Boomer runs errands in Arezzo

Boomer has a lot of fun going on weekend trips and guided tours, but Boomer also likes to explore Arezzo without a set schedule. After Boomer got out of class, he went to run some errands. First, Boomer stopped by the post office because he needed to send some post cards to his friends back in America! Boomer learned that Italian post offices can be different from the ones he has been to in the United States. When you first walk into the post office here, there is a machine where you have to select the section of the post office that you need to talk to based on what you are doing there. For example, Boomer needed stamps, so he selected “PO” from the menu because that is where he could add postage and send his cards. After he selected that option, Boomer had to take a number and wait for his number to be called. They would call his number and post it on the screen shown here below when it was his turn to be helped. Have you ever been to a post office in America? What was it like? Did you have to wait a long time?

If you want to learn more about the Italian postal system, visit this website and click on the button at the top of the page that says “English” (unless you know how to read in Italian J): http://www.poste.it

It took a long time for Boomer’s number to be called, but he waited patiently because he really wanted to send the postcards to his friends and family. While he waited, Boomer found ways to entertain himself because there were a lot of toys, cards, books, and movies to look at. Boomer recognized a lot of the characters on the cards and in the toy section, as well as books and movies that he had seen before. However, these items were a bit different from what Boomer is used to seeing in America because the writing was in Italian instead of English! See if you recognize some of the characters that Boomer saw at the post office in the pictures below.

Did you notice that there were a lot of Disney characters there? Before Boomer came to Italy, he did not realize that there was a Disney channel in Italy, similar to the one we can watch in the United States.

This is the link to the Italian Disney Channel website: http://www.disney.it/tv-disney/

On the website, do you recognize any of the characters or shows? Are there any shows on this website that aren’t on TV in America?

After Boomer’s number was called and a nice man helped him send his postcards, he just had one more errand to run. In Italy, there is a different kind of money than the kind we use in the United States. Do you know what the currency, or type of money, that Italy uses is called?

Go to the European Commission’s website to learn about what type of money Italy and other nations use: http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/euro/index_en.htm

Here is Boomer at the bancomat (that is the Italian word for bank):

Did you find what the name of this currency is called? Italy uses a type of money called the Euro! Since Boomer uses dollars when he is in the United States and he needs Euros when he is in Italy, he has to go to an ATM, which is like a bank, but instead of talking to a person to access your money, you go to a computer. Do you ever go to the bank with your parents? What do they do when they go there? To learn about other types of currency, maybe you could ask adults in your family or at school if they have ever had to use a type of money other than US dollars. Boomer got out the money he needed and went to start his homework since all of her errands were complete!