Any Cauchy sequence will converge in Banach space...

Last night I stayed up rather late with Michele and Cedric, talking bullshit and drinking whatever we could find in the house...
This did not stop me, however, from getting up reasonably early today to visit the Bank. I had understood my bankcard would be sent to my house, as well as the codes. But it turns out that I was just supposed to pick the card up at the bank. So I did. And I received two more codes that I need for the bank account. I now have 7 different codes, which alltogether take care of my banking business!!! But at least it works completely fine now! I have even used Internet Banking already...
Afterwards I went to Uni to study for a while and follow an incredibly horrific class in "Numerical Methods in Macroeconomics" and a great class in "Welfare economics". When all this was over, it was already 18.15 and we were meeting with the older PhDs at 19.30. So I stayed at Uni for some more time, before going to the Aperitivo with all our PhDs from all the years. It was really great to get to know the other people and find out what they are like.
At one point, the party was going to be continued at a bar in Abbiategrasso, but I decided against that and went home... To sleep... Finally...
ciao, OJ

She simply doesnt have the range... *Shirley Bassey*

Today I actually went to University to really start working (today is the first day of my new life: so far, it has been a holiday, overhere). This went quite well. Unfortunately, Silvia wasnt there, because we were supposed to go to the Ufficio Municipale today. But her boyfriend from London made a surprise visit (he left Sunday Night and she will go and visit him again for the weekend on Friday, but now he'll be here from Wednesday until Friday...), so we couldnt go there. Instead we had a lovely lunch with a group, before going to class in the afternoon. Afterwards, I felt as if a small herd of elephants had just run over me, so I wasnt really able to study anymore. So I went home and supermarket etc., before going out tonight for an Aperitivo at 8PM. This was quite enjoyable and I have just arrived home. Tomorrow will be my Bank Day (I will try and convince my bank that I havent received a Bank Card and that is is probably also taken by Poste Italiana), before going to Uni again.
Basically, today is one of those not-quite-worth-talking-about Days, but to make this post worth something, I'll put a picture here of my house from the outside. As well as a picture of Silvia and her hopelessly romantic (and rich) boyfriend:

ciao, OJ

Not Dead

As Fedor was here, I didnt have time to write anything the past few days, so this is going to be a long story:
Even before Fedor arrived, I already had an interesting experience with Poste Italia again. This time it concerned a package from Amazon, with 2 books and a DVD I ordered. The package had been opened by Poste Italia and resealed afterwards. After stealing the DVD... So now I am paying for a DVD that some son-of-a-fuck Italian shithead is watching. That pissed me off. But of course, the arrival of Fedor, Saturday afternoon compensated for everything!!!!! He also took the present Mark gave me for my graduation and I promised would get to Milano. Unfortunately, it broke in transport and the glass front was in ruins once it got here. But, I still hung it up in our living:

At night, we had a huge BBQ at my home with a lot of people (my PhD-friends, who all took random friends as well, and friends of my other flatmates, etc). This was an absolutely awesome party, and everyone was very drunk. Sunday afternoon, Fedor and I started with the quest that was set out by my ECU Posse. As my graduation present, I received a route through Milano to 12 places which contained Milano highlights. At each of these places, I had to open en envelope and something related to the particular attraction would be in there. Unfortunately, we did the tour on Sunday and Monday, and a number of things were closed. Some others had to be booked in advance and we'll do them next time (this includes the Last Supper and visiting the Scala). But the tour was great and we saw a lot of Milan (the Milan Museum was particularly excellent-->I didnt know it existed). Below here, there are pictures of the twelve places we went to, in the following order:
1. Bastioni de Porta Volta: ATM Bar, which was closed on Sunday, unforunately (we go next time)
2. Piazzale Cimitero Monumentale: a grand cemetery, which was also unfortunately closed (we go next time)
3. Piazza Della Scala: the Scala opera house, where I will try to book a show for next time
4. Via Sant'Andrea: Milano Museum, excellent
5. Piazza del Duomo: the Vittorio Emanuele Gallery, which is an amazing place and we had coffee there...
6. Via Palazzo Reale: the Royal Palace Museum, where we'll go another time, because the queue was endless...
7. Via Ugo Foscolo: the Feltrinnelli Bookshop, which is indeed the finest bookshop Milano has (and one of the few with any English books at all)
8. Piazza del Duomo: the Duomo of Milan, which is an awesome church. Especially on the roof, it is very nice.
9. Via de'Amicis, 19: an old amphitheatre, even though we were a bit surprised to find ourselves in front of an ugly residential building. Unfortunately, the museum was closed on Monday... Next time
10. Piazzale Cadorna: Modern art as part of Milano, very odd
11. Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie: the Last Supper, which I will book for next time
12. Piazza Buonarotti: the Music House of Verdi, very interesting.












