"Mission Accomplished!"
Ciao a tutti!
I hope you�ve all had a good week � or, barring that, I hope you�ve all had some chance to enjoy the simple, little things from time to time. For me, the "simple, little things" include a good walk in cool breezes and warm sun, losing two pounds (!), and getting some legal stuff done � at last!
Alle took me to a nice spot along one of the waterways here in Reggio, where the city has set up a wide, paved path for walking and cycling. The path is roughly two miles long, and we first went on Friday evening. We had only gone about halfway along before we turned back for home, but not before Alle showed me where he�d hung his good luck bracelet in one of the parks, there. (You see, a friend sent us these woven bracelets that you�re supposed to wear in March, and then hang up on a tree in bloom as soon as you see the first bird of Spring. I had hung up mine in the �States shortly after he had in Reggio.) The bracelet was still there � I snapped a photo, too. J Then we walked back to the parking lot where we�d left the car, while the sun set and the evening got cooler still.
On Saturday, we did other stuff. We went to the Coop to go shopping (that�s the local grocery store), and the following event occurred: a seemingly drunk and homeless man was sprawled out on a low wall in front of the store. Nothing unusual there, really. But then, as we passed by, he decided to cat-call me. His monologue went something like this, "Che bella! Ciao Bella! Signora Bella � BUUURRRRPPP!!!" What can I say, I bring out the animal in some guys. I couldn�t help laughing about it as Alle and I went inside, and Alle had to laugh, too. By the end of the night, we were exchanging phony "BUUURRRRPPP�s" of love. That guy�s a legend already and he has no idea� After shopping, we got some Chinese takeout for a "dinner and a movie" night. The food: curried rice, sweet and sour chicken, and beef with rice noodles. Yum! The movie: Breaking Away. (gotta love it!)
On Sunday, we went in the afternoon to take another walk on the path along the waterway. (We waited until the Gran Prix and the cycling races were over, first�) This time, we were determined to walk the whole path, and we did, with a couple of small pauses to admire the water, the parks along the path, and to stop and talk to some of his Green Cross mates we happened upon.
We had dinner and went to bed early with the intent of an early Monday morning visit to the Questura. However, we were thwarted by the sheer numbers of immigrants waiting in line. There were no seats, no space to stand, and numbers left to take. So we went outside to call a telephone number we�d seen that was supposed to help. It didn�t. What�s more, as we passed close to a group of young men waiting in line, one of them turned to me and said (in the most clich�d and hilarious way), "Ah, ciao�" Alle turned and looked back at him, and we both tried not to laugh. Again, we headed home, discussing what we needed to do so I could get my Permesso di Soggiorno. I was supposed to have it filed within 8 days of my arrival, but it wasn�t looking good. Tuesday would be my last chance. So, we decided an earlier morning on Tuesday and earlier arrival at the Questura, and then we�d just have to wait it out, however long it took. So, Alle went to work and I went to Rob�s to work on my TOEFL, and we had another relatively early night while his dad went out on a date(!). J
Tuesday morning, Alle opted to ride his bike to the Questura while I waited at home for his call to join him (or not). He called at 8.00 and told me that it didn�t look very good. There were more people in line than the last time, it seemed, but he�d wait a few minutes more and see what happened. About twenty minutes later he text-messaged me and told me to head down when I was done getting ready. Two minutes later, he texted and told me to come right away � the queue was moving very fast indeed!
I immediately grabbed my backpack (with all the documents I�d need) and sped out the door, as fast as I could go without running. I arrived at Questura flushed and out of breath, and pushed my way inside to find Alle next in line! As soon as I joined him, the lady at the window finished and we stepped up to take her place. I waited to hear some form of protest from the officer, but Alle apparently said all the right things, because the man started all the processing right away (even though he seemingly wasn�t supposed to),
I could hardly believe it when he stamped the original and my copy and sent us on our way! Just like that!
Alle walked me home, bicycle in tow, and we discussed out disbelief and our relief that fortune had opted to smile upon us. He left for work, and I went to Rob�s to finish my work on the latest assignment in my TOEFL for the day. My legs were hurting a bit from my "sprint" that morning, so Alle and I opted to skip the walk that evening. Instead we went to the photo lab and picked up the film we�d dropped on Monday, and Guiliana showed us her vacation photos from Sicily, Stromboli, and the other islands there. Then we came home, had a light dinner of piadina (a local specialty made of a tortilla, layered with mortadella and cheeses, and then another tortilla), strawberries, and a fruit salad made up from pineapple, papaya, mango, and kiwi. Delicioso!
After, Rob called and asked Alle to pick up herself and Andy at the train station. While Alle was gone, his dad left on another date (!), and they passed him on the street. Alle and I watched the Eddie Izzard: Circle video I�d brought home from the �States, and went to bed late.
On Wednesday morning, we got up and I accompanied Alle to the tax offices. He had to file to renew his company�s tax I.D., so we decided to file for mine as well, while we were there. It didn�t take much time at all, really. We seemed to time it just right � a whole group of people came in behind us � and now I have an Italian tax I.D. of my very own! Gee, I�m on my way to becoming "Bona-fide�" LOL There�s more paperwork and such to file, yet, but it�s all gonna take some time. Still, we�re getting the legal stuff done, one thing at a time�
Thursday was mellow, I reckon, just the usual sort of day. When Alle came home we had dinner, and later that evening, Mariachiara came by with copies of the photos that Stephan took at the wedding! I gotta get a "red-eye" pen to correct them, but there were some lovely shots. (I�ll post them ASAP!) When Mariachiara left, we went for a walk to see the bunnies again (at dusk, when they�re most lively). On the way home we stopped by the "Rosebud" theatre, a local movie house which sometimes shows English-language films. We picked up a brochure with a list of films for the month (even though May is almost over), and Alle signed up for their mailing list, too. Then we walked home to find that his dad was out again J , and we decided to drop in and visit Rob and Andrew. We stayed for a couple of hours, then sleepily headed up to bed around 11.15.
Tonight, we�re supposed to go out for dinner with a friend, and then perhaps we�ll come home and watch a video. You know, the really exciting stuff that goes on here in Italy� LOL! Nah, I�ll enjoy myself, of course. I love watching movies with him, especially ones he hasn�t seen before. So, that�s about it for this lively, fun-filled week� I hope you�ve enjoyed this missive, and I�ll send you all a little update email to let you know when I get the pics posted from Lago Maggiore and the new additions from the wedding, too.
So, until then�
Ciao a tutti!
Vi voglio bene!
Kim
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