Happy New Years

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and will have a Happy New Years celebration too! The weather here has been absolutely amazingly warm! Its awesome...in the high 70's during day and still warm evenings. My 3rd Christmas in a row in the sun! And no snow! The way it should be :)

As of tomorrow; 01 Jan, I am an LT in the Navy. Its an automatic promotion which falls just a few weeks after my 4 year anniversary of active duty. Had a nice little ceremony this morning with my boss; Kaz and my favorite corpsman, Maddy. Rose, another nurse who promoted 01 Dec and I had a party slash wetdown slash going away party with a group of friends. Some of us maybe didn't feel so great the next day :p

Buon Anno!

always sayin goodbye

My farewells and farewell celebrations have started already. My unit, the ER had a very fun barbeque/paintball evening last night which was a new experience. If anyone says it doesn't hurt, they are lying! I am pretty sure myself and the other girls were screaming like wild banches when we got hit and have bruises and welts to match. It was fun though, I laughed my ass off more than a few times. And drinking some good beer helped too :) Getting shot in the face was the only place it didn't hurt.

Its almost Christmas, hard to believe it though. All I did this year was put up my little nativity scene...my tree would be just another thing to take care of before leaving. The packing has already began as well...my 'gift' suitcase as well as sea bag and clothing bag are growing by the day :p I have to remind myself the more I bring, the more I ship...but its hard to narrow down clothing :)

Happy Holidays to All, Caio from Sicily and see some of you very soon!

The Countdown Begins!

Hard to believe in a little over 3 weeks I will be back in the States visiting with family and friends before the new adventure starts. I am eager and excited to get the show started; probably won't believe it all or have it all sink in till I get there, but I will enjoy the ride and love the time in Michigan and California :)

Its a good thing the shopping won't do me much good as I can't bring much to Afganistan, its tempting to splurge before I hit the sandbox. And for those that don't know much on Afganistan; Wikipedia has some basic, informative information. Without going into specifics some people have not a clue. I am guilty at times as well, but this is the hot spot of War this past year; you can't hear enough about our involvement there.

Speaking of; dropping some helpful hints of "care package" ideas; I will be purchasing a Kindle (electronic book via Amazon) and would love gift cards to load up the Kindle with books before I leave. Just an idea :) Below are the nurses from the hospital (well most of em). I am the Co-Chair on one of the committee's and we had our holiday Christmas party this past weekend.

The trash strike thankfully only lasted 3 days, but that was plenty by me. The weather has been cooperating for the most part; warm and sunny in the days and very cool at night. Using the space heater for now till I get my landlord over to help turn the heat on. Or I will just grin and bear it for 25 more days. We'll see. Below is Etna; its gorgeous right now with all the snow. I hope to go up there this weekend.

Trash

Not sure if its largely known or not, but Naples is notorious for the trash problems they have. Its either the trash men strike often or just don't work at all. Not sure...BUT its spread to Sicily now : ( Its terrible and its just been a few days!

The city usually picks up trash daily; people place trash in bins that are located randomly on streets. Well since this strike its started to spread and almost block roadways. Luckily it hasn't been too warm where its smelling yet...but there are bins within 150 feet of my place, so I am hoping they get their shit straightened out and get back to work.

Heres to hoping :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Okay, so a day late and a dollar short, BUT I wanted to wish everyone back in the States a very Happy Thanksgiving. I know many will never, but please remember to pray for and thank the sailors, soldiers and marines in Iraq, Kuwait and Afganistan that are protecting us.

