Saturday 17 November 2012

The countdown is on

This was meant to be our last summer in Italy. I mean to say it was our last summer in Italy since it's now autumn. If you read this blog every now and then you will recall that bel marito applied and was accepted for Australian permanent residency. Before bella bambina was born and before the accident it was planned that we would leave Italy around the end of November. She was meant to be born mid September and we had calculated the time it would take to get her Australian residency and her Australian passport thinking that by November everything would be ready and we would be right to go. Obviously we did not calculate the accident which put us back a little and made things a little more complicated. The accident however has NOT stopped us! We are all booked and set to leave Italy on the 13th of December, in order to be home in time for my birthday (16th of December) so that finally after who recalls how many years I can celebrate with my twin.

You can say that we are a little disappointed that our last Italian summer didn't exactly go as planned. Oh what high hopes we had! We were planning a little Italian seaside break the week before bella bambina was to be born (thankfully I hadn't got around to booking it), we wanted to go for more day trips and visit some of our favourite or not yet discovered places, we wanted to take bella bambina to the beach...we wanted to do a lot of things which we haven't done. I am happy to say however that bel marito and I are not people who leave things until the last minute. We managed to make it to Barcelona while bella bambina was safely asleep in my stomach and we took bel bambino to the beach most days so the summer was not entirely spent in the hospital. And we will be back for more summers. As tourists the next time.

Our trip home may be a little awkward. I am not sure if I will be on crutches since my knee - the bane of my life - is still locked. I didn't hurt my knee in the accident but had the metal rods inserted there to keep my hip still since it was fractured into a million little pieces. My knee therefore was set in place for 50 long days and they tell me it's going to take time for it to unlock and function normally. I go to the best rehab everyday, possibly the best rehab in the whole country since it is famous amongst sport stars, most of who travel from as far as Spain to get back into motion here. I will probably have to continue rehab in Melbourne but the important thing is to just get us onto that plane. So what if bella bambina has to enter on her Italian passport with a 3 month tourist visa, so what if we will have an interesting time at immigration trying to explain that! Winter is setting in, summer is awaiting us in Australia and I just want to be gone from here. We wanted to leave Italy with happy memories...we have happy memories yes along with some bad but this experience has not scarred us for life. We will be back, maybe before we had hoped since we have an ongoing insurance case which is a story in itself...but much to the fear of the locals this accident will not stop us from returning - for a holiday.  And this blog is not finished yet.

7 comments:

Lou said...

Leanne, I feel like I have been on such a long journey with you.
I first found your blog about 4 days ago as I was searching for information on moving to Italy. Seems like we both have similar backgrounds, both sets of grandparents were born in Calabria but moved to australia during/after the war. I was born in Sydney but after visiting my grandparents home town last year and meeting my Italian relatives who still live there my goal is to move there with my partner.
As soon as I read your first few posts I was hooked and I have since read every single post up until now (basically I've read your blog non stop for 3 days) I can't thank you enough for continuing with this blog and I can't believe how things have gone for you and your family. Even though I am a stranger I am thinking of you and your family and wishing you all the best and sending my positive thoughts and I know things will get better for you.. I hope you and your son recover quickly and enjoy your life in Melbourne. All the best, Lou.

Leanne was in Italy now in Australia said...

Hi Lou,
Best of luck with your move - if you move. It can be great living here, without children i could have stayed but we are moving for them. Thanks for reading the whole blog too!

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Anonymous said...

Leanne, I've also recently (like 3 hours ago actually) stumbled across your blog when googling something about sending parcels to Italy- and I just wanted to say I hope you and your beautiful family have a safe journey back to Australia, and I want to wish you all the best! I'll be following your blog (from Sydney :p)
-Fiona

suzie said...

Woe, Leanne, what a story, accident and hospital. My son was in hospital in Vibo Valentia this summer for something really minor... but being in an Calabrian hospital for serious things... mamma mia. I hope you and the kids and even bel marito are recovering from the pain and experience.

I just discoverd you blog (via an Italian blog page), but I have heard from you before. What a bitty I only discover your writing now, just before you are leaving.

Above in the comments you say, you are leaving for the kids. Is it because of education? Kindergarten should be ok in Italy. Would like to know.

We have a house in Pizzo, I would love to live there. But I prefer International School for my son - and of couse, my husband's work is not there. So we are based in Thailand for now.

Take good care, all the best,
see you in blogspace
xxx
suzie
(from PalazzoPizzo)

Sarah Elizabeth said...

Leanne, I'm so glad to hear your plans for leaving and that your accident hasn't got in the way of that. I hope you continue to heal well and I look forward to hearing about your move 'From Italy to Australia'! All the best to you and your beautiful family x x x

Unknown said...

HI, I have been reading your blog on an off for a year or so. Today after a long absence I popped in. I am so sorry about what happened to you but I believe this would happen in Calabria. I have just returned from a brief trip to Italy. I spent some of the time in Reggio di Calabria - my late mother's home town with my cousins and aunts. Yes, it certainly is a land without regulations or rules or the regular things we take for granted in Australia. And my dear relatives kept asking me if this was my favourite place in Italy. I wish you all in the best in your return to Oz and yours and your sons continued recovery. Take care. Marcellina xxx