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Published: November 4th 2007
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Ciao!
I figured the theme of this entry would be the realization that, somehow, my semester abroad is almost over. Like, 47 days from now I will be getting on a plane and going home. Don't get me wrong, it's going to be amazing to be home, but it seems like I haven't done everything that I wanted to do here!
So this weekend I decided to take day trips to places nearby that I had wanted to see but never had free time to make the trip. Saturday I went to Lake Como with Alex, Michelle, Katie, Katie's mom and Katie's mom's friend who she traveled with. We had a wonderful, relaxing afternoon, walking around the lake and having a nice lunch, taking the funicular/lift up to the top of one of the hills to look out at the view, eating some gelato, etc. We had some great conversations with Katie's mom about life and what it was like going to college in the 70s... funnn stuufff.
Sunday Alex and took a quick train ride to Parma, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It's where Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and Prosciutto di Parma (Parma ham) come from. Needless to say
Lake Como
view from the funicular we had the most amazing lunch EVER... then we walked around and saw the sights. It's home to one of the oldest universities in Italy, and the architecture was beautiful. Lots of pretty churches too.
Other than that, my weekend was very relaxing, which I definitely needed because I have been allll over the place - when I'm in Milan I'm doing a million things it seems, always trying to catch up or unpack or pack because it seems I'm traveling more than I'm actually living in the city! So it was nice to come back to my own bed every night.
I'm also going to take this opportunity to talk about life in Italy. This reflection I think fits with the theme of the 'my semester is almost over, let's think about my life.'
Italy, I have decided, is first and foremost concerned with the four f's - food, family, friends and fun. Everything is about enjoying life and each other. Their lunch breaks are 3 HOURS LONG. No this is not Spain, where you have a big lunch and then a nap. They generally eat for the whole 3 hours, lingering over their meals and
Lake Como
view from the top of the hill talking over glasses of wine or espressos. All the stores are closed in that time frame, and all the bars and cafes are packed. This phenomenon is also closely tied into their concept of time, but that's another story.
Also, everyone is thin here it seems. This sounds counter-intuitive, right? They have some of the most amazing food in the world, and they spend hours a day eating, but they are all thin. I don't know why, I can't even begin to explain it. But their clothes sizes run smaller than in America, and they only carry like xs, s, and m. So this is probably why everyone is thin - if you're not, you have no choice but to squeeze yourself into clothes that are too small and you look ridiculous, so it is incentive to lose weight.
In Italy they are crazy about recycling / energy conservation. Every apartment has 4 trash bins - one for general trash, one for glass, one for paper and one for plastic/metal. Each trash bin needs to be taken out to a separate dumpster. This is in every apartment building and most other buildings. Also you need to bring your
Lake Como
view from the top of the hill own bags to the grocery store or else they charge you for a plastic bag. And the electricity - oh maan don't even get me started. My apartment is absurd. We have 6 girls living here, and a gas water heater. This means that no more than two people can take a shower within an hour or two or there will be no hot water for half the day. The same goes for the washing machine. If you want hot water for the washing machine no one can take a shower for about an hour, and vice versa. Also, you cannot use the washing machine at the same time as the oven or the hair dryer or anything electric or else you blow a fuse. Oh yeah and the washing machine takes 2.5 HOURS to run just ONE CYCLE. So that means that for 2.5 hours no one can use electricity, and for about an hour before and after no one can shower. Also there is no such thing as dryers in Italy so everyone hangs out their clothes. So if you want some clean clothes, you have to anticipate it a couple days in advance because it takes practically
Lake Como
me and michelle at the top! an entire day to do wash and then another 2 days for the clothes to dry. GAHH!
Another small thing - Italians have no concept of waiting in line. They don't even know what a line is. When we were at our orientation, there was a breakfast buffet, and all of us lined up for it. The Italian teachers were so confused and asked the director, "do we really have to wait in line for our breakfast?!" They couldn't believe we all just lined up without being told.
The Italians have a very different concept of time. Mainly, that it doesn't really matter. Appointments, any method of public transportation, being served at a restaurant, all of this is subject to the "there's no such thing as time" syndrome. Sometimes people will have to miss class because their bus just didn't come. Sometimes the bus driver will kick everyone off mid-route because it's time for his lunch break. The Italian postal service delivers your package about 2 months late (this is no exaggeration), that is, if they didn't lose it entirely. This is very difficult for the Americans to come to terms with, because we are used to everything
Lake Como
artsy huh? (Auntie Susan I thought of you when I took this!) happening according to schedule and for there to be a valid excuse and reason when this does not happen. Not only is there not a valid reason here, we are not even expected to try to find one out! If you try to ask the post office what happened to your package they look at you like you are crazy.
This is also tied into the theme of Italian inefficiency. They know that there are more important things in life than working, so they don't really care about working. And public service employees or people that work in a state-affiliated position (this includes postal workers, public school teachers, etc.) are legally not allowed to get fired. Save for burning down the building, they are allowed to do whatever they want. That is why the line at the post office is so long - the employees are on their 49345098th espresso break or talking on their cellphones. This also is the key to the Italian government and its huge issues.
Another weird thing - there is no such thing as food or drink to-go. If you try to eat something other than a piece of focaccia or a cup
Lake Como
someone LIVES here, at the top of the mountain. So jealous! of gelato on the street, you are GLARED at. Our programs have gotten letters of complaints from people who have apartments next to our classroom building, saying that we are extremely rude by eating on the street. This is also why there is no such thing as Starbucks. I can't decide what will get you more death-glares - eating on the street, running on the street (as in exercising in public), wearing sweatpants in public or wearing flip-flops in public. All are absolute no-nos in Italy.
Though we have gotten used to these things now, it was extremely hard to adjust and we immediately stuck out as Americans. We often still do. But Americans, obvious Americans, are treated like zoo animals here in Milan. Not so much in Florence or Rome, where they thrive off of tourists, but in Milan we are a rare breed. We can often hear whispers of "americani" on the trains or subways, and many people try to practice their English with us even if we speak correct Italian (it's those flip-flops that give us away. Also our laugh - no girls in Italy laugh as much as American girls). One girl in my program
Lake Como
such a pretty walk at the top of the mountain... the leaves reminded me of home! was riding the subway once and heard whispers of "americana" and was approached by an Italian guy who stroked her arm. Literally ran his finger down her arm. When she jumped in alarm he ran away, going back to his friends to report "I touched her and she didn't like it!" Like I said, zoo animals.
The following is a good summary of the difference between life in Italy and life elsewhere.
http://www.infonegocio.com/xeron/bruno/italy.html
As crazy and strange as life is here, I'm certainly going to miss it!
Love,
Jenna
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Dad
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Great Pics
Awesome pics. Insightful narrative also. I bet it would go well in the Globe, Star, or Georgetown paper. The Patriots beat the Colts! They're now the only undefeated team this season. BC finally lost a game. We had tickets but didn't go d/t the 'Noreaster. Love, Dad