Was able to get together with some fellow nurses on Tuesday to have my 1st thanksgiving of the week (thanks to Rose and Sam for hosting) and then Thursday with my E.R. co-workers (thanks to Naomi and Nick). It was fun to relax and enjoy some delicious meals :) And I made my first ever Pecan pie (ewe...I despise pecans, but non the less). And it was entertaining to explain to some Italian's that joined the 2nd thanksgiving why we do thanksgiving and why its the 4th thursday of the month. I still don't understand reposto (the 3 hour break from 1p-4p in which NOTHING is open; everyday), so whatever :)

Am getting a lot accomplished for my pre-deployment training, shots, appointments, legalities, etc...so much is to be done; am very thankful to have supportive chain of command, friends and family. I can't imagine deploying a few months back; its easier to lean on others when you know them better and can trust them with your finances :) Everyone has really been awesome. Thats a perk here; in SD my command would have said 'oh, good luck'. Molly and Mercedes will go with some friends I knew from San Diego (Missy and Warren), so that is a huge help. I will miss them a lot though; they are my little buddies :)

Afgan

Today I found out for certain that I will be headed to Afganistan for several months in 2010. I will be leaving Jan for training in the US and then fly to Afganistan. Out course there is a lot to be done and many details unknown, but I look forward to this opportunity and lucky enough to be able to serve and support our sailors, soldiers and marines.

I will keep everyone posted on address info, etc...but for now its on to the next adventure :) I am excited and a little nervous, but will be fine; it really is a great opportunity!

Hope everyone is well!

Back to Life

Well its been a bit, but I suppose I will just get used to getting on here once or twice a month. Life is going well; still the slow island life that I am slowly getting better at adjusting to. Things this past week were extremely busy in the emergency room, so that helped me bring back some of my intensive care skills :) They were getting rusty for while! Lots of people have asked; and yes the swine flu is here too. There are at least 15 confirmed cases of our active duty members and 1 death on the island (not an american). Its everywhere; sounds like the States have it the worst? Being a health care provider I will get the vaccine; but I have already been exposed I am sure in the ER. Eh...what do you do?

No travels off the island recently, hit up a few wineries and finally got off night shift and back to life to see my friends. I never did adjust very well to nights; this past rotation was no exception :) The next guaranteed travel is Paris in Jan; but trust me I have several ideas in mind before then.

There is more and more snow on mt. etna; so it will be fun to go skiing soon. I can't wait to see what the italians wear on the slopes! They are pretty much ridiculous on the streets and stores :) hehehehe....

Caio Caio!

Update

Well all is going well; once again time seems to pass fast and slow all at once :) I am working nights right now so that has taken a toll on my sleeping patterns and with everything in the city closed by 9pm, leaves not too much for me to explore with the exception of my long weekends off. 

Mt Etna has snow already! I am so bummed :( Its been cooler the last few weeks, but no need for heat just yet. Every day driving home I am reminded winter will be coming sooner than I think. The rain has subsided for a few weeks now, so there is a perk :)

I got to travel to Egypt over Columbus Day weekend with a few friends. It was a short trip organized through the on base travel agency; leaving Catania on Saturday afternoon for Cairo and returned on Monday. It was a great deal though; all inclusive hotel, food, entrance fee's, etc...Cairo was a very interesting city to visit with amazing food and hospitality at the big hotels and of course the Pyramids and Spynx as well as Egyptian Museum, a papyrus making factory and a perfume oil gallery with blown glass. It was a packed, and exciting get away. Almost forgot; of course a trip to Egypt is not complete without a Camel ride :) hahaha...

Happy Birthday to my brother Ben! And Happy Halloween to everyone as well! 

Where did Sept go?

Wow... I totally spaced and didn't realize I  did not post a darn thing for Sept! This was the most exciting month; I was able to get my 2 weeks leave to meet B in Dublin, go around Ireland. Then we flew to Edinbourgh, Scotland and then on to London. It was a fantastic get away which was just the break I needed. Sad to say I was ready for an escape already, but it was a great trip and helped me get my head back on straight :) I will post pictures when I can. I still do not have my own internet and thus am still on limited connectivity. Soon they are telling me, soon. 

I do have AFN, which is like real TV for me, not real commercials or updated shows (old Greys Anatomy), BUT its fabulous to have mindless TV on sometimes. 

