A journey of a thousand miles...

I'm alive.. :-D 2 months in Slovakia ;)

2010-05-23T10:31:00.003-07:00

So..I was thinking today that last time that I updated these pages was just the day after the 1st day on the job…and therefore I was like.. OMG! That’s almost two months ago…that relatively speaking is really quite a lot of time… :-) Basically over here isn’t exactly like back in Canada and in the States where I was updating quite often with my visits around the city… here of course is different…

So, what’s about my new life over here?... well, honestly there aren’t so many things to say… I’m blending with the Slovakian way of life I guess :-)

The impression on the job is positive, it isn’t probably the best one available on the market but it will surely help me around in the future, building a background experience that will be undoubtedly precious whatever it will happen…

Until now I got in touch with quite few people, the most important thing when you basically start a new life is get along with whom is around you or otherwise sooner or later you’ll be on your own, a feeling that I don’t really wanna live, specially in a foreign country… I basically hang around with foreigners, I still don’t know so many Slovaks but among the ones that I know there is surely someone that I really like and that is becoming quite important ;)

Where I work, I’ve been lucky, people around me are really kind and helpful, they are always really keen to help and even if is sometimes hard break into a group that is already shaped, step by step I’m feeling integrated…

The most tricky obstacle is surely the language but with the help of my Brazilian friend Augusto we started to have some language lesson… ehehe.. we aren’t the best students in the world but.. we at least try and this left people around us quite impressed :-D Well, we are like kids, not even in the kindergarten but..eheh…we are starting to understand some word.. pretty good :-D

Bratislava is a nice small town, it looks lovely when the sun shines around… and this is basically the problem.. doesn’t shine around so often!! I haven’t lived here so many weekends, for different reasons I’ve been in Italy different times so..I still don’t know so much of the nightlife even if for what I saw, under many aspects.. is better than the Italian one.. but well..this isn’t really hard to accomplish…

People’s opinion, the ones you can get in touch around, in clubs or place like this definitely changes when they are told that we aren’t tourists… but we live here…. I don’t really wanna talk about tourists, I think that you know what I think about people of my nation when they are around.. over here.. my opinion was just confirmed like always…

There are few Italians working over here but like I did in my past experiences, beside some particular exception I avoid to hang out with them.. is always the same idea.. I spent around 25 years of my life surrounded by them..and was quite enough :-D

Well, now that the summer is approaching I hope to see more around.. Bratislava like I said doesn’t take so much time to get explored… I put some photo here… I hope soon I’ll have some nightlife photo as well.. :-D

About my living, well… I’m going to move out from where I live and sincerely for different reasons, quite a lot actually, I’m happy to do that..where I’m going to live is a lot better… with quite a few amenities.. and an hot tub again… eheheh.. Canada style :-D slightly more expensive but more centered and totally worth it!

Well.. not so many news indeed… I just wanted let who is following these pages that I’m alive… happy of my choice…happy about my new life.. my Slovak life :-D

So..see ya..or in Slovak.. Dovi :-) and not in other 2 months.. eheh..this for sure!!

First day @ work

2010-04-06T10:21:00.000-07:00

So… after an orientation day on April 1st.. followed by Easter @ home.. followed by a sleepless night @ Wien airport because a screw up in bus timetables… here I am after my 1^st real day at work.. things aren’t so different compared to Italy here regarding the beginning of a new job..everything begins with an orientation with a tutor aside… we have to learn the tools we are supposed to use along with the programs… the main program used is pretty easy to get… the work itself.. I’ve been explained..but it will surely take time… the environment looks nice..colleagues as well..manager as well too :) now it’s just a matter of time.. to understand and know everybody..

See ya :-)

A new adventure begins...

2010-03-31T02:00:00.002-07:00

ENGLISH (Italian is just below)

Not long ago I was writing on these pages my farewell… it was January right? Two months have passed by and to me it sounds like yesterday… You are probably wondering what am I doing on these pages again? Wasn’t a goodbye that one? Well..seems it wasn’t.. cause another adventure started just yesterday :) Oh yes… I was just looking for a beginning for my future and this beginning arrived… I found a job.. well..this is something that happens.. but I found it abroad… yep.. I moved over here in Bratislava, Slovakia, yesterday.
So why Slovakia? This is the same question that they asked me during my interview… and what I said is that since our European passport and our languages knowledge, we can try to move wherever we are allowed and wherever a job calls… lately I was thinking about get some experience in Italy but in 3 months of active search.. and I wanna remark this, active search.. with tons of time in Milan or somewhere else for a job interview..nothing gave me a positive answer… ironically I’ve been told that I’ve already been lucky to have some interview and I think this is true.. considering the situation… that’s already a luck!!
So.. this job offer looked fine to me, surely I ain’t over here to get rich but just to get some experience and learn even more to work within an international environment, something that unfortunately, I’m not allowed to do in my own country not because of me :) . My contract will last 2 years carrying me toward the 28 years… we will see how long I’ll stay here anyway.
Another time, this is a different situation compared to the past ones.. in Spain I was a free-mind student, in Canada a language learner, in USA a traveller and here in Slovakia, a young person catapulted into the international job world. The context is different as well cause Bratislava is only 900 km from my city and we are in Europe.. I can eventually come back every weekend :-D How does it sound? Bratislava-Milan commuter :-) U can smile at that..but it would cost 37 € roundtrip in the worst scenario, 1 hour flight!! Ehehehe.. definitely isn’t Vancouver (my beloved Vancouver!).. the city just counts little bit less than half million people and they speak a really difficult language… isn’t cause I’m lazy but I’ll never learn it :) Right Luighi? Like u never learnt Czech.. oh wait.. now u’ll probably comment over here that u’re pretty fluent in that (by the way I’m waiting u here.. my room floor is wide this time.. u’ll have a lot of space for your sleeping bag..or for your cardboard!! :-D )..sometimes is little bit annoying start with “Do u speak English?” … is well known among the youngest.. the older generation speak German like second language or Russian.. but I ain’t proficient in them :D
So.. until today I’m free.. I’ll start to work on April the 1st…. I’ll try to keep this blog alive.. well actually is never dead.. :-) The title of the blog won’t change… since it started like my adventure in Canada…this is just the second part!!

ITALIAN

Non molto tempo fa scrivevo su queste pagine il mio addio..era Gennaio, giusto? Sono passati due mesi ma a me pare ancora ieri… vi starete probabilmente chiedendo cosa faccio di nuovo su queste pagine..non era forse l’ultimo aggiornamento un vero e proprio addio? Sembra di no a questo punto..visto che una nuova avventura ha avuto inizio ieri..:) Stavo cercando un inizio per il mio futuro e questo inizio sembra essere arrivato.. ho trovato un lavoro.. bè questo è qualcosa che accade.. ma l’ho trovato all’estero.. visto che mi sono trasferito a Bratislava, Slovacchia, giusto ieri :)

Perché in Slovacchia? E’ la stessa domanda che i selezionatori mi hanno posto durante la mia intervista..e ciò che ho risposto è che, visto il nostro passaporto europeo e la conoscenza delle lingue, possiamo provare a trasferirci ovunque ci è permesso e ovunque un lavoro è disponibile.. ultimamente stavo pensando di maturare un po’ di esperienza in Italia ma in 3 mesi di attiva ricerca e voglio sottolineare, attiva ricerca, con innumerevoli volte a Milano o da qualche altra parte per un colloquio do lavoro, nulla mi ha dato una risposta positiva.. e per ironia della sorte, più parti mi hanno sottolineato come già io sia stato fortunato ad aver avuto la possibilità di avere un’intervista e penso sia vero, considerando la situazione.. quella è già una fortuna!!

