Having lived in Italy for a long time, LB still misses some things about his home country of Malaysia. Still, living the small town life in San Giovanni and working for an Italian fashion company are excellent experiences that come with significant advantages. LB talks about some of his future plans and the pros and cons of living in Italy.	LB Wong

-Where were you born?
Malaysia

-In which country and city are you living now?
Italy, San Giovanni in Marignano

-Are you living alone or with your family?
Alone

-How long have you been living in Italy?
Since 1985

-What is your age?
40+

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Italy?
I was offered a job straight from Art College in London where I was studying.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
No, the Company I worked for arranged it all.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
I am lucky I never had any major health problems, and I've been flying by the seat of my pants since!

-How do you make your living in Italy? Do you have any type of income generated?
I work for an Italian Fashion House, and the pay has been generous enough.

-Do you speak Italian and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
Yes, it's very important to be able to speak the language, although for the first few years, I did not learn much as we were cocooned in amongst all English speakers (designers, etc).

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
I miss home very much. It's all I can think of sometimes, but I can look forward to two months a year back home.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
Well, I guess sooner or later, I will have to pack it all up here, and go back home to Malaysia, to set up another totally different (simpler) enterprise from what I have been doing. Maybe a nice little cafe, maybe even a resort of sorts.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
The Company provides fully furnished accommodation here too, so I've not had to pay a single dime for rent, or utilities since 1985!

-What is the cost of living in Italy?
Relatively cheap, because this is a small little town/village.

-What do you think about the Italians?
The locals are terrific people. Also, it helps that this is not a big City, so people are friendlier.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Italy?
Positives:
Rent free
Good salary
Much better weather (than Malaysia's hot equatorial humidity)
5-minute commute to work.

Negatives:
Missing Malaysian food

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Italy?
Italians are generally very warm people. So the best way to live in this country is to get to know Italians well.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Italy?
http://albiewong.com