Tough times = LONG BLOG

If you know me you know I am very naïve.  The definition states…

naive |nīˈēv|(also naïve )

adjective

(of a person or action) showing a lack of experience, wisdom, or judgment.

Now, I wanted to move to Italy for several reasons, to learn a new culture, to meet new people, to teach the Universal language of English, and mostly HAVE FUN!

When I first moved here I realized quickly I had come to Italy WAY too early for the hiring process.  Everyone is on “vacation” in the month of August.  Literally, everyone is out of town and all the stores and businesses are closed.

So I was approached with the idea to start an English school a little outside of Treviso to do private tutoring working for this couple.  This sounded perfect for me!  I can teach while still being able to have a flexible schedule to travel and do the things I want to do on a long weekend or when friends come in town. 

I say I’m naïve NOT because I am not wise, because I am :) I say this because of the lack of judgment.  Now obviously I am not dumb and know that all people are not safe people to be around.  I do however, give people too many chances.  Since I was little, my sister and mom have always yelled at me that I’m “too forgiving”.  I always give people the benefit of the doubt and realize I am not perfect, and we all make mistakes.  I thought of this as a “Missi” characteristic and embraced it, and actually thought my sister and mom were harsh and bitchy for cutting people out of their lives if they were not worthy of their friendship. 

BOY HAVE I LEARNED MY LESSON

There were many and I mean many red flags that I should not being living with or doing business with these people.  They took advantage of me, and it sucks.  I thought they were helping me, but actually isn’t helping supposed to be out of the kindness of your heart and not bought? I felt stuck because I do not know Italian, I had been emailing schools who were not interested in me because of my lack of Visa, and because I don’t know ONE person living here in Italy! 

I was scared, but I FINALLY listened to my gut, and my gut was telling me to get out!  I packed up my bags and left on a random Friday.

I stayed in a hotel for two days and instantly felt relief.  I didn’t know where I was going or what I was going to do, but I knew that I finally was relying on myself and not someone else. 

Why don’t I EVER listen to my family?!?!?!  I always fight against what they say and then… BAM… it hits me, oh I get what they were saying.   I am like Joey on friends when it takes him 60 second to understand a joke.  Hahahaha

I went into overdrive for two days.  I seriously never left my hotel room except for free breakfast.  I began reapplying to any school in Europe to get hired, and started branching out onto the social network called “Couch Surfing”.  This is a website where people from all countries around the world go to meet people and basically either ask to stay at their place for free or just ask someone to meet you for coffee or a beer while traveling through town.  Now it seems pretty strange, but actually the people here are hippies… yes… but the nicest people I could ever imagined.  They literally all have advised me and helped me to make the move to Bologna, Italy.  Bologna is a University town and has a lot of people my own age which is exactly what I need. 

I met a British guy names Felix who looked nice on couch surfing as well on Facebook using my fantastic lurking skills.  He was going to meet me at the train station to help me with my bags.  Oh and again, I never listen to my family!  Brett told me not to take two big suitcases because if something happens and I need to leave somewhere, I will be stuck.  Did I listen?…. of course not!  Man I was kicking myself in that hotel room let me tell you. 

Now picture this… a little girl carrying two big ass suitcases, a big backpack, and a purse getting up and down the stairs (several sets of stairs) to not ONE but TWO different trains.  This was difficult to say the least. Thank you man on the bike for carrying one suitcase up a flight of stairs.  Thank you Italian couple who helped me when I fell getting my biggest suitcase off the train :)

When I met Felix he was very very nice and assured me that I will be fine living here (in his cute little British accent) and that I could always do private lessons to make rent.  It is rather cheap to live in this city thank goodness.

Now, I am a Christian and I pray every night, but I don’t think in all my life I have prayed more then I have while living here in Italy.  I prayed when I left that hotel room that I would meet nice people and be able to stay here in Italy.  Please show me what I am supposed to do Lord.  I knew nothing could be worse than the situation I was in before, but you never know what other lessons he wants me to learn.  Gods path has brought me here and is opening doors. 

Still things are far from peachy, but I finally feel that this is where I am supposed to be.  I am staying with another guy who is nice.  He promised another girl from Mexico that she could stay at his place as well.  As soon as I got to his house, I was nervous (I am very weary of EVERYONE now), but both of us girls are relieved we are staying here together.  The girl is here traveling from Mexico City for three months while taking Italian lessons.  She is staying with this guy for a month and traveling on weekends to other cities using this couch surfing website.  She literally doesn’t have to pay for anything besides food and train tickets. Smart chica!  It was funny because the guy wants work on his English from me, she wants to learn Italian from him, and I want to work on my Spanish with her. Haha We all come from different countries and cultures and are living in a small European style apartment.  Did I ask for an adventure or what?!

I was offered a job at a school that finally is willing to work with me on getting a Work Visa.  There is still much to do.  I found out Italy has opened an Immigration Program for the Month of September 15^th to October 15^th to allow people to receive “green cards” to work to boost their economy so hopefully I can stay here and work!

While I am wandering the streets of Bologna looking at the incredible buildings, I am also meeting people from all over the world.  I have a Mexican amiga to explore with and a British guy who has been here for only 2 weeks, and still has met soooooo many people also teaching English or Italians looking to speak English.

Now I know this blog was VERY long, but my family and friends keep emailing me and understandably worried so I wanted to give the whole low down or down low (I forget :) on what has been going on.

Please keep your prayers coming because I think they are working.   

An example of gods love…

Me and Felix were meeting for lunch after my interview.  We went to a place in the touristy part of town and sat next to an American couple around my parents age.  We started talking about what we both were doing coming to Bologna to teach English and my awful previous situation.  Come to find out they are from New York and have two daughters about my and Jessi’s age.  They were so comforting and told me to stay strong and asked if I wanted them to call my parents for them :)  They said they understood how scary this could be for me moving all the way across the world and the man told Felix that he better take care of me.  After we finished the meal, the waiter came by and told us that the couple had paid for our entire lunch.  I couldn’t help but just cry.  I wanted to hug them because they reminded me of my own parents and I just wanted a parent hug. Ya know?  Unfortunitely we didn’t know where they went, but from the bottom of my heart those people helped me have hope that I can do this.

My next blog will be on the school I got hired at.  The lady is sooooooooo nice and is going to pay me to learn Italian and curriculum the whole first month.  So cool.  My British friends are super jealous.

I am stronger than I ever thought I was.  I have been faced with so many learning experiences and with the help of god have come through. I have MANY more things to learn and achieve here in Italy, but now I know that I can seriously do anything.

Ciao my friends and again thank you for all the support,

Meliss