Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Decamping to use computer
Today I'm not writing this on my patio overlooking the sea.
Neither am I in a bar chilling out over a cappuccino and brioche.
And I'm not even in the comfort of my own home office.
Instead I've decamped to a friend's house to borrow her computer and internet access for a couple of hours because ours is down for a week.
It's all due to changing ISP from Telecom Italia to Tiscali.
We applied for the switch over to take place in September and hadn't heard anything since. The first I knew anything was up was when I suddenly lost my broadband internet connection in the middle of sending a mass of important work documents via email.
I tried everything from disconnecting, changing leads, and turning off the computer and starting it back up. But nothing.
As a last resort, I phoned Tiscali who casually told me that yes, we'd been disconnected from Telecom and would be connected to Tiscali the following week.
Had this happened when I first arrived in Italy, it would have infuriated me. But now I'm in Sardinia, I've got used to the leisurely pace of life.
I now know that students will turn up late for lessons because they just had to smoke that cigarette or meet the friend for a coffee and a gossip.
And I know to wait patiently if the room at the B&B we've booked isn't quite ready when we arrive.
But these quirks are what makes Sardinia so charming.
Maybe I should have that cappuccino after all.
Emma Bird is the founder of www.howtoitaly.com
Neither am I in a bar chilling out over a cappuccino and brioche.
And I'm not even in the comfort of my own home office.
Instead I've decamped to a friend's house to borrow her computer and internet access for a couple of hours because ours is down for a week.
It's all due to changing ISP from Telecom Italia to Tiscali.
We applied for the switch over to take place in September and hadn't heard anything since. The first I knew anything was up was when I suddenly lost my broadband internet connection in the middle of sending a mass of important work documents via email.
I tried everything from disconnecting, changing leads, and turning off the computer and starting it back up. But nothing.
As a last resort, I phoned Tiscali who casually told me that yes, we'd been disconnected from Telecom and would be connected to Tiscali the following week.
Had this happened when I first arrived in Italy, it would have infuriated me. But now I'm in Sardinia, I've got used to the leisurely pace of life.
I now know that students will turn up late for lessons because they just had to smoke that cigarette or meet the friend for a coffee and a gossip.
And I know to wait patiently if the room at the B&B we've booked isn't quite ready when we arrive.
But these quirks are what makes Sardinia so charming.
Maybe I should have that cappuccino after all.
Emma Bird is the founder of www.howtoitaly.com
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Blood tests and breakfast
With just two weeks left before the Christmas holidays, it's all go-go-go.
This morning I was up extra early as I had to get routine blood tests done. The lab, on the other side of town, opens at 7.30am and if you don't get there beforehand, you'll find at least a dozen people in the queue in front of you.
I turned up at 07.45 and was number 33.
While the blood test was harmless enough, the price certainly wasn't. Because of the continuing saga over my 'tessera sanitaria', I had to pay out EUR150 plus an extra 50 cents for the benefit of picking up my results on line.
Still, because you can't eat before the tests, the thoughtful people at the lab have a bar area where breakfast (juice, coffee, water and my all-time favourite brioche oozing apricot jam) is laid on for free.
Suddenly getting up early didn't seem quite as bad.
On a different note, I've been networking a lot lately and have met up with some really talented expats in Italy, who I'll be telling you more about soon. One in particular was so determined to live and work in Italy without having an EU passport that she overcame all kinds of hurdles in order to achieve her dream. She secured a 10-month contract working at the Olympic Games in Turin.
At www.howtoitaly.com in the New Year, I'll be revealing how grit and determination secured her a 10-month contract working at the Olympic Games in Turin. So make sure you log on to find out more.
This morning I was up extra early as I had to get routine blood tests done. The lab, on the other side of town, opens at 7.30am and if you don't get there beforehand, you'll find at least a dozen people in the queue in front of you.
I turned up at 07.45 and was number 33.
While the blood test was harmless enough, the price certainly wasn't. Because of the continuing saga over my 'tessera sanitaria', I had to pay out EUR150 plus an extra 50 cents for the benefit of picking up my results on line.
Still, because you can't eat before the tests, the thoughtful people at the lab have a bar area where breakfast (juice, coffee, water and my all-time favourite brioche oozing apricot jam) is laid on for free.
Suddenly getting up early didn't seem quite as bad.
On a different note, I've been networking a lot lately and have met up with some really talented expats in Italy, who I'll be telling you more about soon. One in particular was so determined to live and work in Italy without having an EU passport that she overcame all kinds of hurdles in order to achieve her dream. She secured a 10-month contract working at the Olympic Games in Turin.
At www.howtoitaly.com in the New Year, I'll be revealing how grit and determination secured her a 10-month contract working at the Olympic Games in Turin. So make sure you log on to find out more.
