U.S.A- a-okay

In a completely unrelated to anything this blog is supposed to represent post...how do I make this dance "all the rage" in Milan???
That would be, in a word, awesome.

Arrivederci- when saying Later Gator seems inappropriate

This was a killer week, in my world of insurance and pasta. Busy at work and outside as well, all topped off by the fact that I threw a dinner party for about 15 people in a kitchen that comfortably seats five.

My friends Marco and Carla left this week to start a job in Luxembourg for the Banca Generali, which is the finance and investing end of the huge Italian Insurance conglomerate Generali (for those of you who have been to Rome, you’ve seen Generali’s administrative offices in Piazza Venezia- and if you’ve visited Italy recently, perhaps even their TV advertisements with a lion, the company symbol, protecting a man from the dangers of the Jungle. I think it drives home the idea of personal risk management and protection- so points to them for a memorable ad campaign!)

Anyway, watching them say goodbye to Milan, where they have been for years now (Carla has been here for 3 and Marco 7), brought me way back to January 2007 when I was saying goodbye to so many friends and family myself. Fundamentally, as human beings (or essere umani for them), it is difficult to leave something so certain and familiar for something unknown. My first thought upon seeing the tearful hugs, best wishes for whatever the future may hold, and thoughtful glances that seemed to say “come back home soon”, was to my own friends at college and at home when I left. It was hard to say goodbye to Sam and Simone- to Martha, Sarah and Chris- when they had always been there to make me laugh or chortle. Then it dawned on me that had I never said goodbye, I would have never met any of the wonderful fascinating people I have met over the past year. That is what this age- this stage in life is about. Growth.

Now back to the crazy Italians who are moving to Luxembourg. When faced with a challenge like this one, especially because they are being sent over as part of a team to open an entire office, you have to jump! It isn’t only the tremendous expense a company must undertake to move you there, train you in new areas and teach you French- but the idea that you are being singled out as a rising star. Luxembourg for Carla and Marco isn’t an exile, but rather an opportunity to learn about a new market, and to really make a name for themselves within the company. An opportunity for…Growth.

I have learned such a tremendous amount since being here, all of which I reflected on today when I probably (read: definitely) should have been working. In New York, I had always thought about the money we were making- big premium dollars, big name Insureds (clients) and big policy limits- but we had a fairly limited geographic area in which we worked. In Italy, working in the exact same sector, I have learned not only how to Underwrite other “Financial Lines” products like Directors and Officers Insurance, Employment Practices Liability and Crime- but I have also worked on Architects and Engineer’s Professional Insurance and put together programs on a territory that spans an entire country and so the needs and risks vary greatly.

Even when you take the jump though- you can always be comforted by the fact that wherever you go on this earth (except for maybe small African villages, I have to check on that) there will always be…karaoke.

Filling in the gaps

Having a degree in Italian Literature and Language allows me to do many things here. I can talk about Dante’s Divine Comedy at length, conjugate random verbs into strange tenses and discuss the development of the Italian Language from regional dialects into one unified language over the course of the past 100 years. Surprisingly however, these topics usually don’t come up on a Saturday night out with the friends.

How often, over the course of an evening among friends in your age group, do you cite random quotes from a Will Ferrell movie? Or maybe you prefer a classic scene from Saved by the Bell (my personal favorite being Jesse Spano’s caffeine pill addiction. She was so excited, so excited- so…so…scared). As much as I wish these “classics” held the same significance for my Italian friends as they do for me, I have had to catch up on some of their own childhood highlights.

Here are some little tidbits that you can all throw into a conversation to help you fit in- and win some points with the locals at the same time.

Topo Gigio- Topo is a little Italian mouse who has been prelevant on Italian television for the past fifty years. He sings songs and always wants a kiss goodnight before leaving a scene. He is also well traveled, as he was a reoccurring guest on the Ed Sullivan Show (so, Topo Gigio and The Beatles got their American break in the same place). He was also known to pop up from time to time on the record player at my Grandma’s house, as we are, after all, Italian Americans.


Raffaella Carrà- Raffaella is the Italian answer to Cindi Lauper and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. She was popular in the late 70’s and her songs remain a staple of any Karaoke night or party with friends. This is one of her highlights, Com’è bello fa l’amore da Trieste in giù (Tanti Auguri). Remember it is appropriate after she sings “Tanti Auguri,” to yell “Graaa” and throw your head back in a “Fainting Southern Belle” type move.


