Expenses, Expenses

Boy are we wracking up the expenses. I finally got an estimate back for how much it will cost me to have my 6 page transcript translated from English to Italian by the Italy America Chamber of Commerce. Don't pass out when I give you the quote, $300. $300 bloody dollars.. I couldn't believe it but when you want to leave the country to have an international experience than you have to pay for it.

Mind you my Master's degree transcripts are longer I so don't want to see that quote. Bri on the other hand has a shorter transcript so she's lucky.

All I am saying folks is be prepared to drop a lot of dough in the onset of your trip abroad, especially if you planned to study.

However, we here and B & S are very excited and we are looking forward to our trip broad. Check out the links below if you wish to study Italian in Houston. The Italian Center is an amazing source of info.

Ciao

Shula

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Important Links

Italian Cultural Center-Houston

Italian Consulate Houston

Study In Italy

Expats in Italy

Italia

I got bit by the Italian bug in 1995 when I received my orders from Navy command, that stated that I had to report to Naval Air Station, Sigonella, Sicily. I was very excited and couldn't wait for a new adventure. All my life I had wanted to go to Europe. Originally, my desire was to be in France but Italy would do. I didn't know much about the country except Roman history and the mafia (Godfather anyone) that was practically nil, thanks to the American school system.

When I arrived in Catania after a 22 hour flight, the sounds and smells assailed my senses. I will be honest it was like been thrown back into the 1940s. The construction equipment was 40 years outdated and at the time Sicily was considered third world. At first I didn't like it. I was staying in a hotel where the pillows were so hard I couldn't sleep, the maids didn't wear deodorant and left my room smelling worse then when they walked in, I didn't understand the language and communication was difficult, everything shut down for 4 hours midday and closed by 8pm--so no more midnight runs. Let's just say I was a miserable American.

But then I decided, I could be miserable or I can get to know the place, the culture, etc. I had become friends with the desk girl at Sigonella Inn, the hotel I had to stay in for 10 days until I had a room in the barracks. She taught me a few things in Italian and brought me along to meet her friends. We traveled together to the mainland where I fell in love with Florence. I met beautiful Sicilian men who cooked amazing cuisine--I'll never forget Andrea. Another Sicilian friend of mine's aunt made me Thanksgiving dinner--ok dinner is an under-statement it was more like a feast-- a holiday that they don't even celebrate. I was accosted on the beach in Taormina by Sicilian teens who heard me playing Coolio. They were my age and so enthusiastic about rap music--I was 19. Somewhere along the way, I became Sicilian. I fell in love with the different odors, sounds, and way of communicating--Italians can have a whole conversation with their hands. The people were so kind, so generous and affable. It was a fairytale land for me. And when I left two years later, I was sadden but vowed that one day I would return. I am still friends with the two Sicilian women--cuz they were 8 and 12 years older than me--til this day. We lost contact and reconnected 8 years later and they still want to see me.

I am excited that I have made the decision to go study in Italy for a few years. I love the culture, the people, the history and the lifestyle. I hope that one day I will be able to teach that to American students. Its not that things are better its that things are different and for me they fit my persona better there. Everything was about family and friends. The 4 hour break in the day was called riposo, it gave the Sicilians time to spend with their family and friends and rest during the day, which contributed to their longer and healthier lives.

I miss Sicily and I know I will return during this time and I am sure since I am older, wiser, more worldly and more mature that my experience will be different, better in fact. Italy is in my blood, I mean I have a shoe fetish and its a country shaped like a boot. I have always had this obsession about the Roman society and the Mafia culture. I received my first bachelor's degree in Fashion Merchandising and let's face it, the Italians trump everyone when it comes to fashion, art and yes FOOODDD!!

I look forward to this journey and sharing it with my dear friend Bri, who has the same values and attitude as me. This new adventure will be the cornerstone of our lives, I suspect. And I am sure we will return with a different attitude and take on life. Maybe it will help us understand the world and our role in it better. Or perhaps it will help ease that feeling of not belonging in the current society we live in. Whatever the case, I am excited and I refuse to let anything get in the way of the move. I am looking forward to sharing the experience of preparing and moving with you all. We will keep you guys posted.

Shula

Our ambitious endeavor

When Tanisha and I met on myspace 3 years ago, we bonded because of our love for Europe. She had been to Italy, Fance, Israel, China, Thailand, England and other countries; and I had visited France on two occasions, and Germany once. Both of us, feeling a bit misplaced in the United States, agreed that Europe was in our future.

When we met, I was living in Renton (Seattle), WA and she was living in Houston, TX. I explained to her that I was ready for a move, and felt one on the horizon, a move to the south of the United States. Months later, my mother approached me with the idea of moving to Texas with her, Dallas to be exact. I was not surprised, but ready. I knew that I would not be in Dallas long. Tanisha warned me that the culture was a bit slow and that I would soon tire of Texas. I told Tanisha that the cost of school would be cheaper, as well as the cost of living, and that I did not plan to be in Texas long anyways.

I moved to Dallas with my mother, looked for work for almost 4 months and could not find anything. Tanisha suggested that I look for work in Houston, since the job market there was a bit better than the market in Dallas. I landed a job, packed up my car, and moved to Houston. Soon after, Tanisha and I became roommates, both of us still desiring to visit or study in Europe.

Tanisha and I began to study the tuition costs in Italy in comparison to the tuition costs of the United States and were shocked. While some of the colleges here charge thousands of U.S. dollars a semester to attend school, some of the Italian colleges in Italy charged 680 Euro a year. For non citizens, this cost could potentially double, but it is still much cheaper than an education in the United States. We were shocked and a little disgusted by this. Why should it cost a fortune to get educated in our country?

With both of us being full time students, we decided to look into the process of studying abroad in Italy. At first we were a bit discouraged. In order to study abroad, both of us--according to the website--would have to prove that we could take care of ourselves by stockpiling 8000 Euro, which is about $12,000. However, after visiting the Italian Consulate today--October 8th, 2009--we received a wealth of information and hope: Tanisha and I would only have to save about 4,200 Euro each, about $6,205.08. A silver lining to the clouds, finally!

We have decided to start this page in order to document our experience in hopes of encouraging others to do the same thing: travel and study abroad. The process is not easy, but it will be an adventure. Tanisha and I will document our findings, difficulties and progress on this page AND our own personal blog site, which will be up and running within the next few days or week.