Work continues to go well, I am battling with being able to sleep; but am getting there. It takes time for me and I have never adjusted easily to nights. 

Hope all is well with everyone. Happy wedding weekends to Allysa and Andrew (Friday) and Eric and Tenille (Saturday). Wish I was in Minnesota to celebrate!

Out and About

Well its been a good, frustrating, interesting, and challenging last few weeks. From a 3 day power outage that only affected my apartment (forcing me to stay the the Q again;which was fine). To 3 flat tires in 2 days (and 2 repairmen later) and chipping my tooth (just needing a little filing) I am ready for my vacation in T minus 6 days! I am probably sounding pretty dramatic, because in reality all worked out as quickly and smoothly as I had expected with my unexpected troubles and all is fixed and at 100%. 

I found an amazing hair lady; at least for color. Monika is a German woman who lives across from Nas 1 and speaks English, and does a fabulous job for just €50, so I am a happy camper. 

Its great to have so many cool places to travel to within a short distance. It really helps to bring me back down when I am uptight and frustrated and helps me to realize I am really lucky and blessed to be living here. Last weekend was Taoromina, with a historic Greek Ampitheater and amazing coastlines. This weekend was Cefalu with sweet beaches and coastline, not to mention amazingly clear turquoise waters. 

Taoromina

Cefalu

Work has been going well; I am working independently in the ER now and really enjoying it. I am getting good at working with the babies and peds and used to their blood curdling screams when I have to draw their blood. Poor things! Its fun though. 

More later, this girl will be happy August is over (the Italians are off of Vacation till next year now) and looking forward to next weeks 2 week vacation to Ireland, Scotland and England with Bill! 

ER

So after a few weeks of debate I found I am officially 'owned' by the ER and will be staff almost 100% there. I may go and help the MSW, aka "baby floor" occasionaly, but my boss, chit routing, etc, etc...will be in the ER. This is much closer to my passion of ICU, though the most exciting things we've seen so far have been vaginal exams, hemorrhoids and old wounds. Its a small island of healthy people; can't expect a juicy trauma or complex medical patient very often :) Its real nice to have a "home" unit and know I won't be training and orienting to both floors learning various styles of paperwork, etc... I am really happy that my "old boss" stood up for me and was able to get me my leave by having me stay on the MSW just a few weeks longer. Long story I suppose, but it all worked out.

My car is fantastic! I am loving it. The Alero, oh the Alero!

Sept leave looks like at least a stop to Ireland which is exciting as well as the potential and flexibility of pit stopping other northern countries. If anyone has any suggestions, please pass them on. We were thinking possibly Norway and Sweden, or stay southern and do Belgium and Netherlands and Germany too. The cruise option was rescheduled with our short notice and cost effectiveness of it all. With time narrowing, the cost was doubling by the day it seemed. I am estatic to see a familiar face and spend time traveling with my favorite non blood relative travel partner :) Sorry Julie, Mom is my favorite non blood relative partner of travel!

Ciao Ciao!

All in One Piece

Gosh...some days it seems like I just got here and others it seems as though I have been here for years. Today I received my car, my beloved Alero! It was great to see it and to drive the automatic transmission and be at ease on the roads. Even when I got a little misplaced (or lost...whatever) I felt a lot better being in my car than the rental due to the size of the Fiat. I felt like anyone could have jumped on or in that car in a heartbeat. Mind you that the streets here, some of them, are so narrow that you are driving at the toes of people sitting on their doorsteps. Something I have gotten used to. 

On the flip-side; I am still struggling to deal with the laid back attitude and style of Italian business. Its nothing for them to give you a time they will be at your home, for example, to install lets say a phone...and then call THAT day to push it to next week. Or the movers; who set to come pick up my boxes at 1300 Tuesday, though really didn't show up till 1700. That mean 4 hours of me being impatient and not being able to take care of business on my day off. I know its a cultural thing, and I just need to take a chill pill....but it can be my greatest challenge here. I am used to the prompt service in the states and being able to file complaints if you needed to. No such thing here. 