Alla fine, quest’offerta di lavoro mi pareva interessante , ovviamente non mi trovo qui per fare i soldi ma solamente per effettivamente maturare un po’ di esperienza e imparare ancor di più come lavorare in un ambiente internazionale, qualcosa che sfortunatamente e non a causa mia, non mi è concesso provare in Italia :) Il mio contratto è di 2 anni e mi porterà verso i 28 anni di età.. vedremo quanto starò qui comunque..

Un’altra volta, questa è una situazione differente rispetto le precedenti.. in Spagna, uno studente senza pensieri, in Canada l’apprendimento della lingua, negli Stati Uniti un viaggiatore e qui in Slovacchia, un neo-laureato catapultato nel mondo del lavoro internazionale. Anche il contesto è diverso.. vista la posizione di Bratislava.. nel cuore dell’Unione Europea e a soli 900 km da casa.. posso veramente tornare a casa ogni weekend.. come suona, pendolare Bratislava-Milano?.. nel peggior scenario possibile mi costerebbe veramente, 37 € e 1 ora di volo..quindi… eheheh.. non siamo certo a Vancouver qui.. (ah..la mia amata Vancouver).. la città conta poco meno di mezzo milione di abitanti che parlano una lingua davvero ardua e non credo che la imparerò, seppur non per pigrizia!! Come tu caro Luighi non hai mai imparato il ceco! Oh..aspetta un attimo..ora mi posterai un commento dicendo che in Ceco sei fluentissimo :-) (ad ogni modo guarda che ti aspetto qui..il pavimento è bello ampio stavolta..per il tuo sacco a pelo..o per i tuoi cartoni :-D!!).. a volte è un po’ noioso iniziare con “Parli Inglese?” ad ogni modo parlato da quasi tutti i più giovani, mentre le vecchie generazioni parlano Tedesco o Russo..lingue delle quali come sapete, non so nulla :-D !!

Cosà fino ad oggi sono libero ed inizierò a lavorare giovedì 1 aprile..cercherò di tenere in vita questo blog anche se effettivamente non è mai definitivamente morto!! Il titolo non lo cambierò.. questo perché tutto è iniziato con la mia avventura in Canada.. questo è solo il prosegui…

Volevo ringraziare il mio caro amico Sfigghy..oltre che Fabio e Front.. per questi mesi a casa ;) Vi aspetto in massa qui!

2 Months after the return.. the final update... See everyone on the street :)

2010-01-24T14:45:00.004-08:00

ENGLISH (L'italiano è + più in basso ;-)!!)

And so finally, time has come.. it took really a lot to open up Word and write down this update that we can define like… final.. I just took advantage from my sister’s departure for her Erasmus following my steps and from the fact that are exactly 2 months today that I came home :( and so, almost overwhelmed by memories I said to myself: “Well, damn it..are two months that I’m home and so it’s time to write down what my return has been..what the Journey meant to me” . Everything that I’m writing is in my mind from months but I never had the will, until now, to stop by and write it down..

Starting from my come back what can I say? Well..tragic and traumatic.. that’s all.. even worse compared to my come back from Las Palmas… it took 4 months that time to go back to this terrible emotionless life that was waiting me over here in Italy..now I’m sure and I truly believe that it will take a lot more..

It’s actually useless try to deny and try to hide what someone feels, after an experience like this one, you are not and you will never be again the same.. it happened that I went out with people that I’ve been knowing for years..and they were looking at me like a crazy alien.. who has never been outside from here for so long to live an experience like this will never understand..will never have a clue either.. there are no chances to try to explain how u felt, what u have seen, who u met and what the Journey meant to u…

In Italy I don’t feel well, I never felt and I will never feel.. I’ve been told that you don’t have to talk in a bad way of your country but try to change it.. that just makes me laugh… I’m not an hypocrite.. I’ve always told things like they are and I will always do that! Italy is a country where nothing works, from the job search to the criminality, to the education, to the culture, to the attitude of the majority of the people teased just after crossing a border! I don’t wanna and I don’t have any interest into try to change a country that doesn’t wanna be changed since the status quo is ok for almost everybody!

There’s a song, an Italian song of some years ago.. it’s called: “I don’t feel Italian” and this identifies me perfectly.. I always felt like that..and surely I ain’t the only one..is enough take a look to the thousand Italians that they just leave and they never come back..obviously! You can tell me whatever you wanna, but my idea never changed and will never change and I can scream this, specially right now, after I visited and lived Canada and the USA.. countries that surely have tons of problems but they are just light-years ahead Italy.. I say again: light-years! I was talking with Luigi about this some day ago and he was telling me a thing that I always noticed: people in Canada and in the USA they smile at you, they are friendly and when they see you, lost in the middle of the street handing a map…they come by and they offer help.. over here I’ve been told: “If someone comes by like that I’ll say: Fuck you!”.. I was wordless… this simply means: You don’t understand anything! Period!

Are now two months that I’m stuck over here and there have been no day, no single day when I thought about go down under or in New Zealand..but unfortunately for a static job market like that Italian, more you wait more you are fucked… if you lose your job when you are 40 over here..no way you’ll get something else..isn’t exactly the same in North America!

They told me: U have to find a girlfriend in Italy and so you will change idea… and I say:”But why?”..where is written that when u’ve a certain age u have to marry, go to live by yourself and have a family?? Is this written in the gospels?? And who said that I’ve to realize that my life is here now? Absolutely no.. there’s nothing that ties me with this country.. just the passport..nothing else… I go out and I just see millions of clones..all the same..following fucked models, brainwashed by the television! I’ll do everyday the best I can do to go away!

I was obviously happy when I came back and I saw my family..was emotional hug all of them like I’ve been happy to see some friend… right Daniè? But after a week I was terribly bored again… same routine..always the same… nothing else..

I really hope to find a job that will allow me to move and travel around.. and not just stay within 4 damn walls..or better.. a work in another country… that would be just a dream!

Talking about the Journey..I can just stay that it totally changed me… it showed me a part of the world where live is a privilege and I think that Americans and Canadians, know that perfectly!

What is America? America is a place where people are friendly, people smile, is the flag that waves everywhere, is the national anthem sung loudly, is the pride, is white,black,latinos all together, is drive for hours with nothing in the middle, is endless beaches, is the ocean, is Orange County, is San Diego, New Orleans, the Gran Canyon, the Monument Valley, New York, Las Vegas, Minnesota with endless fields, the plains of Iowa, the cowboys in Texas, is the Route 66, the Navajos, is talk with people from everywhere in the world, is gorgeous girls, is the American football, the hockey, the Jack Daniel’s, is Houston, is Washington, is soldiers patrolling the streets, is soldiers coming back in coffins, is the sun, awesome colors, sea, is the differences everywhere but the idea to belong to something important..is the country where I really wanna go back..and stay!

Who knows if I’m not going to add something to these pages… they say that who starts to travel, never stops… I hope they’ll say this about me as well…

Thanks to everyone followed me on these pages, to whom commented, to whom I was in contact with when I was away.. to my dear friend Sfigghy, without him here I would be a lost soul, to Luighi, Front..Merlo, Vago who inspired me..to my sweet Inga..to my family..and to someone else…

See you, everyone of you out there… on the street…

ITALIAN

E così finalmente mi sono deciso.. ce n’è voluto veramente di tempo per aprire Word e iniziare a scrivere questo update diciamo…conclusivo… ho approfittato della partenza di mia sorella per l’Erasmus seguendo le mie orme e dal fatto che oggi sono due mesi che sono ritornato :( e sulla scia dei ricordi mi sono detto: “Oramai sono due mesi che sono tornato a casa… è il momento di scrivere come è stato il mio ritorno e cosa è stato per me il Viaggio..”. Ho in mente quello che sto scrivendo esattamente dal mio ritorno ma non ho mai avuto voglia di fermarmi qui e scriverlo..

