Tag: expat experiences

The trials of raising a bilingual child in small-town Italy

Categories 1,000 Words about Sicily, About me, Culture Shock, Essay, Expat, Expat advice from Italy, Expat experiences, Italia, Italy, Italy in the time of Covid, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Postcards from Sicily, Sicilia, Sicily

I'm raising my child to speak English in Italy, not just anywhere in Italy but precisely in a small town in Sicily. Unlike the major cities on the peninsula like Rome, Milan, or even Palermo, with large ex-pat communities and English international schools, I'm the only English speaker in my local community. This is great…

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Creativity and mental health

Categories About me, Article, Essay, Italia, Italy, Italy in the time of Covid, Life in Sicily, Sicilian diary, Sicily, words from Sicily, Writing1 Comment on Creativity and mental health

The last two years have been tough on everyone. Our lives were disrupted, and we were forced to scale down our lives. Many people lost friends and family. Others are still suffering from stress, anxiety and depression. I don't want to harp on the negativity, but I, too, have been struggling. I have had problems…

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Burnt out and frustrated

Categories 1,000 Words about Sicily, About me, Article, Essay, Expat experiences, Italy in the time of Covid, Sicily

Lately, I've been feeling a little tired, frustrated and burnt out. At the beginning of the year, I'd set myself the goal to post every day either on this blog or my creative writing blog. I've been maintaining this practice and have made a routine of preparing three posts here on Sicily Inside and Out…

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First Days living in Sicily

Categories 1,000 Words about Sicily, Italia, Italian Culture, Italo Australian, Italy, Life in Sicily, Of Sicilian Descent, Sicilia, Sicily, Travel Memoir

During my first days living at Sinagra, I noticed people had a strange way of treating me. It is as if I’m a novelty. I am a new plaything, a foreigner whom people regard with curiosity. I quickly became the subject of local gossip. Walking out into the main square in town with my husband,…

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How to peel a fico d’india

Categories About me, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, Expat, Expat experiences, Italian Culture, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Only in Sicily, Photography, Sicilian Cuisine, Sicilian Culture and Traditions, Sicilian food, Sicily, Sicily and Sicilianess, Tastes of Sicily, Travel, Travel advice9 Comments on How to peel a fico d’india

The exotic prickly pear (fico d’india) is a delicacy in Sicily and thrives around the entire island. Known also as the Barbary fig (opuntia ficus-indica) it is a species of cactus cultivated throughout the world in arid and semiarid areas and is thought to be native to Mexico. It is best to taste them after…

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Smoky roasted Artichokes

Categories About me, Arts, Beautiful Italy, Cucina Siciliana, Culture Shock, Expat, Expat experiences, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Sicily, Photography, Sicilian Cuisine, Sicilian Culture and Traditions, Sicilian food, Sicilian History, Sicily, Sicily and Sicilianess, Sicula Cuisine, Travel Sicily1 Comment on Smoky roasted Artichokes

The Sicilian spring is moody as the weather fluctuates between rain and days of glorious sun. The Sciroccio wind whips itself up from the African desert and pushes the seasons along. White blossoms in the fruit trees blend with shadowy greys. The spring is an armistice which allows the winter to gradually surrender itself and…

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Things to do in Sicily

Categories About me, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, C.O.S.I (Crazy Observations by Stranieri in Italy, Culture Shock, Expat advice from Italy, Expat experiences, Italian Culture, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Opinion piece, Reflection piece, Sicily2 Comments on Things to do in Sicily

I am constantly sitting down and planning out trips to do through Sicily. Often I don’t do everything on my list as I run out of money but I am generally happy if I do one of the trips every year as they are based on my experiences living here on the island. Sicily is…

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5 easy steps to becoming a good tourist in Italy

Categories About me, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, C.O.S.I (Crazy Observations by Stranieri in Italy, Culture Shock, Expat advice from Italy, Expat experiences, Italian Culture, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Opinion piece, Reflection piece, Sicily10 Comments on 5 easy steps to becoming a good tourist in Italy

