Questa Dolce Vita

Lately I've been very naughty with the blog and not being consistent with new posts which they say commonly leads to the eventual un-following and demise of all blogs eventually. So I decided to let ya'll know that you can expect a new post on Fridays, I will aim for every Friday but it could also be every second Friday (cut me some slack here, we have a wedding in September to plan for!). But yes, this is just another reason to love Fridays. And remember you can keep more close tabs on things here in Italy over on the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/questadolcevitablog​. 

​I woke up this morning mentally preparing myself for laundry day ( so much more of a hassle in Italy due to the extra step of setting-up the wet, wrinkly clothes to air dry, don't underestimate your dryers people). It was going to be a normal day. But then I read my e-mail and all of a sudden, one of my lifelong dreams came true:

I found out that I was chosen as a contributing author for an anthology of expat stories curated by Canadian expat legend, Lisa Webb, to be titled "Once Upon an Expat" and scheduled for publication this summer! 

I know I sound like a broken record repeating the same childhood aspiration story, but I really, truly always wanted to be a painter-writer. Read this post from 2014, it will confirm I'm not delusional: 

" If everything had been up to me, I would have been a painter-slash-writer. I love to create, I think it is an innate need that exists in all of us. It amazes me that a blank canvas, with purposefully placed strokes of color, can become something wonderful." 

The same can be said about the written word, it's akin to a visual art with a perfect composition consisting of carefully chosen combinations of letters. Needless to say, this is an absolute DREAM for me and just so soulfully satisfying to see three of my favorite things come together (writing, wine, and Italy) to make it a reality. Perhaps you are wondering why the wine (I'll have you know this is a ludicrous question and you should be ashamed)...because I write with wine, that's why. 

To stay updated with the book and the release, as well as to meet all the authors, check out Canadian Expat Mom (click to see the book cover release) or search her page on Facebook. I'll of course post anything new or interesting on the blog and my Facebook page as well. I post neat things all the time, including the Daily Dolce photo, so you should follow if you aren't already. MUCH LOVE. 

I'm on Day 4 of the Jasmine and Jhumpa Project, it's a far cry from a year's worth of writing but breaking it down into little bite-size bits of Italian practice is actually quite palatable, dare I say, enjoyable. If you're studying or have studied Italian in the past, I invite you to join me in doing 365 days of writing! How fun if it became a group endeavor, like book club...! You could write right on my site: http://thejasmineandjhumpaproject.weebly.com/blog/day-4 or even make your own. Anyways, the only point of this post was because I found this super cute photo on Mindy Kaling's Twitter essentially posing with a book which is essentially my signature move. Thought I was the only one that took selfies with books like this, apparently was wrong. 

I am soooooooooooo excited because I finally got to see our House Hunters International episode on an Australian online streaming website after we had thought we missed our chance when it aired at the end of December in the US. If you are also tech-savvy, you can use a VPN service like Express VPN (same method as how expats watch American Netflix abroad) and change your settings to "Australia". Here is the link: ​http://www.9jumpin.com.au/show/househuntersinternational/episodes/season-82/episode-8/bella-vita-in-bergamo/#autoplay I also much preferred the Australian title of the episode which they called "Bella Vita in Bergamo" as opposed to the American version which was less of a title and more of a run-on sentence. Here are some random screenshots I took as I watched our episode for the umpteenth time, enjoy! If you've seen the episode and found your way here, hello! Let me know in comments or e-mail how you liked it.

P.S. Our cat Puffo is seriously famous though, he's been in an Italian magazine AND on television worldwide (check out his cameo at the end). What a natural. 

