Italian Word of the Day – “Ricominciare” (+ Visa Update)

La Maestra Maldestra

It’s been a long time since I last published a Word of the Day post, but I figured this was fitting. Today we’re going to learn about the word ricominciare.

ri (again) + cominciare (start) = to start again

And that’s exactly what I have to do with this whole Italian Visa process, folks.

Grazie to all of you who took the time to leave a comment, send a message, say a prayer or light a candle for me when I went to apply for my Italian work Visa a couple weeks ago. Things didn’t quite go as planned (obviously) and now my team of trusty friends and I have to ricominciare da zero (start back at square one) with the whole process.

Back to the drawing board…

Having to re-do things because they weren’t quite right the first time isn’t as disheartening, however, as hearing that something’s impossible. And I’m (thankfully) sitting in the first camp. So now I know how things go. Now I know what to do, who to see, what to send and what to sign. This Visa is still within reach, and so is my dream of living and working in Italy (again).

So, to ricominciare is not all bad. No, not at all. Besides, I’m not the only one who has to fare salti mortali (jump through hoops) to get something done on the Visa or Permesso di Soggiorno (permit to stay) front.

Take a look at these posts from other great Italy bloggers to read their trials and tribulations:

Girl in Florence – How to Survive Your Next Permesso di Soggiorno Renewal

Italy Project 365 – How to Obtain a Permesso di Soggiorno per Lavoro

The Florentine – Let’s Talk About Visas II

And just because we are still talking about our Word of the Day, take a listen to Adriano Pappalardo’s 1979 hit, “Ricominciamo” (Let’s Start Over).

(If the original music video is available in your area, take a look. The guy looks like a pro wrestler-turned-singer!)

Word of the Day – Disoccupata

La Maestra Maldestra

Disoccupata = Unemployed = Me

How’s that for some easy math?

Sì, dear readers, as of November 29th, I became suddenly, somewhat unexpectedly, immediately disoccupata. Unemployed. Without a job. Senza un lavoro.

Why? Well, the usual reasons, I suppose: la crisi (the financial crisis, which is supposed to have less of an impact on Canada than other places…), mancanza di lavoro (not enough work to do), and the fact that many companies are trying to ridurre le spese (reduce their expenses).

Yep, around lunchtime on the 29th I was told to box up my things, hand in my keys and not come back. (Please note that all of this was done in the nicest way possible and I hold absolutely no grudge against my former employer.)

But where does all this leave me?

My first thought was to immediately run off to Italy, where, unfortunately, I’d fit in with the rest of the unemployed masses. And, you know, because I love it there.

My second thought was to look for a new job, which is not nearly as exciting as going back to Italy, or to any place, for that matter.

My last thought was to go back to school, even though I only left school a year and a half ago.

So what have I decided to do?

Well, I’m trying to organize something that involves all three choices. Voi che ne pensate? What do you think?

Many of my friends and family members have weighed in on the situation, and all of them have ended up telling me the same thing:

“Quando si chiude una finestra, si apre un portone.”

When one door closes, another one opens.

I have faith that something exciting is in the works for me. And when I figure out just what it is, I’ll be sure to let you all know.

Meet The “Maestra Maldestra!”

  The Frazzled Chef was getting lonely. Her kitchen escapades keep her busy, certamente, but she was looking for a bit of company here at Not Just Another “Dolce Vita”.

My solution? (Along with the help of the incredibly talented Brittany LeClerc!)
Meet the Maestra Maldestra, Not Just Another “Dolce Vita’s” klutz of a teacher! The language lover that she is, she’ll be the one responsible for the Word of the Day section. If you have any suggestions for upcoming Word of the Day posts, non esitate (don’t hesitate) to leave a comment!

La Maestra Maldestra

Some of La Maestra’s Popular Word of the Day Posts

Pedoni

Ben Tornata

Peperoni

Uomo Morto

Cappuccio

Scambio di Lingua