Post-Italia

I just found this as a saved draft on my blog! I guess I realized it never posted.

So here's a little bit of a post-Italy reflection.

America, be grateful that we have sidewalks and that drives abide by the rule that "pedestrians have the right of way." In Europe, this is truly not the case, not only are not able to cross the street when and where you'd like to, but cars will not stop for you if you do. Proof:

And I still have a knot there.

More reflecting...

Stereotypes fulfilled during my stay in the Eternal City:

1. Definitely saw a few nuns on mopeds.

2. Men are sketchy and vulgar, not romantic.

3. Saw a woman slap a man in the middle of the street.

Turns out the Italian women don't put up with the vulgar things the men tell them either?

4. On the otherhand, I also saw all-but sexual intercourse between passionate Italian lovers in public... multiple times. This may have happened in the UK as well.

5. A person parking a car by a forward bump, reverse bump, forward and back, back and forth, back and forth... Into other people's surrounding vehicles. Those little volkswagens and fiestas and whatever other smart cars just think they can squeeze wherever the H they want to go... And maybe, or obviously, they can with a few bumps and scrapes along the way.

6. I legitimately ate pasta everyday.

Pasta, pizza, panini was my rotation of available food options.

And contrary to popular belief about the 'amazing Italian food' I was to experience... The food was unfortunately underwhelming. Momma still has the best lasagna I've ever tasted. :]

7. Italian women DO NOT dress well. Shoes are mediocre as well.

8. The mafia is alive and real. I may or may not have made friends within it?

My panini shop guy friends "took care of" a fake 20 euro bill that I received, just sayin.

9. People smoke, everywhere, all day, everday.

In fact, Europeans will actually offer you a cigarette,

whereas in the US you'd have to traditionally bum one.

10. You really do have to hold on to your stuff while traveling...

The damn gypsies, young and old, will come up to you on the street, the bus and god knows where else. I had my purse broken one night while we were out. NOT OKAY, ITALY.

11. Family is really such a tight-knit thing in Italy. Eddie and Alessandro, the guys who owned the panini shop, are brothers in their mid-to-late 20's are best friends.

They still live with their dad in a village outside of Rome and this is 100% normal in their culture. Mom, I'm comin' in hot and free-loading until I'm about 28... Cool?

12. Life is seriously SOOO much simpler. Not only do all of the shops/restaurants/etc. shut down in the middle of the day for a nap, but they also will just randomly choose to not open if they find something more fun to do with their day. While this would straight piss off your average American, Italians are completely okay with it. In fact, Alessandro and Eddie took turns working the panini shop every other day and on their day off, they were at the beach all day. Sometimes they'd both just skip work to go to the beach together. What a life.

Oh, and I often miss that afternoon siesta. :p