It's another simple pleasure day...

The day isn't over yet, but I've already experienced my simple pleasures.  Two of them. I won't be greedy and hold out for three again today. Two is just fine by me.

Simple pleasure Numero Uno:

First thing this morning I had to get up and go deal with the people at the Vodaphone store at Rialto. I dread this.  I will do everything possible to avoid dealing with them because the experience is always so horrendous.  My Italian isn't good enough to get me through the ordeal, and there isn't anyone there who speaks much English either. My solution is to avoid it. Unfortunately,  today there was no way I could get around it, so I got up my nerve and hopped on the Vaporetto, expecting the worst. Vodaphone is the company we have our cell phone and internet service contracts with.

It must be my lucky day. Upon entering the store, a clerk walking by asked me what I needed. When I told him I had to pay a bill (all in Italian), he told me not to take a number or get in a queue. Wow!!! I bucked the Vodaphone queue???  This is going to be good. He then called over another clerk and told me to go upstairs with Carlo who would help me out. I followed Carlo upstairs and proceeded to explain to him what my problem was. I normally pay directly from my bank, blah blah blah, and now I need to have my phone turned back on, please.  My whole speech was conducted in Italian. At the end of all that, I asked him if he spoke English because my Italian is not so good.  Carlo smiled and answered back, " We'll speak in Italian, you are doing just fine. My English is worse than your Italian. "  After spending about 40 minutes on the phone with some other Vodaphone support person, Carlo turned to me and explained I must to go to the post office, make a payment, then call Vodaphone and give them the code number for my payment. Even though I had made a deposit at the bank, I must pay this bill separately at the post office. Ok.   Grazie, Carlo, and off I went.

Stop number two was the post office. Mission accomplished there. Next, I needed to call Vodaphone. Now I was going to be in trouble.  Whenever I have to call any voice menu system that's in Italian, I can never understand a single thing that is being said. And because it is all automated, I can't ask anyone to please speak slower for me.  Today, I navigated the entire Vodaphone voice mail system without any assistance. Did it all myself, and bing, bang, boom, my phone has been reactivated.  I am in Seventh heaven!  Thank you, God.

Simple pleasure Numero Duo:  Earlier this afternoon, I received a the following email, subject "Big News":

Hi Karen,
 
I wanted you to be one of the first to hear that my daughter Allegra and I are now officially Italian!!!  Luigi sent me the email this morning telling me that the NY Italian consulate had sent the certificate needed!  The whole process took just a little over 2 months -- amazing!
 
Thank you again for encouraging me through the process and for writing about it in your blog.  I felt completely prepared for everything, which made the experience completely enjoyable.  In fact, a friend of mine will be coming to Castel San Pietro in October to apply for citizenship and is very excited now that he knows it can all happen very quickly.  
 
I may be flying into Venice at the end of August, so if you're in town, perhaps we can meet for a glass of wine to celebrate before I head off to Bologna.  I would love that!
 
Thanks again and a big American hug for all your help!
 
Antonia

I'm celebrating tonight for my two new fellow Italians. When Antonia was planning how to get her dual citizenship, she emailed me.  When she finally came over to Bologna to start her citizenship process with Luigi (the same immigration lawyer I had used), she stopped off in Venice where we met face to face for the first time.  I know how fantastic it feels to finally hear that it's all done, that you are finally officially Italian.  To be honest, I am so joyful to know that my experiences have encouraged others to do the same.

So - there are my two simple pleasures of the day! Life doesn't get much better, does it? .  I sure am one lucky Italian!!!