The last two weeks have been kind of a blur...we've had some triumphant moments, as well as some bang-your-head-against the wall moments. Here's a quick update on our status:
OVEN - The oven element has been replaced and we can now bake without shutting down power to the house!
SINK - The expert plumbers came to our rescue and re-sealed the sink, cleverly holding it in place with...a piece of brick they found in the driveway. Yes, I'm serious!
INTERNET - Third time seems to be the charm. After waiting 2 weeks each on 2 different companies who showed up at the house only to tell us they couldn't service our house because it's too far from the city (it's 3 km out!), we have successful satellite installation as of Monday! And it's fast!
DISHWASHER - After all of the other difficulties, we were a little concerned when the dishwasher wouldn't work. Turns out it was an easy fix -- turn on the blue spigot under the sink. Not the yellow one --it's gas.
STINKY CLOSET - After gagging every time I walked by the closed door for 2 weeks I spent a goodly amount of time perusing anti-stink options at the PX. I came away with little beads that look like huge fish eggs. They claim to absorb stink. After just 2 hours in the hole, the stink is gone and hasn't returned in nearly a week. They're magic!
SEWER STENCH - Periodically we notice yuck smell from the bathroom/laundry area. It seems to come from different places at different times. We pulled the washer out just to check the connection and found an open hose to the drain line that was emitting said putrid smell. We thought about calling the owners so they could send the rock plumbers back, but it was Sunday night. We opted to plug the hole with a chunk of soap and then cap it off with a hairspray lid that we duct taped tightly into place. That should do the trick until we can find some sort of cap at the hardware store! Dad would be proud.
We were extremely pleased with ourselves until the same nasty smell started radiating from the bathtub the next night. We remedied that by pouring Liquid Plumber down the drain, rinsing it and then inserting the tub plug. We were smell free until early this morning when it was coming from the bidet...although running water down the drain seemed to help that.
Apparently they don't use the "S" curve in Italy. A friend explained to me that it's a simple process where you just curve the line a little so the last bit of water is never pushed all the way down, creating a plug of sorts that keeps noxious smells from coming up. We are missing it here!
FURNITURE - Is finally in place. I think I spent 2 weeks pushing it around trying to figure out how to fit everything and still be able to plug in appliances requiring electricity.
PLUGS - Unlike the U.S., in Italy plugs are few and far between, and just because you have one doesn't mean that it will work or that it won't shut off the power when you plug something in. Plugs are also more important since we only have 3 overhead lights in our whole house!
RUGS - We visited the rug man in Vicenza...or maybe I should say we got bamboozled by the rug man in Vicenza. The Linguist and I should not be allowed to shop in Italy. I am a pleaser, and he'll agree to anything to make the shopping experience end. Needless to say we spent a lot on rugs. The rug man said, "I give you Christmas, Lady. Is no deal for me, but is Christmas for you." He wasn't lying because now there is no money left for anything else for Christmas! That said, we really are pretty pleased with our purchases. Although I'm not sure that we got as good of a deal as he was making it out to be...The rugs look good from the front and back (one sign that it's quality) and they have certificates of authenticity. I'm trying to chalk it up to experience and just enjoy the rugs without remorse!
BATTERY - The same day we bought our rugs, it was The Linguist's turn to do the mail run. This entails driving to the NATO base, trading your POV for a military van and then driving the 1 1/2 hours to Vicenza to collect all mail and packages for Americans stationed in Ferrara. The added bonus is that while there, you can shop for groceries and use the PX (like a small, expensive Walmart) and bring your things home in the large van. Our van battery died twice before we made it to the area where you trade for the van, so we added a battery to our trip. The big, military van was so full coming home that I really don't think we could've fit anything else in there! We had 3 coolers, a set of tires, tons of Christmas boxes from the mail, 5 rugs, and all of our other shopping. Upon arriving at the base again a little after 10, we discovered that a diesel battery looks nothing like a regular one, so we couldn't jump our van and drive home. Instead, the Linguist changed out the battery using his cell phone for light while I unloaded and sorted all the mail. I'm grateful for a handy husband!
DRIVING - A friend made me drive her around town and practice round-abouts and turning around in the middle of roads while drivers are waiting and/or honking. She told me to remember that I'm bigger in my van, which means they'll probably get out of the way and they have no choice but to wait for me. I'm learning, but am not aggressive enough yet. I've lost my Miami edge! Hannah and I went into town yesterday and managed to get to the 2nd hand store without getting lost and then even found the free parking that was near the Christmas market/downtown area. Ferrara is a lot smaller than I pictured it.
PASTRIES - We found a pastry shop that is really cheap compared to the others we've purchased from. It all sits near a really cool church with beautiful ceilings and huge pipes for the organ. We took Claire inside and she took one look at a display that was there to honor a Bishop, I think, and proclaimed loudly "there's a mummy in here!"
SNOW - We had our first snowfall Friday night, and it was beautiful! Whenever I question what we're doing here, I look out the window and almost feel like I'm in MT...the mountains are smaller and further off...but trees and open spaces...it really is lovely out here.
FIRE - The Linguist has successfully conquered fire in the fire place without the billowing smoke. The kids love lounging around on our really expensive rug next to the fire. The owners have an almost endless supply of wood that they're hoping we'll burn through.
LAUNDRY - It's hopeless. It took all day to wash sheets for our company and after doing that for 2 days, we're so far behind that The Linguist is going to have to make a laundry run to the base where there are 4 washers that can run at the same time without shutting off power!
POWER - Speaking of power...I should have known something was up when they included the breaker as part of our house orientation. If you run too many appliances in Italy, the breaker trips. Thank goodness it isn't a fuse that has to be replaced each time! I think we've tripped the power at least 6 times in the last few days. Someone told me the other night that we can have the amount that is available increased, so we'll try that! Hopefully it hasn't already been done.
CHRISTMAS!!! - We are so excited to have the Linguist's mom and my brother and sister-in-law coming to join us for the holidays! We are planning to day trip from Ferrara to places like Florence, Venice and Milan, and then we'll head to Rome for a few days! Among this the kids have also requested a Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, fudge, reindeer cookies, sugar cookies and the usual stories and movies we love at Christmas.
GRATITUDE - We are truly blessed in so many different ways that it is overwhelming to me. And of course, at Christmas, our thoughts turn to what a blessing it is that Christ lives and loves us -- even though we are far away from the people and things that are most comforting.
