Efficiency

In order to remain in Florence for a long-term stay, a non-EU visitor must go to the "questura" to apply for a "permesso di soggoiorno". This means an individual has an appointment at police headquarters to apply for a residency permit.  Due to both the backlog of applications and three months of lockdown, my first meeting has been postponed three times.  This means my first appointment will now occur in mid-September, more than one year after I arrived in Florence.  No one here seems surprised or worried by this fact, except for me.

A week before the second postponement of June 23,  I thought a "bad weather day" provided a good opportunity to re-organize and photocopy the required documents.  Basically, I have to provide the same paperwork I submitted to the Italian consulate in NYC in June, 2019, when I applied for my visa. Some copies of these same papers were mailed to the questura the week that I arrived, in order to even establish an appointment.  Included in the required documents are-- apartment lease, Italian health insurance, tax returns, financial statements, passport, visa, and four passport-size photographs. To organize the documents took some time: I spread everything out on my bed and compiled the papers in categories, each secured neatly with a paper clip. I walked to the nearby photocopy shop  and was the first customer after their lunch break.  The guy in the shop was efficient and completed the copying in minutes, returning each section neatly in paper clips, the same as I had presented them to him.  Honestly, I was surprised at the ease of copying, because life here is not efficient. 

As many people around the world know, there is much to love about Italy. Generally, though, life is not efficient.  That is an aspect of living here that I do not enjoy! In the autumn after my arrival, I attended a group hike.  While hiking I spoke with a gentleman from Canada.  He and his partner vacation regularly in Florence and he told me that his partner gets angry about how long everything takes to accomplish.  I immediately agreed and illustrated with an example of doing laundry. Just the day before, it took me all morning to wash and dry sheets and towels.  Two separate loads of wash, which I completed in my apartment.  Then, a walk to the laundromat to dry the towels.  Wait 40 minutes, and return home.  The towels are never completely dry, so they have to go on a drying rack anyway.  (Alternatively, I could have only used my drying rack, completed the laundry in stages, and skipped the laundromat.  The result then -- sheets need to be ironed, towels are crunchy. ) I lamented about how quickly I finished the laundry in New Jersey, barely giving it a thought. The Canadian responded with the question he asks his partner, "Here in Italy, what would you have done with the time you saved?"   

My sheets are on the drying rack. 

(NB- On the day I organized the papers, I did go out for lunch.  Another neighborhood spot for salad, pasta with sausage, tomatoes, capers called "Rigatoni della Signora"  and a glass of red wine.  Perfetto!)