La Befana

If you're at Aviano, you've no doubt seen posters all over base for the Bella Befana Bazaar which will be held this weekend 30 Sep-02 Oct. The bazaar has vendors from several countries with goods like rugs and furniture, wine and oils, tapestries and paintings, and many other goodies. Outside of the hangar, squadrons will also set up booths selling any kind of junk food you can imagine. The famous fried Oreos will surely make an appearance!

Last year, I didn't bother to look into what the heck Bella Befana was. I mean, I went shopping at the bazaar of course. I knew bella meant beautiful, but I just thought that befana must be some other Italian word that I hadn't bothered to learn yet.

Then just before Christmas break, the kids came home with all kinds of information from their Host Nation teachers. Befana basically means witch. But as with all good things, there's a backstory.

Befana is a witch who visits on Epiphany Eve {5 Jan} to place toys and candy in the shoes of good little girls and boys around Italy. {Bad little boys and girls get coal, onions, or garlic in their shoes. Yuck!}

Why?

Source: http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/palma/2010/01/primo_di_la_befana.html

Well, there are a few variations on the legend, but many follow a similar line that Befana was asked by the Wise Men to accompany them to Bethlehem to welcome Baby Jesus. She was too busy with housework {hence the witch's broom} and chose not to go with them. Later, she regretted her decision and has been searching for the baby ever since.

Here in northern Italy, specifically in Friuli, the towns burn Epiphany fires to light the way for the Wise Men. The bonfires are called pan e vin {bread and wine}. The locals dress in Befana costumes and celebrate. Your whole town and your house will likely smell of firewood for a couple days after. I thought it was pretty awesome!

Epiphany is the end of a long holiday season in Italy and they celebrate it for all its worth!

Blind as a Bat

I've been asked a few times recently by folks at Aviano about buying glasses here. The Optical Shop in the BX complex has a limited supply and are quite expensive. There are a lot of Ottica shops in and around Aviano. Throw a stone and you'll find one, but again, they are really expensive.

Three of the four people in my home wear glasses. {The fourth had surgery or it would be all four of us!} I don't mind paying a pretty penny for a good pair of lenses. It's worth it! After all what would we do without our eye sight. But, if I can get a good deal and comparable quality, I'm all for it.

Since we've been here, we've been ordering our glasses from Zenni Optical. They have a huge selection! And amazingly low prices.

I was worried about ordering online at first for the obvious reason that I can't try on the glasses. I normally spend about an hour at an eyeglass shop trying on dozens of pairs. Then I go home and think for another several hours before actually ordering. Well you can "try on" the glasses on the site by uploading your picture, lining up your pupils with the guidelines, and then choosing a pair to try on. You can even pull up a few pictures at a time to have a side-by-side comparison.

Nooo, it's not quite the same. There's no way to know if they'll pinch your nose or feel funny on your ears. But I have to tell you, we've ordered 8 pairs now from the site and the "try on" feature was pretty darn accurate. I'll admit that I've gotten 2 flops but they were on the iffy side to begin with. At no more than $20 a pair, it's not been a big loss. Honestly the pair that I like the most were $6.95. What!?! I've paid $300+ on glasses before.

$6, freakin', 95!

One of the "bad" pairs was because I clearly didn't look closely enough at the pictures. What I thought were sort of floral or maybe kind of a tribal-ish design, turned out to be more Luchador-like in person. Allora!

I'll probably wear them anyway.

Maybe to the next Mexican wrestling match that I attend.

Houseguests

The corn is coming down around Friuli. You can see for miles now. Long stretches of fields that were hiding homes before seem bare. Now all the critters that were living as high as an elephant's eye are now...at your house!

Meet the stink bug



This little guy was living in my mailbox.

They will invade your house. Any chance to sneak in through a cracked window or an open door will be taken full advantage of by hoards of these guys. Okay, maybe it's not quite the plague of stink bugs that I'm making it out to be, but they will get just about everywhere.

The good news is that they are merely a nuisance. They don't bite, sting, or eat your favorite sweaters. They just fly around and bump into the walls and windows. They've run me out of our bedroom a night or two because the thudding was too annoying to sleep but that's about the extent of it.

