Cell phones and errands

Getting a cell phone in Italy is not exactly as difficult as you think it would be. When I entered the Vodaphone store, I had bad flashbacks of waiting for help in the Verizon store at home. I thought, “Dealing with cell phone companies is difficult enough even when I speak the language…”

But here… Yes, the language barrier can make it tricky. You have to produce a passport when you finally figure out that they *do* have a phone that you can use for only two months. The helpful salesperson may even try and pull some strings and finagle a residency number for you. And the instructions for the phone are in Italian. But, other than all that, you can walk into a store and not a very long while later (in comparison to major US cell phone store waits) you can walk out with a cell phone. That works. That you don’t need to sign a contract for. That you are not tied to for YEARS. It’s more like the prepaid phones back home. Most (if not all) phones work that way. Other than deals on minutes between same carriers (Vodaphone calls made to other Vodaphone phones) it’s all pretty much the same rate-wise. Which translates into less cell-phone usage AS A WHOLE in the community.
Cell phone usage does not seem as hideously pervasive here as compared with home.

My new friend Cindy confirmed this when she explained that people here seem to just have short conversations: state your business, then get off the phone. And with my phone at 50 cents a minute, it’s really only for emergencies and quick calls to Brian. (It’s a bit cheaper to call Italian numbers, but I mostly call Brian’s work phone and it’s an Austrian Vodophone cell phone number hence the 50 cent rate.)
What a pleasure it is to live without being subjected to everyone constantly on the phone. When I went home for the weekend, I noticed that now that the CA hand’s free law is in effect, people seem to be on the phone MORE. Genius idea to make it even EASIER to be on the phone all the time with the requirement of ear/head pieces. My shopping journey to Target last weekend was a frightening example of the new law in effect. EVERYONE was jabbering away on their headsets while their hands were free to do the shopping. UGH. I don’t look forward to that part of home next month. Maybe I’ll make a new blog and call it “Things I overheard today while shopping.” It has potential, no?

When you run out of money on your phone, you can go into most any bar (see the descriptions of the bars in a previous blog) present your phone number and pay to add money to your account. Sounds easy enough? So I sent Aidan to do it for me. After a few tries and a trip home to consult the Italian/English dictionary to find out how to say “Will you please help me” “I don’t know how”, he came back successful.

I send the kids out quite often on their own to do small errands. Mostly, it involves picking up a few items from the market at the bottom of the hill. The day before, Julia and Aidan delivered the dryer sheets to Cindy and then went for pizza by themselves. I feel they are relatively safe here: you can’t spit without hitting a church or convent, and other than the drivers, Italians are super friendly. So I send them off to experience their own Italy. I think it’s important not to have mom speak up for you all the time. Aidan shines at this. Julia likes it, but not on her own. Ed begs to go – but I usually draw the line at him. I make him wait with me, or I take him. Colin doesn’t care at all about it, unless it involves food…or the internet.