#81: Ups and Downs, and Ups Again
This email was sent on 10 July…
Ciao Nonni,
We're back on the weekly schedule!
Apologies again for leaving you for so long between letters. Every time I realised how many weeks it had been, I felt very guilty.
I guess I should probably mention a few of the things I have been up to...
Of course I made my once-a-decade appearance on Australian television. The series was filmed ages ago in Amsterdam. Well ... 45 minutes outside of Amsterdam. I never actually made it into the centre. It was like some kind of school camp scenario with hints of gulag. Just some light physical and psychological torture to keep me on my toes.
One of the strangest parts (and there were many) was being surrounded 24/7 by around 100 Australians for a week. It made me realise how few Australians I've spent time with in the past two years, and certainly only in one-on-one interactions, or small groups. It was a shock to the system, but also strangely comforting. Many of the other contestants were also living as foreigners in various European countries, and we all agreed that it was nice to not have to curb our humour in any way to make it understandable ... or less offensive!
The week was wild, and I came home significantly more tired than when I left. But also with a few extra dollars in my pocket for my troubles, so that was nice. Add to that a bunch of new friends all over the world, and I think it was time well spent.
Sometimes I wonder why it is that I do the things I do. Certainly no one could accuse me of being overly cautious in a lot of my decision-making, and I often find myself in situations like The Floor (or even living in Italy, as another example) wondering how it is exactly that I got there. But usually the experience is overwhelmingly positive, and provides me with a whole new set of learning that I couldn't have got in any other way.
In other news, the business side of my life has been a tad tumultuous. My fledgling Italian citizenship and visa business has been crushed by unexpectedly drastic changes to citizenship laws by the Italian government in the last couple of months. It's a bit deflating, but there's not a lot I can do about it. Building a business on what has essentially been a giant loophole for many years was always doomed eventually. Especially with a conservative government in power. I'd just counted on the country being much slower moving, like it is in most things bureaucratic.
While I am sad for everyone who now won't ever become Italian, I am also feeling very vindicated in my decision to push ahead with my personal project after starting all those years ago. It took me seven years in total, and if I'd delayed even six more months I would have been ineligible. It's inconceivable to think about how it would have been for our family to have never had this adventure. It feels like an even more special gift to the kids now, and I'm glad I was able to deliver on it for them.
More positively, Dave and I have been working away at bringing a little taste of Australia to Lucca in the form of a coworking office for other remote / online workers. This has been very self-motivated by the fact that both of us are thoroughly sick of working from our tiny spare room at home. We've been overwhelmed by the support of our friends, and the town of Lucca in general.
We officially launched this week. We hope for a roaring success, but will be happy if it is just a nice space for us to work with some friends.
In other news, summer is well and truly on the way here. The temperature is nudging 30 most days, and the beach clubs are beckoning. We had our first proper day at the beach this past weekend, and it was a lot of fun. We've found a club in Marina di Pietrasanta that has a great pool with a shallow kids section, as well as a nice (for Versilia) beach. The cafe on site also does a very decent seafood lunch. What more could you want?
The kids had a ball, and were absolutely cooked by the time we got home that evening. It was a very easy bedtime!
All my love and a big hug!