We're told not to smash them because that's when they stink. I haven't tried so I don't know if that's actually true. I'm not a big bug smasher by nature so I probably won't be finding out. I tend to scoop them up and put them back outside.

The young ones are bright green then they tend to turn brown. A brown stink bug won't be around much longer.

They don't stick around for too long. A few months then everything will be back to normal. Just when you think you can't handle them any longer, they'll be gone.

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While we're talking about things to be prepared for, if you weren't here last fall and winter. It rains a lot. A LOT. An almost unbearable amount.

If you're from the Northwest U.S. or maybe the U.K., you probably think I'm crazy. But last year, I felt like I was in one of those old Vietnam movies and would do just about anything for dry feet! I'll swear to it that gangrene was near setting it.

I think it takes a full 6 months of rain to have to beautiful, bountiful Spring that Italy has. That doesn't make it any more comfortable though.

So if you don't have any of these yet

Get some quick!

The BX carries a few pairs of children's rainboots. I've found children's rainboots off-base at Emisfero and Ipercoop as well. What I haven't found much of is adult-size rainboots off or on base. And if you're kind of choosy about color/design, you may find that you need to order some online.

You won't see many Italian ladies wearing rainboots, even if it's a torrential downpour outside. But these are the same ladies who wear heels to market on cobbled streets. Doesn't make sense to me, so I gladly stick to my rainboots even if it does occasionally garner an odd look here and there.

After all, I have to keep the gangrene at bay!

Library Dogs

Source: http://www.31fss.com/library.shtml

The Aviano Library has a unique program that is well worth the trip to base if you have young ones. A couple of Saturdays a month a group of about 5 or 6 local Americans who have therapy dogs {or dogs who are training to become therapy dogs} bring their four-legged friends to the library to be read to by Aviano children. 

Sounds a little odd that the dogs are being read to maybe. But let me tell you, nothing is more comfortable than curling up with a big fuzzy puppy and a good book. The children, and the dogs, really enjoy it!

I can tell you from experience that my reluctant reader will go through at least four books at any given session. He happily reads aloud to each dog and even shows them the pictures. At home with this one, reading requires prodding, bribing, and begging! Put him with a furry audience though and he can't get enough!

Tomorrow, 24 Sep, from 1000-1200 is the next scheduled "Reading with Dogs" day.

Hope to see you and your little reader there!

English Movie Schedule

The day after we returned from our week in Paris the Mister had to leave for a TDY. Unfortunately, we didn't have time {or think about} taking all of our trip photos off of his laptop. That means, I'll have to wait until next week to share information about our trip. I promise to share soon though!

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Most of you already know that the UCI Cinema in front of the Emisfero Mall plays movies in their original English version once or twice a week. This is great! It's the only way to see 3D movies or newer-than-the-base-theater movies. Unfortunately, the UCI site never indicated which movies were English or O.V. {Original Version}. On occasion, the Wyvern would list the movies for the week, but there was no real way for people to find out except by word of mouth. Until now! 

Some very smart people started a Facebook page dedicated to keeping us all up-to-date on the UCI Cinema O.V. schedule. They even have a weekly survey asking which movies we would most like to see and they pass this info on to the theater manager. Genius! 

Link up to "The Reel Wyvern" page to get the schedule and regular updates!

MIA

Please excuse my recent absence.

We have been visiting this lady...

{Source}

...and this gentleman.

{Source}

After I dig my way out of the mounds of laundry and my head stops rattling from the many many hours on the train, I will share some of our trip with you!

Shipping Your Dog or Cat with AMC

If you're PSCing to Aviano and will be traveling with AMC {taking the rotator}, your family is allowed two pets. AMC defines pets as dogs and cats. That isn't to say that you cannot ship any other types of animals, but any other type of animal will likely have its own special rules and you will need to contact your TMO office to learn what those rules are.

One of the best reasons to fly AMC with a pet is that they do not impose a seasonal embargo. Which means, if you are PSCing in the summer or winter, you will not have to watch the weather to make sure that it doesn't spike above or dip below a magic number before you board. That takes a lot of stress off the pet owner!

