There is a box of food a friend sent me so I could have all the trimmings for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner (except the turkey). When I heard it was coming I was so excited anticipating all the tastes of home in that box. I know how my Thanksgiving dinners have been in the past. My mouth might have drooled a little. The box made it to Italy very quickly from California. However, after nearly two weeks, it is still going through the process to actually get to me. I know when it finally arrives I will be able to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner like I've had in the past.
One of my favorite sayings is 'when life gives you a lemon, make lemonade.' So, no traditional items for this Thanksgiving? How could I sweeten this sour taste. I told my friends here that to celebrate Thanksgiving this year I wanted to experience a 'real' Italian restaurant. I've been here seven weeks and hadn't really experienced it yet. I'd been to pizzerias, caldo tavolo (hot table), and other small mainly 'to-go' places. We ended up at a trattoria here in Italy.
When the waiter asked we wanted and since it was in celebration of our Thanksgiving we decided we needed to order a sampling of several of their antipasti (appetizers) with 'fizzy' water and regular water to drink. For our 'first plate' we ordered pasta, too. We would see if we needed a 'second plate'.
The server began bringing the antipasti dishes. She brought out a three bowl container each filled, a plate of bruschetta, and then a large tray filled with a variety of goodies. We all ate to our hearts content the delightful tastes of Italy. Our tummies were taking note, it was indeed Thanksgiving. The server took the antipasti plates away and fresh plates set before us.
Skillets of pasta, one for for the different pastas ordered, were brought to our table. Wow, everything tasted so good! We continued to eat and enjoy our non traditional Thanksgiving dinner. We started feeling like we were back in the US on this Thanksgiving Day as our bellies were filled! A young one said she felt filled to the top of their head. Oh the food was so good, but no one could completely finish their meals. We would need to let the food digest before eating anything else! No second plate for any of us!
While sharing the fun of the evening with a fellow student at school during our break today, this analogy hit me. Language learning is like eating a Thanksgiving dinner. The language (food) is presented little by little. As the teacher (sever) teaches (brings out the dishes) you put the information (food) in your notebook (on the plate). As you do the homework (eat) it takes time. More information (food) is brought and you take more notes (refill the plate). However, there comes a time when no more information (food) can go in without taking some time to process (digest) what has been learned. There is a need of the breaks to fully digest before taking in more. Language learning is like a Thanksgiving dinner. Even though it is wonderful, there is so much! You can't eat like that every day! I'll always be learning, just like eating to stay nourished!
I've had days where I feel like I'm 'filled to the top of my head' not knowing how any more information could possibly fit in. I do look forward to the weekends, to have time to digest what was learned during the week so I'm ready to take in more the next week!
This new session is already a quarter finished. I'm looking forward to the Christmas break to really let things digest and be ready to 'feast on' in January!
Friday, November 28, 2014
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Updating My Operating System
A few weeks before coming to Italy I had a notice from Apple that it was time to upgrade my operating system on my Mac. Oh, how I dread those updates, especially at the beginning, there are always bugs that will require an upgrade to the upgrade. Going to Mavericks was not easy. It was the worst upgrade I had experienced. It MIGHT be that l was living in a guest house and the wifi was kind of slow sometimes. So I took my Mac to the Apple store and they reinstalled it 'quickly'. It was still a few hours to reload. The guy told me that the first time I booted it back up it would take time as it would need to be reconnecting everything.
Since I've been here Apple had a new upgrade. It again took a few hours to totally do. I could do some minor things during the installation, but I had to mostly just let it make sure all the files were in the right place and then a restart to the system. This one seemed to work so much better. My Mac is running more like it did several months ago!
Sometimes there needs to be updates because things didn't go as planned with the initial install. Everything seems to run slower than normal.
While sitting around the table eating lunch my friends and I started talking about my life and how this move to Italy is like an 'upgrade of my operating system'. Since my life here in Italy is a completely new 'operating system' it takes a while to load (into my brain!). I still can do some other things while it loads, but everything is slower. Some things don't work yet, and they may need updates. There might be some glitches along the way. And until it is fully loaded I won't be able to take advantage of all the new features that comes with this new 'operating system'.
I'm looking forward to when my new OS is working well and I can start doing the work that is before me.
