08.22.08
Posted in family, kids
at 10:25 am
For the first time since moving to Italy, we needed to head to the American Embassy. Americans who have kids abroad need to go there to register their child’s birth and get a fancy “Report of Birth Abroad” form.
We checked in right on time for the appointment, and gave the helpful clerk all of the forms we needed. She had us sit down and wait until the vice-consulate called us. Not long after, he called us to his window. He said he had no problem approving our application for our newborn’s citizenship. He signed a paper, looked at us, and said, “Now she’s an American citizen.”
And I got a little misty eyed. I was a little amazed that this man could grant (and I suppose deny) citizenship with the stroke of a pen. And I was also proud that my daughter was officially part of the country that I am proud to be a part of. Living in Italy has given me a new perspective on my home country, and perhaps the voices around me have emphasized some of its flaws. But I’m still 100% American.
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06.12.08
Posted in family, kids
at 1:57 pm
June 9, 2008, 22:10.
4.240 kg. 53 cm.
Named after my dad, David Francis.
Wish he could be here to see the pictures.
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04.16.08
Posted in Ancona, culture, family, kids
at 11:41 am
I ran across a surprising statistic the other day. We’ve long known that our family size of five made us more than a little unusual here in Ancona. Now we have a handy graphic to prove it, published by the city of Ancona. So in a couple of months when the new baby is born, we’ll join the other 420 families with more than five people present in the home. Only 420 in a city of over 100,000! At our kids’ schools, the majority of people have one, two kids at the most. The national average is 1.2 kids per family.
But it’s not just statistics that show how children are viewed by some here. I had a conversation the other day with a woman a bit older than me. She was married with one kid and marveled at how young I am and how many kids we have (we get that a lot). And then she said to me that if she had it to do all over again, she wouldn’t have had any children. She told me her son tries her patience, and “if she knew then what she knows now…”
I was kind of shocked. Granted, there have been days when the kids are grating on my nerves. But to wish that they had never been born?!
I’m trying to figure out where this comes from. Some of it, at least in people I have talked with that “regret” having kids, is just plain selfishness. Some of it comes from an inability to provide every single thing the child could ever want, especially as the family grows. But other than those two things, I’m stumped. I love my kids! I have learned so much about myself, and they bless my socks off! It breaks my heart to hear people (one time, in front of their child) lament ever having kids.
Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift?
the fruit of the womb his generous legacy?
- Psalm 127:3 (MSG)
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11.25.07
Posted in family, kids
at 3:56 pm
Well, the news is slowly leaking out, so we might as well tell the world.
A surprise to us all … baby number four is on the way. Due June 18th. We’re learning all about the Italian health care system…
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11.03.07
Posted in kids, language
at 4:56 pm
I have to say it … one of the most fascinating parts of learning Italian has been learning the more colorful phrases. Obviously, our kids have picked up some pretty good ones. There’s an expression in Italian: Che cavolo! Literally, what cabbage! It’s not a bad thing to say, and in fact is even a sort of childish expression. It’s probably closest in English to “What on earth?” or maybe “Oh my!” But it’s a hard thing to translate.
Except for Trey, who I heard say in English the other day (without batting an eye), “What cabbage!”
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10.29.07
Posted in culture, family, kids
at 7:41 am
I’ve always struggled with understanding the health system here in Italy. I’ve heard it described as excellent doctors that have to fight crippling bureaucracy. And the few times we’ve had to go to the doctor, that’s what we’ve experienced. Italy has “free-ish” health care for all citizens, but since we have an American health insurance policy, the bureaucracy gets even thicker for us.
But we’re taking the plunge. I went to the health department to find out what I needed to do to buy into the system. For a total of €380 and some change, my entire family can be covered for one year. So for roughly $550, most doctor visits, most tests, and most prescriptions are mostly paid for. There’s a lot of qualifiers in that sentence, I know. We’ll see how it goes. I’m pretty much going to need to forget everything I know about how a doctor/hospital is supposed to run. But considering that my American policy costs about $5,000 per year, with a $1,000 deductible for each of us, I can’t see how we can go wrong. Just a few doctor visits per year would more than pay for it.
