Hello all! First of all I apologize for not writing in a while, I know it's been a hot minute! Life was at a standstill, then it seemed to pick up all at once! I thought it was time to update you all on something ...we moved to Florence!
I’ll start from the beginning. Back in February of this year, although now it feels like 2 years ago, Pasquale happened to come across a job posting about an open position in Florence. We talked and talked but it came down to us saying why not? There wasn't anything keeping us in Milan and we always talked about moving closer to his family. Plus I mean hello, Florence! He applied and we crossed our fingers and toes. Fast forward 2 weeks and COVID came, then lockdown and soon Florence became a distant thought. As lockdown dragged and we lost all hope of Florence, Pasquale got the call. He just happened to be at the store when he got the phone call and he couldn't run out of there fast enough. I was still teaching online lessons so when he bust in the door I knew something had happened and I felt like I had ants in my pants for the rest of the lesson. Let’s just say it took us a while to actually grasp what had happened. We couldn’t believe it and to be honest we still don’t. In May lockdown restrictions started to slowly lift and we started to plan. Pasquale went to Florence first in hopes that he would find us an apartment while getting to know Florence a bit and I stayed in Milan, working and packing. Then it felt like everything fell into place. By the end of July we were ready to go and we ended up moving earlier than planned. In August we were, officially, residents of Florence.
That is the short version but just throw in a couple of road trips back and forth and you get the picture. Did I mention I got a new job? Your girl is no longer a teacher! Who would've thought. In the midst of packing and working, I was job hunting hard from Milan. I was sending out my resume to every school in Florence and applying for any job Linkedin would suggest, even the ones I was highly under qualified for. In the end I have Facebook to thank. I saw an ad for an American mother tongue speaker and I said oh ya that’s me, and took a chance. After a couple of interviews, I started my new job the first week of August after being in Florence just a few days. Life came at me FAST. Ok great (insert eye roll here), Mackenzie so tell us what you do! I am a content editor for a website called Bravodeal.com. I write and edit the best deals and promotions to help people save while online shopping. So all those promo codes you get in emails I help put them all in one place for brands so you can save on your next order. It’s wayyyyy different than teaching let me tell you, but I will save that for another post. Of course keep an eye out for it. Anyways, I work for a company that houses websites for different countries that help people save on big brands specific to those areas. I work on the American website and find deals that only work in America. If you live in the US though, definitely check it out. I'm always finding some great deals. I know it sounds a bit funny but yes I work for a company in Florence, but it’s for an American website that only works with brands selling to the US. The company is very international, there are websites for Italy, Germany, France, Poland and the UK. Our office is full of different languages and cultures and I love it. Our lunch talks are always entertaining and informative. Although this job is different from anything I have ever done I really enjoy it. Do I miss teaching? I also think that's a subject for another post but the short answer is no. I do think, however, I appreciate this job way more because I was a teacher. For now, I am happy where I am.
Although 2020 feels like it has lasted 10 years, these last few months seem to have flown by. Moving, starting new jobs, getting to know a new city and building new routines it has been a little busy. I would love to talk more about the differences between Milan and Florence but that will have to be a completely different post because there's a lot to talk about there. Besides that, all I have left to update you all on is COVID. I'll keep it short though. Trust me, I know, we are all over it.
During the summer we returned to a new “normal”. We were able to go out and see friends and I even went back to teaching in person in June but with heavy rules and regulations of course. To be fair we had a semi-normal summer. We were even able to be outside without masks as long as we were keeping our distance. Things got worse when the seasons changed. In October the government started a 3 color system so that the country wouldn't have to go back into a nationwide lockdown but rather by regions. Tuscany just killed the game by going from yellow to orange to red (all 3 colors) in one week. Each color has slightly different rules but everyone has a 10pm curfew. Yellow regions I believe can have dine-in service but for lunch only. Orange and red only takeaway or delivery. Yellow you can move around the region. Orange and red you are not supposed to leave the city limits unless for work, school or emergency. The only difference between red and orange is that orange everything can be open and we can walk outside our neighborhood while in red only essential shops are open and we are not supposed to go out. Tuscany has just passed back down to an orange zone and there’s talk of being a yellow zone during Christmas. The government has announced that there will be no traveling between the regions from December 20 to January 6, with no movement outside of the city limits on December 25, 26 and January 1. So this holiday season, Pasquale and I will be spending it together. It may be different this year but we are excited to make it our own.We still haven’t decided on the menu but we’re thinking a mix between American and Italian. I will try my best to keep you all updated on what we decide.
For now that is everything. We are safe and healthy and that’s all we can really ask for these days. Sending you all well wishes and hope everyone has a lovely holiday season!
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