Since I've been here Apple had a new upgrade. It again took a few hours to totally do. I could do some minor things during the installation, but I had to mostly just let it make sure all the files were in the right place and then a restart to the system. This one seemed to work so much better. My Mac is running more like it did several months ago!
Sometimes there needs to be updates because things didn't go as planned with the initial install. Everything seems to run slower than normal.
While sitting around the table eating lunch my friends and I started talking about my life and how this move to Italy is like an 'upgrade of my operating system'. Since my life here in Italy is a completely new 'operating system' it takes a while to load (into my brain!). I still can do some other things while it loads, but everything is slower. Some things don't work yet, and they may need updates. There might be some glitches along the way. And until it is fully loaded I won't be able to take advantage of all the new features that comes with this new 'operating system'.
I'm looking forward to when my new OS is working well and I can start doing the work that is before me.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Sciopero (Strike)
In the United States when there is a strike no one usually knows about it until it happens or maybe there is an information leak and there may be a bit of knowledge prior to that day. Here in Italy transportation strikes (scioperi) happen, and when they do people usually know about them. There is a website you can go see not only the date, but the hours the strike will occur.
The Friday before my language classes began there was a strike in the transportation system in Italy. I had heard about it and knew it didn't affect me, because I was not going anywhere, so I had not really paid a lot of attention to it. I figured it would be a while before there was another one and I was glad it was right before school started!
On a typical day I leave my apartment one hour and fifteen minutes before class is to begin. It takes me approximately ten minutes to walk to the train station, then figure out which train to take (and on which platform I need to quickly get to when it appears on the departure screen); then hop on board and stand for the 18 minute trip to Rome's main train station (Termini). The train I usually catch is the 8 or the 8:05 train. Then a quick, five minute walk to the Metro connection to wait (with a platform full of others) for the next underground train. I squeeze on board and ride to the Piazza where my school is located.
I plan the time for my commute so if a train is extremely full I have the time to wait for the next one. I have arrived as quickly as thirty five minutes after leaving home and as long as just over an hour. (For those who know me well, I have a new habit. Habits usually take three weeks, right? For the past three weeks I have arrived at least ten minutes before class, and usually before the school even opens! I have almost always been the first one in the classroom!!)
This past week I was informed of a sciopero that would happen on Friday, November 14th. I knew this would affect how I would travel to school and back again. Fortunately, strikes are announced ahead of time and most strikes happen during the time of the day most people are at work. This one was to stop the Trenitalia trains from 8 AM to 6 PM and the Metro trains and buses from 10 AM to 2 PM.
Since I typically ride the trains during the strike times, I decided to leave a little earlier to make sure I got to the city before they stopped running. I made it to the train station and even made it on the first train that arrived. Not only did I make the train, I even had a seat! First time to sit on the way to school! As I arrived in Termini it appeared that the station was nearly dead, since it was now after 8 and non of the trains would be moving for several hours. However, the Metro was just as crowded as normal! I made it to school about ten minutes before it opened!
My class is finished at 1 PM. Since I knew public transportation was not running, I started walking and found a wonderful pizzeria and chose a pizza to take with me. Before I finished that wonderful zucchini pizza (don't knock it until you try it!) I passed a gelateria that looked fantastic! I stopped and finished my pizza. I went in and bought a small cone for 2 euros. I love it that you get to choose three flavors! Lemon, vanilla with hazelnut, and vanilla with chocolate bits throughout were what I chose! I kept walking until I arrived at a Metro stop and checking the time (a little after two) I went down into catch a train. I probably should have waited a while longer since they just had started running again as there were many people squeezing on board.
At Termini I got off the B line and made my way to the A line. There were even more people and the doors were closing as I squeezed on board. This is the line I take home on Mondays with my friends after Bible study, so I knew I would ride to the end of the line. I believe nearly everyone on board rode to the end of the line that day!
On Monday's my friend's husband comes to pick us up, but I needed to learn how to get back home without a car. They had told me what the bus number was I needed to look for. However, in my typical fashion I thought I would remember the number ... how many different routes would be in the 500's, right? I knew there were two 5's in the number, but as I arrived I saw there was a 551, 505, and several others that were in the 500's! But, I could not find the name of the stop near my home on any of them. Oops! So, this required a quick call to my friend, "What was that number again? 'Oh, I need to take the 515! Oh, I'm looking in the wrong area for the bus?" Ah, finally I see where I could find the bus! I see the next one will be in about 20 minutes. So, there was time to walk around and 'windowshop' at the little open air shops which were set up nearby.