As the photos show, Fedor took some lovely weather with him when he came here... We had a great weekend, also meeting our friends Nina and Antonio on Sunday... All in all, I was very sad to see him go again this morning. But he'll be back in 3 weeks, so it wont be too long, I guess. After Fedors departure, I returned once more to the Questura. I met a friend there, who was waiting as well. After 2 1/2 hours I was finally called forward and it turned out that all my paperwork was actually complete!!! So then I could enter another queue of people who waited for the finalisation of their Permesso di Soggiorno. And today, at 11.30 I finally became a legal immigrant in Italy!!! It really felt like a huge victory. My friend, who was from Non-EU Turkey waited for nearly 6 hours, but received hers as well!
After this victory I went to Uni, to find out that my lecture had been moved to Thursday. So after lunch, I went home and cleaned up some mess. Tomorrow I plan to really start studying. And to get my Milanese registration at the Ufficio Municipale (Gemeentehuis), but that will probably prove difficult...
ciao, OJ

Clarification etc.

I guess I should clarify what I was trying to write yesterday. I actually forgot I had tried to write anything until I saw it just now. It does explain why I had such a terrible hang-over today though....
As I said, I went to the post office yesterday to take care of my insurance papers. But the lady in question, who is guarding the post office and whose only job is to make sure no-one actually makes it to any of the desks, wouldnt let me in. She lost her English-speaking skills overnight and kept on shouting at me in Italian that I should call the insurance company to ask what the price of a one-year policy is, even though she had it written down in front of her... She simply refused to actually tell me... I did indeed, as I said, lose control in the end, cursed her, cursed all Italians, told her she was a bitch and was then not-so-kindly asked to leave the premises.
Oops.
Today my classes started at 9AM, which meant I had to get up at 7.30... This was a challenging task, considering the amounts of alcohol I consumed yesterday. But at 12.30 lunchtime started so I could have a sleep for 1 1/2 hours in the park. After this, I felt much better and managed to make my way to yet another post office. This time, however, I took my secret weapon: Silvia. And with my secret weapon present, it was not problem at all to get the insurance and arrange all that in less than half an hour. So I am now an insured man. Which should be the last barrier I had to take before being able to go to the Questura again to get my residence permit. We'll see.
Probably, if I make it on Monday, they'll have changed the rules and now require every person that comes to the Questura to wear something Red... And I dont have a Something Red...
But anyways, after my victory at the post office, it was time for a final lecture between 16.30 and 18 o'clock. After this, I was completely done for. So I have had a quiet evening at home and ignored all invitations to parties and celebrations.... Of course the main reason for this is the fact that tomorrow: FEDOR WILL ARRIVE!!!! I am soooooooooo looking forward to it. We are going to have a big BBQ tomorrow night on the terrace and we're gonna do lots of other cool things... I cant wait!
ciao, OJ

No Como today...

No Como today, because the weather was too bad. Unfortuately I could make it to the post office. I finally encountered my first time of losing control. When the bitch (who actually spoke english yesterday) finished talking, she d mader itcuite clear that she didnt need me... maybe next time.,
Tonight we had a party. I am drunk
cioa, OJ

