JIM BOTTOMS' NOTES ON FLORENCE, ITALY (Part 3)
TEACHING RESOURCES AND INFORMATION.
- I found Dave's ESL Cafe to be indispensible! Tons of information on idioms, phrasal verbs, links to other helpful sites, quotes, etc. That, and many other useful links, are on the ESL/EFL page of my web site. - Photocopying. This is a Fiorentino cottage industry given the number of schools in town and the Italian fascination with documentation. My personal favorite place for photocopies--assuming I couldn't do them at school--is a little place called "Copy Wolf" at Via Alfani, 107r. It's almost right across the street from the Opificio delle Pietre Dure (Mosaic Museum--which itself is very interesting) at Via Alfani, 78. First of all, the copy machines are self-service, although help is available. The copy machines are metered and the prices are cheap (c. £100 a copy, about five cents). Best of all for me, the copy machines were identical to what I had used in the States. I immediately knew how to darken/lighten, enlarge/reduce, etc. The machines use both European letter- size and 11 x 17 varieties, which was often helpful. The guys who run the place are quiet, unassuming but always ready to help. I'd actually go out of my way to go here, rather than deal with the rude clerks at other places. - Two things that will come up fairly soon in your teaching are the many fascinating ways we use TO GET and also IDIOMS OF COLOR.TELEPHONES.
- Most public telephones use phone cards (Carta Telefonica) which you buy in tobacco shops or newspaper kiosks. They come in £5000 & £10000 denominations. I prefer the £5000 ones. Chiefly because it was easy to get distracted or the little telephone reminder beeper was working and sometimes I'd walk away--leaving the card in the machine for someone else to use! - Other telephone cards are great for international calls. They are prepaid for a specific number of units and are also available in tobacco shops. One of the best is "Interglobo" available for 50 units at £10,000. - Cellular phones (telephonini) are also very, very popular. However, the system is different than in the U.S. Instead of just buying a phone and subscribing to a billing service, you purchase the phone and a computer chip that goes in the phone. You can use the phone up to the limit of the chip. THEN you buy additional time at any tobacco shop (tabacchi), newsstand--and even some ATMs! There are no roaming charges or charges for incoming calls. And, even when your £££ have run out, you can still receive calls free of charge. There are three companies to choose from: Omnitel, TIM and Wind. Their prices are competitive and, depending on the specific phone and "scheda", rates range between £350,000 - 800,000 .TOILETS.
- During my time in Florence I tried to refine a theory somehow linking the absence of public toilets with the generally gregarious Italian personality. Never quite succeeded. Nevertheless, toilets are a problem. Generally, bars and food establishments are required by law to have them. Their condition, cleanliness, functionality, etc., may be different issues. The pros make a list, mental or otherwise, of every decent toilet they find. And, if one is available, never say "oh, I'll wait until later"!! Along that same line: Always carry some Tempos, Kleenex or other tissues. There might be a toilet, but maybe not supplies...TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS.