When the bus arrives I am one of the first on. Which meant I had my choice of seats! Wow! As the bus started off and I realised I wasn't sure what the stop looked like where I should disembark. I knew it was near the train station but on the other side of the tracks from the station, but I had not been there on foot. So, I watched while we went along, as people got off and others got on. I thought I started recognizing the area when the bus stopped and almost everyone that had got on at the Metro station got off. I thought, "I guess I need to get off!" As I looked at the sign I knew I was in the right place.
Now all I had to do was figure out how to find the subway (the underground passage below the train tracks). There were no obvious signs. However, I felt I needed to go to the right and low and behold there was the subway passage! As I came up on the other side I saw the monitors showing the train schedule and I could tell there were indeed no trains running.
After my walk home I checked my pedometer, I had walked 9,500+ steps (approx 4 miles) that day and it was a little after 4 PM. It took me over three hours after class to travel home, but I did it!
I checked the website for strikes ... I get to do this again on December 5th!
The Friday before my language classes began there was a strike in the transportation system in Italy. I had heard about it and knew it didn't affect me, because I was not going anywhere, so I had not really paid a lot of attention to it. I figured it would be a while before there was another one and I was glad it was right before school started!
On a typical day I leave my apartment one hour and fifteen minutes before class is to begin. It takes me approximately ten minutes to walk to the train station, then figure out which train to take (and on which platform I need to quickly get to when it appears on the departure screen); then hop on board and stand for the 18 minute trip to Rome's main train station (Termini). The train I usually catch is the 8 or the 8:05 train. Then a quick, five minute walk to the Metro connection to wait (with a platform full of others) for the next underground train. I squeeze on board and ride to the Piazza where my school is located.
I plan the time for my commute so if a train is extremely full I have the time to wait for the next one. I have arrived as quickly as thirty five minutes after leaving home and as long as just over an hour. (For those who know me well, I have a new habit. Habits usually take three weeks, right? For the past three weeks I have arrived at least ten minutes before class, and usually before the school even opens! I have almost always been the first one in the classroom!!)
This past week I was informed of a sciopero that would happen on Friday, November 14th. I knew this would affect how I would travel to school and back again. Fortunately, strikes are announced ahead of time and most strikes happen during the time of the day most people are at work. This one was to stop the Trenitalia trains from 8 AM to 6 PM and the Metro trains and buses from 10 AM to 2 PM.
Since I typically ride the trains during the strike times, I decided to leave a little earlier to make sure I got to the city before they stopped running. I made it to the train station and even made it on the first train that arrived. Not only did I make the train, I even had a seat! First time to sit on the way to school! As I arrived in Termini it appeared that the station was nearly dead, since it was now after 8 and non of the trains would be moving for several hours. However, the Metro was just as crowded as normal! I made it to school about ten minutes before it opened!
My class is finished at 1 PM. Since I knew public transportation was not running, I started walking and found a wonderful pizzeria and chose a pizza to take with me. Before I finished that wonderful zucchini pizza (don't knock it until you try it!) I passed a gelateria that looked fantastic! I stopped and finished my pizza. I went in and bought a small cone for 2 euros. I love it that you get to choose three flavors! Lemon, vanilla with hazelnut, and vanilla with chocolate bits throughout were what I chose! I kept walking until I arrived at a Metro stop and checking the time (a little after two) I went down into catch a train. I probably should have waited a while longer since they just had started running again as there were many people squeezing on board.
At Termini I got off the B line and made my way to the A line. There were even more people and the doors were closing as I squeezed on board. This is the line I take home on Mondays with my friends after Bible study, so I knew I would ride to the end of the line. I believe nearly everyone on board rode to the end of the line that day!
On Monday's my friend's husband comes to pick us up, but I needed to learn how to get back home without a car. They had told me what the bus number was I needed to look for. However, in my typical fashion I thought I would remember the number ... how many different routes would be in the 500's, right? I knew there were two 5's in the number, but as I arrived I saw there was a 551, 505, and several others that were in the 500's! But, I could not find the name of the stop near my home on any of them. Oops! So, this required a quick call to my friend, "What was that number again? 'Oh, I need to take the 515! Oh, I'm looking in the wrong area for the bus?" Ah, finally I see where I could find the bus! I see the next one will be in about 20 minutes. So, there was time to walk around and 'windowshop' at the little open air shops which were set up nearby.
