A School for Evan

So after a 2nd semester filled with copious amounts of snow days in Michigan, we didn't want Evan to be out of school for too long. As such, he started school the 2nd week of our arrival.

He attends the European School of Varese.  He was in 1st grade in the US,  but Italy does not have kindergarten so he is in the year 2 classroom.  

The school has mother tongue classrooms in English, French, German, Dutch and Italian;  obviously Evan is in the English section (albeit "The Queens English").    There was a choice between German and French as a second language to study; since Shane is proficient in Spanish and Jill took French in high-school (notice no mention of Jill's proficiency) - we chose French for him (at least it is a "romantic" language).   He will add Italian as a 3rd language next year.   We also had a religion selection to make;  being that his parents are not religious, he is in the ethics section.

The biggest adjustment to the new school is the school schedule; it is a bit unique for us.  On Monday, Wednesday and Fridays school is in session from  8:30am  - 1pm; on Tuesday and Thursday school goes until 4pm.   The person impacted the most is Shane, not Evan,  as the weeks have a very different rhythm than in the US.

Eventually Evan will ride the bus to school but we have just recently (like in the last 10 hours) confirmed the schedule and will start this new adventure next week.   The buses here are more like rock star tour buses than the yellow American schools buses in the States.   We will get a pic and post later.

Evan was a little nervous on the first day - but was a trouper.   We walked with him to where his class lines up and the teacher gave him a very nice greeting which I think helped....although in the pics below - he looks a little nervous to us.

Luckily it was one of the short days - only 1pm - so he did pretty well.    His initial thoughts, as only a 7-year old can profess included:

• Great - no phonics class!
• Reading was easy - math was half hard
• Why do I have to learn French when I live in Italy?
• The best part was snack and recess outside

The evening of the first day, we checked-out the neighborhood restaurant (literally a 30 second walk from our apartment); to celebrate, we ordered a chocolate molten cake for dessert.   It didn't last long.

In reality, the first week of school was rather successful and then there was a TWO week break for the Easter holiday.   This is the first week back, but he is off school on Thursday for Festa del Lavoro  (May Day) which is Europe's version of Labor Day.    We head to Zurich on Friday for the weekend so he will be out of school that day as well, and we thought he missed a lot of days in Michigan...

For those curious about Elyse, she will start the nursery program in September,   You have to be four  to attend school here;  she will go to the same school and ride the same bus as Evan so that will be very nice.     Needless to say, Shane is counting down the days....

And the work beings

After our first day which we essentially spent as a tourist in the city, the real work began.    I do have to say that given the fact that we moved our family half way around the world - we have had a rather smooth transition. 

Here is the recap of the items that we attempted to accomplish:

First thing Monday morning, I was able to pick-up my car from Whirlpool.   As a part of the standard benefit package in Europe, most individuals above Sr. Manager are entitled to a car (I do think this is something that all ex-pats get as well - but hey, I thought it was interesting on the difference in benefits between the US and Europe).    Our car is a VW Passat Station Wagon.

Since we had a car, one of our next order of business was to get a new car seat for Elyse.   She had outgrown the one in the US and quite frankly, we didn't want to haul ours across the pond.   Evan is actually big enough by Italian law to not need one, so we just have one for Elyse.    One key difference here is that we live (thankfully) in more of an urban area.    So we walked to purchase the seat and then Shane carried it the 8 blocks back to the apartment (pic below - and of the temporary apartment)

Of course, we had non-picture worthy items to take care of as well.   This included:  opening a bank account (still haven't receive the bankcard almost 3 weeks later), getting Evan confirmed for school (another post), getting Shane an Italian number and SIM card,  getting myself my laptop and phone for work and the inspection and general preparation for the apartment (new appliances, keys, repairs etc).   Last but not least:  learning how to drive to our new apartment and to work without the GPS.

From a kid standpoint, we also had some "work" to do.   Evan and Elyse are clearly use to living in a small town in Michigan where you can run pretty free up and down large sidewalks.    The streets and sidewalks here are a bit more crowded and narrow.   We had some very tense moments when they were a bit too close to other cars or other pedestrians for comfort. (it also results in a few moments in which our children would declare that Mom and Dad had put on their "cranky pants")   Below is a picture of them beneath the statue they at least had freedom to run to on our way into town.

My previous post discussed the aperitivo - and by the end of Monday we were ready!   We found a great little spot where Mom and Dad could enjoy a drink and the kids a little food and all of us some Uno cards.