Unbeknownst to us (and only discovered after Massi's friends in the US told him), our House Hunters International episode has already aired once and is scheduled to air again tomorrow! It is not the same schedule that is being followed by the network HGTV in Canada, so I think all of us north of the border are SOL. So if you happen to be reading this and can PVR our episode, please do and tell me all about it! Also if you happen to be reading this and are an internet mastermind and have somehow found our episode, please forward and you will have a lifetime supply of pasta and my eternal love. Or I suppose if you have a time machine to take me back to yesterday, I will obviously honor the aforementioned means of gratitude. Here's the upcoming airdate (tomorrow):

Recently, I had the chance to do an interview with Multicoolty, a site aiming to connect the thousands of stories lived everyday by people all over Europe with a focus on the idea of those who are global citizens- the nomadic among us that have lived in more than one country. Here's a snippet from "Meet Our Team": 

We are (Eve short from Evgenia, Inga, our collaborators Nasima, Ying, Masha, Lorena in Italy and Federicain France) a team of journalists, bloggers and migration experts passionate about storytelling and photography. We have lived and worked in different countries and our international experiences have shaped our global perspective on the world we live in. We are real multicoolties and global citizens!

Every day in  the countries where WE are (Germany, Italy, France) we meet plenty of people from all parts of the world just like us: bright and inspiring people who bring their cultures with them making Europe more diverse. And so the idea of Multicoolty was born as we see how Germany, Italy and France increasingly become more multicultural and global. With this project we want to provide a glimpse into the lives of multicultural community by taking pictures, making great videos, collecting short and long stories from real people we meet on the streets (and not only) of various European cities.

Anyways, check out my full English interview here (I've included just a small portion of the questions and answers from it below), or if you like, read the short and sweet Italian version here. 


What brings you to Italy?

Moved to be with my fiancé, I was a pharmacist and now am doing a mixture of blogging, freelance articles, and taking advantage of being a mother tongue English speaker for teaching and consulting.


What were the initial struggles when you moved?

The main challenge is leaving behind your old life- everyone and everything in it. Besides friends and family, I had just started a profession as a pharmacist and practiced for a little more than a year before moving so that was hard to give up. Talking to other expats, the most common struggle is the language but I had a slight advantage having studied Italian back in Canada.


What are the things that you like/dislike here?

Life in Italy is so coveted because it’s really well-rounded. You have the opportunity to be immersed in pretty much any “vice” you desire – great wine, food, scenery, art, shopping, history…you name it, you can find it in Italy. Plus, being such a small country, you can travel from one city to another easily and see the topography, dialect, and food change even between short distances. There’s only one thing I dislike- the bureaucracy. Everything that should be easy is made exponentially more difficult by the need to go to several different offices with several different documents on a variety of days (during hours you would normally need to be at work)…basically it’s a nightmare and you need to behave like an Italian to get things done. By this, I mean you have to be extremely persistent and not be afraid to raise your voice!

Hey everyone! So excited to introduce this new little project of mine that was basically born out of my personal experiences these past nine months in Italy, working in a variety of positions from a private bilingual school to an advertising agency. Basically anywhere I went, I noticed that everyone I worked with benefited greatly from having an "on-call", "in-house" English consultant. I started getting asked to compose content, proofread documents, and have since been directly involved alongside an advertising agency in creating social media content directed at the North American market for an Italian client. Essentially this is a need that I've recognized is not isolated to one industry. With several "high-profile" cases of English errors (Expo was probably the most recognized), Italian businesses are getting more savvy and are more aware of the effect English content mistakes can have on professionalism and first impressions. 

If you are an Italy-based company, group, or even individual looking for consulting services, head over to our website at www.dolcevitapr.com or click here.

Ciao a tutti! First off, today is the last day before unofficial summer vacation for practically all of Italy. Not sure if you knew this, but in August, the majority of Italian companies shut down to allow for their employees to head out to the sea and basically live the dolce vita that Italy is so famous for. In the past, this used to be even a month long, nowadays, the standard is usually 2 to 3 weeks but hey, who can complain about that?! This whole concept has evolved around this time of year as August 15th is Ferragosto, an Italian and Sammarinese public holiday coinciding with the major Catholic feast of the Assumption of Mary (yup, that's straight from Wikipedia but let's pretend I knew it off the top of my head). We are so stoked to be headed off on the motorcycle starting tomorrow so make sure to follow the Instagram feed (@questadolcevita) for immediate updates on where we are. First stop>>>SIENA! 