When the bus arrives I am one of the first on. Which meant I had my choice of seats! Wow! As the bus started off and I realised I wasn't sure what the stop looked like where I should disembark. I knew it was near the train station but on the other side of the tracks from the station, but I had not been there on foot. So, I watched while we went along, as people got off and others got on. I thought I started recognizing the area when the bus stopped and almost everyone that had got on at the Metro station got off. I thought, "I guess I need to get off!" As I looked at the sign I knew I was in the right place.
Now all I had to do was figure out how to find the subway (the underground passage below the train tracks). There were no obvious signs. However, I felt I needed to go to the right and low and behold there was the subway passage! As I came up on the other side I saw the monitors showing the train schedule and I could tell there were indeed no trains running.
After my walk home I checked my pedometer, I had walked 9,500+ steps (approx 4 miles) that day and it was a little after 4 PM. It took me over three hours after class to travel home, but I did it!
I checked the website for strikes ... I get to do this again on December 5th!
Thursday, November 6, 2014
"Rain Day"
Another new experience ... Back in Indiana we would go to school/work in the rain, in storms, in the snow (unless it was too much - several inches), in the cold (unless it was too cold - much below zero). But, this day I stayed home from school due to rain. At first it didn't make sense to me. They were predicting heavy rains, but they were only expecting an inch. What's an inch of rain?
Then I remembered the rain in my life in Indiana. Flat Indiana. Nothing but the sewers underground. An inch of rain could flood the streets if the sewers didn't drain it quickly enough. I remembered that rain accumulates in the lowest places. I remembered my house had twice experienced having water come inside due to rain coming down too quickly.
I travel back and forth to school by walking, by train and by Metro. (The Metro is underground trains.) When I go to school I go down into the ground one level. But coming home I go down two levels.
An inch of rain coming down quickly, where would the water go? Down into the Metro!
Thank you, government of Rome for closing schools today and saying to travel only if necessary. Thank you to my friends who shared with me what the government of Rome said!
When there are storms in my life, let me remember to listen to the One who knows the best for me, and let me heed His advice!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION the day after:
They are calling this rain event 'Bombe d'acqua' (Water Bomb) It was a storm that covered almost all of Italy. I've read where parts of Rome had rain falling at a rate of 5-6" per hour! We had some hail where I was, but some places in Rome had walnut size hail. I haven't found total rainfall, for the day. I went back to school today. The rain was still falling, but the intensity was gone. I have a nice umbrella which did it's job today!
Then I remembered the rain in my life in Indiana. Flat Indiana. Nothing but the sewers underground. An inch of rain could flood the streets if the sewers didn't drain it quickly enough. I remembered that rain accumulates in the lowest places. I remembered my house had twice experienced having water come inside due to rain coming down too quickly.
I travel back and forth to school by walking, by train and by Metro. (The Metro is underground trains.) When I go to school I go down into the ground one level. But coming home I go down two levels.
An inch of rain coming down quickly, where would the water go? Down into the Metro!
Thank you, government of Rome for closing schools today and saying to travel only if necessary. Thank you to my friends who shared with me what the government of Rome said!
When there are storms in my life, let me remember to listen to the One who knows the best for me, and let me heed His advice!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION the day after:
They are calling this rain event 'Bombe d'acqua' (Water Bomb) It was a storm that covered almost all of Italy. I've read where parts of Rome had rain falling at a rate of 5-6" per hour! We had some hail where I was, but some places in Rome had walnut size hail. I haven't found total rainfall, for the day. I went back to school today. The rain was still falling, but the intensity was gone. I have a nice umbrella which did it's job today!
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Differences I've Observed
I left for Italy four weeks ago today. In some ways it seems like a lifetime ago and in other ways that time has gone by so quickly. I've noticed a few things are different for me. Some are small and some are huge. Let me share with you some of these differences.
