Comments on: Adjusting to Expat Life in Italy: Riding Out the Culture Curve http://my-bellavita.com/2009/08/01/adjusting-to-expat-life-in-italy-riding-out-the-culture-curve/ Living and Traveling in Calabria, Italy Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:49:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Five Ways to Cope with Culture Shock | My Bella Vita http://my-bellavita.com/2009/08/01/adjusting-to-expat-life-in-italy-riding-out-the-culture-curve/comment-page-1/#comment-5724 Five Ways to Cope with Culture Shock | My Bella Vita Sun, 02 Aug 2009 05:51:01 +0000 http://my-bellavita.com/?p=2110#comment-5724 [...] Adjusting to Expat Life in Italy: Riding Out the Culture Curve [...] [...] Adjusting to Expat Life in Italy: Riding Out the Culture Curve [...]

]]> By: Barbara http://my-bellavita.com/2009/08/01/adjusting-to-expat-life-in-italy-riding-out-the-culture-curve/comment-page-1/#comment-5723 Barbara Sat, 01 Aug 2009 18:07:24 +0000 http://my-bellavita.com/?p=2110#comment-5723 We've been lucky with the bureaucracy and never hit the "Hostility" stage at all. After 6 years this is home, but for us home is where the heart is, and we're ready for the next phase! Funny think is, I never thought I'd be one who moved from place to place, but for the past 20 years that's what we've done, and I have to say I've enjoyed every minute! Maybe moving on a regular basis and dealing with different situations helps!   <strong><em>Good point. It makes sense that the more experience you have with being an expat, the better at it you'd be! </em></strong>   .-= Barbara´s last blog ..<a href="http://www.artnbarb.com/2009/08/another-week-another-sagra.html" rel="nofollow">ANOTHER WEEK - ANOTHER SAGRA!</a> =-. We’ve been lucky with the bureaucracy and never hit the “Hostility” stage at all. After 6 years this is home, but for us home is where the heart is, and we’re ready for the next phase! Funny think is, I never thought I’d be one who moved from place to place, but for the past 20 years that’s what we’ve done, and I have to say I’ve enjoyed every minute! Maybe moving on a regular basis and dealing with different situations helps!
 
Good point. It makes sense that the more experience you have with being an expat, the better at it you’d be!
 
.-= Barbara´s last blog ..ANOTHER WEEK – ANOTHER SAGRA! =-.

]]> By: Judith in Umbria http://my-bellavita.com/2009/08/01/adjusting-to-expat-life-in-italy-riding-out-the-culture-curve/comment-page-1/#comment-5722 Judith in Umbria Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:49:09 +0000 http://my-bellavita.com/?p=2110#comment-5722 Supposedly home starts at about 7 years, so I am past that and almost in grave stage. I don't know how to live anywhere else. I have a friend who is moving to a different country. She just didn't make it here. She was angry a lot. She is really angry and dissmissive now, sending me news articles that are scurillously critical of Italy. I can go along with a good bit of criticism of Italian things, like Sr. B and the current non-approach to the financial crisis, the continuing robbery of all Italians by organized crime, the blithe acceptance of things like a 50% rise in garbage tax when we have all just seen what they have been doing with our garbage. But Italy itself is a delightful treasurebox full of every wonderful thing as well as all that cr*p. Will Berlin be better? I don't think so, it will just be German snafu instead of Italian snafu. I find just as many things not to like about my original country as about Italy. All it takes is paying attention and a lot of love.   <strong><em>It is hard for me sometimes to get past the negative things like you mentioned, but then I go home and Fed Ex is days late delivering a package, banks don't answer the phone or I have other customer service issues that remind me that some of the things that bother me about Italy, would bother me back home, as well. Thanks for your perspective.</em></strong>   .-= Judith in Umbria´s last blog ..<a href="http://www.judithgreenwood.com/thinkonit/ruins/" rel="nofollow">Ruins</a> =-. Supposedly home starts at about 7 years, so I am past that and almost in grave stage. I don’t know how to live anywhere else.
I have a friend who is moving to a different country. She just didn’t make it here. She was angry a lot. She is really angry and dissmissive now, sending me news articles that are scurillously critical of Italy. I can go along with a good bit of criticism of Italian things, like Sr. B and the current non-approach to the financial crisis, the continuing robbery of all Italians by organized crime, the blithe acceptance of things like a 50% rise in garbage tax when we have all just seen what they have been doing with our garbage. But Italy itself is a delightful treasurebox full of every wonderful thing as well as all that cr*p. Will Berlin be better? I don’t think so, it will just be German snafu instead of Italian snafu.
I find just as many things not to like about my original country as about Italy. All it takes is paying attention and a lot of love.
 
It is hard for me sometimes to get past the negative things like you mentioned, but then I go home and Fed Ex is days late delivering a package, banks don’t answer the phone or I have other customer service issues that remind me that some of the things that bother me about Italy, would bother me back home, as well. Thanks for your perspective.
 
.-= Judith in Umbria´s last blog ..Ruins =-.

]]> By: nyc/caribbean ragazza http://my-bellavita.com/2009/08/01/adjusting-to-expat-life-in-italy-riding-out-the-culture-curve/comment-page-1/#comment-5721 nyc/caribbean ragazza Sat, 01 Aug 2009 16:04:06 +0000 http://my-bellavita.com/?p=2110#comment-5721 I'm in the home phase. If you can visit the country and rent a place for a few weeks (or months) before the move it helps. A lot.   <strong><em>Auguri for being "home." I think I still swing back and forth between home and humor! :-) </em></strong>   .-= nyc/caribbean ragazza´s last blog ..<a href="http://sistergirltales.blogspot.com/2009/07/great-thing-about-living-in-rome.html" rel="nofollow">A great thing about living in Rome? The fountains.</a> =-. I’m in the home phase.

If you can visit the country and rent a place for a few weeks (or months) before the move it helps. A lot.
 
Auguri for being “home.” I think I still swing back and forth between home and humor! :-)
 
.-= nyc/caribbean ragazza´s last blog ..A great thing about living in Rome? The fountains. =-.

]]> By: Stellina http://my-bellavita.com/2009/08/01/adjusting-to-expat-life-in-italy-riding-out-the-culture-curve/comment-page-1/#comment-5720 Stellina Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:29:14 +0000 http://my-bellavita.com/?p=2110#comment-5720 How about the dreaded Italian mother in law problems some expats have.... that makes adjusting to expat life EXTRA SPECIAL!!!! lol... I have SO many of those stories.. I need to make a blog... Are you back in the states now?   <strong><em>You should write a blog about it! Great idea. I am actually just back from the states. Was a good vacation. </em></strong>   How about the dreaded Italian mother in law problems some expats have…. that makes adjusting to expat life EXTRA SPECIAL!!!! lol… I have SO many of those stories.. I need to make a blog… Are you back in the states now?
 
You should write a blog about it! Great idea. I am actually just back from the states. Was a good vacation.
 

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