Replying to you here because I didn't want to hijack the Election 2020 thread.
Thanks to both of you, I will keep that in mind going forward. The pandemic will determine how quickly I can get the Italian citizenship done, but it's looking right now like 3 years or so.
I have also lived abroad, in Italy (Rome) in fact, in the Reagan years. In those days, dual citizenship was not possible, nor was reclaiming Italian citizenship through ancestry (parents only back then). The rules changed in the 1990s, by then I was well established back in the US and divorced from my sociopathic-green-card-seeking-Italian-ex-husband, so at the time it wasn't of interest.
Also, at the time, the Northern Italians remained VERY biased against Southern Italians, especially those from the diaspora. Northern acquaintances frequently ridiculed me and called me names that were roughly equivalent to the n-word and sp*c. When I visited the South, no ridicule so much as being told "Beati voi" (lucky you) when folks learned I was from a family that immigrated to the US starting in the 1880s. Weird guilt trip - I remember thinking - I'm sorry, were my great-grandparents supposed to stay here and starve to death or be killed by the Mafia??
I'm lucky that generally I "blend in" in Europe - my last visit to Utrecht and to Munich in particular people kept coming up to me and speaking to me in Dutch and German. I don't remotely look "Aryan", so I was touched by their friendliness and non-assumption of my race or origins. At the time, Merkel was up for reelection, and someone was canvassing in the street in Munich, when I said in English, "Sorry, I"m not German, I can't vote here, but if I could I'd vote for Merkel", the person handed me a paper yellow rose and said "Thank you anyway! Have a great day!"
Similar things happened in Utrecht, very welcoming people chatting to me in Dutch, which sometimes I can grasp a word or two but certainly can't speak at all.
Interesting note - the country I like the least turned out to be Austria. I joke about it with my husband ("Well Hitler was Austrian, so..."), but the people in Salzburg and Vienna were just awful. It happened 3 times in 4 days that some rude Austrian spoke to me like I was a maid or employee of whatever business I was standing in, like REALLY rude. Rather than respond in English I cursed them out in Italian ("Macchè cazzo dici? Sei scemo? Mavva fancullo!" - "What the f* are you saying? Are you a moron? Go f* yourself!" - you can take the girl out of New York but...)
I'm also not too fond of France.... so I will keep you both in mind, thanks again!!
@laura-f, go with the gut I always say;-)
Big plus for The Netherlands is the fact that we came out on top of all European nations when it comes to speaking English. You will be hard-pressed finding a Dutch person who doesn't speak/understand it. Most of us are friendly although the west is more 'New York' as you might say with people yelling at you to watch it etc.
The biggest downside is real-estate, which is expensive here, but other than that; easy going and good times + we have like 36 political parties so it's pretty much corruption free ?
Should you want to check out some options:
https://en.visitnijmegen.com/ a city similar to Utrecht, but older, prettier and the surroundings are more lush with forests etc. It's the oldest city of the Netherlands going back over a 1000 years. That website can give you an idea about what to do here. This is a little clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg9exZJzh1o
Other great cities are Deventer, Zutphen, Breda etc. all between 30 to 70 from Utrecht.
Also, there are lots of video's about the difference between the US and NL, this is one of a Dutch guy living in the US comparing the two. Might be interesting for anyone really;-) Perhaps something for your hubby to check out? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_yCpGe4GSM
Anyway, who knows, might help you ❤️ I do think life can be more relaxing here. We work to live in Europe, enjoyment of life is so important whether it is dining at a restaurant for 3 hours or just cycling to the city center to have fun going from cafe to cafe.
I'll shut it now. I get enthused sometimes;-) Bless all ❤️
This may seem a silly post to some, but I almost feel compelled to say this publicly somewhere. At my high school, Government class was required before seniors could graduate, and it was only offered during one's senior year. There were two teachers for the class, and that was all they taught. They were older men and very conservative - as were most people in the little town where I grew up - but they were passionate about the subject, whether we agreed with them politically or not was never an issue to them. What they cared about was inspiring us to learn and know how our government came to be, how it was constituted, and how it worked.
Mr. Lon Skinner, you have long since passed on, but your dedication to democracy lives on. Thank you for your passion for the subject, and thank you for everything you taught me. The last four years and especially recent events have proven to me just how incredibly valuable and relevant what you taught us still remains.
@tgraf66 When I was in high school we were required to take "Civics", which I gather was basically the same as your "Government" class. The teacher (whose name I can't recall!) was conservative and proud of it. He told us that "conservative" meant you wanted to keep things stable-- and no more than that. This was in the mid 1970's (to date myself :-P )
Starting with frickin' Rayguns in 1980,"conservative" started meaning "screw you, I got mine'. I have never forgotten the definition of "conservative" I was taught in 1975--- the so-called "conservatives" of the last 40 years do NOT align with the views of my high school teacher. He was a bit *too* conservative for my taste, but he was a decent man- not a reactionary or fascist.
@ana @tgraf66 Yes, I too remember Civics classes. Unfortunately, I think it is not much taught these days. Here in Portland Oregon there is a group that raises funds for a program called the Classroom Law Project, that teaches how government and the law works. https://classroomlaw.org
They teach middle and high school teachers the fundamentals and then get local attorneys to come into the classroom to act as judges for cases that the students present and plead. This would be great in all our classes around the county. Too many Americans do not know how our government works.
I AM DANCING WITH GRATITUDE AND RELIEF!!! my best friend (like my sister) Kathi, her hubby and his 91 year old Aunt all tested negative for Covid! They were exposed on Sunday (her hubby went to a family wake ugh) She said they have dodged a bullet! Thank the Universe! ? ?
There is much to be grateful for this New Years Day.
I awoke this morning to the sound of a gentle rain covering the dry Arizona earth. The calming sound of the rain falling to the ground, the smell of the desert flora awakened by the nourishing water from above and the feel of the moistened air is a quiet blessing for the New Year.
For those living in the Desert Southwest where water is becoming more valuable than gold, it brings the gift of hope. A reminder to be still and breathe in the blessings that surround us. The ones which seep into our souls and wrap us in a blanket of love and warmth. The ones which appear after days of longing at the dawn of a new day.
May this New Year fill your spirits with gratitude.
May you recognize and marvel in the blessings found in the peaceful breaking of dawn as the birds sing to the morning sun. May a gentle breeze be at your backs enabling you to reach those high mountain peaks. May you embrace unexpected blessings when they sprinkle down from above and discover light filled stars to guide you out of the darkest of forests.
May love gently seep into your souls and a gentle morning rain greet you, soothing any dry desert path upon which you travel.
May gratitude flow through us all as we recognize the many blessings 2023 brings.
Recent events have brought into sharp focus things I am grateful for, number one being the return of my beloved cat and all of the support, advice, and reamwork that helped to bring her home, I will always be grateful for that. I also developed a stronger bond with my other cat who was a comfort and became more affectionate.
Although my relationship with my child is a source of pain, I am grateful for my own strength of character and that under that hurt I am still able to pray for her and wish her well.
I am also grateful for my ongoing commitment to my health. Grateful for shopping today and choosing healthier high fiber low sugar foods. I am also grateful to heal my broken heart.
There are many other things too. But I am most grateful for my improvement in being able to practice being grateful for what I have and learning to let go of what I don't.
I have been feeling lonely today, so I wanted to quickly wave hi to anyone who has popped in here.
Thank you for having this site.
Happy Gratitude Day.
@anya Sending Love and Light and comfort your way !🙏🏻💜🕯️🪽💜🙏🏻