- Within the "greater Florence area", the ATAF bus system is great. Single tickets are £1500, but a 4-ride ticket is £5800. Get them at a tobacco shop, kiosk or most bars. BE SURE to validate the ticket when you get on the bus. ATAF maps, route timetables and passes are available at their ticket office on the pedestrian island at SMN train station--where the buses arrive and depart. In addition to the main city map, there are four maps of the outlying city "suburbs"--but you have to ask for these; they are usually not on display. NOTE: Always, always, always have a few extra bus tickets available. Between 1-3PM, most tobacco shops and many other places may be closed--just when you are at a location where you need to catch a bus! Italian law states that if no place is available to purchase a bus ticket within 100 metres of the stop, the ride is free! The trick is to know what places sell tickets within one hundred metres. Italian lawyers quickly jumped on this provision and now the bus drivers will generally sell tickets directly--but they don't like to. So, don't depend on this solution--carry a few extra tickets just in case. - If teaching outside the city, there are several companies (SITA, LAZZI, etc) near the Santa Maria Novella train station. Each covers specific outlying areas and routes. Easiest way to deal with this, if you need to, is just ask the school, client, etc. "how do I get there? And how do I get back?" Each bus company offers some type of a pass for frequent commuters. Expect to show your passport, possibly leave a photocopy or two, as well as 2-3 passport photos. - In the city center it's almost always faster to walk than take a bus. The tradeoff is that all that walking gets old after a while, especially when the weather is warmer and one is dodging 10-15 herds of tourists or long--and I mean long--lines of Italian students on field trips threading themselves up and down narrow (c. 1 yard wide) sidewalks. - Taxis are licensed and fairly well regulated. Rates: £4500 to start; £9800 to start between 10PM-6AM; £7700 on Sundays. £200 per 136 meters or 18 seconds. I recommend carrying the names & phone numbers of a couple of taxi vendors. If you are at a busy location, sometimes you can arrange an alternate, nearby pickup and "beat the queue."- Florence uses an dual system for street numbers! Residences (including hotels) use Blue/Black numbers. Businesses use Red numbers! The only part of the system that's easy to work with is that all red and blue/black odd numbers are on one side of the street, and all even numbers are on the other side. Other than that, the two numbering systems run separately--and run amuck. So, if you are looking for "36r" then make sure you are on the correct side of the street, focus on red street numbers, ignore the blue/black and go from there! To make it even more fun, sometimes the red numbers get dirty and you aren't exactly sure....
WORK PERMITS
In Italy, "legal" continues to be an ambiguous word, although the European Union is slowly tightening the grip and forcing Italy to comply with immigration standards enforced elsewhere. The perception is that Italy is the weak link which allows many illegals to penetrate the European membrane and easily move elsewhere.
A phrase one is starting to hear is "Schengen territory." Schengen is the small town near Luxembourg where the European treaty governing open borders was signed. It prescribes the responsibilities of member countries to properly screen people entering their portion of the European Union.
The basic rule of thumb is that Americans can enter Italy on a tourist passport (no visa needed). One can then stay for up to three months, after having obtained permission from the local police authority, the Questura, within a week of arrival. No extensions allowed. Technically, one must exit Schengen territory, get the passport re-stamped upon re-entry at the Italian border (see NOTE below), and start the process all over again. Time consuming, not cheap and still no guarantee of longevity. The saving grace for Americans is that the Italians generally like us, we usually pay our own way and are not a burden on their social services and--best of all--they have too many people from the Baltics and other places to worry about to really care about Americans!
NOTE: The easiest way is to get a roundtrip train ticket to Switzerland. (When I went, we were out of Italy a grand total of 54 minutes! Most important: When re-entering Italy, you MUST exit the train at the border and go inside to the police station where they do a telephone check on your passport, then stamp you back into the country. If you don't do that you've wasted the trip and the money. BE SURE to take everything with you when you exit the train! Check the train schedule to see how long the stop is (probably only c. 15 minutes, so you want to move quickly).
The Questura is on Via Zara between Via Bonifacio Lupi and Via Duca d'Aosta. Generally the door opens promptly at 830A, closes promptly at 1230PM. BEFORE the door opens, the crowd hovers. AFTER the door opens, it's a free-for-all! Usually the police will ask first for "passaporta"-- meaning Italians applying for passports. Fine, they go to a different office anyway. Weasel to the front of the mele, show your American passport and tell him/her "permesso." They generally like Americans and may even smile. Once inside, be sure to get a numbered ticket from the assistant policeman. Then go up the 2-3 steps to the right, then follow the signs.
Getting a permesso di sigiornio per turisimo is not difficult--but you MUST apply within the first week (8 days) of your arrival. Here's what you need (unless they've changed the rules):
- Your passport, and carry 1-2 photocopies of the photo ID page.When your documents are accepted for processing, you will be given a small "receipt" that proves your application has been filed. They will tell you to come back in 2 weeks for the actual permesso. Forget it. Wait at least a month and don't expect it to be ready then. Remember, it's only good for 3 months! With luck , you'll get it before it expires.