Commercial airlines do impose pet embargoes and take them very seriously, and for good reason. If the cargo area of the aircraft is not heated or cooled, it could be a serious danger to the animal. Even though AMC does not impose these restrictions you should definitely learn about them and keep them in mind in the, likely, event that a leg of your trip is on a commercial airline.

If you have more than 2 animals, you will have to move them under the Space-Available Pet Program. I have not had any experience with this program. We only have 1 dog. But I have had experience with Space-A "Human Program"....we didn't get on the plane. There was no more "space available". Hopefully, the pet program has better odds.

Your pet must have all of the documentation that I mentioned before, like the rabies certificate and pet passport. I made copies of all of these documents and put them in document protectors and attached them directly to the kennel. The originals were in a folder to be hand-carried.

The animal's kennel must be approved for air shipment following IATA (International Air Transportation Association) guidelines. The IATA has very specific guidelines regarding the size of the kennel, in regards to the size of the animal, and the types of materials that the kennel can be made of and the amount of necessary ventilation available. 

When I was shopping for ours at a big box pet supply store in the U.S., several kennels had tags claiming approval by commercial airlines or by IATA. No airlines endorse particular kennels, nor does the IATA, but most of the kennels available, in fact, meet the standards. Your main concern is probably going to be determining the size you need. So before you go shopping, follow the links I've provided with the IATA guidelines and kennel requirements, do the math to determine the size you need for your dog or cat. Your kennel cannot be soft sided or collapsible. If you show up at the gate with the wrong kind of or size of kennel, you will be turned away. Remember it's all for the safety of your furry loved one!

While you may have a free ride on the rotator, your pet does not. You are charged per kennel. If the pet and its kennel have a combined weight of 70 lbs or less, it is charged as 1 item. Our dog {22lbs} and her kennel cost about $100 to fly. That is $100 per leg of the trip. If you are changing flights {highly likely}, you will be paying double. Be prepared for that.

Pet & kennel weight of 71-140 lbs, is charged as 2 pieces. 141-150 lbs, is 3 pieces.

*Pets and kennels with a combined weight of more than 150 lbs WILL NOT be accepted under any circumstances. If you've got big dogs, this may be a concern for you. Look into it so there are no sad surprises at the gate.

AMC has a brochure with their rules, as well as a lot of great travel tips for your pets. It's a definite must read!

This can be a very stressful portion of your move, but if you have everything in order, have read, understood, and followed the rules, it will likely go smoothly. It is still best to plan for contingencies. Have a friend or family member on standby in case your furry family member needs a temporary home until you get settled in Italy. Plan for the worst and hope for the best!

Next time, I'll talk about shipping your pet by commercial airlines and unaccompanied shipping options. There are a lot of options out there! You just need to find out what works best for you and your pet.

Missing Your Favorite Big Box Department Store?

If you're missing a store where you can buy everything from toys and clothes to dishes and grocery, look no further. There are two stand-outs in our area that will meet these needs. Ipercoop and Emisfero are both like what we'd call a "Super" Big Box Store...department store with housewares, toys, clothes, etc on one side of the store, then a grocery department on the other side. Both are situated in mall-type settings though, so you also get the benefit of having other types of stores close by when you check out.

{I'm going to go ahead and apologize for a lack of pics in this post. My intent was to take pics of some of the items so you'd have an idea of what was available. Buuuttt...I got fussed at by a security guard who pointed to a large sign that said no picture allowed. He actually wagged his finger at me. Oops! Who would have thought! After that incident, I began looking for the signs at other stores and apparently it's the norm to deny photography inside stores. Allora!}

Back to the stores....

Ipercoop is in Pordenone. You will see it from SS-13. It's quite large. You really can't miss it. Check out the site for the address and the hours. It is open most Sundays, which is rare. The rest of the "mall" area by Ipercoop is limited. A few clothing and other stores, not too much. If I'm going to Ipercoop, it's for Ipercoop, not the mall.

Emisfero is in Zoppola. You will also see it from SS-13. Emisfero's mall area is much better than Ipercoop's mall area. There are several stores, including H & M, Casa {love this home store}, Euronics {electronics store}, and many others. There are also a few restaurants. You can get a lot of shoppinng done here. It is open one Sunday a month, usually the first Sunday. It is frequented by Americans and most of the store workers speak at least a little bit of English.

