socaltraveler

Looking good for you, congratulations.

caroline_edinburgh

Great stuff, well done!

Erynn

My visa arrived today! I'm moving to Italy! *kermitflail*

Thank you to everyone who replied to the topic here with advice. It was so very helpful and I really appreciate it. You kind folks helped me make this happen!

I'll be leaving December 12th and arriving in Italy on December 13th.

nukesafe

All the best of luck in your new adventure. I certainly hope you might check in with us from time to time as I'm sure many of us will want to know what goes well and what does not as you adjust to your new life.

You should consider a book or a blog to reach a wider audience. Either would be eagerly read.

bab706

Congratulations Erynn! You're going to do what many of us only dream of doing. Good luck on your adventure!

caroline_edinburgh

Good luck and remember that there will be good days & bad days - I still have a few of the latter, usually when I suddenly find I can't speak Italian at all, but they get fewer & further between! And not having to work should make it much more fun

Erynn

Nukesafe - Thank you. Once I settle in I have at least two other books to write that have to come first! Both have been in planning for quite some time. Eventually I might write a book about this, but it's definitely not at the top of my list of things to do in the near future.

I will very likely be blogging a bit about my move and how I'm adjusting (and not). I actually broke down and actually activated a long-disused Facebook account so that my friends and family can stay in touch with me more easily, which is a huge change for me right there. I've been avoiding it except for my professional page for years (my publisher insisted I had to have one). There are so many adjustments I need to make. Scary wonderful stuff.

Bab706 - Thanks! I'm very aware that I'm getting to live a dream that so many folks will never be able to. I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity. Some of my friends who are a little better off are planning to come visit me when I'm settled in, so I will be able to share some of the experience with them. I'm very much looking forward to that. Some of them are rather intrepid travelers already, and others would be making their first overseas trip to come and see me, and both of those are wonderful things.

Caroline - The language barrier right now is the part that concerns me the most, but I shall do my best. Absolutely, not having to worry about making a living will ease things incredibly for me. I'll have the time to deal with learning how to be in a new culture and language. My brother will have some time, too, as once the government shutdown here is over, he's finally requesting his retirement from the Air Force. He says he's just done with them and is eager to get it over with.

Perhaps at some point we can have a glass of wine together, eh? I'm still following your husband's blog and really enjoying all his artful entries.

caroline_edinburgh

Erynn, that will be nice, although I think it should be a spritz to be local - mine is al Campari Glad you continue to enjoy the blog. Buon viaggio!

Erynn

Caroline - Well, a spritz it is, then!

YvonneT

If you do start a blog (please do), will you kindly post a link here on Fodors? Thank you, and enjoy your new life. Have an extra spritz with Caroline, for me!! Yvonne

Erynn

Yvonne - I have a hard time keeping up with my other blogs! But if I start one about this particular phase of my life, I shall certainly link it here. I did actually start a facebook account, which I hadn't had before, and which will primarily be about this and for keeping in touch with my friends who don't do email anymore. Thanks!

annhig

My visa arrived today! I'm moving to Italy! *kermitflail*>>

congrats, Erynn!

I just found your thread today, and having some interest in Italy [and learning italian] myself I decided to read it all. i was agog to find out if you got your visa - well done!

do i gather that you are starting off staying with your brother in Venice? It's probably already been mentioned and I missed it, but just in case, there is a language school in Venice where you could certainly take lessons while you are getting sorted. with your monthly income, you should be able to afford quite a few lessons per week - the more the better IME.

http://www.istitutovenezia.com/en/

I think that Caroline took some lessons there so she should be able to tell you more about it.

buona fortuna!

Erynn

Annhig - Thank you! My brother lives in a small town near the airbase at Aviano, so I'm in reasonably easy reach of Venice but won't be staying there when I first arrive. I haven't decided exactly where I'm going to live yet. It might be Venice or it might be another city in the northeast. It depends on a lot of factors. If I do end up in Venice I will definitely be looking into the school.

Next up - Pack All the Things!

caroline_edinburgh

Erynn, if you follow Ann's link you'll see the Istituto Venezia also has a branch in Trieste, so hopefully you'll be within reach of one or the other.

Erynn

Caroline - thanks! I hadn't realized that. I will definitely check it out when I have a little time and know where I'll end up. I spent a few hours today moving all my packed stuff down to Seattle to my storage unit. Everything left in the garage is going to be sold at a moving sale or otherwise got rid of. There's still so much to do on this end.

caroline_edinburgh

Good luck!

Erynn

Only six weeks until I leave. I'm in the process of selling my furniture, and going through stuff I had packed assuming I was moving to Seattle. My brother says that a lot of things that might usually be difficult to find in Italy will be available on the base at Aviano, so that means I can leave more stuff than I had initially expected. Some repacking will need to be done, but the less I have to ship, the less it's going to cost me.

A lot of people are telling me I should do a blog about my experiences, but I have no idea what I'd call it. A catchy title is important. Any thoughts?

Dukey1

Be aware as to your VA coverage:

Generally, as long as the service you require is medically necessary <B>for the treatment of a VA rated service-connected condition</B>, it will be covered.

spaarne

<i>Dukey1 on Nov 3, 13 at 3:44pm
Be aware as to your VA coverage:
Generally, as long as the service you require is medically necessary for the treatment of a VA rated service-connected condition, it will be covered.</i>

Very good point. I would also add that the "service-connected condition" is according to the determination of the VA examiner. It doesn't always go your way.

Erynn

Dukey & Spaarne - I've checked with the VA's Foreign Medical Program and do have some idea what they're going to cover. I'm considered 80% disabled with PTSD, fibromyalgia, and several other conditions, which are most of what I get care for anyway.

For those who asked, I've started a blog over on Wordpress that will be about my move to Italy and my life there. It's called Peregrinatio: A Poet's Life in Italy. I've only got one post up so far, as I just put it together today. Questions there will be welcome, and I'll do posts about some of the things we've talked about here in terms of preparation, visa applications, and all that. If there are things you want to know about what I did or what I'm doing, just let me know and maybe I can do a post about that particular topic.

Here's the URL: http://poetsperegrinatio.wordpress.com/