Che giorno oggi!!!

How does this country work? I have always thought that I have a long temper, but not anymore, since I arrived to Italy. My friend said to me that my temper has also become italian, maybe that is true. Does it mean short and heated...?

There is some official documents you must take care, when you start living in Italy, in my case Milan. You must get for yourself "Codice Fiscale", which is an Italian version of tax identification number. You will need it to open up a bank account and the account you will need to sign the rent contract. And you must get residency of Milan. This all seems like done in no time. Yeah right!

Last Friday I started with getting the residency of Milan or at least I thought I would get it. I found the right place after asking two times from the street and twice inside the building. I started waiting with all the copied documents I should have....for two hours, until I had to return to school. All right I though, I have to try this later with more time.

Yesterday morning I went for the Codice Fiscale. I was behind the government building already 30 min. before it opened, but later on I found out that so were about 100 others. So I had to do an other try this morning, when finally I got it. After getting this in the morning I realised that I was too late for fashion design class. I desided to skip it and go to the bank instead. In the bank, opening an italian account isn`t that easy. It would cost me 120€/ year. After asking the costs of wiring money, interest or paying the bill via internet and not getting proper answer, I was pissed. I desided to think this through again.

My journey continued back to the office of residency. (Remember, two hours waiting last time?) There I got told to go to "Tribunale"/court, to get my copy of insurancecard translated from english to italian. WTF??? So I continued to Tribunale (the place is a size of Chicago airport) to translate my document in italian...Or not! After asking from 4 people where this office is I got turned down and laughed at.

Yes, I lost my temper. I didn`t know that after spending 11 days in this lovely country I could already swear so well and really scream at some poor officeman. When leaving the court, this nice security guy (to get in the building you must go through x-ray like in the airports) asked me if I got my things done. I guess I looked like just bursting into tears or killing somebody cause he told me to go to this translation-shop just around the courner. There I found out, that getting the god damn insurancecard translated, would take a week and cost me 70€. This card is valid EVERYWHERE in the world except in Italy I guess.

I truly believe when italians move to finland, they will have all their documents translated in finnish language. ;o) I have been taking care all these in italian, I would just like to know how do other foreigners do it here? How will I ever get used to dealing with all this paperwork and bureaucracy.

My evening ended nicely finding out, that I might not get to move to my new italian apartment cause I won`t get in time from Finland 15 000€ money transfer. If you come from Marocco and have a job selling umbrellas on the streets you will get an apartment, but if you are a Finnish student, studying in the best fashion school in Italy, having the cash available... you are not allowed to sign the rentcontract...