I don't think I could say which is a better store between Ipercoop and Emisfero. They are very similar to me. Because I like to swing by H & M and Casa too, I tend go to Emisfero more often than Ipercoop even though we have a Coop card {store card to get discounts just like most of our grocery stores in the U.S.}.

If Ipercoop and Emisfero are "Super" Big Box Stores, SME is a regular Big Box Department Store...no groceries. SME only opened about a month ago. It is a chain throughout Italy, as are the other two. In addition to regular homegoods, toys, and electronics, the upperfloor has furniture and kitchen and bathroom fixures. Tucked away behind the kitchens upstairs, is a clearance section as well. Some pretty good discounts on furniture items. SME is beside Ipercoop, just off SS-13. They are closed on Sundays. In the same building as SME, you will find a small cafe for a coffee and a quick bite to eat and a mighty big shoe store. {Yea for shoe stores!}

If you're needing basic home goods that you can't find on base or at a store in your town, you are likely to find it at one of these 3 places. They really have a good variety of housewares, storage containers, rugs, curtains, pet supplies, dishes, toys, cleaning supplies, and just about anything else you need to supply a home.

Enjoy!

Festa dell'amicizia Italo-Americana

The Tenth Annual Italian American Friendship Festival is going to be held in Maniago tomorrow, 10 September.

Check out this article to read about all of the scheduled events, including a 9/11 victims' commemoration. If you would like to sign up for any of the activities, like paintball, swimming, or archery, check with the Dragon Fitness Center. Activites begin at 0930. 

Head down to city center and make some new Italo amici!



Source: http://www.aviano.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/110824-F-DQ240-002.jpg



Hi Ho Hi Ho!

Hold up just a minute! If you are not the military member, you may not be off to work as quickly as you'd hoped. One of the biggest complaints that I hear from spouses is not being able to find a job here.

First, your expectations of having a job in your field are lowered. Then, you find that you really can't find any type of job at all...sometimes for several months.

Here's the deal. Buried somewhere in the lenghty SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) that we have with Italy is an agreement that military members, and their dependents, will not seek employment in the community while stationed in Italy. There's a lot more in there as well, but that's the part that affects most of us. This is pretty standard at most overseas locations. We can't be taking jobs away from the locals.

So on base it is. But then, how many people are applying for the same handful of jobs? Hundreds!

But don't get frustrated! Jobs open up...eventually. The PCS rotation is 3 to 4 years, so if you keep your resume current and keep checking in you'll get something....eventually. Just be prepared to wait.

Here are a few websites to help you on your job hunt:

Jobs at places like Outdoor Rec, CDC, AYP, Base Club, etc
http://nafjobs.org/viewjobs.aspx

Jobs with government orgs like DODEA (base schools) and DECA (Commissary)
http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/advanced.aspx

Jobs at the BX
http://www.shopmyexchange.com/AboutExchange/Careers/


A lot of people sign up to be substitute teachers while they wait for something permanent to open up for them. It provides some income at least and fills your time.

Other folks decide to make money their own way. If you have a skill that you'd like to share, some talented spouses teach classes at the Youth Center, Community Center, or the Craft Store. Legally, this is sort of in the grey, but pet sitting, hauling (if you bring a large truck), cleaning homes, cake decorating, and home childcare seem to be pretty popular ways to earn a little extra cash here too.

On home childcare, I'll probably cover childcare as a completely different issue at some point {and believe me it is a real ISSUE here!}...but for now, if you've been a base childcare provider, gone through the extensive training, and the home inspections, and the hard work of creating a good home childcare facility, I am very very sorry to say that you will not be doing that here at Aviano. I really mean that I am very very sorry! I have been fortunate enough in the past to meet some fantastic base childcare providers who my children {and I} adored. Unfortunately though, home businesses cannot be sanctioned by the base. So the lists from the Youth Center with the ladies who we love and trust with our sweet little ones, the lists that we all depend on when we get to a new base, are nonexistent here. Just be prepared for that!