You have now qualified for the next level: Post Office

I started my day with a lovely visit to Questura, now having all the papers I needed. Or so I thought... Unfortunately my Health Insurance Card (which is issued only for being abroad) is not accepted as a proof of insurance. In Dutch it says "this is your card to show you have insurace while you are abroad". In English, German, French and Spanish it says "This is your insurance card". The conclusion is that the police officer at the Questura did not believe me that it would give me cover in Italy. I need to show my policy itself. Which is in Dutch, so I cant show him. So I need to show the E111 form, which the Dutch company won't issue, because I already have the card... So I went home after this mildly disappointing result of waiting for an hour (only one hour, so thats good). After staying home for a while, I went to Uni to have lunch and follow a class by Mr. Maffezoli...
By now, I had decided to get a so-called "emergency insurance" in Italy, which would replace the necessity for a Dutch insurance policy. So I went, as I had been told, to a post office. They had no idea what I was saying, because it was in English. So I went to another post office. Overhere, they did not have a clue what I was saying, because they didnt understand why I wanted to get insurance at a post office (I didnt understand either, but I was told this was the way to go). Subsequently I went to a third post office, and here was someone who knew what I was saying. She finally gave me the form to sign in with, and the phone number I have to call how much it costs. After I find out, I can fill it in and return to the post office to pay for it (Yes. It is the standard studnt policy, for which this entire thing was made in the first place: why the f**k do you not know what it costs?????????). After I will have returned here, I will be able to go to Questura again, which will enable me to go to Ufficio Municipale again, so I can request public insurance at ASL. I am starting to have a feeling, it is personal.
Tonight, I went out with my PhD friends for Aperitivo and sat in front of the church afterwards, drinking beer... It was fun.
ciao, OJ

quiet lovely day

Today I have had a simple, quiet day. Went to Uni for a while, followed a class, chilled out with my friends and got home early. Not too much stress, so to say. The strike has been cancelled for tomorrow, which is too bad: It'll be busy at the Questura, which I had hoped it wouldnt due to the strike. Too bad...
ciao, OJ

Still no closer to any kind of insurance

I got up at 7 today to go the the Questura Centrale, where I wanted to find out what documents I needed to get the Permesso di Soggiorno (permit to stay). I only had to wait for 1 1/2 hours to be told that I needed a whole list of documents. All this despite the assurances other Dutch people gave me on the internet that you really, really only need your passport.
Anyways, the reason why I want the Permesso is because I wil be able to become a Milano citizen, and I will thus be able to get public health insurance, which I do not have right now. Now, to be able to get the Permesso, one of the things I need is.... health insurance!!!! I am not sure how to solve this yet, I will first try and get the other documents and then try with just my "insurance pass" from Holland. Probably, this will not work, after which I will have to try something else. The good thing is that Wednesday, there is a general public transport strike, so I cant go to Uni anyways, so I will simply sit at Questura all day. In addition to that, it might be less busy because people cant get to the Questura (its close to my house, so I can)
After the Questura, I went to Uni to arrange some things and went home afterwards.
Finally, I must say that "when it rains, it pours..." Now that the mail-stream has started flowing, it is coming in quite enthusiastically. Today, I received nine letters and a parcel (I can only pick up the parcel tomorrow, so I dont know what it is yet), which I think is a personal record for me. Mind you, 5 of the nine letters were from my Italian bank, and every single one contained secret codes to do "things" with. Use code X if you want to transfer amounts of money larger than a certain sum, but we wont tell you how large that sum is, if you want to do so via your telephone. etc, etc. FIVE CODES!!! This did include my PIN number, of a pass I dont have (yet, I guess).
ciao, OJ

Harry Potter

Today, the weather sucked and I spent my time reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: it's very captivating, I must say. It took 12 hours, but I have finished it.
Btw, Gerwin, I hadnt mentioned it yet, but thanks for your postcard. The first mail has indeed arrived, despite the wrong postcode. In fact, my flatmate who has lived here for two years has always thought that the other postcode was correct... So basically, it doesnt really matter...
ciao, OJ

