Reflections From Roma #01
04 ottobre 2017
Hello there… Rodger French
here.
So… greetings from Rome.
Finalmente. We’ve now been here for almost three weeks and I’ve been meaning to
correspond, but have been kind of busy. I would like to report that we arrived
and were immediately swept up in the history, beauty, and romance of the
“Eternal City.” Yeah, that would be nice.
But, not so much. We’ve
spent days getting over some heinous jetlag (Delta Airlines Official Motto:
“Sure, our seats suck. So?”), getting organized, and taking care of official
bidness. Tri-Mission Rome consists of the American Embassy in Rome, the
American Embassy to the Holy See, and the U.S. Mission to the U.N. It is freaking
enormous and there’s a lot of information to absorb. Fortunately, the local
staff really has their collective shit together and provides excellent
assistance.
The major hassle we face
is that we are basically squatting in temporary housing while our actual apartment
is being “made ready.” This can’t be helped, but it means (a) we’ll have to
move - again - and (b) we won’t be able to receive our stuff for several more
weeks. It’s a pain-in-the-neck, but it would be churlish to complain. Sometimes
that’s part of the gig.
[Our Official DoS Motto: No car, no pets, no kids… no problem.]
Fortunately, Anne is
getting up to speed nicely at work. Her boss has been great and the folks in
her section seem very helpful. The Embassy itself is grand (statues; lots of statues),
and provides many services. And, although our eventual permanent residence will
be a bit closer, we’re currently still within walking distance to work, which
we were counting on.
Since the (idiotic)
federal hiring freeze remains in effect, I abide in a state of gainful
unemployment. That hasn’t posed a problem as yet, what with all the schlepping,
shopping, cooking, housekeeping (well…), and practicing of the accordion. And since
the best thing we’ve found on TV is C.S.I. reruns dubbed in Italian (nobody
dubs like the Italians), we watch less of it. But we’re really looking forward
to our DVD collection catching up with us.
What else… oh, right.
Rome. Well, it reminds me a bit of Buenos Aires, only smaller, denser, and with
many more really old things. We’ve taken in some sights and done a bit of
serious eating, but since the place is swarming with tourists at the moment,
we’re planning to wait until the low season to see the major attractions.
Mostly we’ve been exploring public transportation, scouting out where to obtain
necessary goods and services, and walking our asses off. We’re very grateful
that the weather has, so far, been terrific.
[Podiatric Sidebar: Rome is hard on the feet and legs. Ancient brick
and cobblestone streets are picturesque but brutal, and the place is lousy with
hills. Ergo, Rule #1: Bring the absolute best walking shoes you can afford.]
If we stay on the current
schedule and have a bit of luck with our shipments, we should be completely
settled in before Christmas. And yes, there will be a guest room. Meanwhile,
we’ll continue to put one foot in front of the other, remember to be grateful,
and try to make the most of our great buona fortuna.
Onward.
Rodger
