Getting used to the US

After living in Italy for 40 years, it was a pretty big adjustment for Gianni to start life over again in a new country.

Some of the new things Gianni enjoys here is living near church history sites and temples, eating breakfast at McDonalds, having a full-sized gymnasium and kitchen in our church building, watching the NCAA tournament and appreciating appliances like garbage disposals and clothes dryers.

There are many things he misses about his country. Holidays are difficult since they remind him of what all of his friends and family are doing in Italy at that time. It seems that the Italians are far more social than we are in America - he says they always have people over to the house to eat (what else?) and play games. While he has made some friends here, he misses the social culture of Italy. Another thing that drives Gianni crazy (literally) is the speed limit. In Italy he often travelled at 160 mph on the highways, so the 55-75 mph limit speed limit is painful to obey.

Gianni and Joe watching his favorite soccer team, AC Milan

Learning a new language has been frustrating for Gianni since he is very eloquent when he speaks in his native tongue. Even though he has made great progress in learning English, he is still very self-conscience about it.

The biggest challenge for Gianni in living in the US is not having a job that is commensurate with his abilities and experience. Since he cannot apply for citizenship until October 2009, he is limited in what jobs he can apply for. Gianni's expertise is in safety and security and the US is more cautious about "foreigners" since 9-11. Right now he is working for Brinks, an amored truck service, but this doesn't bring him much job satisfaction.