Er, lions. And stuff. Not when you grow up in it. I do sprint and hill workouts in that every summer.
Definitely go and do it. Italy is the shit. If you have opportunities there that could make you a nice living and you can get by, go for the adventure. You might like where you live because the people are genuine and nice and it's a simple life there, but maybe you need some adventure. If your dad is willing to play ball with you and help out, why not? Plus Italian girls are hot. And you could cross that off your list. Being a lawyer can be soul draining. You can't make yourself like something if there's no way you ever have before.
Wether freaks out all over this continent, the one hardware guy selling salt and plough shovels is probably earning his kid's college money right now. It's funny, chains are illegal here the entire year. I've never seen them on a car in my life.
sack - my initial response is fuck yeah, go to italy. But then i wonder what you are looking for. i have a feeling you are just trying to run away from your current life, and when you do that without a change to the fundamental problem (which i'd have to say is your mindset), it will tend to follow you. so what do you expect to change in your life by going?
There is no heat I don't welcome. But it's different handling cold your not used to than heat. Heat requires shade and mixed drinks with little fruit wedges on the edge of the glass. Cold brings snow that blinds you, Ice that kills you and everything in between: six months of nothing but pure FILTH outdoors and in, freezing weather that makes people sick and doubles commute times. Yes, heat is a piece of cake compared to cold. Winter sucks, sucks, sucks, period. It is as fun as a car door slamming on your open hand.
I think also if you work an American company overseas, you can make up to the first $90k a year tax free. Plus of you put yourself in a place where you don't have time to think about your problems, it might make you forget them and be a spark for change.
At least this year we get a fantastic thing about Winter: Olympics. The fun, exciting ones where we don't get four-hour sob stories before each event about how Billy Joe Jimbobstein pushed himself to be the best triple-jumper he could be.
Yeah. And it also costs some people a lot of money, since a few cities have heavily oil-based economies.
Derp, blonde moment! Being indoors for too long does funky things to a mushy brain! Sack, another thought: you're still processing a major life change. I think that when I've gone through life changes the stable parts and people in my life helped me cope until things settled down. Part of me thinks, "Fuck yeah! Go for it!" But the other part would be inclined to give it some time and wait until my head was a little bit more clear/I had more emotional distance and time from the divorce. Italy and your contacts will still be around a year or so from now, right? There's no rush.
The gauges and levers on the hydraulic lifts are usually uncovered, so they get frozen. Most oil fields are off of dirt roads, which freeze and don't get salted, so workers can't get out there. Ground can get covered in ice, and the city doesn't restore any affected powerlines until after it does all the houses. All this adds up to impossible fracking conditions. Then, when the conditions improve, it's a bit slow starting the whole process back up. eta: Unlike north dakota, which spends more preparing for this, nobody in Texas really prepares for ice/etc., so it's more vulnerable
I'm not going to offer advice so much as offer up my experience. Spoilered for size. Spoiler I've been living overseas for 18 months, year in Korea and the rest in Germany. When I was younger I took four years of Italian classes and spent a little over two weeks in country. With regards to just living overseas the novelty of living overseas dies off pretty quickly. It's cool for the first 6 months but then everything just kind of becomes routine. You're really going to miss the conveniences of American life, like stores and restaurants that are open 24 hours a day or on Sundays. The cost of living in Europe is pretty ridiculous in many places, gas gets pretty crazy in some countries because of taxes, like everything that is sold in Germany has a 19% sales tax and buying gas on the German economy is 1.5x more expensive than in America. I don't know about Italy specifically. Also, you really don't realize what you're leaving behind until it's gone. Like I just had a fucking meltdown last night after I realized I've been overseas for a year and a half and I will be living here For at least another 1.5 years, possibly 3.5 and not going home for probably that whole duration. I'm not even that close with any of my friends or family back in the states, at least not anymore. I never thought I'd be someone to get homesick yet here I am. Another thing, in my experience people from other countries generally either really like Americans, or really hate them. Try as hard as you can to blend with the culture, until then claim you're Canadian. Seriously, whenever I travel I just tell people I'm a student from Canada and I get WAY nicer reactions than if I tell them I'm in the American military. If you do come over please don't act like a douche and give people an actual reason to hate us. Regardless of how you personally act, unless you have locals who will vouch for you everywhere you go certain places you will be denied entry and/or treated differently since you are an American in some places. The good thing about Europe is the diversity of culture, the fact that it's really easy to get around by train/taxi/bus because of open borders and that there is a ton of shit to see. I've been in Germany six months and I got to go to Oktoberfest in Munich, go to Normandy in France and see where D-Day happened, concerts in Amsterdam, I'm going to Berlin next weekend, hopefully London for New Years, and I'm going skiing in the Alps basically whenever I can make it down to the mountains. Most Americans never get to do any of that stuff, and once you're in Europe it's all pretty easy to get to. Italy was rad, in two weeks I got to see Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, Pompeii and some parts of Sicily. The only advice I'd give is that I'd go for it as long as you have a guaranteed job and aren't running away from your problems. Also, if you don't know how learn to drive stick before you come here and get your international drivers license as well. That and tons of places only take cash so get used to that.
Cold and snowing outside, and I'm Feeling kind of crappy today. I'm thinking some mulled wine might help me feel better, at least for a few hours.
I agree with this guy (or lady). You have nothing that ties you to your current location other than family and stability. Why not? This is the opportunity of a lifetime! And not to be rude, but you're not getting any younger. This sort of conversation would play out very differently in ten years. But right now, you can still do this without anyone accusing you of going through a midlife crisis. If it works out and you love it there, you'll be so happy you decided to pack up and move away from all the things that were holding you back from realizing your dream. If it doesn't, you can always move back. And you'll be a more well-rounded person for having gone and done something like this. Go.
'Sack, I vote go. Is there a rush? Maybe not, but you're in a unique position where you have very little keeping you here. Who's to say, in a year or two, you won't have a job, or a relationship, or SOMETHING keeping you from going abroad. I spent all of 10 days in Italy when I was 14, and while I thought it was amazing, I can't speak to living there. In regards to Cult's post, I disagree. I spent a year in Copenhagen when I was 19, and I never got any real flack for being an American. Maybe it's different if you're military, but you aren't. I had a hard time in the first few months meeting people and making my first friends, but honestly, I thought it got better as time went on, and I was really sad to leave. You get acclimated, you adjust, and theoretically, you fall in love with the place. As to running away from your problems, who cares? As long as you don't expect leaving to FIX your problems for you. Sometimes you need a little space and a little time before you can deal with your shit, anyways.
You're in a position to go. Don't do it because you're running from anything. Whatever you're running from will follow you. But fuck. Go spend a year or two really finding yourself. Also - this ice is something else. We can handle snow - mild panic but nothing crazy. This ice? It's thick, and not something we as an economy or a state are prepared for. Some states panic and shut down at 95+° temps. That's chili weather to us. Trade off is - we are poorly equipped to handle sheets of ice layering everything.
When I was in Europe in '08 I experienced what Cult was referring to. A lot of Euros of varying countries really don't like the US and because of that don't like Americans. I remember experiencing it in Switzerland, Italy and a bit in Germany. As soon as someone hears your accent, they may be a dick to you. I don't disagree with saying you're Canadian at first.
Yeah but Americans don't really give a shit though. Then again I've been all over Europe and never met someone that gave me shit for being American.