The other method of being completely legal is to get a work visa. Difficult, expensive, time-consuming but not impossible. It can be issued only by the Italian Consulate which has jurisdiction over your area of residence in the U.S. The most current State Department list of foreign consulates in the U.S. is Here. The work visa MUST be obtained in the U.S. and requires--among other things--verification that you have a job with an Italian company. The standard procedure is to return to the U.S., go to the Italian consulate, hope you have everything you need (each consulate has the right to require any additional documentation it feels you need), expect to wait at least 2-3 three weeks while your papers are sent to Italy for review and approval. Here's a rundown on the paperwork required by the Italian Consulate in Philadelphia:
- Valid passport.The IA does provide its teachers with an employment letter for visa purposes. Several teachers actually went through the process described above. They either waited in the U.S. until the visa arrived, or returned to Italy and had someone forward the visa to them when it finally arrived.. They then wondered why they did it, because no one ever asks for it. Peace of mind, I guess.
I also know that it is possible to get a work permit in-country, through the Ministry of Labor. However, this usually involves cultivating excellent connections, having an "inside" with someone who knows someone else, etc, etc, etc. But I know it happens. All the time. The old adage, "It's not what you know, it's who you know" could be an unofficial Italian motto.
As to how the schools handle their employment paperwork, that's up to each individual school. Some won't hire you without a work visa, which will probably scratch them off your list. When I was there, IA hired based on the permesso "receipt"--you were legal when hired, the rest is up to you. Taxes are deducted from your pay, you are responsible for annual tax returns, etc. Fairly simple, straightforward. Also, I was told that having an expired permesso was not grounds for termination, although they would prefer all teachers had some sort of official documentation, either a work permit, permesso, etc.
When you go to the Questura to apply for your Permesso you may as well stay in the area and get another document. Go to the Finance Office ("il Ministro delle Finanze") and apply for a Codice di Fiscale. It's roughly equivalent to our Social Security Account Number. The office is the big gray steel and concrete building on Via S. Caterina d'Alessandria. The Codice office is well signposted--half a dozen signs noting "Codice Fiscale - 3rd Piano." Third floor. Stairs and elevator available. Application form is readily available, you only need your passport. They give you a temporary card; the plastic one arrives later in the mail. Oh, yes, open 830A - 1230P--unless they decide to close early!!
SOME FINAL OBSERVATIONS.
- Firenze is at once enchanting and exasperating. Just walking around the city center gives one an overwhelming sense of the history. It is literally an indoor/outdoor museum where every building and every corner has at least one story to tell. Walk around, look up at the fabulous architecture and breathe in the glories! - While you are walking around looking up--be careful where you are walking! Most of these fine Italians, with such a marvelous sense of fashion, have not yet comprehended the healthwise and aesthetic-wise implications of leaving dog poop all over the place. In my experience, the dogs--left to themselves--are generally more discrete and considerate. It's the owners, with the short leashes, who make life difficult for everyone else. Every now and then you will actually see a conscientious Italian cleaning up after his or her dog. But one has to think that, in a perverse twist of sensibilities, THEY are probably the one's breaking some law! - One-on-one the Fiorentinos are the nicest, warmest, friendliest people you would ever want to meet. On the streets and sidewalks, they are the rudest! Won't give ground under any circumstances, especially on a three-foot-wide sidewalk! Their technique of choice is to simply ignore oncoming pedestrians in the expectation that the "offenders" will be gone before there is a collision. The sub-routine is that, at the last possible second, they will shift a shoulder ever so slightly to avoid actual contact! - As a matter of national pride, Italians don't stand in line. They will always angle in from the side, gently (or not so gently) pushing themselves to the front. I firmly believe it's an inherited World War II bread-line thing. Whatever. Stand your ground. If not, you risk missing a bus, waiting longer for the next taxi, standing extra time in the McDonald's queue. Yeah, you may have to shove a little old lady or two to the side, but she's not your mother. Really. And take comfort in the fact they would give you the same treatment without a moment's hesitation. - Many Fiorentinos live in apartments, which they refer to as home ("mia casa"). They generally do not use apartment numbers as we do in the U.S. When