A realisation

Whenever I plan to go to Como, the weather turns nasty. So I now decide never to go to Como... As you can guess, today had rain all day long. In a way this was good, because I was slightly hungover from last night. So all I did was going to the market. I got some fruit and veg there and went home again in the rain. Tonight, we met with a group, to go out for Aperitivo. Afterwards, Massilimiano was going to take us to a bar where they have "cheap" beer (3 euros). Once we got there, finally: it was closed. So we went to the closest bar and had some more to drink overthere. Finally, we had to hurry to make it to the last metro. It was definitely a fun night again.
Today, however, I realised that I always said to people that Milano was actually cheap, except for living expenses. I thought about this quite well, especially on the market and realised: this is just not true. Milano is simply bloody expensive. I mean, even the supermarkets are about twice as expensive as in the Netherlands. A liter of the cheapest juice (with only 10% fruit) will set you back 1.30 euros, isnt that ridiculous? Spirits are cheaper than in Holland, the wines are better (but the same price), the olives are better (but marginally more expensive) and the rest is just ridiculously expensive. The cheapest butter I could find today was 1.80euros (this is 0.49eur in NL). Olive oil is cheaper, thats one.
Anyways, my point is just that I have always been wrong when I said Milano was actually cheap, if you do not take into account the rent. The only thing that is structurally cheap is public transport...
ciao, OJ

Short, but drunk anyway

This morning, I went to the police station/Questura at Cordusio, as told by the Ufficio Municipale. When I got there, I was told it was the wrong Questura. I should go to the Questura Centrale---> at Piazza Della Scala. So I went to that piazza, but there was no questura there. I asked a police officer, but he explained it very badly, so I got lost. I then tried to return to Piazza della Scala, but 5 meters away from me, an accident happened. An older man got run over by a scooter: I think he was dead. After this, I didnt feel like looking anymore for the appropriate questura. I also had to get to Uni. So I did, and followed some more introductionary classes. (Someone told me in the meantime where to find the Questura Centrale: 10 minutes walking from my house). After the class, we had lunch and I went home. At home, I did nothing until Meghan arrived with some friends: we sat outside on the terrace and drank--->As a result we danced on the terrace for a long time. Now it is late, 3AM and I am tired: I will go to bed. If the weather is good tomorrow, I will go to Como.
ciao, OJ

Que catzo di caldo!!!

This morning, I had my first class by Ms D'Ambrosio. It was rather simple and boring. So that wasnt very good. Afterwards, we had lunch in the park, near the University, but had to conclude that it was too "catzo di caldo" to sit in the Sun: i.e. Too Fucking Hot...
In a way, this was good, because Silvia and I were going to to go the Ufficio Communale, the "gemeentehuis", to ask how I could become a resident, just to make sure that I would get Medicare. Surprsingly enough, after waiting for half an hour, we were told I needed a Permesso di Soggiorno!!!!!! The fcking Permit to Stay that is only required for non-EU citizens. But the lady at the desk was insisting that I really really needed it. So afterwards we went to the Questura/police station, to ask about the Permesso di Soggiorno: The Questura was closed. So now I still do not have health insurance, because I do not have a municipal permit, because I do not have a Permesso di Soggiorno, which I will try to get tomorrow, which I will probably not get because I do not have a proof of enrollment in the University, which I dont have because I havent got my Dichiarizone di Valore from the Italan Consulate in Amsterdam yet !!!!!!!!!! If you do not understand this anymore, I understand why. I should really make something schematic out of it, but I cannot really be bothered.
Finally, we had our second class by d'Ambrosio, but it was rather shitty: probably because the classroom had now become totally "catzo di caldo", so this didnt really improve the class. Afterwards, we went for Aperitivo in Naviglio, which was a lot of fun...
Tomorrow: Questura, short class and hopefully the Ufficio Municipale again...
ciao, OJ

Snoezepoes...

Today, I stayed in bed late and chilled out on the terrace afterwards. The weather was lovely again, so I tried to work on my tan a bit... At 15.00, I met with Bjoern and Silvia at Duomo, because Silvia was going to help us getting a student-ticket for the public transport. It was a good thing, she came along, because we would have miserable failed... As Bjoern and I tried to explain another guy: No, of course you can't buy a metro ticket, if you do not have a codice fiscale. This guy didnt have one, and didnt know what it was. So we told him to go to the codice fiscale office, but to take his Permesso di Soggiorno, because you need a residence permit to get a fiscal code to be able to get a metro ticket. And do not tell me, this does not make sense to you!!! (Permesso Soggiorno means having to get up at 3AM to start queueing, and it may still take up to 4 days: its an absolute joke)
But anyways, after 2 hours, we did manage to get the metroticket, so now I can travel all public transport in Milan for only 17 EUR per month. And once we finished the fifth queue (I am not kidding. You queue to get into another queue, just so you can get into another one, etc), it turned out that the guy at the desk even spoke some english. In fact, he had been to Utrecht once and was now able to say "Snoezepoes", which I found rather surprising...
After the successful attempt at the Public Transport Authority, Silvia and I made our first try at te Muncipality. I want to be signed in and become an official Italian resident, to make sure that I am eligible to receive Medicare. Of course, the office was closed. So we will try again, because we have a 4 hour break between our classes anyway...
ciao, OJ

