10 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT ITALY

After only a week here! I realize many of these are stereotypes, but they have held to be true in my very brief time in Perugia.

1. Complete strangers walk up to you in a bar (coffee shop) and ask if they can meet you for conversation; I really can't see this happening in the US. I was having my morning cappuccino a couple of days ago after dropping Daniel off at school and a French woman who is majoring in International Litigation (cool major!) wanted to know if I would converse with her in English in exchange for conversation in Italian. The isolation and suspicion that surrounds interactions in America is not felt here--I wonder why? Of course, the downside to this is that also random men try to get your cell phone number, find out where you live, etc. and won't take no for an answer unless you leave ;), which is kind of amusing considering I'm in my mid 40's, but also flattering. My point is that people just seem more open and interested in human interaction.

2. Just as many fathers and grandparents as mothers are collecting the children at the end of the day at the Montessori School. In the US, it seems that us moms have to fall into one of two extreme camps: the devoted, stay-at-home, soccer mom who is worn out from being nearly the sole caretaker of the children (which is the camp I have always fallen into) OR the career woman who has children but doesn't really have time for them and has to leave them at daycare a good portion of the day. Here, it has been refreshing to see more flexible arrangements for taking care of the kids and also the grandparents seem very involved. During a beautiful day at the park this week, I saw many "nonni" (grandparents) swinging, hugging, kissing and verbally encouraging and caressing their "nipotini" (grandchildren)--I wish! The interactions between the grandparents and grandchildren are full of love and tenderness: "tesore" (treasure), "amore mio" (my love), and "caro" (dear) are words you hear constantly. Affection is given freely and deeply to children--if it was like this everywhere, we would put the child psychiatrists out of business!

3. Women who unabashedly embrace their feminity. You almost never see women in sweatpants, T-shirts or slouchy clothes; apparently, jeans are worn mainly by students or at least with a sexy top. Breasts, legs, high heels and beauty are on display everywhere unashamedly. Viva la femminilita'!

4. Waking up in the early morning to church bells, opening the humongous windows of my small and simple apartment, and looking out on the orange terracotta rooftops of buildings tumbling down the rolling, blue Umbrian hills. 'Nuff said.

5. Everyone is interested in everyone. I am so accustomed to impersonal dealings in the US. No one really makes extended eye contact unless in an intense conversation with a family member, lover, or close friend. Instead, in Perugia, the "fruttivendolo" (fruit seller) really wants to know why I'm here and makes me promise to bring my child by to meet her, complimenting my Italian saying "brava, brava" even when I know it isn't true :). Also, this carries over to the interactions between the sexes. The usual scenario is a young woman seated on a park bench, facing forward, with a slight pout on her face. Almost falling off the bench and turned completely towards her is a young man, caressing her hair, kissing her at random intervals on the forehead, laughing out loud at the clever things that she says, and grabbing her frequently for a hug. It's both beautiful and painful to watch. American men have a few things to learn, in my opinion :).

6. Shopping for food, preparing food and eating food is seen as a worthwhile art form. I spend about an hour per day shopping, as I have to go to the "salumeria" (meat shop), "pasticceria" (pastry shop), "fruttivendolo", homemade pasta shop and the Coop, the "supermercato" which is about the size of a 711 in the US. Do I really have time go to to school? :) I could spend all day hanging out in the various food shops and talking to the mercants about how to prepare this or that. Moreover, I love that the relationship with food is uncomplicated in Italy. It's okay to be enthusiastic and enjoy a good meal! In America, we all overeat (and we are all overweight), but it is seen as lacking self control to talk about and savor the food as much as the Italians do. Yet, all the women here are universally thin--I can testify that this is because you walk your ass off everywhere (hence, I gain an hour per day by not having to run and lift weights, thus giving me more time to enjoy the food :)). I also love that there isn't one type of Italian food--it's not all spaghetti with ragu' sauce--but each region has its own typical products and sauces and dishes. Daniel and I ate tagliatelle with sugo d'oca (goose) yesterday with veal salad and brushchette con tartufi bianchi (white truffles), yummy and cheap!

7. The multinational and multicultural nature of Europe. At the Montessori School, Daniel is paired with a little girl from Cameroon as they are both new to Italian. She speaks French, he speaks English, and the teacher speaks Italian. A little boy in the class with a British father and an Italian mother happily serves as translator. In my own university, there is a healthy mix of students from China, Taiwan, Japan, Libya, Hungary, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Cameroon and Argentina (this is where we sing "We are the World"). Not many "americani" are here, which is to my benefit. And, plus, it's absolutely adorable to hear my own 8-year old now saying "Mamma mia!" on a regular basis!

8. The overtly expressive nature of the Italian culture. One of my goals is to learn what all the innumerable Italian hand gestures mean. It is pure entertainment to watch an Italian man speaking on a cell phone. He paces back and forth, gesturing wildly with his hands, spreading his arms wide, nearly dropping the phone, just as in a face-to-face conversation. Adorable! But, again, this is a reflection of idea #5 in that one is fully immersed in a conversation here, not checking your Blackberry and email, cooking dinner and changing your status on Facebook while having a phone conversation.

9. The general helpfulness and trusting nature of the Italian people. We have only been here one week but Daniel has been fortunate to have played three times already with the grandson of my "proprietaria" (landlord) who is already my friend. In addition, Daniel has two other playdates already lined up with kids at school--I will need a separate schedule for his social calendar! Moreover, the teachers at the Montessori School have bent over backwards helping me get childcare lined up for my two late days at the University. After only a week, I feel that we have the love and support we are going to need to make it. Love you, Caterina!

10. Okay, I lied--only 9 things. But, from a more practical standpoint, Daniel is doing very well at school. He has formed a bond already with his "brava" teacher, Paola, and is thrilled that the Montessori School is more advanced than his American school. Here, they are already doing all of their work in cursive handwriting and they were just beginning to learn the cursive strokes in Virginia. He is having a ball noticing the differences between American and Italian handwriting. By the way, I have learned quite a few things already from helping him with his homework; perhaps I should go to third grade here! Being a math aficionade, Daniel was excited to find out that the Italian kids already know their multiplication tables, which he hadn't even started in America, so he is working furiously to catch up, loving the challenge. Certainly, the language barrier is a problem, but he is in a class of only 13 children, so the teacher has time to work with him and the little girl from Cameroon.

As for me, my schedule is "massacrante", 24 hours of class per week in Italian! I have had only one full day of class so far, 3 hours of Italian language and 3 hours of contemporary Italian literature. Coming from a science and mathematics background, I was afraid that the literature course would be obtuse and dull to me. However, the literature professor is very engaging, recounting the human stories in the novel we are discussing ("Una vita" da Italo Svevo) with all the dysfunction and heartache included, stuff I love! My courses include: 9 hours per week of Italian language, 3 hours in phonetics and phonology (whatever that is :)), 3 hours in Italian history, 3 hours in the history of Italian art, 3 hours of Italian language excercises, and 2 hours in the language laboratory--whew! If that doesn't make me competent, I give up!

I wish I could say that Daniel and I are spending all of our time learning about art and architecture and history (which truly surrounds us everywhere), but life is spent in the daily business of living, just like anywhere else--going to school, cooking meals and taking care of my son. However, in ITALIA! VIVA IL BEL PAESE!