Today marks one year since this adventure started for real. My last day of work at Thomson Reuters was March 31st, 2016 and April 1st (April Fools we are) was when we really kicked into gear. I thought a little recap of this incredible year was in order.
We spent the month of April condensing our lives down to a storage room (full of things most of which I am now uncertain we will never want again, with the exception of Holly’s piano) and a few pieces of luggage.
After a brief stopover in Rome, we spent May and June getting to know Lecce and Puglia and making many of the friends who have been the real wonder of our trip. If anything has been the highlight of this adventure, it has been the warmth of the people who have welcomed us into their lives.
Having already secured an apartment in Lecce starting on October 1st, we decided to spend the month of July in northern Italy and we chose Lucca. What a wonderful choice that turned out to be. Lucca was not only a magnificent walled city, it was an easy train ride from many other wonderful sites in the north. From there we visited Pisa, Cinque Terre, Ravenna, the Ligurian coast and Florence. We were hosted by Connie and Martin who again turned out to be warm and welcoming.
We then needed to return to the US to secure our Italian visas. On the way we stopped over in Ireland to be hosted by the warm hospitality of friends we met in Lecce, Cooleen and Padraig.
We then spent the rest of August in Seattle, transferring to the Bay Area in September so that we could apply for our residence visa in person at the Italian Consulate in San Francisco (the only place on the planet where we could apply).
We returned to Lecce at the beginning of October. It is hard for us to believe that that was 6 months ago. We are half way through our 1 year lease. What a year.
Most of my posts have been descriptions and pictures of the places we have been and that seems like what a blog like this should be. But I would like to add to the story and talk about how we are doing.
As I think most of you can imagine, selling nearly everything you own, renting out your house for two years, then taking off for Italy and the unknown, leaving family behind, can be very emotionally draining. And it has not been without some anxiety. Financially, it was a little more difficult to get to this point than we had anticipated, but that has been righted and we are managing quite well, even if a little spare. There were snags getting our Italian visa and then dealing with the bureaucracy here to obtain our Permesso di Soggiorno (a document we also needed to stay here) was a trial to say the least. We are both doing our best to learn Italian. Holly has become quite advanced and I am still working on it everyday. My memory is just not what it once was, but I am progressing.
I see postings on Facebook all of the time about following one’s dreams and doing the things you want before it is too late. Whenever I read those, all I can think is that Holly and I have chosen to do just that and we have never had a doubt or regret about what we are currently doing. Speaking for myself, I sometimes miss Seattle, family and friends, but I would not trade this experience for anything I can name.
Thank you all for listening and I hope that, with all of the negative things going on in the world right now, this blog brings you at least a small respite and gives you a few minutes just enjoying some of the wonderful places and things the world has to offer.
Another beautiful post — thanks so much!
Jennifer
Jim – I am so happy that you and holly are having this adventure. Such an inspiration! You are missed in the office, but reading your blog makes me feel more connected to you than ever before. Hopeful that I can take my own adventure one day…
Thanks, Adam. I miss the people. It is so much fun watching you and your boy on Facebook.
Vicarious pleasures for the rest of us that go wonderfully with morning coffee! Thanks for the posts. I am using your photos of lichen colored ancient stones to paint scenery for Peter Pan. Really enjoy the pics, both scenery and the folks. When the theatrical stuff abates, perhaps I can get back on the travel horse and say hi in person.
Ciao,
Greg
Would love to see you!