  1) Don’t complain too much So it really doesn’t matter if you can’t track down your favorite candy bar or if they do things differently here. Italy is an old country so things are kinda slow, it will be dusty and a little dirty but that’s to be expected. Nothing is going to be…

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Going home: an expat’s internal conflict

Categories About me, Authentic Sicily, Culture Shock, Expat, Expat advice from Italy, Expat experiences, Italy, Life in Sicily, Opinion piece, Photography, Reflection piece, Tastes of Australia, Tastes of Home, Travel, Uncategorized2 Comments on Going home: an expat’s internal conflict

Every time I go home for a visit I get terribly excited, start making lists of what I want to do, who I need to see and what I should buy so I can make the most of my three months in Australia (as my Italian husband travels on a short tourist visa- I’m sure…

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North verses South in Italy: from stereotypes to rampant individualism

Categories About me, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, C.O.S.I (Crazy Observations by Stranieri in Italy, Culture Shock, Expat advice from Italy, Expat experiences, Italian Culture, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Opinion piece, Reflection piece, Sicily4 Comments on North verses South in Italy: from stereotypes to rampant individualism

    Yes, there is a difference between Northern and Southern Italy; in fact, it took a major political and social movement to merge the different states of the Italian peninsula in the nineteenth century. The process began with the Congress of Vienna at the end of Napoleon’s reign in 1815 and continued with various…

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Leading an authentic life in Sicily

Categories About me, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, C.O.S.I (Crazy Observations by Stranieri in Italy, Culture Shock, Expat advice from Italy, Expat experiences, Italian Culture, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Opinion piece, Reflection piece, Sicily8 Comments on Leading an authentic life in Sicily

My friends and family think I am totally insane to be living my life in Italy, they are waiting for me to come to my senses and move back to Australia, like I’ve been playing around for the past decade of my life. The truth is it’s been more than chasing a dream, I’m not…

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Sicilian Tomatoes, Benedica

Categories About me, Beautiful Italy, Disappearing Sicily, Expat, Expat experiences, Fruits of Sicily, Italian Culture, Italy, Life in Sicily, Photography, Reflection piece, Sicilian Cuisine, Sicilian Culture and Traditions, Sicilian food, Sicily, Sicily and Sicilianess, Tastes of Sicily8 Comments on Sicilian Tomatoes, Benedica

The fertility of Sicily’s volcanic soil is well-known and thanks to the Sicilian habit of having a vegetable garden I’ve never been without fresh fruits and vegetables to prepare throughout the year, from eggplants, capsicums, chili peppers, basil and tomatoes in the summer to peas, potatoes, pumpkins and broad beans in the winter. There is…

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Flowers and lights for our ancestors

Categories Authentic Sicily, Culture Shock, Expat, Expat experiences, Italian Culture, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Sicily3 Comments on Flowers and lights for our ancestors

November is a sombre time in Sicily, traditionally it’s not all jack o lanterns and candy rather its about taking flowers to the cemetery and lighting artificial lights instead of candles in memory of the dead. All souls and dearly held saints are prayed for in religious services in the Roman Catholic church and the…

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Fall in Sicily

Categories About me, Arts, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, Expat, Expat experiences, Italian Culture, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Only in Sicily, Opinion piece, Photography, Reflection piece, Sicilian Cuisine, Sicilian Culture and Traditions, Sicilian food, Sicilian History, Sicily, Sicily and Sicilianess, Travel, Travel Italy, Travel Sicily, Uncategorized4 Comments on Fall in Sicily

The beginning of Autumn in Sicily can be abrupt. The gradual changes from one season to the next are now a thing of the past, there are no more slightly shortening days or time for the leaves to go from greens, yellows, warm rusty reds or browns, now the fall begins with heavy rains and…

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