Day 9 - Nov 28

They gave me a virtual machine to work with. Basically it's a copy of what they're working on, but I can mess with it and it won't break anything they're doing. I'm supposed to learn what they're doing and then write new features for it. Lately, I've had zip to do, so I've been playing a lot of solitaire and hearts. That doesn't quite help the loneliness. But I'll make it. Twenty three more days!

Got a little time on the Internet this morning. My friend Amy made my day. She sent me a sweet message reminding me how much God loves me and how he's in control. Sometimes I need to practice what I preach.

Hopefully, they'll have more for me to do later. Think I'm gonna hit Blockbuster later. I have to go get more passport photos made and there is a booth near Blockbuster. I have to go to the Police Station on Thursday - get permission to work here while my company applies for my work Visa. I have more documents than I ever thought I'd need. I've had to provide:
The birth certificates of everyone in my family
My marriage certificate
Bank statements to prove I can afford to live here - even though I'm not paying rent
Proof of Health Insurance for everyone in my family
Copy of my high school degree
Copy of my college degree
Copies of my paychecks
Letter stating that I'm still employed by my Company in the US
Letter stating my purpose for working here
Letter stating my expected return date
Copy of the apartment lease
Copy of my passport
Invitation letter from the Italian company

In a nutshell, it all comes down to the fact that the unemployment rate in Italy is about 25%. They want to make sure I can afford to live here (It's about 1.4 times as expensive as in the US). They want to make sure that I'm not taking a low wage job from an Italian who could do the same thing. At home, our jobs are disposable. Here, they have the Italian Labor Union. Once you have a job, it's next to impossible to fire you. If you get fired, it's next to impossible to get another job. People spend their entire careers with one company. Since I graduated college in 1992, I've been at 12 jobs.

I think my father-in-law has been at two companies in his 42 years working. I've been with my current company for almost 2 years. By the time I'm done with Italy, I have to work for them for at least 9 more months. So that will put me at at least 3 1/2 years. Almost a new record for me.

Went downtown and ate at McDonalds. Had a Vanilla shake, too. Although, the lady misunderstood me, so it was Vanilla and Chocolate. Still good. One of the employees at Blockbuster spoke English so she got me set up with a card. I'm in business now. Rented Mission Impossible 3. What a great movie. Didn't do so good at the theater cause Tom Cruise jumped around on a couch, but it was worth my money.

Hoping I get Internet at home soon. They said 20 days, but sometimes it's faster. I have movies, though.