Adriano Celentano- ahhh, il GRANDE Celentano. Adriano Celentano is one of the first, and biggest, Italian pop stars. He enjoys the type of fame that Billy Joel finds on my native Long Island. Here is a clip (oddly from a concert in Germany) of his song Il Ragazzo di Via Gluk which is a song about Urbanization. I like to think of it as the Italian “Down-easter Alexa.”



Amici- Amici is one of the many shows on Television hosted by a woman named Maria De Filippi. It is almost an Italian “American Idol”, except that there are competitive dancers as well as singers. The “nasty judge” is also one of Adriano Celentano’s nieces, who used to be a dancer in her own right. The show is highlighted by a drag queen named Platinette, an American dancing teacher named Garrison. One of the competition’s challenges is an abbreviated musical, which I have included a clip of. I warn you that it is a little long- but trust me, it is worth it!

3 day return to the English Language

I don’t think I will ever forget that day in the second week of January. It had been raining for what felt like the 30th day in a row, which in a city like Milan, created a gloomy and gray atmosphere that I carried into my office with me every morning. Then there was that day- the GLORIOUS day that we all received an email from Human Resources by level. In Italy, specifically in my company, pre-managerial employees are broken down into levels from one to six (with one being the lowest). I looked at Level 5 and then quickly consulted my last paycheck for my roll-over days from last year.

I have 35 vacation days. Yikes! Plus, contractually we are only required to stay until 12:30 on Friday afternoons. I was flabbergasted- and justifiably so, when you consider that most people in the US get two weeks off a year. I wonder what would happen if I walked into work and asked for ALL of June and July off!

Anyway, last weekend I decided to use some of that vacation time the way I see many of my colleagues do- a Long Weekend. Having recently discovered the European gemstone Ryan Air (www.ryanair.com), I flew to London where a friend of mine from George Washington U is getting a Masters Degree. With a five euro flight (you read that correctly- I paid FIVE euro plus taxes, making a trip to England cheaper than a train to Rome), I really couldn’t have gone wrong.

London is a fabulous and fascinating city, full of history, culture and just plain fun. I’ve always thought of London as a wonderful “gateway” to Europe for Americans. It’s a great starting place for European travel, not just because they speak English, but because the American culture is not just transmitted but understood on a level that it is not in the rest of Europe. Plus, I can make references to “Anchorman” in a conversation and it doesn’t seem crazy.

It was also an interesting weekend, in that, while spending time with my friend, I had the chance to meet a lot of what we refer to here as the “Ex-pat community.” Friday night, we celebrated my friend’s birthday in a group composed of 3 Americans, 2 Canadians, 2 English and an Australian- a veritable cornucopia of the world’s English speaking community! The entire experience was made even more interesting while talking to these other ex-patriots. We were all living thousands of miles from our home, but we each had a unique reason for being where we were. We also spoke about the difficultly in being American overseas, where our lives and our plans can be overshadowed by problems like, Working Visas, heavy or double taxes (as April 15th approaches). Even more disturbing is the thought that living in such vibrant and wonderful places could end in a heartbeat if you’re unable to renew a Student Visa after graduation or if the government doesn’t allow you to establish residency. I began to appreciate my dual citizenship all the more- even though I spent two years submitting documents to the Italian consulate in New York proving my Italian roots, before getting my passport.

Either way, having talked to these different people all weekend, all from different walks of life, but with a great passion for what they were doing and what brought them overseas, I began to think of all the opportunities that exist for those willing to put in a little research. Most college students know about Fulbright scholarships- but a lot of college students probably don’t know that there are Universities in the states that have graduate student Exchange programs as well. NYU for example, has accords with a number of Universities in Europe and Asia- including Bocconi right here in Milan. My friend Laura is at the London School of Economics studying Communications and Politics through a program with the University of Southern California. I came here with dual citizenship, but through organizations like the National Italian American Foundation (www.niaf.org) there are practically limitless opportunities for Research Grants- and even a questionnaire to help pre-qualify people for dual citizenship with the Republic of Italy!