getting directions to visit someone, BE SURE to ask what name is on the brass plaque at the front door. Otherwise, you get to annoy each resident by ringing their bell and hoping it's the right one! On more than one occasion, before I got the hang of this, I just quickly pushed every button--someone was sure to buzz me in. Keep that fact in mind--as sort of a reverse security precaution. - Speaking of passport photos, don't worry about getting a bunch in advance. Florence is loaded with those sit-down machines offering a strip of 4 photos in 5 minutes. They work fine. In my opinion, actually better than higher-priced photo shops. And, if you need business cards, there's actually a vending machine in the Santa Maria Novella train station that will print those for you, too! - Italians have a Byzantine fascination with documentation and titles. For us it's amusing; for them, a way of life. There's even a profession, of sorts, that--for a fee--cuts through the bureaucracy to get permits, papers, licenses, etc. - Don't expect to be able to rent a video at Blockbusters. I was told I needed residency papers, work papers, long term stay permit--anything that would convince them I wasn't going to rent their videos and take them back to the U.S. - I went to Florence for the art, history, architecture, pasta, wine, scenery-and was not disappointed. My intention was to get into some aspect of the tour and travel business, but I determined that that would be impossible, at least within the time limit and/or style I intended. In part, I left because day-to-day existence (without a good financial and social service support system) is a real grind. It wears you down after a while. Long-timers will say it gets better as one time goes by. I'm inclined to believe it's a combination of one's increased knowledge and tolerance of the bureaucratic intricacies as well as a lowering or changing of one's standards and expectations. In retrospect, if I had it all to do over again--knowing what I know now---I would have gone over for a specific period of time, c. 4-5 months, done my teaching, sight-seeing, etc, and come home before I got fed up! As it turned out, I reached the saturation point just when I needed to come back anyway. But I've since been back three times and will keep doing do-- it's a captivating city! - No amount of reading or even talking with people can adequately prepare you for the constant onslaught on the sidewalks (especially when the weather is nice) or on the roads, etc. Italy has one car for every 1.8 people-one of the highest concentrations in Europe. Drivers face long, drawn out searches for parking spaces. Pedestrians are constantly dodging cars and motorini (motor scooters--as plentiful as the mosquitoes but louder) and trying to walk between vehicles parked bumper-to-bumper. - In the Italian bureaucracy, nothing is easy. A native labor leader compared the services provided by the Italian government to a third world country, "Lebanon comes to mind." Recently the International Herald Tribune reported that Italy came in 44th in a survey of the bureaucratic difficulties facing international businesses in the 46 major industrialized nations of the world! Only Poland and Venezuela were worse. - It's hard to encapsulate the full dimension of the daily grind without actually experiencing it. On a day-to-day basis, those nice little picturesque streets turn out to be uneven, broken cobblestones that ruin your shoes and twist your ankles. In the rain, the marble paving becomes super-slick and you're slipping on your American rubber soles! The quaint collection of small, family-run specialty shops suddenly transforms into an endless slog through separate stores (and lines) for bread, cheese, milk, fruits & vegetables. Usually at the same time everyone else is trying to shop. And generally just before the stores are closing for the afternoon break, for the evening, or because Uncle Luigi needs help with moving stuff. And each individual purchase is accumulated in yet another plastic bag I've dubbed "Fiorentino luggage"--which you now have to lug back to the apartment! - Lastly, I would not trade this experience for anything! The Italians and the Florentines are warm, friendly people trying to cope in an almost surreal world. They are constantly bombarded by foreign tourists, by refugees swarming from across the Adriatic, by seemingly hopeless poverty in the South, and by the increasing demands of a prosperous Europe. Yet, they keep their casual good nature, their joy of life, their love of family and friends and their ability to seize the day. My students were some of the nicest people I've ever met, generous to a fault, hard workers and just a joy to be with and to teach. The whole experience of moving to a foreign country, finding accommodations, getting a job, trying to make ends meet, putting up with the day-to-day rigors---all of it together gives one an appreciation of what the locals endure or enjoy wherever it may be. If life is an adventure, then travel is truly its most exciting aspect, and this was a most exciting adventure for me.