Italians - 1, Susan - 0

I was reminded today of one more thing I am going to miss. The ability as a consumer to get some action done on my behalf.

I have been trying for a month now to get one simple Yes or No question answered by my realtors in Venice. Do you think I could get an answer? I have gotten a response that says they will check, but not an answer. All I want to know is if there is an armoire in my bedroom...simple enough, right?

Now, don't get me wrong, they are good people and in general I really like them and the Italian culture. But there is absolutely no sense of urgency over there. Wait, that's not a fair statement. There isn't a pulse to get something done in any sense of timeliness; why even bother having a sense of urgency if you don't have a pulse?! Now, this is an enduring quality when you want to slow down from the 'bigger, better, faster, more' culture we live in and breathe, but it's not so endearing when you just want an answer to a simple Yes or No question!

In the US, this is completely unacceptable. And I can hear many of you say, "I would call so and so and ask for the supervisor" and "I would demand such and such or else". Well, that works for the most part here, but has a highly adverse reaction in Italy. I don't want to make sweeping generalizations but just know that the culture over there doesn't work the same way.

So, as I start to deal with the extraction of my type A personality (and I bet it will be ugly at times), I have decided to wait and see for myself what the answer to my question is. Surprises are good, right? I am sure you will be sitting on pins and needles also wanting to know where my clothes and all those shoes are going to live for a year, so I will tell you when I find out!