Partendo dal ritorno cosa posso dire… traumatico e tragico allo stesso tempo.. ancor peggio del ritorno dall’Erasmus… lì ci vollero quattro mesi per recuperare e purtroppo riabituarsi alla vita assolutamente piatta e senza emozioni che mi aspettava qui in Italia… ora credo che di mesi ce ne vorranno molti di più..

E’ inutile negare e cercare di nascondere quello che si prova, dopo un’esperienza del genere non si è e non si sarà mai più gli stessi… mi è capitato di uscire con persone che conosco da una vita che guardandomi sembrava che guardassero un alieno pazzo.. chi non è stato fuor dall’Italia per un’esperienza simile non potrà mai capire.. non c’è assolutamente possibilità di spiegare come si è stati, cosa si è visto, chi si ha conosciuto e cosa il Viaggio ha rappresentato!

Io in Italia non ci sto bene, non ci sono mai stato e non ci starò mai bene… mi sono sentito dire che non si deve parlare male e vergognarsi del paese in cui si vive ma cercare di cambiarlo.. io non sono ipocrita..ho sempre detto le cose come stanno e così farò sempre.. l’Italia è un paese in cui non funziona nulla..dalla ricerca del lavoro, alla criminalità, all’educazione, alla cultura, all’atteggiamento pessimo della maggioranza della gente ridicolizzata appena passa il confine... non mi interessa provare a cambiare un paese che non ho mai sentito mio ma che soprattutto non vuole essere cambiato perché a praticamente tutti va bene così! C’e una canzone di qualche anno fa che mi identifica perfettamente: Io non mi sento italiano. E’ quello che ho sempre sentito. E non sono certo il solo..migliaia di persone la pensano esattamente allo stesso modo..basta vedere quanta gente emigra e non torna mai più indietro ovivamente....! Potete dirmi quello che volete, la mia idea non è mai cambiata e non cambierà mai e lo posso dire ancora con più forza dopo aver visto Canada e Stati Uniti..paesi che sicuramente hanno numerosissimi problemi e non rappresentano il paradiso ma a confronto con l’Italia stanno anni luce più in alto..ripeto anni luce! Ne parlavo con Luigi qualche giorno fa e mi diceva una cosa che ho sempre notato anch’io: le persone in Canada e in USA per strada ti sorridon, sono disponibili, educate e quando ti vedono con una mappa in mano..perso..si avvicinano e ti aiutano… mi sono sentito dire: “se qualcuno mi si avvicina così gli dico di farsi i cazzi suoi!!”..io sono semplicemente rimasto senza parole… questo significa non capire nulla. Punto.

Sono due mesi che sono qui e non c’è stato giorno in cui non ho pensato e desiderato andarmene di nuovo..prendere ed andarmene down under o in New Zealand.. putroppo però gli anni passano e per un mercato del lavoro completamente immobile e fossilizzato come quello italiano troppo si aspetta e si è fregati.. se si perde il lavoro a 40 anni..qui sei senza speranza…negli USA dopo un mese hai trovato qualcosa da fare…

Mi hanno detto: devi trovarti la ragazza e così cambi idea.. io rispondo: “Ma perché??”.. dov’è scritto che a una determinata età devi trovarti una ragazza, vivere da solo, sposarti e avere una famiglia??? Ma chi l’ha detto?? E chi ha detto che mi devo rendere conto che la mia vita ora è qua?? Assolutamente no… non c’è nulla che mi lega a questo paese…solo il passaporto..nient’altro… esco di casa e vedo solo milioni di cloni che seguono come pecore la televisione e non hanno una minima idea di come si vive veramente.. farò ogni giorno di tutto per andarmene ed è esattamente ciò che sto facendo!

Sono stato contento quando sono tornato perché ho rivisto la mia famiglia..è stato emozionante rivederli..cosi come sono stato contento di rivedere pochi amici… persone che mi capiscono e mi capiranno sempre.. vero caro Daniè?? Ma dopo una settimana ero già stanco..sempre la solita routine…null’altro..

Spero di trovare un’occupazione che mi permetta di muovermi, viaggiare e non rinchiudermi dietro una scrivania..soffocato da quattro mura… o meglio ancora..un lavoro in un altro paese europeo..sarebbe il coronamento di un sogno!

Parlando del Viaggio posso dire che mi ha cambiato completamente tanto quanto mi cambiò l’Erasmus..m’ha mostrato una parte del mondo in cui è un privilegio vivere e credo che Canadesi e Americani lo sappiano perfettamente…

Cos’e l’America… l’America è persone che sorridono, è la bandiera che sventola ovunque, è l’inno nazionale cantato a squarciagola, è l’orgoglio di appartenenza, è bianchi,neri,asiatici,latinoamericani tutti insieme, è guidare per ore con nulla in mezzo, è spiagge chilometriche, è l’oceano, è Orange County, San Diego, New Orleans, il Gran Canyon, la Monument Valley, è New York, è Las Vegas, è il Minnesota con campi a perdita d’occhio, le distese dell’Iowa, i cappelli da cowboy del Texas, è la route 66, è i Navajos, è parlare con gente di tutto il mondo, è ragazze bellissime, è il football americano, l’hockey, è il Jack Daniel’s, è Houston, è Washington, è soldati che pattugliano le strade, è soldati che tornano a casa in una bara, è sole, colori spettacolari,mare ..è la diversità da ovest ad est ma l’appartenza a qualcosa di importante.. è il paese dove vorrei tanto tornare…e rimanere!

Chissà che non aggiunga qualcos’altro a queste pagine..qualche nuova avventura…si dice che chi inizia a viaggiare non si ferma mai più..spero che si possa dire lo stesso di me…

Grazie a tutti quelli che hanno seguito queste pagine, a chi ha commentato, a chi sentivo mentre mi trovavo via.. a il caro amico Sfigghy, senza di lui qui sarei perso completamente, a Luighi..a Front…a Merlo..a Vago che m’ha ispirato.. a Inga.. alla mia famiglia e alle poche altre persone che sentivo mentre non c’ero..

See you, everyone of you out there… on the street…

ICELAND in 5 days and THE END!

2009-12-04T17:01:00.001-08:00

So… seems that it’s time to talk about Iceland!! Oh yea… so how was that?

First of all the main thing to tell is : damn!! They really not get too much sunlight, do they??!!!

I was amazed.. these guys live pretty much a long long day all the winter! I’ve been there 5 days and the sun was coming out in the morning at 10.30 and going away at 4.30 pm.. yea guys, 4.5 hours of daylight!! Shocking!!

U are probably wondering what the hell Alex did in Iceland? Let’s find that out :D Like I said in my last update, I landed there on November the 20^th and that day, well.. I pretty much slept all the day long! I don’t know but the jet lag has really a terrible effect on me!! I was totally twisted and basically destroyed!! I was so so tired… and I had a couple of hours in the late afternoon just to have a first glance on the city!!