DRIVING. Any one who knows me well knows how much I love to drive. I started driving a tractor alone at age ten! At twenty I drove to Georgia alone for the summer. A couple of years ago I had some training to go to in Colorado. I drove alone for the two days to get there without problem. The return trip took five days for me to be able to stop and visit a few people I hadn't seen in a very long time. When each of my kids were learning to drive, they were required to practice. I would allow them some time behind the wheel, but not all of the time. I really enjoy driving. So, this first thing is a major thing. I've not driven in four weeks! However, watching Italians drive, this is a good thing! Maybe by the time it's time to move on I'll be ready to drive in this country, then again, maybe not.
CARS. First, the cars here are small, it appears that two cars here would fit the space of my Chevy Malibu in the US. Who knows, maybe three, if they were all Smart cars! Second, all the cars are manual transmission. Even though my Malibu was an automatic, I've known how to drive a stick since the farm truck my Daddy taught me to drive was 'four on the floor', so I know how to do that. This does help with gas milage. Third, they drive and stop fast. Stop signs seem to be considered yield signs, if there is no one coming, slow down, but keep the traffic moving. Pedestrians have the right away in a crosswalk. Many stop signs have been turned off because they were causing traffic jams. Fourth, everyone noses their car into traffic. An example is one particular road that almost always is full of traffic both ways. There is a road that intersects it. Since there is no light there, people would have to wait all day for the road to be clear. So, they nose out and once they get part way out traffic stops to let them in. Fifth, the roads are narrow. Most of the buildings were built before cars were invented, so they need to keep their cars small. Parking is simply amazing. People know how to squeeze their cars into a very tight space. The apartment building's parking lot does not have enough spaces for all the people that live in the buildings. At times you must park on the street. Sixth, the price of fuel is much higher here. 1.55/liter might sound good, but remember it takes 3.79 liters to make a gallon. So that's about $7.57gallon! (Currently, I get to go shopping with a friend with a car. When I move out on my own I will be doing shopping more often since I will have to carry things home. I notice a lot of people using carry on bags as people go from place to place in their daily lives. Most kids school backpacks are on wheels!)
So, if I'm not driving, how do I get places? Public transportation here is simply amazing! I did not say great, I said amazing. They have trains, the Metro, buses, trams. I also have my feet. In just four weeks I've done it all! Once you understand their signs you can get from place to place very efficiently!
TRAINS. The tracks to the train are just across the street from my apartment, so I hear them go by all day and night. Most of the time I don't even hear them. However, I live about a ten minute walk to the train station. I now know how to read the message boards to know which platform I really need to be on so when the train arrives I can get on. (I learned this the hard way on Tuesday when took a train that normally stops in my town, but I had not noticed that it would not that day. I ended up 25 kilometres away from where I was to be! That's about 15.5 miles. An hour wait to get on the right train to actually stop in my town, I finally made it home three hours after school!) In the mornings, during rush hour, I normally ride the train the 17-18 minutes into Rome standing up. I've not had a seat yet in the morning. In fact, sometimes there are so many people standing up that there's not room to turn around. When I was in high school I rode Amtrac back and forth to visit my sister in college. Everyone is assigned a seat. If all the seats are filled, the train is full. They don't sell any more tickets. You could get up from your seat and walk around, but you knew you could go back to your seat. Here in Italy, I've learned there is no 'personal space' bubble as in America.
METRO or the subway system of Rome. (FYI - the 'subway' is the walkway underground to get to the Metro or from on train platform to another.) When I explained how the train ride is you might have thought that was bad. But, during the morning rush the Metro is tighter yet! Normally I take off my backpack, bring it around front and squeeze onboard with hundreds of others. (Absolutely no personal space here. Also, need to be aware of pickpockets!) Fortunately it is just a five minute ride with two stops in between.
BUSES and TRAMS. So far I've only been on the tram once. It is like a bus on tracks or a two or three car train in the city. Buses during rush hour and near the center of Rome are crowded. I've ridden many times standing. Yesterday a group from my school got on a bus. The first five on the bus of the fourteen of us had seats, about half way to where we were going everyone in our group finally had seats. (I really had not thought about riding so much standing up!)
WALKING. I am now walking about three miles a day. On Monday's I spend the afternoon sight seeing so it is more. Last Monday was nearly nine miles of walking! I'm SO glad I bought SAS tennis shoes before coming. My feet haven't hurt at all!
