What, exactly, is Italy like, anyway?
Trip Start
Sep 06, 2008
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2
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Trip End
Jun 2009
Milan, Lombardy, Italy
Friday, January 30, 2009
First of all, I just want to say that I think Italy is an amazing country. I won't commit to saying it is either better or worse than America, because if I have learned one thing this year it is that every nation has problems, there is no perfect place to live. There will always be a law that seems amoral, there will always be a politician you don't like (sometimes that politician even holds the presidency), and there will always, and I mean always, be social problems that need to be worked out. That said, I can highlight a few things I like more about Italy, and a few things I like less.
I'll start with the things I like less, since I never like to end negatively:
- The eat dinner really late here: I understand the more laid back culture they have here, but eating at 8:30 at night is just ridiculous.
- School: Ok, I said it, school here really sucks. Technology level: zero. Interactivity: almost zero. Extracurricular activities: zero. That's not even considering the fact that you sit in the same classroom all day with the same people, all day. The teachers move around instead of the students, which may seem like a good idea at first, since it prevents a lot of congestion (any alumnus of Abington Senior High School can tell you about the horrors of "the T"), but it is incredibly boring and I truly believe that sitting in the same room day after day limits creativity and critical thinking. We also don't have a clock in the room. I mean, come on, it's a fricken clock.
- Italian Drivers: Yes, it may be a stereotype, but it's true. Italian drives are the craziest, most unsafe drivers I have every seen. Anything goes on the Italian roadways, and there is no shortage of horns here, either
- Scipoeroes, Manefestazioni, and other forms of "protest": About once a month the public transportation system has a "sciopero" which is a pre-planned, one day strike that seems to serve little purpose other than a a release valve the government created to keep the public from complaining too much. Manefestazioni can be literally translated as "manifestations", which is when the students of a school decide they aren't happy with something and basically riot during school hours. It's really a messed up school system.
- Italians not speaking English: I know, this isn't really something I can find displeasing about a nation, but you have to admit, it would be easier if we all spoke the same language...
And now on to the things I like about Italy, which are arguably more important:
- Italians not speaking English: No, it's not a typo, it's in both lists, as much as I would like a global language (Esperanza, anyone?), I like learning a new language. A lot of the time I actually have to ask Italians to stop speaking English to me and start speaking Italian. People ask me often why I want to learn Italian, since it is arguably the least useful language of all the romance languages, and I respond to them very simply: It's Italian
- Motorinos: If you've ever seen a movie that takes place in Italy I am sure you have seen the Vespas they use to get around. In fact, they do use mopeds to wade through heavy traffic, and they are awesome. I am determined now to get one when I come back to America for two reasons:
- The get great gas mileage (upwards of 50 miles-to-the-gallon)
- They look awesome
- Welcoming families: I have had two host families so far, and both have them have been beyond belief. They have made me feel so at home, and opened up their houses to a complete stranger. I really can't thank them enough for all they have done for me. I know I am truly blessed.
- Public Transportation: They have a really good public transportation system (at least here in Milan), I can get just about anywhere I need to go without relying on cars. (I do miss driving though, and is one of them things I am really looking forward to doing when I come back to America.) It is very often late, which is not surprising since most everything is slightly late here in Italy, but it never fails to arrive (except during their monthly strikes, but that is a different story)
Italy and America really are very similar, yet at the same time extremely different. Most of the things on my "like" and "dislike" list are major differences between the two cultures: the school system is entirely opposite of ours, meals are different times, the term "protest" seems to take on a different meaning, but the similarities are harder to pinpoint, and the only thing I can really say about them is that they exist. One of the first things I found out here, when I first touched down at Malpensa Airport and met my first host family, is the the laws of physics didn't change. The toilet still flushes the same way, and I still can't fly without the help of a machine. Maybe the society and culture really is extremely different than American culture, but there are enough similarities that I never felt alienated or out of place here. By now, I think I have probably changed so much that those differences don't seem strange to me anymore. Even eating at 8:30 at night seems almost normal (almost is the key word there).
One last thing before I end this post. Many people have asked me over the past 6 months whether or not I would choose to live in Italy, like so many Americans have done. I really didn't know at first, and I at least entertained the thought of living here permanently, but let me say it now, for all of you reading to here: I do not believe I could ever live permanently in Italy. Don't get me wrong, I love Italy. It is a fabulous country with a great history and a fabulous culture. But I am, in the end American. My entire family is in America, all of my friends, and even my dog. I am grounded by them to America, not so much because it is my "home country", but because I am so grateful to them and am so influenced by all of them, that I don't think I could survive being permanently away from them.
Also let me take this chance to thank all of you that have influence me over my 17 ½ years of life. My family, nuclear and extended, my friends, my church congregation, even the people I never truly liked in school; you have all helped to created me who I am, and I thank you, and God bless you.
