If someone doesn’t understand you in English, speaking slow and shouting don’t help. I should know, I have failed at this more than once. To communicate, you really need to learn some of the local language – at least enough to get by. This is doubly important if you are about to call it a […]
Our First (Poor) Attempt Learning Italian Read More »
Go big or go home. It is well and good to learn about places from blogs, videos, or expositions, but Later Gap Travels (or any for that matter) are best enjoyed through immersion in the experiences, not on a couch. If you have made the jump abroad – get off the porch. We try and
Cliffside at Marco’s Read More »
Going out to eat dinner at a restaurant is a bit of an ordeal for us. I am not saying that we struggle or are uncomfortable eating out at Italian establishments or have problems with the food, drink, or service – quite the contrary, we enjoy it and would love to partake in the experience
Dining Out – In Search of the Blue Hair Special Read More »
Dude – we scored! Finding and choosing our new residence in a Tuscan agriturismo turned out to be one of the best, or luckiest, decisions we made. The property, Bellavista Insuese, consists of 700 hectares (approximately 1,700 acres) of “completely organic unspoiled nature, among woods, lakes, plains, and rolling hills surrounded by cypresses, fields of
Easing In – With Both Feet Read More »
Fighter Pilot, Academic, Teller of Bad “Dad Jokes” (Why is 6 afraid of 7?), World Traveler, Old Guy, Living the Dream – these are all terms that could be (and are) used to describe me. And these are the forces that make me who I am. This bio notes some of the highlights of my
Hello World – This Is Me Read More »
Lesson X (not sure what number fits here, pick one): Stuff happens – and big stuff happens when you least expect (or want) it. I am not sure whether thinking about the challenge and opportunity that embarking on that Later Gap adventure can ever really be relaxing nor whether the process will truly go smoothly.
Congratulations, You’ve Arrived – Now What? Read More »
Looking out the window on our turn to final into the Pisa airport, we could see the white sand beaches and the sparkling blue waters of the Mediterranean. We were almost there – we could practically taste paradise. Our golf clubs were in the cargo hold, our shorts and shades were in our carry-on baggage,
Step 4: Air Dolomiti Flight, You Are Cleared to Land Read More »
I must either be real gullible, forgetful, or stupid. Just to let you know, multi-government agencies are not hugely efficient. It was now time the process of acquiring our official passports and Italian visas. Having done this before, we were somewhat familiar with the procedure, and the school system had an office that was dedicated
Step 3: You Think You Are Going Where…. When?? Read More »
OK – it’s the end of May and the school year starts in mid-August. My wife has a job – on paper – but we don’t have anything official yet. Nothing to worry about, in our minds, as this is a common occurrence – teachers are hired and moved all the time and the DOD
Step 2: Ready, Set,…Sometimes It’s a While Until Go Read More »
Thoughts like this are sometimes best kept to oneself – kind of like when you see a kid riding a bike and they say, “Watch this, no hands”, it usually isn’t too surprising when the end result isn’t quite what was expected. Maybe every other married (or serious) couple fully researches all options and makes
Step 1: I’ve Got an Idea – Let’s Move Abroad Read More »