What does this leave us with? For me, the answer is that there is always a way to make that BIG move for those who have the passion and the patience to find an answer.

My new appreciation for the Metric System

Being in a foreign country can at times present its challenges to anybody- but being an American I find sometimes puts you at a particular disadvantage. But this isn’t a statement that I’m pulling out of nowhere- I have had another cultural run in that once again reminds me that I was not born here.

In Italy, it is required by law for employed people to be examined periodically for conditions that could cause them injury in the future. Now, you may think that working as an Insurance underwriter disqualifies me for office industry- but my friend, you would be sadly mistaken. After all, our business is risk analysis- and so who better than us to know that danger potentially lurks behind every corner.

The first part of my medical journey through Milan started 2 weeks ago when I went with my collegue Maurizio to the hospital for our physical check up. This was comprised of two parts- a general check up and an eye exam. It was actually an interesting process, as the doctor took us aside and reviewed not only personal factors (do you smoke? Check no. Do you play sport? Check yes. Do you get tired at work? Who doesn’t!), but also details pertaining to our job space. He asked me how far I sat from the computer monitor, if there was air conditioning, if there was a glare or blinds to close on our windows. He checked for Scoliosis and blood pressure which are the hazards of our lives glued to swivel chairs.

These may seem like random details to ask- and a terrible reason for someone to take 3 hours out of a work day- but its their way of ensuring if we are able to perform our job, and if anything were to go wrong in the future- if it is the Company’s fault or not.

Of course, I caused problems from the second I walked in the door. The conversation went as follows:
Doctor X: Okay- how tall are you?
Me: Well- in feet I’m 5 foot 8. In meters- ummmm- less than 2
Doctor: Umm, yes, I’d say about 1.7. How much do you weigh?
Me: Well, in POUNDS I’m around …(Sorry Experience- I’m not putting that in writing!)

Anyway, the poor doctor couldn’t eyeball weight the way he could height (except he was kind enough to point out that I was probably heavy). Nor was his room equipped with a scale and at that, neither was his neighbor. We spent about 20 minutes running around the first floor of the hospital looking for a scale- all because I never really thought to weigh myself in pounds.

These are the little pieces of living here- the pieces that are so very important but don’t cross your path every day- but pieces that are essential. It made me realize how much vital information I don’t know, not out of ignorance, but because I’ve never needed to. To emphasize that point- 911 in Italy won’t get you help in an emergency. I did learn some valuable lessons from my trip to the doctor though- and a new appreciation for the ratio of pounds to kilos when I walked out of the hospital feeling half my size!

Ciao

Hello loyal experience readers! Welcome to my blog. I guess the only way to start this correctly would be to take a trip back in time to January of 2007. I was living in New York and working as a Professional Liability Underwriter for the biggest Insurance Company in the world. I enjoyed my job and despite the fact that I hated my commute, I was having a good time living back on Long Island after 4 years away at college.

That being said, there was something eating away slowly at my soul. I had always wanted to move to Italy. It wasn't something that I could cure with a nice two week vacation either- I felt like I had to be there, live there, buy vegetables in a market that wasn't "super," and drink wine in a big, open piazza filled with history. I decided that 2 years after college, it was time to make just such a move- before I was so tied in with obligations to work and my life in New York, that I would never get out.

So on February 1st of 2007, I moved to Rome. I must say that it was significantly easier to effectuate a transatlantic move because I had dual citizenship and therefore am legally Italian- but I was also moving to a place with a tight job market and relatively high unemployment. Either way, within 2 months I had found a job, working as an Aviation Insurance Broker for a big American company. It was an interesting job and a good continuation of what I had started in New York, but I had also learned that if you want a serious job with room for upward mobility- it was better to be in Milan. Through some contacts I had made while still in New York, I learned that my old company was looking for Financial Lines Underwriters (Professional Liability, Directors and Officers Insurance, Crime/Fidelity and Employment Practices Liability) in Milan.

So here I am! February 2008- a full year later, and I’m living and working in Milan. Even though it is hard to be so far away from home, I learn new things every day both on the job and outside the office. So ask me questions! Its not the easiest thing to move overseas- there was a lot of prep work before hand and constant challenges, but it has certainly proved the age old saying to be true- Nothing worth getting comes easily…