HAIR. I could not bring with me or ship the only hairspray that has ever held my hair in place well. (It is an aerosol can and that is now banned even in the cargo hold.) I was so disappointed. However, my hair seems thicker, softer, and seems to grow faster that in the States. I bought a cheap, German blow dryer and curling iron. My hair dries faster than ever and it holds a curl like never before! I don't even have to wash my hair daily!
FINGERNAILS. Have you ever let a guy in the mall polish one of your fingernails? The end result is one smooth and shiny nails without polish! Just like in the mall, however, all my fingernails are smooth, shiny and stronger than I ever remember in my life! I've found out the the water in the Rome area is full of calcium. Maybe that's it?
TIME. For those who know me well, I am an 'on time' person. Which means I like to arrive 'on time'. I'm not usually early and I really don't want to be late. (If I have arrived at a place I need to be on time, but not in the room I'm supposed to be, my brain still consider that 'on time'!) So, for me to be from thirty minutes to ten minutes early for school, this is a big change! The first day of school I arrived ten minutes before it was to start, which gave me ten extra minutes to do my test! In the last four days, I'm been the first to arrive to my class two of those days! Since school has started I've also gone to bed earlier. I was asleep one night by 9 PM! (Time here is on the 24 hour system, so I was asleep by 21!) Another time issue is the 'system'. Applying for the permission to live here permit took about three weeks to accomplish all that was required of me. However it will be another month or two before it is actually ready to be picked up! Most times are listed with a point not a colon. So it is 4.30 not 4:30. Dates are day, month, and year. I have been surprised at how quickly I've adapted to this.
CURRENCY. Yes, I knew there were Euros instead of Dollars. I knew it was based on 100's so how to count the cents is the same. However, the denominations of coins are different. They have 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, 1 euro, and 2 euro coins. The paper money is different sizes, too, I've seen the 5's, 10's, 20's, and 50's. The smaller the amount the smaller the paper. Another interesting difference is the ',' and '.' In numbers everywhere the USA uses a point, Italians use a comma. Everywhere a comma is used the Italians use a point. So the sign says something costs '1,59 €' or the population of Italy is 60.157.214 people.
WINDOWS. They open to the outside world! There is not a screen on them to keep the bugs out. The windows open in so the whole opening allows the breeze to come in. There are shutters on the windows! These shutters are used! In my old neighborhood there were shutters bolted to the side of the windows for decoration only. I took mine down because they just were impractical. Why have 'shutters' that can't be used? The shutters keep the direct sunlight out, darken the room, and keep the heat in or the cold out! How practical!
FOODS. Some 'normal' things in my USA cabinets can't be found in the typical Italian supermercato. Liquid vanilla (theirs is a powder), powdered sugar or brown sugar (I can find a box of approximately 1/2 cup powdered or a bag of 500 g of brown, but not in the US normal 2 pound size bag), and shortening (just not here). However, there are many other things that are NOT in the USA or just different. Most milk is on the shelf for long storage. Most eggs are brown (people think you are crazy to eat eggs for breakfast!) I've seen ground beef, ground chicken, ground turkey, ground pork, and even ground horse (I won't be buying this one). I've eaten anchovies on pizza (fyi - don't knock it until you try it!) and it was not bad. They enjoy eating their meals in separate courses. The pasta dish, then the meat and salad, fruit and/or dessert, and finally caffè.
TRASH. Everything is sorted and collected on different days. There are days to put out food trash, then a day for paper recycling, another day for plastics, a day for non recyclables, glass bottles are deposited in a huge green bin on the street.
FLOORING. The floors here are not carpet, laminate, hardwood, or linoleum. They are marble! (I had a gift from my sister a year ago of slippers that are now being used.)
LAUNDRY. The typical washer is a 5 kg front load washer with about 30 different settings. I chose the 30 minute express wash. Then I hang the clothes out on the balcony on a drying rack for the sun to dry. I've heard some washers are also dryers.
TV. In this apartment it is all Italian TV. However, there are a lot of shows that are German or American with Italian voice overs. There is one show that is like a combination of 'Judge Judy' and 'Jerry Springer' with a judge, mediator, forum, and the people who have the issue. It goes on for about 1 1/2 hours!
I know there are more, but this is just a few of the differences I've noticed this month.