And get this - the nice woman at the health department explained that the $550 is per calendar year, so if I paid now I would have to pay again in January. But she talked to her boss, and he agreed to give my wife and kids free care until the end of the year. It’s not much, and apparently it doesn’t matter if something happens to me, but I thought it was nice that they at least did something to help out.
And so what if the hospital in Ancona is a big, scary, gray, communist-era-looking building. What could possibly go wrong? 
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10.18.07
Posted in culture, kids, school
at 12:51 pm
I’m finding it interesting how my opinions about certain cultural differences have changed the longer we live here. The tempo di accoglienza is one of those things that used to kind of bother me, but now I see how it’s a good idea.
The first two weeks of school are pretty low key: little homework, longer breaks, usually a field trip of some kind. There’s sometimes even a little program for the parents to come and watch during these initial weeks. When I first learned about the welcoming time I remember thinking, “What’s the big deal? Why do they coddle the kids so much? It’s better to just dive in!”
But now that I’ve been here a bit, I kind of see how it’s a good idea. There’s sort of a build up to the end of the tempo di accoglienza as if to say, “You all can act up a bit at the beginning, but next week it’s a whole different story.” And I think it works. Everyone is on the same page, the class rules are clear, but the kids have had time to have fun with their teacher (who is already a very maternal person, since the teachers move up with the kids during grade school).
And then the hammer falls … the party’s over kids.
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10.06.07
Posted in kids, school
at 2:40 am
School is finished around 1 PM here (but most schools are also in session on Saturday). Since school-sponsored sports don’t exist, many parents enroll their kids in a doposcuola - an “after-school.” This year we let our big kids choose any activity, as long as it was under €50 per month.
My oldest chose fencing.
My middlest chose horseback riding.
And (incredibly) they both came in under budget. The fencing club here in Ancona has trained Olympic athletes, and has an enormous facility. The horseback riding lessons are taught in a beautiful old fort here in the city.
Unfortunately, my kids chose sports that I have never participated in and don’t know anything about. I suppose I’ll be learning along with them.
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10.04.07
Posted in kids, school
at 5:15 am
Today’s post begins a series of posts on school in Italy. Hope you like it…
Today I attended a meeting to elect class representatives for my youngest kid’s class. As we sat on the tiny chairs in the classroom, the teacher explained the rules:
- Voting must be in the presence of another parent as a witness
- We must show ID in order to vote
- We can only vote for people who were nominated beforehand
- All voting takes place using a secret ballot
- We must nominate at least two people, in case the first person is unable to fulfill their duties
As we went through the rules, I suddenly thought that I must be in the wrong meeting. Surely we don’t need all this pomp just for the room mother of my son’s preschool? OK, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. The class representative does quite a bit of work, but secret ballots? Alternates? Witnesses? Doesn’t it all seem a bit excessive?
When I received my ballot, I asked the person who the nominees were (all three classes had earlier nominated their respective nominees at the same time by shouting - this foreigner had a bit of trouble keeping up). She pointed at a list on the wall and said that everyone was voting for the first name on the list. He was the one that wanted to do it. I scribbled his name down, slid my ballot into the ballot box, and went on my way.
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09.25.07
Posted in culture, family, kids
at 3:57 am
Many cities in Italy have started a new event called La Notte Bianca, The White Night. Usually held right before school begins, this event attracts tons of people. Stores stay open late. Museums are open, and often have free admission. The street markets are usually set up in the piazzas. Stages are set up for free concerts all over the place. My kids were amazed by a group of breakdancers that had set up a makeshift area to perform in.
We got to enjoy Ancona’s Notte Bianca a while back, and it was just great. I was amazed to see how many people were crowding the streets so late at night. The activities wrapped up around 5 AM the next day, though we were in bed long before that!
It made me think: how many community events are there in the states where so many people attend until the wee hours of the morning? How many people would get the kids ready to leave the house after dinner just to see what’s going on in the center? I think it’s a part of life that’s really missing from American culture.
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