The day after, still little bit tired, I went out exploring Reykjavik.. what can I tell? Well, it really reminded me Helsinki under some point of view.. I’ve been in Finland and Sweden before but when I was in Sweden I didn’t see anything but Stockholm airport so I can just compare the city with Helsinki where I stayed 4 days back in 2007… and I guess that Nordic capitals are all like these!! Extremely quiet.. nice small buildings and nice people all around! It seemed to me anyway very American.. a lot of fast foods like Taco Bell, Subway, KFC.. but not Mc Donald’s :D They just closed down at the beginning of November.. not convenient for them stay open anymore because of the crisis and the devaluation of the Icelandic currency!!

So, was a nice sightseeing, all around, walking so a lot!! I came back to my hostel (well, was amazing, 25 € a night for a great 4 beds room!!) and I found 2 American guys from New York sharing the room!! Great guys.. we talked about the reason that brought us to Iceland and we headed out to live Reykjavik’s nightlife!! According to various websites that I read, I found out that if u don’t party in Iceland, it means that u never really lived an authentic nightlife!! Well, actually, the experience was great!! I can’t really tell how many people were outside!! Seems pretty much everyone!! Strolling around crawling.. we saw really a crowd!! It’s better not say anything about Icelandic girls!! They are just..amazing!! The cost of life doesn’t seem so high, half liter of beer was 4.5 €.. don’t ask me how much is in Italy..cause I don’t drink beer.. well.. apart for this Saturday night!! The New York guys offered me..like 6 beers!! Of course Icelandic beer.. called how? Guess!! VIKING!!! Of course!!!

Anyway I went back to the hostel around 5.30 am and I had to wake up at 7.30!! Awesome, 2 hours sleep!! Why did I have to wake up so early? Well, basically cause if u go to Iceland by yourself, u need to book an organized tour! U can’t really think about rent a car… so..I booked the Golden circle… they say it’s the best way to see the Iceland highlights! Well, it’s true! They brought us to all the major sites… and well..it was amazing.. the landscapes we saw where really great! Waterfalls, historic landmarks, the point where the European and the American plates meet.. the lava fields everywhere… great experience beside the damn wind that was blowing around 100 km\h!!!! It was so cold!! Was really interesting..specially see the geysers.. was my first time!

The day after instead, with the same company, that seems to have the complete monopoly on all the excursions in Iceland, we headed to the Blue lagoon, one of the major geothermal pool complex in the world… quite fascinating, bath yourself in a 38° Celsius pool when outside is 2°!!

And my travel… my almost 8 months travel pretty much ended with this… I packed all my stuff and on November 24^th I woke up at 5.15 am to catch my connection bus that brought me to Reykjavik airport!!

From there an Icelandair flight brought me to London Heathrow in almost 3 hours and there, I waited my flight connection to Malpensa airport in Milan… terrible experience actually!! In my life I took almost 70 flights and this one was the first time with a 2 hours delay with no information from the company personnel that basically was jerking around.. u are thinking, I’m sure u got Ryanair!! Hell, no!! Was British Airways!! Damn them!! The flight was a nightmare, 2 hours and half delay, terrible take off shaking like hell, terrible people just in row behind me.. and English couple complaining and arguing all the damn flight!!

And at 11.30 pm, after 232 days, I came back to Italy.. not happy of course..and not because I wanted to…

U can check my Iceland photo over here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=159529&id=666147974&l=2695ecc246

U might think, this is the end.. your blog is over.. well, it’s not :) I still miss a last update… an update where I wanna tell what America, what the Travel and what Everything meant to me…

Soon, it will happen :)

C ya

Alex

After 7 months and 14 days.. Goodbye North America.. 3 weeks in Minnesota and the come back to Europe :)

2009-11-20T11:38:00.002-08:00

So..like I promised, it comes time to talk about my stay in the northern part of the States and precisely in Minnesota. Someone probably would ask: Why did u go there? What is there to see up there?
Well, I went to Minnesota basically to pay a visit to a family of friends that left Italy back in 1989, 20 years ago and settled here, near Minneapolis.
What can I say? I stayed there for 3 weeks and it was really a good time. Thanks to them and to their parents was really possible see a lot of things about this state. And it wasn’t not bad at all. It’s really a beautiful spot in the world. I could live there.. the only problem are the harsh winters and the cold!! But for all my stay I was really blessed; the weather was just awesome!! I lived my first Halloween, a real American one, I saw my 3rd Capitol, after the one in Austin and the US Capitol in Washington D.C. , I had a taste of Minnesota nightlife and I really saw a lot of nature.
Minnesota is really similar to Scandinavia so it isn’t a surprise at all when you find out that more than half of the population that lives here has Danish or Swedish roots. They are used to the cold, aren’t they?
I was supposed to stay here only 10 days, my program was to go back to the West coast and see San Diego deeply and San Francisco but I gave up. Why that? Well, I have something like 35 kilos of stuff to drag everywhere, 1 gigantic backpack, 1 carry on suitcase and 1 small backpack for my laptop and think about bring them around, all along California, take 4 flights and whatever else.. well, it was unrealistic! So, even if I already had bought the flights, I just postponed this: I know that I’ll come back to the States probably within 2 years so, is better see San Francisco and the rest of the stuff that I missed this time, in another occasion. Well, yea, I lost 200 € because of the fact that I cannot get a refund from the low cost airlines that I used but... it’s ok... I enjoyed my time in the Midwest... I spent a day in Mason City, Iowa as well, so in 1 month and half I visited 20 states plus the District of Columbia. It’s not bad at all, I probably saw a lot more than an average American.
I’m writing this update from Europe actually.. where am I? In Iceland suckers! Surely a place that u don’t visit everyday right?? After a transfer flight from Minneapolis to the JFK in New York City, I left the United States exactly after 45 days since my arrival. And I left North America exactly 7 months and 2 weeks after my departure from Italy on April the 7th. Quite a long time ago right?
So, an Icelandair flight brought me to Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland in 5 hours and 45 minutes. The price? 350 USD with a transfer to London included! Amazing right? Is about 250 €! What a deal!! Practically over here in Iceland they’re trying to do everything to boost their economy after the amazing situation that they lived between last year and this one because of the crisis that hit this country more than anyone else.
My impressions? I’ll write them later... for now I just spent some hours here! And I can just say that is cold! And they have only 5 hours of light a day!!!
C ya

The end..New York and the flight to Minnesota :)

2009-11-09T14:29:00.003-08:00

So, like I promised, the time to talk about the end of my tour and what happened later has come.

I finished last update talking about what we did in Washington, strolling around the capital, visiting memorials and monuments and then.. well..tell our three week together were almost done..

It was time to say goodbye.. the feeling, at least for me was just one: it was too fast. I always had this feeling every time that I travelled in my life, every time that I enjoyed what I was doing. It usually never happen in Italy, where for most of the time I’m just extremely bored.

I’ve been able to see so many things, so many aspects of the States that I really wanna thank everybody that was with me on this tour and the company that organized it. I didn’t spend a lot at all and it was worth every single cent!

So..it was time to say goodbye like I said and they dropped us off in New Jersey.. we were on our own... was so weird unload the trailer for the last time, put our backpacks on our shoulders again and head to New York.

But I wasn’t by myself. The Danish guys and the Swiss guy followed me in the same hostel and Janka did that as well. I can suggest to book the Central Park hostel in New York, practically in front of the Subway, inexpensive ( 30 $ a night for a 6 beds room), safe and clean. In the end what u need when u are in a big city like this is just a bed.. nothing else.. u spend most of your time just outside, walking really for miles and is exactly what we did...