BUONE FERIE A TUTTI!!! 

See you in Siena, then Montalcino, then Montepulciano, then Gubbio....and the rest is to be announced. (Notice how all these places have amazing wine? Strategy friends, strategy). 

I had never heard of Wayn (Where Are You Now?) when I was contacted to be part of their Persona Programme which aims to profile awesome, travel junkies (I'm evidently a very awesome junkie) in order to inspire the entire social network community which is made up of travellers and wannabe travellers. It's a networking site much like a Pinterest/Facebook hybrid, however with travel and wanderlust being the primary focus. The idea was born when a couple of guys were backpacking and essentially imagined a way in which like-minded people could connect based on location and as such, share tips and travel experiences along the way. Anyways, it's a neat initiative and according to recent stats, the website boasts over 22 million users worldwide. 

Check out my profile here: http://www.wayn.com/profiles/Jasmine-Mah. 

I've also uploaded a myriad of globe-trotting photos, some from when I had blonde hair (yikes!), as well, you can see videos of one of my all-time favourite travel moments- when I went bungee jumping on the border of Tibet and Nepal at the longest natural free-fall site in the world! 

Want to be part of the Persona Programme crew? 
Head over to the website and Tell them about the amazing things you are doing by completing THIS SHORT SURVEY, and you could be next. 

Ciao all! My newest collaboration just went live yesterday- so honored to have been asked to be one of JJ Caprice's "Savvy Travelers" for the Summer Travel Series where the site is featuring a different country every week: 

Each week for the months of June, July and August we will spotlight a different country.  Inspired by summer travel and adventure, our goal is to explore the globe, one cool city at a time.  Each week we will feature country-specific content including Q&A's with savvy travelers who have visited, content from natives who want to share their favorite local spots, destination-specific outfit guides, travel tips, food recommendations and more.  Let the wanderlust begin!

Let the wanderlust begin indeed. Click here to read my Q&A (or click the screenshot above!) and be sure to check out www.jjcaprices.com for hand-picked (by Jen personally), locally-sourced gift ideas from all around the globe. 

As a Foreign Correspondent for Italy, I've written two articles thus far for the women's travel site: Pink Pangea. Here are the links below if you'd like to check them out, the first is about different visa options for "moving" (or planning a long-term stay) to Italy and the second is chockfull of my fun tips for learning Italian before a trip-  

Moving to Italy: From Canada to Cannoli. Read it here. 
How to Learn Italian from Your Couch. Read it here. 

I’ve been beyond uber-bogged down this week as I started a brand new job in addition to my private school tutoring duties and I’ve been doing it all senza  (without) car. I’m currently writing this post from the corner of Tommy’s Bar in Capergnanica (Crema) with a cappuccino as it is only 7am and I don’t start work for another two hours but I had to hitch a ride with Massi on his way to Milan. It’s all very #LifeInItaly. If I could snapshot…or rather, SnapChat it for you right now, the the ebb and flow of the townspeople coming in and out, saluting the barista while sipping their espresso- the ciaos and buona giornatas coming in waves, seemingly part of the Eros Ramazotti song playing the background... Yesterday I went for lunch at another bar and there were four little old men chatting around a table. Later on, I returned for an aperitivo and they were still there. Don’t you just want to hashtag that?! (In case you’re curious why I keep going to “bars”, they are actually the equivalent of a bar + coffee shop + snack stop + therapists in Italy, practically an all-ages hangout).