Mr. Smalltables and others...

Today, I had my first real day at the University. In fact, it only included one real class, but there were 4 presentations for different fields that are being taught at Bocconi University. It was very interesting to hear about it. I was impressed with the level, because on the basis of the course names and outlines, it didnt seem too good... But now I thinkg it will be very good. One thing that definitely didnt leave a lasting impression was the English level of the teachers: it was really really bad!!! Maybe one spoke quite good english, but most teachers required real concentration, just to be able to undestand what the hell they are saying!!! This is maybe something to get used to...
The students were finally all here today, even though we met last night with most of them already... It turns out there are only 14/15 in the PhD programme (in fact, I was accepted as nr.3, but the nrs.1+2 didnt actually come here, so I got the highest score on all the accepted students). Of these 14/15, there is on from NL (me), one guy from Germany, one girl from Turkey, a guy from China, a girl from Brazil and "special student" from Hungary. So thats quite good already. But even nearly all the Italians have done, at least, their masters abroad. Many (4) in Barcelona, but also in London and other places. So it is a very diverse group here. The good thing is, that the Italian students are able to teach Italian to us, and also to translate the necessary things... Tomorrow, Silvia will take us to the Public Transportation Office to help us get a public transport card. Also, she is trying to help me to get the medical insurance.
The Medicare is an interesting joke in itself... In Italy, they say I cannot get it, because I am not an Italian citizen, but I will be able to get it (as an equivalent), if I show I am insured in Holland. In Holland, however, I obviously cant get Medicare/Ziekenfonds, because I do not pay taxes. Getting private Health cover in Holland, while living in Italy costs 250 euros per month. At the same time, I pay for the Medicare and everyting in Italy, because it simply part of the taxation system. I am now trying to convince the responsible authorities that I am really an Italian resident: I am definitely not a Dutch resident, so either I am a non-resident, or I am an Italian resident, which is exactly what I want to be, because it would enable me to get Medicare. It simply sucks.
Anyways, with that frustration out of the way, I can simply tell you that today, the weather was absolutely amazing, and I spent a lot of time in the Sun today... My flatmate Meghan had a friend over and we had a really great time together today. Lots of food and wine on the terrace: molto, molto bene!!!
ciao, OJ
PS I am really working on my Italian: today I learned plurals, and small/large objects, as well as colours. I now know that the very famous (in the field) Professor Tabellini is called Mr. Small-tables

IMPORTANT MESSAGE

FOR THOSE THAT HAVE MY ADDRESS:THERE IS A MISTAKE IN THE POSTCODE. THE POSTCODE IS 20124 AND NOT 20154.
Hopefully post that has been sent before will arrive anyway (there is only one Via De Cristoforis), but anyway. Now you know

Parlo piccolo Italianio

Yesterday, I wanted to go to Como, because I didnt have anything else to do and seemed like a SUnday-thing to do. But the weather was absolutely terrible, so instead I stayed inside all day and did virtually nothing...
Today, however, I went to the Real Social Security Office. THis was quite challenging, because it turned out to be somewhere nearly outside Milano in a random building where no-one spoke any english. But I managed, so that was good. After that I went to find some Xenos-like shops, which was difficult but I did instead found a 50-cent-discount shop where I bought some cheap junk.
In between and during these things I started reading "Italie op maandag" by Marjon Van Rooyen: an absolutely hilarious account of how the Italians handle the corruption, the maffia and the disorganisation. Its definitely a book one should have read.
Tonight, we met with the PhD students again, except that more people showed up this time. In total, there was 10 of us today, and we had a lot of fun. We went out for aperitivo (aka you buy a cocktail for 5 euros, and can then use the buffet for free...). There are some really cool people in the PhD!!! I am very excited and very happy to have met these people. Not quite as many foreigners as I had hoped, although even the Italians have all done their Masters abroad... Anyways, tomorrow at 9, the whole thing starts. So I will go to sleep now, so I can be fresh for tomorrow.
ciao, OJ