So check out those sites. You can even apply or send in your resumes before you get here and maybe that will cut your wait time down a bit. My best advice is to temper yourself for a wait and be patient. Take advantage of the extra time that you have during your temporary "unemployment". Go to the gym. Take the Italian classes. Maybe take a college class. Volunteer. Nap. Shop. Drink wine. Whatever helps you get through it!

Ugh!

Your first shopping trip in Italy may leave you sobbing in the changing room corner. You will see your size jump dramatically!

Is it the pizza, pasta, and vino that causes all of this distress? No.

It's this thing.

MISSES'/WOMEN'S SIZE CHART
United States	2	4	6	8	10	12	14	16
Italy	36	38	40	42	44	46	48	50

 Source: http://www.initaly.com/travel/info/shopping.htm

This thing hurts my feelings. A lot.

A lot. A lot. {sigh}

This site has good information about shopping in Italy. It includes sizing tables for Women, Men, and Children, as well as for hats and shoes. Though really, since Italian clothing sizes are not standardized, the conversion tables are mere guidelines. If you can't try it on, you are taking a chance.

For a more humorous look at this terrible, soul-scarring phenomenon, check out fellow Aviano blogger, Tessa at Ciao, Blogga, on a recent shopping trip.

In Case You Missed It....

A few images from the Aviano Antique Market this Sunday....

Smashing News!!

We interrupt the regularly scheduled post to bring you important news.

For the past year, I have been ordering my favorite make-up, Smashbox, online. {Okay, I stocked up before I left and have actually only needed to place one order since. But you get the point!}

La Gardenia carries Smashbox!!! Are you as excited as I am about this news?

Apparently it is fairly recently that they have acquired the line and, according to the lady at the La Gardenia in the Emisfero Mall, they are the only company in Italy that carries it.

Right now, La Gardenia is having a 10% off sale if you purchase 2 or more items. There were a few brands that the sale did not apply to, but most of the store was on sale. She did not know the exact date the sale would end, but said at least a week, maybe 2 weeks.

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One more bit of information I found out while I was shopping, er, researching yesterday. If you purchase children's clothing at H & M between 1-14 September, you will receive a 5 Euro gift card that can be used between 15-21 September. {If I understood the sign and the cashier correctly}. I did not see a requirement for purchasing a certain dollar amount. I believe it was any purchase of children's clothing.

5 Euro probably isn't worth a special trip to H&M. If you were planning on going anyway though, why not! I got mine.

Happy Shopping!

Going to Market

Italy is known for its open-air markets. Most of the markets carry similar items. As a matter of fact, a lot of the same vendors travel from town to town on market day and set up so they actually are very similar. The larger the town, the larger the market. So if you live in a tiny town and can't find much at your market, you should consider visiting larger towns market to see what more it has to offer.

The basics that you'll see at most every market are fresh fruits and vegetables, cheeses, and seafood; basic housewares, like rugs and curtains; fresh cut flowers; and clothes. There may be other items as well, but these are all sure bets.

This is the schedule of the weekly markets in various towns around the area. They usually run from about 0800-1300. I've been told that you should haggle over prices. I don't. If you've got it in you, go ahead though. I think it's expected.

Monday: Maniago, Azzano Decimo, Lignano, Vittorio Veneto, Trieste       
Tuesday: Aviano, Casarsa, Codroipo, San Quirino, Trieste    
Wednesday: Pordenone, Budoia, San Daniele, Cordignano, Oderzo, Latisana, Trieste     
Thursday: Roveredo, Fontanafredda, Fiume Veneto, Montereale, Sacile, Trieste      
Friday: Conegliano, Porcia, San Vito al Tagliamento, Trieste    
Saturday: Pordenone, Spilimbergo, Treviso, Trieste

A few towns hold antique markets as well. They are less frequent. There are usually some pretty interesting items and I think it's worth driving to another area to check out what they have. Aviano's is usually a pretty decent size, but of course, Pordenone's is larger. Definitely worth a look.

Aviano - First Sunday of the month
Pordenone - Last Sunday of the month
Trieste - Third Sunday of the month
Vittorio Veneto - Second Saturday of each month in the evening, and on the second Sunday of each month during the day

Aviano's antique market is this Sunday. See you there!