Yea.. we walked so much!! Coming back every night at the hostel with hurting feet! New York is..well..is New York!! It didn’t really impressed me so much under the architectural point of view just cause I’ve been living in North America for 7 months so I’m really used to the landscapes but New York has really a particular glamour! You can just wander around, you don’t really need a plan but you definitely need a map!! I spent there 3 days that are pretty much nothing but we didn’t lose time.. there wasn’t time to be tired or to complain! Waking up at 7.30 am and go to be at midnight just cause the time was so tight and the things to see were too many!! I’m quite proud of myself cause I was really able to see quite a lot among the main landmarks! Times Square (just unbelievable.. u go out from the subway and u are wordless..like when u do the same and u face the Coliseum in Rome), Wall Street, Ground Zero, the Empire State Building, the Rockefeller Centre, Central Park.. the stores (contrarily to what you can think, New York is a lot more expensive than other American cities that we visited for shopping).. it’s really an amazing city..or better is the CITY! It’s basically the centre of the world like Rome, Paris and London were in the past! My only regrets are that I’ve not been able to get a closer look of the Statue of Liberty since we arrived to the port too late to get the ferry and that we didn’t make to the top of the Empire State Building for the same reason. But I’m sure I’ll go back to New York, I don’t know exactly when but it’s surely an easy place to go to visit... there are so many offers that u can fly there relatively cheaply..

It was a nice time.. live all together with a part of our groups for a little bit more.. I liked everyone that was travelling with us and I really liked someone in particular.. I’m sure that I’m going to see someone of them in the future... it will happen :) Specially the ones that don’t live too far away...

So, I left the City on October the 30^th, 25 days after my Canadian departure and I arrived here in Minneapolis where I’m right now with an AirTran flight after a layover in Milwaukee, Wisconsin! I’ll tell about my period here in the Midwest in the next update... for now it’s all..

You can always check my photos, clicking here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=147423

See you soon.

Step by step to our final destination!!

2009-11-01T16:39:00.003-08:00

To watch all the photos of my tour.. just go here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=147423

So… yea… here I am after quite a long time.. I don’t like repeat myself but I really didn’t have so much time to update these pages during this amazing time!
Now that it’s over I can really tell that has been one of the best experience in all my whole life... was like a shorter Erasmus. I knew so many nice guys, I really hope to see someone of them again soon in my life.
It’s always true, when you live really close with someone for a while, sharing pretty much every single second of your day, that kind of friendship is stronger than the one that you might have with someone that you knew since when you were a child! Talking with the Swiss guy, it’s pretty much like the Army.. u are like comrades :) We really lived side by side, sleeping in campgrounds, eating and cooking together, moving together during the long drives... was really awesome!
What I saw, all the different American landscapes, it’s simply so so cool.. I still can’t believe that has been so fast.. but was definitely really intense.. I will remember these weeks all my life and the 2000 photos that I did will help me as well!
So, last time I wrote that we were in Austin, Texas where we stayed two nights.. and after that we drove to Houston to pay a visit to the Space Centre that they have over there and after this... well I don’t remember :D
No, actually I do but sometimes is really hard actually recall in your mind when you were somewhere... cause we really have been in so many places!!
After Houston we were in New Orleans.. great time as well over there.. excellent nightlife... you know, sometimes when I think about the nightlife over here I make a comparison with the one that exists in Italy and the Italian nightlife well, it’s simply terrible... millions of clones all dressed up in the exact same way, with the same outfits, same shirts, same shoes, paying 25 € to go into a club.. so pathetic!! We crawled through I think 20 clubs in 1 night, dressed with normal sweaters and T-Shirts and nobody cared!! This is America... of course get into them was free!!! New Orleans it’s different, it’s just an old city that had really hard time with the Hurricane Katrina 4 years ago and still has to struggle everyday.. was actually the only city that I felt little bit dangerous..a feeling that I never had nowhere else... We stopped there 2 days, walking around discovering the old French quarter... was just great!!
Leaving New Orleans, after a stopover nearby to enjoy a swamp tour to spot some alligator, our long journey was almost over.. yea, actually after this stop we just drove a lot toward east... we stopped in Alabama, Tennessee and Virginia but we didn’t really do that much in these days .. it was basically move all our group toward Washington D.C , toward the end...
But we had time to stop by in Lynchburg, Tennessee to pay a visit to the most important thing that they have over there!!! The Jack Daniel’s distillery, an heaven for who likes whiskey.. it was really cool!! I was already in a distillery like this one up in Dublin, in the Jameson one, but this one, God.. it’s Jack Daniel’s!!!
Washington D.C was just our last stop, we spent 2 days over there, taking a look around and realizing that yes, we were in America.. yea.. you actually have that feeling when u are there... cause u see everything, all the symbols of this nation.. that they leave u wonder around like a kid discovering the heart of the biggest country in the world.. the most powerful spot on Earth... surely 2 days are not enough but we did our best to see everything we could! The Mall with all its memorials, from the Vietnam one to the Korean one.. it’s amazing read all the 55000 names engraved in the Vietnam Memorial..it’s something that let you think and so it happens the same with the Korean memorial.. a ghost platoon in the middle of Korea... amazing!
Washington is just that.. it’s the heart of the States... The Lincoln memorial, the Jefferson memorial..all these monuments... are just amazing.. are the history of this country...and see them with all the lights around it’s something really cool... but the view during the day doesn’t leave u disappointed...
That’s all... I’ll talk about the end of our tour in another update..
C ya

First 10 days of travel in America!!

2009-10-18T16:31:00.002-07:00

It’s really hard keep these pages update when u are having a great time and u move along the United States… is really difficult find time to write down something when you are too tired because the long transfer or just for the night…

I’m in Austin, Texas today and tomorrow we head to Houston... we’ve travelled around for 11 days until now and has really been great... after the Grand Canyon we went to Las Vegas and well, it’s better that I don’t write down what is that place... is called the city of sin for one real reason!! Was really fun!! I think I never had so much fun in my life..maybe a couple of other times but was really great... during the day.. Las Vegas doesn’t have any charm..it’s just a huge amusement park in the middle of nowhere..but the night.. oh my God.. it’s just crazy!! We went around for 2 hours into a party bus..all together..was just great!! The effects..we felt them the day after! LOL!!! I think the song Waking Up in Vegas, yea..is the right one..definitely...

I don’t wanna describe the details, was just so fun.. really great! After that we went to Zion but I was just too tired to do anything.. it’s a nice natural park but we stopped by for just 1 day..so not so much!!

But after that..the Monument Valley.. oh man.. it’s just like in the movies..it’s simply breathless.. America is just unbelievable.. the nature that you can see over here is something really extraordinary!! We spent a night sleeping into an Hogan with some Native Americans.. Navajos to be exact... and listen to them...listen what their people lived in the past..well.. it helps to reflect about their conditions.. there are so many of them down here in the Southern States..really a lot.. and a lot of people from South America.. the States are really changing.. you find everything written in Spanish everywhere!!

We passed by to Carlsbad, New Mexico to visit a huge national park completely underground.. it’s a cavern complex.. really cool..

Yesterday we arrived over here in Texas after a long long drive, 9 hours... terrible!! Really stay in a closed space like a van for that time..drives you just crazy!! But the night was great... Austin looks really amazing!!

C ya

Arizona: Grand Canyon!

2009-10-10T18:49:00.001-07:00

So..well.. the adventure is going on and is getting better day after day…. So..right now we are in the Grand Canyon and yea..I guess that this place really deserves everything has been said about it.. is simply hard to describe what you see and what you feel when you stare at it... I thought that when you are in places like this one u can listen the silence.. well, ok doesn’t mean anything but is to try to explain by words the sensations that you are able to feel. You just there and you can admire the power of the nature or the power of God and you understand how the small is the Man compared to the Earth itself.