Relaxing for a day

Finally, the weather cleared up today... I stayed in bed late and then chatted/webcammed with Fedor and some others. After that, I went out to Parco Sempione to sit in the Sun and read my book. Parco Sempione is literally 15 minutes walking from my house, which is rather cool.
But, as the weather finally improved, I also managed to take a number of pictures of my house and my room. So I will show them now...
The entrance of the building:

















The living area:

















The Kitchen, seen from the kitchen-balcony:

















The terrace, with my flatmate Meghan sitting on it:













The view from the terrace:













And finally, my room:

















And another one from my room:













Well, thats all I wanted to show for today...
ciao, OJ

A Wet Day in Milano

This morning I got up early enough to make it to the Fiscal Office at 7.45. By that time there was already a cueue and I finally received number 18. By 9.45 it was finally my turn, and it turned out to be extremely easy to receive a codice fiscale. The lady in question could have done it in about 2 minutes. It took her 15 minutes, but that is only because she kept on walking away to do other things etc. After this, I stepped into the pissing rain again to go to a bank. Opening a bank account seemed challenging, but was not actually very difficult in the end.
All this was close to my home, so I went home for a break. And to wait until the weather would improve a little bit and the rain would stop pissing down. Going to the University did, however, turn into another Water Ballet! I arranged my stuff there, which was surprising... An interesting feature about the "education coordinator PhD, mainly foreigners" was her lack of English skills... And when I asked about the possibilties of following an Italian course, she looked at me as if I was completely mad!!! This was not really a problem of course, but it did make me wonder, obviously.
I also, finally, got a new mobile phone. It wasnt cheap, but it was necessary. This also means I have a new mobile number as can be seen in my MSN. Tonight I went out for Aperitivo with some of the new PhD students. Unfortunately there were only few of us, but on Monday we'll do this properly. I got home around 23.30 and my flatmates had friends over. So we had some fun, but I finally decided not to go out with them, because I am simply too tired. Which reminds me, I am going to bed:
ciao, OJ

Once upon a time in the South

Today I went to the University, where I wanted to visit the PhD office. That was not an easy task, and it took about an hour before I finally found the correct office. I was told I did not need a Permisso di Soggiorno (permission to stay), but should get a codice fiscale (fiscal code) asap. So I went to the Fiscal Office, where I was told to return at 8AM tomorrow, so I will. They also said that I only needed a passport and a copy of my passport. I find this all quite strange, because I had heard a Permisso di Soggiorno was a necessary prerequisite before getting anything else done! I'll see tomorrow....
Obviously I could not arrange much else, because to open e.g. a bank account, I do need a codice fiscale. So I went to the shops instead and bought new speakers for my computer and a webcam. Now everyone can communicate with my via my webcam. Or via Skype, which I also installed...
Tonight, I invited my friend Nina over, whom I have known since Highschool and who also lives in Milano. We had aperitivo at my place and went out for dinner at Naviglio. Lovely cocktails, with some food to the side (Does it make sense that huge cocktails are only 5 or 6 euros and you get buffet free food with it, while after 10pm the food disappears and the cocktails become more expensive????) I didnt think it was very logical... And I still think its not.
ciao everyone,
OJ
PS Look what my Mother sent me: A picture from my graduation...:

And she also sent me a picture of my niece and nephew, Leah and Daan:

5 Long Hard Days...

In the past few days, I have finalised all my arrangements in Ollanda and have moved to Milano today... Saturday, we went out with my whole family for an absolutely amazing dinner at a restaurant called Villa Sasso in Groningen... Afterwards, I had my final night out in Groningen. We went to the Internet Cafe, where Jochen was working and to the Golden Arm afterwards. It was a great night out and I was rather drunk in the end... Fedor and I stayed with Jorryt, which was very pleasant. On Sunday, Fedor and I travelled to Nijmegen, with an absolutely humongous amoung of luggage. Of course, this was exactly the day that the Railway people decided they should work on the track, so instead of 1 change at Zwolle, we had to change 5 times (Beilen into a bus, Hoogeveen into a train, Zwolle into another train, Dieren into a bus again and Arnhem back into the bloody train). We finally made it and had a lovely time at Fedors mother's house.
Monday morning I got up early to go to the Italian consulate again in Amsterdam. After waiting for an hour I could see someone. But there was something wrong in the paperwork: my list of grades was missing!!! The last time I saw it was when I gave it to the staff at the Groningen court of Justice, who had to sign it... And now it was missing. So I travelled from Amsterdam to Groningen and when I arrived at the Courthouse the lady immediately said the staffmember working on Friday had forgotten to return this particular document... Obviously, I was very relieved to have gotten it back, but it also pissed me off very badly that something like that can go wrong!!! After a little rant at the staff, I returned to Nijmegen, having spent 6 1/2 hours of that day in the bloody train!!!
Tuesday morning, I went to the embassy for the fourth time this week. And finally (at the last moment), everything was actually complete and after leaving some more money, I will receive the necessary documents asap. At least, the consulate people will be able to send them to Italy, so I do not have to pick them up or anything in Amsterdam... After returning to Amsterdam, Fedor and I had a lovely picknick in the park and at night, we went to the "De Ontmoeting" tapas restaurant in Nijmegen: simply lovely.
This morning, Fedor brought me to Eindhoven airport and we had an emotional goodbye there. Of course, he will visit in only 2 1/2 weeks, but it is still quite a shock to have to say goodbye like this...
In Milano, it turned out that the weather is quite a bit worse than it was back home. It is only 22 degrees and completely cloudy. This is also the reason why I will not show pictures yet of the house and my room. It looks better with sunny weather...
Well, now everyone is up to date. I promise to post more often now that I am in Milano. This is quite easy, because I have an internet connection at home now... One final comment: since when are weblogs targeted by spam??? (see comments on previous post)

ciao,
OJ

The Italian Consulate

Today I got up at 6.15 to go to the Consluate again in Amsterdam. What happened at the train station, should have already been a sign that this was not going to be a good day. Trains leaving Groningen towards the South depart at XX.17 o'clock every hour (and another time as well). However, I now know this does not actually go for the 7AM train, because that one departs at 07.14 o'clock, 3 minutes earlier... It left when I walked onto the platform. Oh well, this should have been a sign this was not going to be a good day.
When I arrived at the Italian consulate I obviously had to wait for half an hour first. This is normal and I do not care. However, when I did get to speak to someone, it turned out that the information I received was not completely correct and I had to go somewhere else first. In fact, I had to go to the IBG-office... In Groningen... So I returned to the trainstation, missed the train again, waited for half an hour and returned to Groningen to visit the IBG (by now, it was 14 o'clock). THis actually went very smoothly and I received the necessary paperwork without problems for only 12 euros. I then had to go to the Groningen Court, where I received a particular stamp (for 30 euros).
Now I (hope I) am completely ready for the bloody consulate, which I will visit again on Monday...
I am not happy.

OJ

PS I am famous!!!

Six days to go

One more day of stress yesterday... Finishing my last troubles concerning the moving out of my house. Cleaning et cetera. Also finishing my issues with several banks. Despite the 30 degree heat, I spent quite some time waiting at 4 different banks. And last night I went to stay at Lars & Rachel's. Lars and I went to the cinema to see "The Island": quite entertaining and lots of action. Unfortunately, the movie was lacking a story, but Ewan McGregor compensated for that.
Today I spent my last day at the Faculty. Not doing much and just chilling. It was quite fun, and a nice closure. This evening, I went to visit my Italian translator and received the translation of my degree. For the lovely price of 125 euros. Not very cheap, right?
Now, I will visit Bart for his birthday before I will get up again very early tomorrow. Visiting the Consulate in Amsterdam again, hoping (PLEASE) that they will be able to finish all my arrangements...
Well, I hope all will be well.
ciao,
OJ