Today is a perfect day for me to relax and soak it all up while I sit on my patio typing this enjoying the cool Sicilian evening. I really am so incredibly lucky and must remind myself "one day at a time".

Settling In

Things are getting settled a lot better now. I finally have all the painting done and the pictures on the walls. With the concrete I can not do my shelves, but thats okay. Everything looks great and is feeling very homey. Still spacious, but homey. 

My car should be here in a few weeks so I am still driving the rental Fiat 500. I am getting the manual down pat now and rarely stall or have troubles on the hills. Not that they are my favorite, but I feel much more comfortable to drive anywhere now. 

Work has been going good; slowly but surely picking up the routine and the baby stuff. I have only been in 1 delivery, but it was pretty cool. The paperwork has been the biggest obstacle. 1/2 of the charting is on the computer and 1/2 is on paper. Pain in my arse, but I am getting there. The people are real nice, so that helps a lot. I also will be training to the ER and work there when they need some help. I look forward to that, but hope to get more comfortable delivering as well. 

Some recent travels have been on the island; Palermo (Sicily's Capital) which has the catacombs and some amazing churchs. Also ventured to some local festivals such as the Vendare beer festival and the Caltigone Patron Saint festival. To be honest is hotter than heck right now, so thats been keeping travels to a minimum. 110's is about my max...hot is just hot...but the humidity sure sucks the life out of you. Thank goodness for air-conditioning! 

Hope all is going well back in the States with everyone! Take care! Caio Caio!

Its Moving Day...Finally!

So after paying for my new place since the 9th, I finally get to move into it. My household goods (HHG) had a delivery date no later than 30 June...well that didn't happen and so my whole move in was significantly delayed. But it really worked out (after being super ticked off) because I was able to make some purchases for my place and to slowly move from the Temporary Lodging (the "Q") to my new home. The Navy also offers members to file an inconvenience claim towards delivery of late HHG, but that was not needed since the Navy is already paying me rent as well as will pay the cost of my $45/night stays at the Q. 

It will be like Christmas to open some boxes! I packed out the 1st of May...so its been eon's living out of suitcases for so long. It will be well worth the wait. The kittens have been staying here and getting accommodated to the place, so that has also worked out well. Thank-you to Ramir who kept care of them for me since I arrived on the island. 

Also good news; I am done, done, DONE with all indoc classes...there are 1/2 dozen here it seems...Military, Base, Cultural, Hospital...blah, blah, blah...they have been useful (some) but sitting in a classroom all day is not my idea of a good time! Friday will be my first day of work on the Multi-Service Ward (everything you can think of...including delivering babies). I look forward to doing patient care again, though its less than my ideal 1st choice (critical care; which they don't have here. Or ER...which my boss is going to aide me getting there). 

I hope all is well back in the states...once again...enjoy your cable TV, DSL Internet and convenience foods and shopping for me :) 

Traveling WoMAN

So the last few weeks have been busy as I am in Indoc now (which is a combo of military as well as Italian Culture classes) along with getting settled and getting keys to my new place, etc, etc...not to mention the travels that I have been so lucky to do; I went ot Rome the last weekend of June on an opportunity I could not pass up with my sponsor, Dana, and Hannah, a fellow nurse who has now gone back to the States. It was amazing. Here is a photo of the girls and I at the Vatican:

This past weekend I went on an organized tour/trip to Volcano Island, which is part of the Aeolion Island groups that stem from Volcanic rock creation and also got to tour Lipari by boat (a few of the other islands are Stromboli, Panerea, Salina, Alicudi, and Flicudi; 7 in total) which are all just north (1 hour ferry) of the Sicilian Coast. And then to the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento which is 2 hours SouthWest of Sigonella on the coast. Catania and Sigonella are so central is great! Volcano Island; with Sulfer baths: And the 2nd is of the Temple of Guinone;

Enjoy and more to come! Ciao Ciao!

