up our mail. We have a US address/APO address. I also buy a few things at the commissary, though I MUCH prefer to purchase meat and produce locally. I do love having a PX for purchasing our toiletries and American books,etc. I’m also at the library on post often. I’d say it’s about 50/50. I love spending time around Vicenza!
Okay. That’s it for today. If you have any questions about what it’s like to be an expat in Italy, leave a comment!
oxox
iPhone vs. DSLR
As I sort through images from Spain (sidenote-it’s a LONG process!) I have come to the realization that I really don’t miss my DSLR very much right now.
I am really happy with the quality of photos that my iPhone 5 takes. I know I’ve talked about this a few times here, but I’d like to revisit my thoughts and hear your input!
I think that it’s still important to do periodic portraits with my “real” camera, and I also intend to get a professional photographer to take some photos of us while we are in Italy.
But let me share a few reasons I’m loving my iPhone right now.
1. It fits in my purse. When I am traveling (especially in places with alot of pickpockets- like Las Ramblas) I do NOT want to be carrying a big camera. I’m constantly picking up children, jumping on the subway in a hurry, and I have my hands full.
2. I don’t want to take my big camera to the beach.
3. It takes me a bit to turn on and adjust my camera and lots of times this causes me to miss authentic moments. My girls (and Jimmy!) don’t act like themselves when the DSLR is out. I find that the iPhone is much less intrusive and allows me to capture real life moments.
4. My girls can use the iPhone to capture moments that I wouldn’t have. I don’t have to worry about them handling it.
5. I love that I can make Artifact Uprising books directly from my phone.
When we went to Florence last Thanksgiving, J was looking at all of my photos and he honestly remarked that the iPhone pics were better than the DSLR photos. Yikes!
I hope to eventually get back to a point that I can use my big camera often…but in this phase of my life (living in Europe, small children) the phone works better. And man- I really have captured some great shots with it!
What about you? Do you find yourself reaching for your big camera these days? Or do you use your phone?
Also- would there be any interest on a post where I share my iPhone tips? Photography, editing, storage, etc?
Just let me know- Happy Monday.
Ciao y’all!
xo
S
On Whimsy
Recently one of my friends posed a question on Instagram. She asked if we (her followers) would allow our littles to leave the house in costume. That wasn’t her exact question, but that’s the gist of it.
My immediate answer was YES! Of course! Yes, yes, yes. A million times yes.
I have allowed my girls to go out in costumes their entire lives. Monkey heads, cat costumes, princess dresses, Sadie had a phase where she liked to dress like a chef. Harper wore a flamenco dress for an entire day in Barcelona. Crowns are worn on the reg, as are cowgirl boots. Fancy party dresses are worn for no reason at all. Cate had about a month where she wore a monster head every single second of every single day.
As I type this Lucy is in a purple sequined dance costume and Cate is dressed like Snow White, with a winter hat on her head.
Why?
I believe it’s whimsy, plain and simple.
I don’t find it to be disrespectful. Of course I wouldn’t allow the girls to dress like animals, astronauts, or princesses for a wedding or a formal event, those things have a specific dress code.
But I love, love, LOVE this phase of their lives. Soon enough we will be arguing over fashion choices. This is a non-issue. Want to wear that cowgirl hat to dinner? SURE! Want to go grocery shopping dressed like a cheeseburger? WHY NOT! Rock that tiara, sister!
I routinely utter the phrase “No you cannot put on that dress until we get there. I can’t buckle all that tulle into your car seat!”
We spend too much time worrying what others think. I wish I could wear a dang tutu now and again. Come to think of it…why can’t I?
You know the best part? The looks on other people’s faces. 9 times out of 10 (and many days 10 times out of 10), people stop and grin. And many of them stop to speak to us.
This season in our lives is a blink. A flash in the pan. Soon I will be surrounded by sequins, tiaras, tulle, and slippers. And no one will be wearing them. And oh…I will miss this so so so much.
Let them be little. Let them dream, scheme, and play.
Let whimsy win. Say yes to fantasy and daydreams. It’s one of the few things I can always say yes to without reserve.
Can I get an amen?
xoxo
S
Spain!
Spain was AWESOME. Awesome, awesome, awesome. Here’s one of my favorite shots (from Park Güell). Now to start the epic job of sorting through and editing photos!
We still have a few days left of J’s leave and I’m looking forward to just being lazy. Not looking to all of the laundry so much but that’s life. 🙂 Ha!
Would y’all like to see all of the Spain photos and stories in one post or is it better to spread them out? I can’t wait to share!
xoxo
S