Fifteen October Two Thousand Nine. This is how long I can stay in this country, now that I have a Visa. Time to plan the next years, without forgetting how I got here.

2 years

My phone rings. I'm busy trying to buy a car (an unsuccessful day that lasted way too long) at a almost local repossed cars auctions, and the voice of the master of ceremonies (149 thousand, do I hear one forty nine and a heeeeeeeelf?, yes I do! Now, how can you let go this BMW for only one forty nine and a heeeeeeeeeeelf? Maybe someone wants to offer one forty nine and three quarteeeeeers?) is blasting from the many speakers of the immense garage.

It's Matthias, my German consultant who's taking care of my visa application. I got the visa, he said. What? Can't hear you? I have your visa and I will drop it in your mailbox today. Thanks man.

I have a visa. I checked my mailbox some hours later and the passport was there, with a sticker and a handwritten note saying that, well, I can stay here until I live with my life partner (and future wife), Lindsey.

There are so many damn things that I can finally do. Start looking seriously for a new house (the lease on the place I'm renting now expires in December, and I will spend almost the whole month in Europe), changing my bank account from a dodgy "non resident" to a proper one, with maybe even a debit card. I can buy tickets to Europe, even if they are already damn expensive. I can finally move my residency and start voting again against any left wingers any time there is a poll in Italy.

I might even buy a car, but after 8 weeks or searches, I will probably say goodbye to the second hand car market and move in the direction of a new car.
New car, new house, new life (and wife). So many things to do.

But the more I move forward, the more I remember fondly the last years that brought me where I am now.
I have ordered a book from the Apple Store, made with iphoto with a selection of pictures from all those years in London, you can download the PDF (60mb) here , I'm sure many of you will be there.

And just to remember the way it used to be, these are the videos (finally online) from my final black belt kickboxing grading in June :

Techniques

Rounds 1-4

Rounds 5-7

Rounds 8-10