House Hunting; Yeah!

So after whining for a few days...and being super impatient; I found a place that is perfect! Its only about 10 minutes from the base in a town called Motta on a cute little street called Via Terre Nere. I have the whole 2nd level of a 3 level complex with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms (over 2,500 square feet). But all the places here are super large. I also have a large wrap around porch, all tile flooring (typical Italian style) and gorgeous views. Its located within walking distance of many markets, cafe's, etc...so thats cool and its a safe neighborhood; I already know 3 people from my command who are within 1/2 mile. Here is a link to more pictures via Picasa (click here) which should work. I will sign a contract on 30 Jun and then get the keys 9 July and my HouseHold Goods should arrive 10 Jul. The BOQ isn't terrible, but I am eager to have my own place and my kittens with me. 

Am headed to Rome for the weekend with some girls at work...so it should be fun. I barely know this city yet; yes I know, but I can't pass an opportunity to have a travel buddy or two to explore a new city!

Caio Caio!

House Hunting; Booh!

My journey thus far has been slightly delayed relayed to the jet lag finally catching me and my cold hitting me hard on its way out.  I spent most of the weekend sleeping 10+ hrs and taking naps in the day as well. I did venture out on the autostrada (highway) by myself and my Tom Tom. I will refer to the Tom Tom as my Italian Boyfriend from now on too...Bill is okay with this :) I decided to turn around after realizing there were not many turn offs and I had gone over 30 minutes without seeing anything much other than countryside (which was pretty). This coming weekend I hope to go to either Tauromino or Agrigento which boast oodles of history and culture. The ITT Travel booth I guess you would call it has lots of day trips available for low cost and the events are in groups...so its safe.

Last Friday was a Dining In/Farewell for the XO and it wasn’t too bad. I am of course the newbie, so I didn’t get many of the jokes, but it was entertaining non the less. Saturday we went to an agriturismo, which can range from a bed and breakfast to simply a restaurant that local families own and host people for meals. I was warned to eat light in the day and be ready to eat. We sat down at 7pm and didn’t finish till almost 11pm with several courses; bread first; then cheese, olives, prosciutto, tomatoes; then 2 pasta’s; then meat and potatoes; then salad and finally dessert followed by chello. It was amazing! I just tried a few bites of most everything; and think I did it just right... I didn’t feel uncomfortably full like my peers did. There were people from my floor there and their spouses and some family members as well...it was a good group and I am eager to get to know some of them better. Amazingly enough all the food prepared was by 1-2 people who live on the farm and all the produce and food is from the grounds we ate on (If I was given the correct info). And if you ever see Froop German based yogurt, its amazing.

This week has been filled with checkin in and house hunting. I am eager to find a place to stay; the BOQ isn’t terrible, but I miss my bed and belongings to call my own. I have been unsuccessful at finding a place, but I have been successful at narrowing down certain towns. The whole area lies at the base of Mt. Etna and just the further you get from the Navy base is where the most peaceful, fresh aired places are (such as Nicolsi, Mauraciao, etc...) Though they are at least 30-45 minutes away with horrendous traffic and narrow roads. Tomorrow I will try for the Motta and the Mister Bianco area which is more popular for hospital folk and just 15 minutes. The beach area (called the Aci’s; Acitrella, Acireal, etc...) is gorgeous I have heard, but haven’t been out there yet. Its tough cause in Dec when I pick up LT pay for living; its a 200 euro difference, so I am going to go middle of the road until then and just save later. I don’t get to pocket what I don’t spend here, like in the States. Time will tell; I am simply lucky enough to have 3 full days of searching and most of the city is beautiful; I just have to find “the one” for me. 

Wish me luck in the house hunting and I hope all is well back in the States. I miss Starbucks, Target and Cable TV already! We just get AFN which is a group of 10 channels (on a good day) of repeated Colbert Report, CNN and old Sitcoms...Just enjoy it all for me : ) Ciao!

