Permesso, Permesso, Prego, Permesso

Whenever you enter someone's house here, it is proper to say 'Permesso' which is asking permission to enter, even if the host(ess) is standing right there ushering you into the just opened door.

That is not the permesso that this is about. This is about the Permesso di Sogiorno, or permission to stay. It is like the US alien registration that goes on each new year, only here it is every two years after the first four years. It was time to renew my permesso. It is always a fun process.

Two years ago I reported how the process had been streamlined, in order to make it more affordable (cheaper) and to reduce the amount of paperwork. At the time, the cost tripled and the paper work doubled. Also, instead of dealing with the Questura, a branch of the police, one deals with the post office, which is always a pleasure here.

In order to get the forms to fill out, I had to wait in line at the post office in the center of town, as only one post office gets this great responsibility. I had to show my identity card in order to get the forms to fill out, although no note was made of my name or anything else at the time.

I got most of it filled out fine, and did the rest with the help of Toto at Verditechnico Bed and Breakfast. I also made all the required copies, including copies of things that are not mentioned on the form but are indeed needed by those who review the form (health insurance which is not used here, certificate of residency, deed to my apartment).

When I took everything back to the post office to be mailed by the post office to Rome for review, the man looked through the papers, and everytime he was about to ask for something (photographs, a fifteen euro marco de bollo or tax stamp, statement of pension) he found it. Then he made the charge for the permesso, (17 euros), plus the charge for mailing it (30 euros, insured) plus the charge that it says on the envelope for mailing it (30 euros), and I explained to him that he did not have to charge me twice for mailing it, and he deducted the extra 30 euros.

Of course, the forms say that I should have done the paperwork two months ago (90 days before my current permesso expires). When I picked up my current permesso, I was told by the Questura that I should do the paperwork 30 days before the expiration. (By the way, I will pick up my new Permesso at the Questura's office as well, where they will do a scan of my eyes and fingerprints and encode it on my Permesso card.) Interesting that it is not until you get the application late that you know it is late.

Ah me, I love the bureaucracy here, because it is more like bureaucrazy. I will let you know what parts I forgot when the Questura calls me about it in six weeks or so.

The Golden Girls

I spent last weekend in Nicolosi, with my friend Rob. I went mainly to attend a dinner on Saturday in honor of the three teachers who are retiring from their jobs at the Department of Defense (DOD) school at the Sigonella U S Naval Air Station. One of them, Maryellen Pienta, has become a dear friend of mine, and I sat next to a second one, Jan Stroyan, at a Phi Delta Kappa
dinner two years ago.


Jan


The DOD schools are interesting creatures, as far as I can tell. There is a community developed among the teachers at the various US bases overseas, a community that moves as the teachers move. I have not met very many teachers who started their career with DODs, however, I have met some very good teachers who picked up and moved overseas to become DODs teachers.

Indeed, when I was working in Fulton, one of my teachers resigned to take a position with DODs, and then returned to our district three years later. She lasted another two years before she again felt the urge to join her community in DODs.

Maryellen was an English and Reading teacher, but more than that, she was an AVID teacher. AVID is a program that prepares students to go to college, including students who do not initially feel that they want to go or have the fiscal or mental wherewithal to go to college. From everything I can see, it is a great program.

Maryellen

Once I was in the Frankfort airport, waiting for a plane, and sitting next to me was a woman who was doing some paperwork. I could not help but notice the AVID letterhead, so I asked her about it. She was amazed that I even knew about AVID, but when I mentioned Maryellen's name, she smiled and said: 'Oh my, she is famous within the AVID family.' I could tell by her smile that the fame was a good sort of fame.

Maryellen will be moving on to her retirement life in Atlanta, where she owns an apartment. I will miss her. I used to stay at her house when I visited the area, and many were the nights that we stayed up late just talking. She is a sharp and perceptive woman, and she was very helpful to me after Fran died. I will miss the fact that she is now going to be an ocean away, instead of just an island away.

I wish all three retirees the best in their retirement. From the testimonials at the dinner, they touched the lives of many, many children, and will be remembered for years to come by the children, the parents, and the staff at the Sigonella school.

Nina

Angelo, Franci, Alessio, e Alberto

Yes, the building inspector was Alessio, thirteen months full of curiousity, with his three week old brother Alberto in tow. What a wonderful time I had with the four of them. I have never had little ones of my own, and this was really my first time to spend an extended period with little guys. I actually got over some of my fear of picking up babies. Wow.

The four days they were here passed in a flash, and mom and dad were a great help to me as they helped with the cooking (for the adults, not just the children), and the cleaning of my apartment. Wonderful.



High Five from Alberto

The Building Inspector

I thought I had become inured to the various bureaucracies in Italy, and the last thing I expected was to meet a whole new bureaucracy in this country that is famous for bureaucracies. I also did not expect to have to take personal responsibility for a building inspection as I lived in one apartment in a 72 unit condominium; however that is what has happened.

I received a call telling me that a building inspector would be arriving Friday afternoon. So I waited for him, and realizing that the work day often goes until 8 pm (with time out for Pranzo in the middle of the day), I was not really surprised when he had not shown up by five. I also figured the inspection would be brief, as I have only a fairly small two bedroom apartment. That is when the call came in that the inspector would be arriving at around 11 AM the next day. Okay, I could understand that. After all, this is Italy, and he probably scheduled my place for then, and would log in that it took him the rest of the day to complete the inspection so that he could start the weekend early.

He finally arrived about noon on Saturday. He came, along with an intern who was to learn the trade of building inspection from him. I was amazed at how thoroughly he was going to inspect the apartment. By the time of the pranzo break, he had only half covered the floor area of the main room. And of course he insisted on taking a break for pranzo, after which he and his intern took a nice long nap. When he found something that he considered unsafe or in need of adjustment, he insisted that it be fixed immediately, while he watched. Then he would check the area again, and again, before moving on. He was so picky that I arranged for two people to come and help me meet his very particular safety code. (I probably should have asked to see his code book, but that probably would have just pissed him off, and there would be more hell to pay.)

He returned to work at about 4:30 in the afternoon, and continued his meticulous critique of my apartment right up until quitting time at 8:30. He continued to find things that needed to be fixed, and as he had not even gotten out of the sogiorno at this point, he decided to continue the inspection on Sunday. I think this might have been his way of picking up comp time so that he could get a few extra days off in the summer. Besides, working in an apartment overlooking the sea might not have been all that bad for him.

At any rate, shortly after breakfast Sunday morning, he continued his inspection, making sure he took his full break at 11:00 for a snack, and again stopping for pranzo and a post pranzo nap. I will credit him with the fact that if he was truly trying to get compensatory time off for the summer, at least he was putting in a full day on Sunday. And of course I or one of my ‘assistants’ had to follow him around, making whatever modifications he felt were needed. He fully inspected my main room, my bed room, the bathroom, and the kitchen. Then he started on the terrace, and he continually found things that had to be changed. Some of it I would never have thought of, but all of the changes actually made sense, and I was glad that I had two people with me who could figure out ways to change things so that the inspector would be satisfied.

Finally, by Wednesday afternoon, the inspector declared himself satisfied that everything had been modified, and that my apartment was now habitable for a thirteen month old baby. If you need help in child proofing your house, give me a call, and I will send Alessio over to help you out. His three week old intern Alberto can certainly help out, and their parents, Angelo Gambino and Franci Lo Verde were also a great help.

Alessio inspects my gong for safety