LIFE UPDATE

PJ and I have now been in Italy for almost 3 months and living in our apartment for almost 2 months. We have unpacked most of our stuff and what is left needs to have furniture bought for it before it can be put away. One of our perks is that we don't have to pay the VAT, which is 21%, but in order to do that we have to buy things in cash.

About 2 weeks ago I started working at an architecture firm in downtown Vicenza. It is composed of about 10-15 architects and a lot of their work is being done in London, at least what I am working on. A possible trip for work at some point has been thrown around, so I am excited about that!

PJ has also had some big news lately! He recently received word that he will be taking command of Easy Company in May! He is extremely excited and has been busy getting everything ready for that. He was initially suppose to be moving to the new Del Din base but with the new news he will be staying on Ederle. He has also jumped two static line jumps since we arrived here and said that the view from up there is amazing. One jump was at sunset so he was able to see the sun setting over the mountains while parachuting from the plane. Hopefully he can get the paperwork in order for his GoPro so that I can post videos of his jumps!

We have also been taking Italian classes for the past 6 weeks. The class just ended, but the second part starts mid May. Our Italian has significantly improved but there is still a lot to memorize. However, working in an Italian office and living downtown has helped a lot, especially when my AutoCad is in Italian. I learned the words for ceiling, floor, structure, wall, furniture, window, door, save with new name, and print real fast!

Not only have we been learning the language in class but also about the Italian customs. Our teacher was formerly in the Italian military and has lived all over the world, including NYC when we worked at the UN. He has been really helpful about any Italian questions that we have, like what are the best olive oils, wines, places to visit, how to order, where the best beaches are, etc...all the important things! We actually took a trip to the grocery store a few weeks ago to learn about the meats, cheeses, and fish and how to order. He and his wife had all of us over for dinner the other night and of course the food was delicious. After dinner we were given a digestive to try, which I think is an alcoholic drink with bitters.

The weather has finally begun to change. The sun has been out and it has been pretty warm. The Italians are able to tell we are Americans from a mile away because we are in flip flops and short sleeves and they are still in jackets. An Italian man told us that he always finds Americans so hopeful when the weather starts to get warm in Vicenza. My office also thinks I am funny for wearing flats and short sleeves so soon. They say that they too can spot us Americans, especially those crazy military men wearing shorts in March [that was even crazy to me seeing it was about 30 degrees F]. It sounds like the locals don’t trust mother nature and refuse to pack up their winter gear until it is warmer for more than 5 days haha. Either way, we stick out!

Our Italian class on the last day of class.