In other news, if you want to read my fashion staples for a weekend in Portofino, or about how to become fluent (I’m an eternal optimist) in Italian from your couch, stay tuned to Travel Fashion Girl and Pink Pangea, respectively, as those are my upcoming articles to be published external to the blog. Something else fabulous that happened this week is my podcast with Italy (and cake) Duchess, Lora of www.cakeduchess.com. We had ourselves quite a few laughs talking about all things Italy and food, so check that out here as well as the recipe I shared. 

This weekend is a long-weekend in Italy, and since the official “festa” is on Tuesday, most Italians get what is called a “ponte” (a bridge) which means we get the Monday off as well to “bridge” over to the actual holiday day. We will be having quite the weekend as it includes a wedding and our first trip ever to SICILY! As always, I won’t be posting directly on the blog during the trip but you can check @questadolcevita on Instagram for updates.

Finally…my wedding dress has arrived at Kleinfelds! If we’re not Facebook friends, you wouldn’t have got to see this sneak peak swatch of the fabric...x

I was so happy to be given the opportunity to share some tips for travelling Italy with The Edmonton Journal and all my fellow Edmontonians. I was even happier (ecstatic really) after realizing they had given me the honour of "Featured Traveller", as well as a blog shout-out. You can check out the full article below. Thanks a million and if you happen to have found your way here from the article, let me know in the comments! I'd love to hear from you and answer any Italy-related questions you might have. 

Hey all...Happy Friday! I have a new gig to announce and it's that I will be writing a total of eight DIFFERENT & UNIQUE articles (ones you won't be able to see on the blog) for the women-focused travel website and community: Pink Pangea, check them out here. Of course the articles will still be about all things Italy! I will let you know when the posts are up via the blog and Twitter (@questadolcevita). 

Awhile back I did an awesome interview for Travel Fashion Girl, a travel website that focuses on, you guessed it...globetrotting and looking good doing it! Here's a sneak peak but check out the full interview here.  Thanks for the compliment of "Italy Insider", wowza! 

Q: What destination surprised you the most with the ways locals dressed or their type of clothing?Moscow, Russia. The Russian girls look like and dress like models every moment of the day, not just for going out in the evenings. On a normal weekday at the grocery store it would not be uncommon to spot a Russian girl teetering in the cheese section in sky-high stilettos and the tightest tube dress you’ve ever seen. Talk about intimidating. My girlfriend and I traded in our Birkenstocks after that trip.

Q: What’s your preferred travel outfit on a plane?
I like a shift dress with wiggle room and non-strappy wedges. I prefer dresses because they are easier to maneuver in bathroom situations, especially when we’re talking about squat toilets. It’s rather tricky trying to hold onto your pants and not pee on them at the same time!

I must admit that I've never really "got" Twitter, I tried using it a couple years back and just had no idea what to tweet about in 150 words or less. It's only now with the blog that I thought it would be a sweet platform for all the random thoughts about Italy and life here, quippings and musings more or less. Is quippings a word? It sounds like it is. Also a good place to write about #LivinginItalyProblems no? So anyways, follow me or just check the Twitter feed down below at the end of the site in the footer. Scroll down and keep scrolling down and you'll find it...! 

I've got a new section of the website called "Resources for Expats" under More...That's where I intend to curate some really unique and equally useful resources for anyone staying in Italy for longer periods of time such as study abroad students, au pairs, etc. It will eventually have information on subjects such as accommodation and travel, for example. 

So pleased to have been interviewed by Claire Theobald of the Edmonton Sun for this fun article published yesterday on online. For those of you non-Edmontonians, it's a local newspaper back in my home city! 

A snippet from the article:

"Part of the fun of it is being able to show off the culture and the city that we've chosen," said Jasmine Mah, who moved to Bergamo, Italy -- a city she calls a "hidden gem" -- in early December to be with her fiancé. 

Read the rest of it here (or click the headline above). 