So, we woke up like at 5.00 o’clock in the morning and trust me..that’s unbelievable... I mean.. I’ve never seen that time on my watch in my life..well just when we were coming back from some party yes..but not when you have to wake up!! Damn!! But after all the day I can easily say that was worth the effort!!

Unsure about hiking in the Canyon itself.. I followed the others and we went for 6 miles just down and yes..that’s was really great!! The landscapes that you can spot can really live you breathless.. it took a while to go up and down but u know is really not something that you do everyday...

And after like 4 days the group seems more open... I like these guys... it’s fun! And you always start to interact with everyone after a while.. nothing comes at the first moment... and the Americans around..well the guys that are tourists in their own country they are always friendly..they always stop by to talk.. it’s really cool.. I love it.. like I loved Canada!

The only hard thing was sleep in the night.. you can’t imagine how is the thermal difference between day and night over here.. is fucking freezing.. really.. u have the tent and the sleeping bag but whatever..u really shiver all the time!! And sometimes..u think.. we belong to the civilization.. so yea...it’s harsh..but is really an experience!

Luckily the day wasn’t really so hot but is possible imagine how hard is live around here during the summer time... it can really go up quite a lot!

Like I said tomorrow is Vegas and that will be rock man!!! Would be so great!!

C ya

America... is amazing!! Grand Canyon!!

2009-10-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

So… my American adventure began and after 3 days I can say that is fucking awesome!!

I think that after 6 months in Canada this is really the best choice.. apart for the opportunity to visit this great country from the west to the east coast is an amazing way to know a bunch of new people!! I love that!! Of course, the first moment is always kind of hard, right? Cause u have to literally break the ice! Is a situation that I lived so many times in my life that I’m kinda used to.. U find yourself in an hotel hall full of all these guys carrying heavy suitcases or backpacks and u think.. “Damn it.. is really like a déjà vu!”

After a couple of hours is like if u have known them since an entire life.

And this adventure really reminds me Las Palmas..this is exactly like that! Everyone carries different background adventures, different reasons that brought them in America.. you are around a fire in the middle of the Arizona desert, out of Phoenix and you think that is damn awesome!

I’m writing this update while we are heading to the Grand Canyon.. this is so cool!

Well, I was telling about the group.. well exactly there are 2 groups of I don’t know..I think we are like 22 people.. there are people from UK (of course!!), from Denmark, from Switzerland, from Australia, from Hungary, from South Korea... is awesome!

Well.. we are going around of the States guided by a guide, right.. our guide is a girl from Minnesota.. pretty different climate down here compared to up there!

So we started from San Diego.. really laid back atmosphere..just a city by the sea.. really cool.. just touring around the city staying after that in a campground in La Jolla.. well a campground with 4 pools!! Crazy Americans!

The day after we headed to Arizona.. is crazy think that over the temperature is 30° but in the night drops drastically and is kinda of chilly.. what I’m doing is basically camping.. I’m not really a fan of this stuff..but I find it really cool anyway... so u just set up your tent, you cook your own food and after that you just talk with the others... that’s the best part... damn..know English is really damn important..sometimes I think about people back in Italy, my same age that are proud to not know any word in a foreign language.. guys u are totally fucked up!! U have no idea what u are losing..just right now!!

Anyway, we headed to Arizona, we stayed to this old fashion place like I said above, middle of the desert, no showers, no amenities, nothing.. just the dirt... the tents and some real American cowboys.. that was awesome.. sit near the fire..drinking and sharing your stories...

I can eventually even speak Italian.. so cool!! There’s a Swiss girl from the German part that speaks also Italian... sweet.... you have just to switch from one language to the other... kind of funny... but talk in English I think is better.. I’m so used right now that doesn’t make any difference anymore!

I love Switzerland.. living quite near to the border is one of the country that I’ve been more often.. that’s awesome! And listen what Swiss guys tell... just confirms that!

Anyway... our group is 2 Danish (nice guys), 1 Tasmanian guy (he’s 19 and he’s already been already all over the world.. crazy Australians!!), 3 girls from UK, 3 South Koreans and 1 Swiss German guy... everyone seems cool so far...

Well..like I said we are heading to the Grand Canyon..today just look around and tomorrow is up to us.. hiking or just see around from the rim.. I can’t really do the helicopter flight over it.. I’m kind of broken so I can’t really afford 225 US!!

Anyway I’ll do some of the other things.... like staying with the Navajos..and things like these...

Awesome!!

The Danish guys rode some horse..but isn’t something from me!!

America..is just amazing by the way!! I had the confirm after 3 days..but I already knew that of course!

And the day after tomorrow Vegas babe!!!

Ahahah... awesome suckers!!!!

C ya!!

California! Here I am!!

2009-10-06T19:06:00.007-07:00

ENGLISH

And so..after an odyssey from Vancouver to Seattle, since the bus journey took 6 hours for 250 km because an accident on the freeway that originated a huge line at the border where we waited about 2 hours, today I arrived in Los Angeles. Well precisely I’m in El Segundo, a suburb of the city, in a nice hotel with a lot of fancy stuff that I ain’t really going to use since I’m here just 1 night.

Yea, cause tomorrow my adventure starts. I uploaded a map of what I’m going to do and see.. I hope that will be awesome. I’ll be able to see so many different parts of this amazing nation!!

I’m ready!!!

I saw Seattle again, after the visit with Luigi but was just a small stroll around downtown to see how she looks like by night...

See Los Angeles from the plane is unbelievable.. is not huge.. gigantic I think is the right word! Incredible!

Something about the airline that I used: Virgin America.. 79.60 $ from Seattle to Los Angeles plus 15 $ for a checked baggage... 94.60 USD in total.. 65 Euro to travel on a wonderful brand new Airbus A319 with in flight entertainment, complimentary soft drinks.. well.. a lot better than Ryanair!!

When you get out you immediately realize that you are in the States! Air conditioning at the maximum level, fast foods everywhere.. ehehe.. I love this country!!

ITALIAN

E così, dopo un’odissea da Vancouver a Seattle visto che il viaggio in bus è stato di 6 ore per 250 km a causa di un incidente sull’autostrada che ha causato una coda allucinante al confine statunitense, oggi sono arrivato a Los Angeles. Precisamente mi trovo a El Segundo, una città satellite in un albergo spettacolare con una marea di cose che non userò visto che sono qui solo per una notte.

Esatto perché domani finalmente la mi avventura ha inizio. Ho pubblicato una mappa di cosa dovrei fare e vedere.. speriamo sia spettacolare.. Sarò in grado di vedere un casino di cose che la maggior parte della gente si sogna soltanto!!

I’m ready!!!

Ho visto Seattle di nuovo dopo la visita con Luigi ma è stato solo un tour piuttosto veloce per vedere com’è di note..

Vedere Los Angeles dall’aereo è incredibile.. non è enorme.. è gigantesca!! Incredibile!

Qualcosa riguardo la compagnia aerea che ho usato: Virgin America.. 79.60 $ da Seattle a Los Angeles più 15 $ per un bagaglio in stiva: 94.60 USD in totale.. 65 Euro per farsi 1500 km su un brand new Airbus A319 con in flight entertainment, bevande gratis.. well.. a lot better than Ryanair!!

