So I'm currently sitting at my host sister's desk studying a homemade vocab sheet of common items/ foods.... Because not understanding anything is getting pretty damn embarrassing :P
Anyways, this post is all about the crazy differences I've noticed between Italia e America! Although I've only been here for 4 days... Life here is a complete 180 from what I knew in PA, of course it's to be expected but still...
So, without further ado, here are some major differences that I've found either interesting or annoying
1.) The time table. Okay so I like to consider myself a pretty punctual and also social person, however in Italy everything regarding my daily schedule has pretty much been tossed into a blender and chopped into a million pieces :p In America, on any given night of the year I'm in bed by about 11:30pm. I consider a social month to be maybe seeing my friends 4 or 5 times outside of school on the weekends - maybe we go shopping or have a sleepover (sleepovers are rare though). And unless I'm dying or just ran a marathon, I'm up and about by 10:30am almost always..... Sooooooo not the case in Italy!
I've been here 4 days so far and we have stayed out till at least 12 every night! It's currently 12:42am as I'm writing this, just to give you a frame of reference. And it's not just me and my host sister! My brother, my mother and father- everyone here stays up into the wee hours, I have no idea how they manage to do it EVERY FREAKING NIGHT! I compensate for it by sleeping in until 12:30 or 1pm, but my host mom and dad stay up as late as us and then also are somehow able to be awake and working by like 8 am the next morning ( I think Italians might secretly be vampires). Tonight is a school night for my host siblings and they don't care, but I can promise you I will be in bed by 10pm for my first school night (tomorrow).
2.) Privacy! Tying back into #1, privacy is basically nonexistent here. Unless you're doing your business in a bathroom or changing your clothes, all the doors always stay open in Italy! I share a room with my sister, so I already have less privacy, but it is rather unnerving to have any given family member or acquaintance pop into your room at any hour of the day without so much as a knock :P This also might just be my family, but the lights in our house are all always on too! I love to sleep in pitch black darkness and quiet but here it's kind of like laying down on a nice, peaceful bench in the middle of Times Square during rush hour! Solo in Italia....
3.) the food. Now I know everyone assumes that if you live for 1 year in Italy you will just explode from all the food - not necessarily true!! So far I've not had a proper breakfast (because I sleep in a lot) but I do eat lunch and like a snacky type meal and dinner. The catch here is, everything is a lot healthier than in America. I eat so much better than I do there, even though I probably eat more, it's all fresh fruits and vegetables! For instance, yesterday we had polipo (octopus) with insalata, pasta a la zucca (pumpkin pasta) and for dessert fresh frutta! I have pretty much eliminated snacks from my diet here and also I drink so much water! Since I didn't drink in America I'm pretty hesitant to try any vino or birrra... Not that my family drinks a lot because they don't! One thing I do miss is salad dressing! Here it's olive oil and lemon with salt on pretty much everything you could ever want.
4.) dubbed tv shows.... Watching Duck Dynasty in Italian is really an experience that everyone should have at some point :p
5.) Socialization. As I mentioned previously, everyone is always hanging out with someone else! Since I am such an American noob, I go where my host sister goes, and let me tell you... She goes! We usually wake up and hang out with classmates for a few hours (such as going to Napoli with them earlier) and them come home, change and eat dinner, then go to the Lido Ristorante .... Which is this restaurant slash gelato shop that is on the waterfront by the bay and on any given night about 100 teenagers like to congregate in front of it. It's a lot of kissing cheeks (another difference - always kiss the right first or else you'll miss and hit their lips!! Awko taco) and screaming and cigarette smoke.
6.) a lot of teens smoke here which is considered somewhat taboo in America but very acceptable here even though they understand the health risks completely! I've been offered many cigarettes but so far I've managed to resist the temptation *sarcastic eye roll* I hate smoking :P
7.) The freedom! Even though no one can drive yet, somehow someone who can is always ready and waiting to take you it seems like! My poor host mother has to play chauffeur to us more times than I think is acceptable, but I'm not complaining :P In addition they totally trust a group of 7 16year olds to take the train by themselves and spend an afternoon in Napoli, say wuuuuuuut!?
8.) what is healthy/safe and what isn't. Wet hair and bare feet here are a health risk, but no seat belts in a care aren't? Go figure - I have been yelled at countless times to wear scarpe (shoes) rather than flip flops, but I love my flip flops and it's either them or my sexy asics sneakers (non mi piace) that was also sarcasm :P whatever you've heard about crazy driving in Italy - IT'S ABSOLUTELY TRUE!!! No one uses a stop sign or real parking spaces, traffic flow is as unpredictable as the ocean current, and streets are barely wide enough to fit one car - yet somehow 2 can pass each other and I have yet to see an accident.. If it ain't broke don't fix it?
So this was a little bit about my life so far here... I plan on posting a shorter list of some other things later but I'm super tired and getting rambly now so let's just call it a night shall we?
A huge piazza in Napoli! Famous but I forget the name :p
Buona notte :)
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