It is with extreme excitement that I can finally reveal that Massi and I are going to be featured in an episode of House Hunters International which is shown on HGTV in North America. It was always one of my absolute favorite shows and I loved living vicariously through all the people moving to foreign lands. We never would have imagined that we would have the chance to share our own story and house hunting experience. I was 'hunted' down by a casting director awhile back and we are still filming some sections in the next month or two so if you see us in Bergamo, that's why cameras are rolling (although if you prefer to assume that it's because I'm famous, assume away!). I will post when more information about air dates etc. becomes available. Can't wait to see how our episode turns out!

Blog Update: I am going to try to post one new recipe each week, I will aim for Wednesdays. Remember you now have to click the Ricette header above. This week's recipe is from David Rocco's first recipe book: David Rocco's Dolce Vita. It's Tomato and Stale Bread Soup and before you scoff in disgust, it's an amazing stand-alone meal (carbs and veggies all in one) and uses up any super dry bread you might have hanging around. It's such a pity to throw food away right? 

Bloglovin' is essentially a place where you can sign-up for all your favorite blogs across the board and find their updates and posts all in one place instead of having to visit each site separately. I've even made a new fancy link button (above) that you can click on to go directly to my Bloglovin' page and you'll find it at the end of my posts as a constant reminder that you should add me. Do it, do it now.

I had another interview recently go live so please pop over to ExpatsBlog to check out how I answered their questions about life as a Canadian in Italy. Here's a quick sample: 

Ciao! I've recently overhauled the blog's categories to make it easier to navigate, as well, don't forget you can use the 'Search' box option to find whatever you might be interested in. The categories are pretty straight forward, the only thing that might require explaining is that quotes and Pinterest-type graphics are now under Inspiration and Motivation. Under Interviews and Features, expect to find interviews or features with friends and other blogs or sites. Anything that my blog is featured in on other websites (ex: expat interviews) will be under Blog News. Clear as mud? Awesome. And these banner graphics don't really have anything to do with this post but I just put them here because they're cute. 

Sorry for posting a million times today but one last update- I've now added an actual RICETTE section to the blog so all recipes will now be slotted under there (see top of my blog, to the right of 'lifestyle blog'). This is just to help readers find things more efficiently (gasp, what a concept eh?!). Everything else to do with Italy and my travels etc. will still be right here. 

So happy to be one of the select few blogs about Italy currently recommended by InterNations, the list is still on the small side but I can't believe I'm in the company of some very seasoned expat bloggers such as Girl in Florence (check her out if you haven't yet!). InterNations is an excellent expat community that is also by invite-only, so you can rest easy that you'll be connecting with globally-minded people like yourself. The Milan community hosts rather exclusive-sounding events for members such as aperitivo hour at Just Cavalli (I'm so fancy, you already knowwww. I'm in the fast lane...ok, basta). The Bergamo group is just getting started so send me a message if you are reading this from Bergamo and would like to join! Here is a sample from my featured interview: 

Which three tips would you like to give future expats before they embark on their new life in Italy?

• Throw caution out the window, especially in learning the language. Children are so much better learning languages and one of the reasons is that they don’t get embarrassed to try! I have spoken with many expats who want to learn the language, yet they are scared to speak. You need to just go for it, even if you know your accent is off and your grammar is imperfect. Sbagliando, si impara is a saying here in Italy – you learn from making mistakes.

• Get as much information about visas/required documentation etc. from the consulate or embassy in your home country as you can. The immigration offices here can be extremely busy, crowded, and unhelpful. Best to do your homework before arriving.

• Join an expat community and start getting information and general tips from others that are already living in your choice city or area. You won’t get better information than directly from the source and expats have a very unique and relatable view on issues that natives can’t even begin to understand. This also helps in that when you arrive, you won’t feel so alone, you’ll already have a group of instant friends ready to show you the ropes!

Click here for the full interview (although it may be partially obscured to non-members, sorry!). 
P.S> Thanks for the nifty badge InterNations- I've given it a permanent spot under my affiliates.