Living the Italian Lifestyle

I can’t believe it’s already almost November! In some ways I feel like I just got here, but when I think about my first experiences in and impressions of Italy, I feel like I’ve been here forever. It’s still hard to believe I’m here, living in Italy. There are times I catch myself taking little things for granted, but then there are times like today I am overwhelmed by how lucky I am to be here. Today after school I didn’t have much to do and I was in a mood to just take some time for myself. I walked up to a fortress we have in Siena called the Fortezza Medici. It overlooks all of Siena and has a gorgeous view of the Duomo and the tower in the Piazza del Campo. Past the city, you can see suburbs and countryside. It really is a spectacular view. I stayed there for an hour just taking it all in. I’m really going to miss this place.

Living here really gives me a new perspective of Italy and Europe in general, but also of the US. Mentality is so different here than at home. One of the first things I noticed when I got here was how people don’t rush like they do in the US. Of course people have places to go and jobs and errands, but for the most part they don’t frantically rush like you see in city streets in the US. For example, when people go to the bar in the morning to get a caffe (espresso), they stand at the bar and enjoy their caffe. There is no such thing as “to-go”. To Italians, it is such a foreign concept to eat on the go. (I’ve tried it and I got some very strange looks even just eating an apple while walking.) I’m sure it’s so weird for Europeans to go to the US and watch people power-walk on their way to somewhere very important with Starbucks coffee in hand and always a cell phone glued to their ear. (Another thing I love about Siena: there are NO Starbucks! What a concept!)

Of course Italia is not perfect though. Everyone smokes here! Having grown up with Dare, non-smoking campaigns, and an honest belief when I was little that smoking a single cigarette will kill you, it’s shocking to see so many people smoking here. (Anyone who knows the story about Ry and Sam knows what I’m talking about =) The legal age limit to buy cigarettes is 14 and kids do start smoking at that age! I also don’t like how smiling is so misinterpreted here. At home, when you walk down the street, you generally smile or nod at people if you catch their eye. (Or at least I do.) Here, a girl smiling at a guy is translated to her being interested. I definitely learned that lesson quickly. It’s not that people aren’t friendly; it’s just not a social norm to look around at people on the street and smile. Strange, considering how friendly Italians are in general.

One last thing I’m not a fan of is the role of Italian women/mothers. They do everything! My Italian host mother has a full time job, three boys, and me and does everything around the house. She gets up at 6am and goes non-stop until usually around midnight. This is not to say that my mom doesn’t have days like that at home, but this is everyday and it could be completely avoided if the boys helped out! But boys/men/kids just aren’t expected to help out. It’s the social norm. Even if I try to clear my plate after dinner, I get scolded. Every dinner consists of wine, a first plate (pasta), a second plate (meat and veggies), and a dessert or fruit. My host father, my three host brothers and I just sit all through dinner while my host mom clears all of the plates after each course and serves the next course. I feel so bad! But when I offer to help, she always politely refuses. I talked to her after dinner one night and offered to help with dishes and plates, but kitchen duty is just something the mom does and no one else. In addition to cooking, she does laundry, cleaning, shopping, ironing, and putting the boys to bed. It’s a tough life being an Italian mom, but I admire her. But I have to say I definitely prefer the way we do things at home, even if it means doing dishes or chores. I’m pretty spoiled here!

So that’s life here. I’m still enjoying everything here, but now I’m definitely starting to look forward to coming home. I am loving my experience, but I think I’ll be ready to come home in another couple months. (Ask me once I’m home in the US though, and I’m sure I’ll tell everyone I’m ready to go back to Italy!)

Hope all is well at home. Miss you all!

I forgot to add the pictures of my Italian host family last time, so I added them today. One is with my three little Italian brothers and one is with my two dads while my parents were visiting =) The other pictures are of some of the beautiful views of Siena I've taken while here. Gorgeous huh?

Oh and by request, I’m giving a shout out to the UC Davis diving team =) Ciao!