As to be expected, Shane and I found the local wine shop.   We were quite please with the Bourbon selection - given that we had left most of ours back in Michigan.    While there is no Pappy - we at least can enjoy some Buffalo Trace!

Our final items from the US arrived on Thursday;   Shane and the kids spent the day at the new apartment with the movers getting all of our stuff unpacked and moved.    We were hoping to stay in the new place by the first weekend (again, we are very lucky to have had a smooth transition).   

As with most moves, we still had a lot of stuff to buy!   We were fortunate that on Saturday we found both a mall and a grocery store (in the mall) within walking distance.    We bought a TV from a group of salesman who spoke almost no English - and us even less Italian.   We got some basic groceries and we searched all over town for a shower curtain to no avail.     

We also decided to make the very important purchase of an Italian Nespresso machine so we can enjoy the cappuccino and/or espresso from the comforts of home.    While we were waiting, Elyse made good friends with an old Italian man.   While neither spoke the language - they hit if off just the same.

On Sunday, we had the important lesson of not leaving the key in the ignition otherwise it drains the battery and you have to figure out how to find jumper cables in a different language.   Luckily, my boss was kind enough to let us borrow their car so we could shop for jumper cables at the italian version of the super target.   It was actually a blessing because we could find all of the little things you need when you move:  trash cans, electric cords, light bulbs, cleaning equipment etc..   Of course, as I was looking for Kleenex - I ended up tipping over a rather large display which resulted in the following:




Throughout the whole week - while it felt, at times, like a lot of work, we did have one thing to keep us all happy - gelato!

First Day through the Eyes of a Tourist

It's hard to believe that we have been here for over a week now and I'm just starting to blog about our trip over and first day....but that's for a different post.

Our trip over was rather smooth.   We ended up joining the United Red Carpet Club given the number of trips this year we will be making this year and the number of layovers.   I was grateful for a quiet place to hang out before our flight as we arrived early with our 6 massive-almost-maxing-out-the-50lb-weight-limit-costing-us-$200-to-ship suitcases.   The only thing getting in the way of pure enjoyment was the stabbing guilt that I'm spoiling my kids by exposing them regularly to a Red Carpet Club (I didn't fly until I was 21 - let alone sit in a Red Carpet Club!) - but we had enough to worry about so I let the guilt go.

Prior to leaving, my biggest concern was how it was going to go when we landed in the Milan on Sunday morning (8:30am Milan time / 2:30am Michigan time) since Elyse has a habit of crying and screaming for 20-30 minutes when she is awoken from sleep.   However, she was good (thank god for the stroller) and we got our luggage rather quickly,  met the driver and headed to our temporary apartment.

After a quick nap and shower - we headed out to explore the town!    First stop - pizza for the kiddos. Evan ordered a cheese and black olive but then didn't like the more mediterranean-type olives so he picked them off and Shane ate them.   Elyse wasn't so impressed with the pizza but we got her to each the cheese off the pizza.  

After lunch we walked around a bit exploring the town;  there was a nice  festival going on to celebrate spring and so there were a lot of food and merchants throughout the town - there is nice picture below of Evan next to a bell of cheese

Our second stop was to walk through town and to get gelato!   And as someone who isn't a huge fan of ice cream - I have to say, I've fallen in love with gelato (we had it 4 times in the first 6 days).   That day it was salted caramel, chocolate and "white" for Elyse which is actually yogurt here vs. vanilla.

Next stop was a big park that is in the center of town;  there was a playground, a fountain, and a small bumper car course (there is also a pool, a miniature golf course, bar and cafe - but didn't get to those areas). The weather was gorgeous as Spring is in full swing here (temps in the 60/70's)

After  a quick trip back to the apartment to freshen up and wait for restaurants open (they don't open until 7:00 or 7:15 here) we headed to dinner.    Dinner was pasta - which Elyse was happy about; hers with butter and cheese.  Shane tried to order Evan tortellini but we ended up with some sort of ravioli and radicchio dish.   In an impressive parenting moment and without missing a beat Shane realized his mistake as  soon as the plate hit the table and whispered to Evan "I'll pay you $10 to eat this plate".   

Its all about survival when it comes to the kids these days and we aren't above bribery!

After Sunday, the real work began but that is for a different post.

xoxoxo

The Kissack Family

On our way in the Airport

Pizza & Gelato

Walking Around Town