This week C.O.S.I blogger roundtable focuses on crazy comments we regularly receive or see online, which is why the featured image happens to be a spritz from the Mozzarella bar, we all need a drink to read this post.  Being that we as foreigners, have made our home in another country and happen to be pretty public about it. It’s absolutely natural (and mostly welcome – you can contact me for example at ggncally84 [at] hotmail [dot] com – my contact form is a little wonky at the moment) to get emails from people who have questions about life in Italy. If you have had trouble reaching me as of late, I apologize, with moving the blog over to a new platform, obviously working through all of the bugs and tech mess is a little crazy. But if you email me via the address above, I will get back to you.

I honestly read every email and try to answer when I can, I really do! I remember being in that dark place long ago, not knowing how to make living in Italy a reality though I didn’t know the wonderful world of blogging like I do now. I know I asked all sorts of people for advice but I also took it upon myself to do a lot of research without expecting someone else to do it for me. I’ve definitely gotten my fair share of random emails, one claimed to be my soul mate, one wanted me to find and buy their entire group Italian phone sim cards (what?).

‘Can You Get Me A Visa’ 

When I get emails basically asking for an easy 10-step ‘how to get a visa’ email or even worse ‘how to get a job without a visa {which isn’t legal} it does bristle me a bit. Also because I have written a few blogs posts touching on this subject to give people my viewpoint on the famous process of the permesso di soggiorno, example one (permesso di soggiono, my experience)  and two (how to survive your next permesso di soggiorno renewal) and three resources for expats and immigrants.

I would like to introduce the question askers to the Georgette of 2008-2010, the one that was going through hell and back to get the legal right to stay here without having to be a student (see the bad blond dye-job below). She wasn’t the most pleasant person to be around, prone to nervous breakdowns and crying fits that often had a ‘why me’ spin to it. I shudder sometimes at those memories and thankfully like is pretty awesome now.

Seriously no one helped me with this, I really had to do everything on my own, with the help of my ex-boyfriend and his wonderful family. When I asked other Americans, they sort of giggled and said ‘good luck’ thinking I would be on the next plane back to Texas. The carabinieri in front of the Questura in Florence actually recommended that I ‘get pregnant’ or ‘married’ which is indeed the easiest way to get a visa here. Um, not thanks! The reason why I don’t openly recommend people to do the exact same process as I did —  is because frankly I just don’t know if most people have it in them to go through the craziness that I did or if I had to do it again, would I? Obviously getting a job and visa in Italy isn’t impossible for a non-EU citizen, but it’s an extremely masochistic process and then for what kind of job? Unemployment in Italy is very high and the jobs available are pretty crappy. Long hours, bad pay unless you get an elite job that almost don’t exist because people [smartly] never leave them.

The answer that I give people is always the same. The best way to live & work in Italy is to come for a one-year student visa, learn the language (which yes you have to if you have any hope at all at surviving happily in Italy) and work part-time. The easiest jobs to get are teaching English and nannying. We all did it, it’s almost a passage of rights in Italy for native-English speakers even if I question it a tad. More so because teaching is a very real (and hard) job and shouldn’t just be somebodies back-up plan, it does a disservice to them and to the student, let’s get real here – just because your fluent in the language doesn’t mean your adept at teaching it. A year is a good amount of time to dedicate your dream and see if this is really the life you want to live. If you can get a job transfer or work remotely, allowing your company to help you with the visa – even better!

I would sadly say that most people I meet who come here end up eventually leaving if they aren’t married to an Italian (and even sometimes if they are) because financially it’s so difficult to survive. At least two of my good friends have left in the past year or two, living in Florence can mean saying an endless amount of goodbyes. Hence why many Italians say at home until they get a good job/married and sometimes not even after that. After all, they call the latest group of Italian youngsters the ‘1,000 euro generation’ to exemplify just how much you can expect to earn even with a decent education. A lot of us freelance for a reason, usually because we have to.

If you do manage to get a work visa, like I did than bravo! You did it! Like I said, it’s not impossible just improbable. I feel a bit like obi wan kenobi when I tell people I have one ;-). On a side note, trying to live and work in Italy without a visa questions are just straight up annoying. This isn’t 1985 when people might have looked the other way, do you really want to have a heart attack every-time you see a police officer on a train? Plus you are in for a real ‘treat’ if you leave the Schengen Zone where they often ask you for visa papers, it’s basically like playing Russian Roulette, nobody wins, especially not you.

To attest to how awkward a time 2008 in Italy was, I share a time I thought I actually thought blond hair looked good on me 

 Can You Plan My Italy Vacation

The great thing about Google is that all you have to do is type a word in a search box and tons of results related to that word show up. Sometimes I get emails that basically ask me to plan their entire trip as if I had an extra 3 hours that day to dedicate to their travel plans. Sadly, it’s already a lot to keep up with this blog, which is not my primary job but my passion. 90% of emails I get from people are great! In fact I started Girl in Florence to provide tips and advice to others looking to travel to Florence and beyond. I will give you restaurant recommendations, hotel recommendations, but plan a whole trip —  not gonna happen. I do think there are still travel planners out there who will be more than happy to do so with a fee of course ;-). I do sometimes get invites to join people on their vacations in Florence for a drink or dinner which if I can, sometimes do, I actually love meeting new people. But if it’s a guy who just happened to see the ‘ girl in Florence’ title he’s really thinking ‘is a girl in Florence ‘cough couch’ available for a night – no thanks!

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Most of the emails that I get are great, I have teared up at some of the nice comments people have written to me. Thank you so much for that, I honestly never expected that this blog would ever get more followers than my immediate family and I truly humbled. I always get a little shock of excitement every time I get a new comment on one of my posts :). Despite what can honestly seem like a rant above, this was the blogger round-table topic of the week and I do love getting your emails and questions and if you have some cool article ideas you think would be neat, send them to me.

Plus if you are a blogger, share your story! What kinds of crazy emails or comments do you regularly get? 

To see more posts from other crazy stranieri in Italy (We started out own group and yes, we are kinda proud!) check out these posts:

‘It Really Is C.O.S.I’ – Married to Italy

‘Blogging about Italy is Hilarious: Comments, Emails & Humans’  – Surviving in Italy

‘Freakonomics Italian Style‘ – Rick’s Rome

‘How Not to make friends in a foreign country‘ – The Florence Diaries

‘Quirky Questions about life in Italy‘ – Unwilling Expat

‘Best Email Ever Received’  – Englishman in Italy