DRIVING. Any one who knows me well knows how much I love to drive. I started driving a tractor alone at age ten! At twenty I drove to Georgia alone for the summer. A couple of years ago I had some training to go to in Colorado. I drove alone for the two days to get there without problem. The return trip took five days for me to be able to stop and visit a few people I hadn't seen in a very long time. When each of my kids were learning to drive, they were required to practice. I would allow them some time behind the wheel, but not all of the time. I really enjoy driving. So, this first thing is a major thing. I've not driven in four weeks! However, watching Italians drive, this is a good thing! Maybe by the time it's time to move on I'll be ready to drive in this country, then again, maybe not.
CARS. First, the cars here are small, it appears that two cars here would fit the space of my Chevy Malibu in the US. Who knows, maybe three, if they were all Smart cars! Second, all the cars are manual transmission. Even though my Malibu was an automatic, I've known how to drive a stick since the farm truck my Daddy taught me to drive was 'four on the floor', so I know how to do that. This does help with gas milage. Third, they drive and stop fast. Stop signs seem to be considered yield signs, if there is no one coming, slow down, but keep the traffic moving. Pedestrians have the right away in a crosswalk. Many stop signs have been turned off because they were causing traffic jams. Fourth, everyone noses their car into traffic. An example is one particular road that almost always is full of traffic both ways. There is a road that intersects it. Since there is no light there, people would have to wait all day for the road to be clear. So, they nose out and once they get part way out traffic stops to let them in. Fifth, the roads are narrow. Most of the buildings were built before cars were invented, so they need to keep their cars small. Parking is simply amazing. People know how to squeeze their cars into a very tight space. The apartment building's parking lot does not have enough spaces for all the people that live in the buildings. At times you must park on the street. Sixth, the price of fuel is much higher here. 1.55/liter might sound good, but remember it takes 3.79 liters to make a gallon. So that's about $7.57gallon! (Currently, I get to go shopping with a friend with a car. When I move out on my own I will be doing shopping more often since I will have to carry things home. I notice a lot of people using carry on bags as people go from place to place in their daily lives. Most kids school backpacks are on wheels!)
So, if I'm not driving, how do I get places? Public transportation here is simply amazing! I did not say great, I said amazing. They have trains, the Metro, buses, trams. I also have my feet. In just four weeks I've done it all! Once you understand their signs you can get from place to place very efficiently!
TRAINS. The tracks to the train are just across the street from my apartment, so I hear them go by all day and night. Most of the time I don't even hear them. However, I live about a ten minute walk to the train station. I now know how to read the message boards to know which platform I really need to be on so when the train arrives I can get on. (I learned this the hard way on Tuesday when took a train that normally stops in my town, but I had not noticed that it would not that day. I ended up 25 kilometres away from where I was to be! That's about 15.5 miles. An hour wait to get on the right train to actually stop in my town, I finally made it home three hours after school!) In the mornings, during rush hour, I normally ride the train the 17-18 minutes into Rome standing up. I've not had a seat yet in the morning. In fact, sometimes there are so many people standing up that there's not room to turn around. When I was in high school I rode Amtrac back and forth to visit my sister in college. Everyone is assigned a seat. If all the seats are filled, the train is full. They don't sell any more tickets. You could get up from your seat and walk around, but you knew you could go back to your seat. Here in Italy, I've learned there is no 'personal space' bubble as in America.
METRO or the subway system of Rome. (FYI - the 'subway' is the walkway underground to get to the Metro or from on train platform to another.) When I explained how the train ride is you might have thought that was bad. But, during the morning rush the Metro is tighter yet! Normally I take off my backpack, bring it around front and squeeze onboard with hundreds of others. (Absolutely no personal space here. Also, need to be aware of pickpockets!) Fortunately it is just a five minute ride with two stops in between.
BUSES and TRAMS. So far I've only been on the tram once. It is like a bus on tracks or a two or three car train in the city. Buses during rush hour and near the center of Rome are crowded. I've ridden many times standing. Yesterday a group from my school got on a bus. The first five on the bus of the fourteen of us had seats, about half way to where we were going everyone in our group finally had seats. (I really had not thought about riding so much standing up!)
WALKING. I am now walking about three miles a day. On Monday's I spend the afternoon sight seeing so it is more. Last Monday was nearly nine miles of walking! I'm SO glad I bought SAS tennis shoes before coming. My feet haven't hurt at all!