Arrival!

Caio! I have arrived to Sigonella safely! After just about 24 hours of travel time and having now been here just over 24 hours; I have found myself a computer and am getting a little bit acclimated. 

The travels went well, the kittens did amazingly well and barely made a peep the whole time. I think they were scared shitless, but at least they had each other and I was able to let them walk around and try to use the litter box every few hours. Giving them Benadryl (per vet recommendation) every 8 hours also helped out, though was challenging to give while in the airplane bathroom! They are now settled at a friend’s place who lives out on town (Ramir) and I am going to go visit them later today. 

I am still jet-lagged and long for a full night of uninterrupted sleep. My cold has gotten the best of me and its not budging. I am still coughing and have my ‘man voice’ to full effect.  I was able to get some Sudafed PM to help me out this evening and pray for at least 8 hours. 

The townspeople are a mixed bag; the younger people just say “No!” to every American sounding question or phrase. The older people ask you questions in sentences thinking you speak Italian and get frustrated when you say “No Italiano”. I thought my smile, some hand gestures and body language would get me far with communication, but I was wrong so far. The Italians on base (contract workers) are much, much nicer though. As are the people from the hospital, psd and such that I have met. Everyone is very welcoming. 

My sponsor Dana and another nurse, Hannah, have been so extremely helpful in getting me settled and used to the area. I have already checked in, checked out the hospital, gotten a cell phone and even a car to rent. A little Fiat manual car. Thats been a trip and I have only drove but 1 mile!  At least they drive on the right side of the road here.  I have been told that automatics are a hot commodity and that my Alero will be sold in a heartbeat when it does come time for me to leave...BONUS! I thought it would be toast by the time I was done; it makes me happy to think I will get some money from it. 

Power outages happen daily here, and as I write this its now been out for at least 30 minutes...not terrible...but its very warm here. Breezy and warm, but similar to the California weather I so love. Even have the cool nights for good sleeping. 

So far I have learned many things; island hoppers (old beat up cars), umbrella girls (random hookers on the side of desolate roads), eggs on pizza (surprisingly delicious), alch-o-blows (the nightly breathalyzers everyone gets when coming on base after dark), and that plastic (debit or credit) gets me no where in this town! 

I look forward to more adventures, exploring and the laughs I will give and get from my experiences here and will post pictures when I can; having trouble currently. 

Changes Again!

After many hour of phone calls to find a route that could accommodate my little kittens AND be within the price reasonable for the NAVY; I am now leaving Tuesday, 16 June and arriving in Italy on Wednesday 17 June. Same route, just different day. Phew; disaster diverted. My amazing boyfriend was willing to keep them for me; but I got the pets in validity that I would be the sole person taking care of them; as in not someone else's trouble. So it worked out anyways. Yeah!

Last Minute

Of course some things have popped up during the last few days while in San Diego. I have been extremely lucky for most of my plans to have ran smoothly thus far, but was notified my kittens can't be checked as baggage due to an embargo from 15 May-15 Sept due to temperature controls. Makes sense, but its posed problems with the military since they have scheduled me on flights already having 2 pets on board (limit is 2). Not like I am the first military member to transfer overseas with pets; you know? I have talked to some kind Delta and AirItalia reps who have helped me and after numerous phone calls...I almost a plan...phew! Never woulda thought this is what would be stressing me at the last minute! 

My sponsor; Dana, has been a wonderful aide for me getting settled in Sigonella and I look forward to meeting her and the other people. Its a much smaller command (17 total beds in the hospital) versus where I have worked here at Balboa (200+ beds) so I am interested to see a change in leadership, styles and medicine that this new local will offer me. 

I didn't say it before in my e-mail, but I am not the best writer or the best speller (think I got that from Dad; I love you), so enjoy and get a chuckle if you can :)