Tid Bits #2

It's March and lots of changes are on their way. 

First of all, Spring is on it's way. This week the temperatures got up to the low 60's with lots of sun. Everyone is feeling the change in the weather and the streets and parks have exploded with people. 

The other week Luca and I were out shopping and it had been raining. When we walked out of the store where we were - the sun had come out. I knew there had to be a rainbow around somewhere. Sure enough after we got in the car and turned the corner there was a big rainbow. As were driving back home the rainbow just kept getting bigger and bigger. I  think it was the biggest rainbow I have ever seen. I don't know how you can see a rainbow and not be reminded of God's promise.

 A student at the elementary school brought in a special treat for his classmates. They were fruit flavored gummy candies. He offered me one and so I tried it and it was so good.  It was above and beyond my expectations for a fruit candy. I have been tempted ever since to buy some at the grocery store but always resisted. The other day I couldn't resist and yes, they are one of the best candies I have ever had. (To be honest I ate the whole bag in two days!) They have different flavors packaged together and the best is grapefruit and peach. 

 March 8th is International Women's Day. In Italy there is the tradition of giving women a little bouquet or mimosas. The beautiful yellow flower pictured below. The days leading up to March 8th you'll see mimosas appearing in shop windows and flower shops and there is even a special cake they make that looks like these fluffy pom pom like flower. 

We don't really recognize this day in the United States so it doesn't seem like an important "festa" holiday. But I have the feeling that many Italian women see this kind of like Valentines Day. ALL the ladies are walking around with little bouquets of flowers so if you don't get one you feel left out, not recognized. 

 I told Luca I would like some flowers but we were out all day running around, doing errands, and so I knew that he didn't have time to get flowers. However, at the last minute in the car driving back, there were men selling them in the street at the red lights and Luca bought me a bouquet. We later stopped at a bakery  and inquired about a mimosa cake but after learning that it would cost 33 euros we decided against it. 

It's been incredibly nice being able to drive to work now. I save around 40 minutes on my commute compared to when I have to take the bus. 

Our puppy is growing and is becoming braver each day. We started taking her outside to the gardens and every time we take her out, the braver she is at home. After a week now of walking her outside she's happy to go out, wags her tail, and loves meeting other dogs. We took her to the vet and she did surprisingly well. A week ago we would have to drag her everywhere, now she's roaming around independently! 

Standing outside the vet 

One of the first trips to the gardens. So scared with her tail behind her legs! 

Italian Driver's License

Yay! I passed my driving test and now have my Italian driver's license! 

I knew that eventually I would want to drive here since I'm living and building my life here. At first it wasn't so important since most of my life revolved around the center of Bologna. Work was within walking distance along with the grocery store, the doctor, and really any other place I would need to go. Not to mention that the bus system here works really well (except when they go on strike which is at least once a month).

But at some point having a valid license would be helpful and probably necessary. So we went and inquired at a few different driving schools. The first thing to clarify was if my American license would have any validity. Unfortunately it didn't. It was as if I didn't even have a license so I would need to start from zero. I had to take both the written test, six behind the wheel lessons with an instructor, and then the final driving test. 

Getting your driver's license in Italy costs much more than in the United States. I remember in high school taking the theory during the school day as another class and only 3 lessons with an instructor so everything was already cheaper. Here all driving schools are private. Each school asks a different price and you can find groupon deals but in the end you'll end up paying around 700/800euros. Along with paying the driving school, for the theory exam, the driving exam, and the driving lessons you must also pay some taxes through the post office and get two separate doctor visits. And if you fail a part of the exam you unfortunately have to pay again to take it which is around 200 euros. 

So I enrolled in a school and received my books. One book with all the rules and in and outs of driving and the second with just quizzes. Of course having gotten my license when I was 16 I already knew how to drive but I needed to learn the terminology, the new road signs that we don't have in the US, and also mostly master how the quiz works. In fact, the book for the quizzes is twice as thick as the driving manual. I didn't attend any classes and instead just did quiz after quiz after quiz. Out of 40  true/false questions you can get four wrong. 

Some questions were so ridiculous such as: 

" Obese people don't need to wear seat belts" 

"The crosswalk stoplight is for an escalator"

"Helping an injured person could save their life"

"A person's license can be revoked if he loses his morals"  

Or they're ridiculously hard because they ask specific questions regarding trailers, weight, and speed. Along with having to know rules for scooters and the weights, speeds, and license classification for all other vehicles. For example:

"The BE license allows you to drive trucks made up of an authorized maximum mass of 3,500 kilograms with an attached trailer that has a mass up to 3,500 kilograms." 

"The B license allows you to drive a scooter if you're at least 21 years old and the scooter has an input higher than 15kW"

"With the A2 license you can drive a scooter with or without a side car with an input up to 35kW with a power to weight ratio not more than 0.2kW/kg given that there isn't another version of the same model that has developed double the maximum power" 

I enrolled in September and in early November I told the driving school I wanted to book my theory exam. I had to wait until mid-January to take the exam which of course was frustrating.  You take the theory exam at the Department of Transportation and it's for the whole county of Bologna which means there are a lot of people and there was of course a waiting list.

Thankfully I passed the theory exam the first time around. I was extremely nervous knowing how difficult the exam is and not wanting to have to wait another month or even longer and more so not pay another 200 euros! I don't know how many questions I got wrong since it was all electronic/touch screen. But it didn't really matter, as long as I passed! A week later I received the "foglia rosa" (driver's permit).

Afterwards I immediately started going to my six behind the wheel lessons. Thankfully the instructor understood that I already knew how to drive and so he took me to the area where they test you and so I felt pretty confident knowing where the one-ways were, and the do not enters, and any other tricks that might get you on the exam.

You have to wait a month to take the driving part of the exam from taking the theory part. The first available date for the exam was in the last week of February. There were five of us taking the test. I was third in line. It was nerve-racking having to wait in the bar for my turn and seeing the first person come back - passed, the second - passed, and then it was my turn.

The instructor sits next to you in the front and the examiner in the back. The examiner mumbled when she gave directions and so I missed her first instruction to start the car and had to ask her to please repeat which of course made me more nervous than I already was. You need to drive for 20-25 minutes straight. Within a matter of no time we were back to the starting point after doing corner backing parking, merging onto the highway, and driving around some roundabouts and side streets. It felt super fast and when I was back the other two girls that were waiting said it also went fast. I later found out that the examiner only had me drive about 12-15 minutes since it was obvious I knew what I was doing. 

You receive your license on the spot if you pass. The examiner passed me my license and asked me to check to see if my name and birthdate were correct. I was shaking so much that I could barely even read the card, but it was all ok!

It feels incredibly good to finally be able to legally drive in Italy. Since September it has felt like a long time coming and I had hoped to have this all over with before Christmas, but of course that was very optimistic for Italian timing. But now it's over with and I'll always have my license.