Quando si scende dall’aereo..ci si rende subito conto di essere in America.. Aria condizionata ovunque ed al Massimo.. fast food dappertutto... ehehe.. I love this country!!

It's time to turn the page... Goodbye Vancouver.. and thank you :)

2009-10-04T21:24:00.004-07:00

ENGLISH

So, like the title says.. it’s time to turn the page.. the moment is arrived.. I’m going to leave Vancouver and Canada as well.. has to be said that I’m leaving just because my visa obliges me to do that and not cause I wanna go back to Italy, I think that this has to be clear.
Seems that I arrived over here not so much time ago instead my backpack ready and heavy in my living room tells me that was 6 months ago.

6 months, yea that’s right!

When I came over here my idea was basically work for some time, travel across Canada till Toronto and fly back home. The project radically changed. It did cause 6 months it’s not enough. To travel you have to have money and therefore you have to work! And live here it’s cheaper than Italy but still, it’s expensive. So with time I just decided that I had to go down to the States since like I already mentioned I always wanted to do that!

I remember when I wrote the update after 3 months over here and right now I’m writing my final one from my flat in Yaletown. What can I say? Well, like when I came back from Las Palmas, I’ll be unable to explain what these 6 months have been for me...cause people at home, they will simply not understand because of their old concept of life..

I really liked Canada. I really liked Vancouver, the Yukon when I was up there, the city itself over here.

I will miss everything. I will miss the nature around, I will miss the safety that you can feel everywhere every time, I will miss the Canadian way to see things, I will miss the Canadian miracle that means how these guys have been able to create a nation with so many different backgrounds, so many different races living all together completely integrated.. something that will never happen in Italy; I will miss the quality of life, I will miss the people, I will miss the possibility to interact with persons from everywhere in the world, I will miss everyone talking in English around me.

I will miss my job as well. It wasn’t something related to what I studied but I learned really quite a lot of things with it. I learned the basis of customer service that over here is totally different than in Europe, I learned how to interact with people, I learned about the Canadian First Nations, I basically learned what means wake up every morning and go to work. Sometimes wasn’t easy..but I’m glad I had this opportunity.

I learned to live completely by myself. Even if I had already lived this, here has been different. Here I was on my own.. from the beginning to the end.

Someone could ask me.. if u could turn back time, you would come back over here again?
The answer is difficult. Inside my heart there is always the wish to go to Australia but I think the idea to come over here was positive. Positive cause I improved a proper English, the one that is mainly spoken worldwide, positive cause I was able to work pretty much 6 months continuously, positive cause I’ll have the opportunity to visit the States... so yea..probably I would come back over here :)

Live abroad isn’t easy. Reading about someone else that is in Canada with the same Visa.. I read about people that worked for free in farms or something like that. My opinion is that there is totally no point to do that! In Australia you work in a farm to get an extension for another year of your Visa.. here where’s the point? Yea..nature and stuff like that but.. well.. I guess that everyone is different but for me is just a waste of time.. Or about someone else that came here, did a month English course and the a vacation for 5\6 months hanging around all time with people of the same ethnic background.. why??

I’m happy about all the choices that I did over here.

I’m totally happy that I’ve never been around with Italians! I never looked for them and I always stayed just with English speaker beside when Luigi was here!

I’m happy with the job that I found and I kept for 6 months! I’m happy with where I lived.. I’m happy about how I was able to survive and manage my assets :)

Another possible question that I could hear is : Would u live forever in Canada?

Yes! Absolutely... with a job related to my field of studies but yes, no doubt! The quality of life is just so higher than Italy... that make a comparison is just embarrassing.

So, I just wanted to thank all the people that crossed my path in these 6 months. I’ll always remember this time.

Thank you.

Like I said, now it’s time... it’s time to turn the page...

ITALIAN

Così come il titolo stesso dice, è tempo di girare pagina..il momento è arrivato. Sto per lasciare Vancouver e lo stesso Canada. Voglio sottolineare ed ancora una volta ricordare che sto andando via solamente perché sono obbligato dal mio visto e assolutamente non perché voglio tornare a casa, ritengo che ciò debba essere chiaro.

Mi sembra di essere arrivato qui non così tanto tempo fa ma il mio zaino pronto e pesante qui nel salotto mi dice che sono passati 6 mesi.

6 mesi, that’s right!

Quando arrivai qui la mia idea era sostanzialmente quella di attraversare l’intero Canada ed arrivare fino a Toronto.Come sapete il progetto è poi radicalmente cambiato. E’ successo perché semplicemente 6 mesi non sono abbastanza. Per viaggiare è necessario avere denaro sufficiente e di conseguenza si deve lavorare! Pur essendo meno cara dell’Italia, la vita lo è anche qui pertanto ho deciso di visitare gli Stati Uniti visto che è qualcosa che ho sempre desiderato fare.

Ricordo quando scrissi l’update di metà esperienza e ora sto scrivendo quello finale, sempre qui dal mio appartamento in Yaletown. Cosa posso dire? Sicuramente come quando tornati da Las Palmas, non sarò in grado di spiegare cosa questi 6 mesi hanno per me rappresentato.. perché la gente a casa, semplicemente non può capire a casa dell’antico concetto di vita che ha.

Ho veramente amato il Canada, Vancouver, lo Yukon quando sono stato lassù e la città stessa qui.

Mi mancherà ogni cosa. L’essere circondati dalla natura, il senso di sicurezza che si avverte ovunque ed in ogni momento, mi mancherà il modo canadese di vedere le cose, mi mancherà il miracolo canadese e cioè come questa nazione è stata in grado di integrare popoli così diversi giunti qui da ogni parte del mondo, qualcosa che in Italia non accadrà mai. Mi mancherà la qualità della vita, le persone, la possibilità di interagire con persone da ogni parte del mondo, mi mancherà l’inglese parlato sempre attorno a me.

In un certo modo mi mancherà anche il mio lavoro. Sicuramente ed ovviamente non era qualcosa legato a ciò che ho studiato ma grazie ad esso ho sicuramente imparato diverse cose importanti. Le basi del servizio al cliente che qui è inteso in una maniera completamente differente rispetto all’Europa, ho imparato come interagire con le persone, ho imparato parte della cultura dei nativi canadesi, ho sostanzialmente imparato cosa significa alzarsi ogni mattina ed andare a lavorare. A volte non è stato sicuramente facile, ma sono felice di avere avuto questa opportunità-

Ho imparato cosa significa vivere completamente da solo. Anche se lo avevo già fatto, qui è stato totalmente diverso. Ho dovuto provvedere a tutto da solo, dall’inizio alla fine.

Qualcuno potrebbe chiedermi.. se potessi tornare indietro nel tempo, verresti di nuovo in Canada?

La risposta non è semplice ma complessa. Dentro di me c’è e ci sarà sempre il desiderio di andare in Australia ma credo che la scelta di venire qui sia stata positiva. Positiva perché ho potuto migliorare apprendendo sempre di più quello che è l’inglese maggiormente parlato la mondo, positiva perché sono riuscito a lavorare 6 mesi di fila, positiva perché avrò la possibilità di visitare gli Stati Uniti… così si..probabilemente tornerei qui.

Vivere all’estero non è facile. Leggendo di alcuni che sono qui con lo stesso visto, leggo di gente che lavora gratis in fattorie locali.. per quale ragione lo fate?? In Australia lo si fa poiché si vuole avere un’estensione annuale del visto ma qui non c’è nessuna ragione! O leggo di alcuni che sono venuti qui giusto per un paio di mesi, hanno fatto un corso d’inglese di un mese e vagato in giro per gli altri tre stando sempre con persone della stessa lingua!! Perché???