HAIR. I could not bring with me or ship the only hairspray that has ever held my hair in place well. (It is an aerosol can and that is now banned even in the cargo hold.) I was so disappointed. However, my hair seems thicker, softer, and seems to grow faster that in the States. I bought a cheap, German blow dryer and curling iron. My hair dries faster than ever and it holds a curl like never before! I don't even have to wash my hair daily!
FINGERNAILS. Have you ever let a guy in the mall polish one of your fingernails? The end result is one smooth and shiny nails without polish! Just like in the mall, however, all my fingernails are smooth, shiny and stronger than I ever remember in my life! I've found out the the water in the Rome area is full of calcium. Maybe that's it?
TIME. For those who know me well, I am an 'on time' person. Which means I like to arrive 'on time'. I'm not usually early and I really don't want to be late. (If I have arrived at a place I need to be on time, but not in the room I'm supposed to be, my brain still consider that 'on time'!) So, for me to be from thirty minutes to ten minutes early for school, this is a big change! The first day of school I arrived ten minutes before it was to start, which gave me ten extra minutes to do my test! In the last four days, I'm been the first to arrive to my class two of those days! Since school has started I've also gone to bed earlier. I was asleep one night by 9 PM! (Time here is on the 24 hour system, so I was asleep by 21!) Another time issue is the 'system'. Applying for the permission to live here permit took about three weeks to accomplish all that was required of me. However it will be another month or two before it is actually ready to be picked up! Most times are listed with a point not a colon. So it is 4.30 not 4:30. Dates are day, month, and year. I have been surprised at how quickly I've adapted to this.
CURRENCY. Yes, I knew there were Euros instead of Dollars. I knew it was based on 100's so how to count the cents is the same. However, the denominations of coins are different. They have 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, 1 euro, and 2 euro coins. The paper money is different sizes, too, I've seen the 5's, 10's, 20's, and 50's. The smaller the amount the smaller the paper. Another interesting difference is the ',' and '.' In numbers everywhere the USA uses a point, Italians use a comma. Everywhere a comma is used the Italians use a point. So the sign says something costs '1,59 €' or the population of Italy is 60.157.214 people.
WINDOWS. They open to the outside world! There is not a screen on them to keep the bugs out. The windows open in so the whole opening allows the breeze to come in. There are shutters on the windows! These shutters are used! In my old neighborhood there were shutters bolted to the side of the windows for decoration only. I took mine down because they just were impractical. Why have 'shutters' that can't be used? The shutters keep the direct sunlight out, darken the room, and keep the heat in or the cold out! How practical!
FOODS. Some 'normal' things in my USA cabinets can't be found in the typical Italian supermercato. Liquid vanilla (theirs is a powder), powdered sugar or brown sugar (I can find a box of approximately 1/2 cup powdered or a bag of 500 g of brown, but not in the US normal 2 pound size bag), and shortening (just not here). However, there are many other things that are NOT in the USA or just different. Most milk is on the shelf for long storage. Most eggs are brown (people think you are crazy to eat eggs for breakfast!) I've seen ground beef, ground chicken, ground turkey, ground pork, and even ground horse (I won't be buying this one). I've eaten anchovies on pizza (fyi - don't knock it until you try it!) and it was not bad. They enjoy eating their meals in separate courses. The pasta dish, then the meat and salad, fruit and/or dessert, and finally caffè.
TRASH. Everything is sorted and collected on different days. There are days to put out food trash, then a day for paper recycling, another day for plastics, a day for non recyclables, glass bottles are deposited in a huge green bin on the street.
FLOORING. The floors here are not carpet, laminate, hardwood, or linoleum. They are marble! (I had a gift from my sister a year ago of slippers that are now being used.)
LAUNDRY. The typical washer is a 5 kg front load washer with about 30 different settings. I chose the 30 minute express wash. Then I hang the clothes out on the balcony on a drying rack for the sun to dry. I've heard some washers are also dryers.
TV. In this apartment it is all Italian TV. However, there are a lot of shows that are German or American with Italian voice overs. There is one show that is like a combination of 'Judge Judy' and 'Jerry Springer' with a judge, mediator, forum, and the people who have the issue. It goes on for about 1 1/2 hours!
I know there are more, but this is just a few of the differences I've noticed this month.
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