Sono contento di tutte le decisioni che ho preso qui.

Contento del fatto di non essere mai andato nemmeno a cercare gli italiani! Sono sempre stato con madrelingua inglesi a parte durante la visita di Luigi!

Sono contento del lavoro trovato, sarebbe potuto andarmi certamente peggio! Sono contento di dove ho vissuto e di come ho amministrato le mie finanze..

Un’altra possibile domanda potrebbe essere: Vivresti per sempre in Canada?

SI!! Assolutamente.. con un lavoro diverso ovviamente, collegato a ciò che ho studiato ma si, nessun dubbio! La qualità della vita qui è cosi superiore all’Italia che fare un confronto è semplicemente imbarazzante!

Volevo ringraziare tutti coloro che hanno incrociato il mio cammino in questi mesi. Ricorderò sempre questo periodo della mia vita.

Grazie.

Come ho detto, ora è tempo… è tempo di girare pagina..

Tuesday at the UBC

2009-10-02T21:57:00.003-07:00

Well,so when in Europe or at least in Italy you think about a university and you try to get an idea about that, you think about a couple of buildings, a cafeteria, an administration unit and that’s all.. well or at least that’s for me since my university was pretty small...

Well..that idea here... is totally wrong!!

This introduction just to tell you guys that I made to the UBC last Tuesday.. well, it’s something totally amazing!

Luigi was already there and I was already told about how it looks like but well.. when you go there it’s HUGE!

I don’t even think that huge is the right adjective... cause the UBC is a city that lies within Vancouver itself...

There are so many departments..so many faculties and so many buildings that u can really get lost among them!!

You are surrounded by natures..squirrels cross the streets just in front of you..the accommodations are skyscrapers!!! Unbelievable!

I spent like 3 hours over there and I think I really saw just a fraction of everything that this university can offer.

The education standards between Canada and Italy are of course incomparable!! The UBC is among the first 40 universities in the world.. to find an Italian one I recall that if u have to go till the 300 place or something like that.. all the infrastructures..is just amazing!

And you could think:. “Oh it will be probably so expensive...!” Well.. the tuition fees, at least the average ones are around 5000 CAD that in Euro are 3000... well.. that’s inexpensive! When you think specially that you are getting your education in one of the best university in the world!! Of course all of this if u hold a Canadian passport...if u don’t.. well better not even take a look to them!! It will be 15000 Euro!!

Well.. I didn’t make to Whistler..I was just packing and be ready to leave..Monday is 3 days from now... see my backpack over there already ready gives me a weird feeling...

Adam has a new roommate but he allowed me to stay for these days..it’s surely better than stay in a hostel...

Well, tomorrow is my last day at work.. and then it’ll be time..

C ya

9 days to go! Vancouver Canucks and Korean BBQ! :)

2009-09-25T00:18:00.002-07:00

ENGLISH

So..I managed to be inside the GM Place to watch live an hockey game!

Monday, together with Adam we went to see one of the pre season games: Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames!! I put on my Canucks jersey and I was ready for the game!

Well, what can I say? Hockey looks really cool! Beside some rule that I didn’t really get (for example when they change all the team) the main aim is just that: score a goal! So, it’s something that I’m familiar with!

Over here, like I said in one of my first posts, hockey is the national sport and even for a friendly game, the GM place was pretty packed!

The match was great, with a point scored by double Sedin :) just at the last second available! The extra time finished without any variation and so: shoot outs! Something that they tried to introduce in soccer as well but without any result!

Around me, very North American atmosphere, hot dogs, sodas, Canadian pride just before the beginning of the match when the national anthem was played...

Well, was definitely something that I had to check out before my departure!

The moment is coming... I don’t have so much left.. I spent my last free days planning and packing! My adventure down in the States is pretty much completely organized.. flights and accommodations are booked.. in the next updates I’ll tell where I’ll go and when!

So..I still miss the UBC and Whistler.. let’s see if I’ll make it!

What else? Since my leaving is close is the moment of some good bye – farewell.. It’s really like a déjà vu, like two years ago when was the moment to leave Las Palmas.. I saw my former Czech colleague Zdenka that came back from Vancouver Island for a couple of days.. it was nice see her again.. with Julia surely has been one of my favourite colleague! About Julia, she just resigned and left the job because too much commitments with her university.. and so came the moment to say her good bye as well.. I went with her, her boyfriend and her brother to an authentic Korean BBQ.. that was awesome.. it’s really a nice way to have dinner! I enjoyed the days spent with her at work.. talking with someone that really shares your same interests and is close to you with age..makes everything a lot easier!

So, well, nothing else... 1 week at work.. and 9 days to go!

C ya

ITALIAN

E così c’è l’ho fatta ad andare al GM Place a vedere finalmente dal vivo una partita di hockey!

Lunedì insieme ad Adam siamo andati a vedere una partita della pre-season: Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames! Indossata la mia maglia dei Canucks..ero pronto per entrare nel vivo dell’azione!

Bè,cosa posso dire? L’hockey non è affatto male! Al di là di qualche regola che non sono riuscito a capire completamente, l’obiettivo principale è semplicemente quello di segnare un gol!Pertanto è qualcosa che mi è davvero familiare!

Qui in Canada come avevo già detto, l’hockey è senza dubbio lo sport nazionale e di conseguenza anche per una partita amichevole, lo stadio era praticamente sold out!

La partita è stata spettacolare, con un gol realizzato dal mio sosia Sedin :D ! giusto all’ultimo secondo disponibile! Il tempo supplementare s’è concluso senza alcuna variazione e si è passati agli shoot out, qualcosa che si era tentato di introdurre anche nel calcio con risultati ovviamente fallimentari!

Intorno a me, la vera atmosfera nord americana: hot dogs, bibite giganti, pop corn e orgoglio Canadese al momento dell’esecuzione dell’inno nazionale “Oh, Canada!”

Alla fine, qualcosa che è valso la pena vedere, prima della mia partenza!

Il momento si sta avvicinando.. non c’è davvero rimasto molto ormai.. ho passato i miei ultimi giorni liberi pianificando gli ultimi dettagli ed iniziando ad impacchettare le mie cose! La seconda parte della mia avventura, giù negli States è quasi completamente organizzata.. voli e accomodations sono prenotati.. nei prossimi futuri update dirò come, quando e dove andrò!

Mi mancano ancora da vedere Whistler e la UBC… speriamo di farcela!

Cos’altro? Dato che la mia partenza è vicina, è il momento di alcuni arrivederci-addii.. è davvero come un dejà vu, come due anni fa, al momento di lasciare LP! Ho rivisto la mia ex collega Ceca, Zdenka che è tornata per alcuni giorni a Vancouver lasciando Vancouver Island.. è stato carino rivederla di nuovo..indubbiamente con Julia è sicuramente la mia collega preferita.. loro due sono sicuramente quelle con cui sono andato più d’accordo in questi mesi… riguardo Julia, si è appena licenziata perché troppo impegnata con l’ultimo anno di università.. e così è arrivato il momento di dire arrivederci anche a lei… siamo andati insieme al suo boyfriend ed a suo fratello ad un autentico Korean BBQ… spettacolare.. veramente interessante! Mi sono divertito a lavorare con lei, parlare con qualcuno che condivide esattamente i tuoi stessi interessi ed è praticamente tuo coetaneo, rende veramente tutto molto più faci!

Bè, nient’altro.. una settimana al lavoro.. 9 days to go!

C ya