I get so accustomed of living in the small town of Chiusi that things that occur have almost become common place. I forget that those who don't live in a small town may have no idea of how it is like. As with anything else, there are the pro's and con's but you have to decide for yourself. ...
1. Be prepared that if you wear the same clothing more than two days in a row people will comment on it. Actually people will comment on anything anyways so who cares.
2. You cannot put on a pair of sunglasses and a hat and have an anonymous day because sure enough you will be stopped and asked if everything is ok.
3. You cannot cry because you feel like crying for whatever reason in your car or anywhere because you will be stopped and asked about it or someone will spread the rumor of something evil having happened to you.
4. Image and appearance is everything so be prepared. Here it is what you wear that makes you what you are.
5. Don't ever ever go barefoot. Huge no no.
6. Don't wear flip flops unless it is scorching hot weather in the Summer.
7. Always wear some kind of a jacket, coat, over coat, trench coat, wind breaker. Going without outerwear is another no no.
8. Shoes should always be super clean and polished.
9. Hair should always be nice and tidy and if possible a weekly stop at the hair salon for women is a plus.
10. Make sure your car is clean. This is an ordeal and impossible for the vast majority that live in the countryside.
11. When in doubt, buy designer even if you cannot afford it. This still makes me laugh.
12. Don't ask for a cappuccino anytime after 11 am. A huge no no.
13. Do buy lots of bread, focaccia daily.
14. Beware of when the circus is in town as it brings diseases.
15. The cold outside or rain causes colds and viruses not the fact that someone sneezed on you.
16. Social media is talking a lot outside.
17. An iPhone is the American way of saying telephone.
18. Facebook is a book with many pictures of faces.
19. Life is eating well..........
1. Be prepared that if you wear the same clothing more than two days in a row people will comment on it. Actually people will comment on anything anyways so who cares.
2. You cannot put on a pair of sunglasses and a hat and have an anonymous day because sure enough you will be stopped and asked if everything is ok.
3. You cannot cry because you feel like crying for whatever reason in your car or anywhere because you will be stopped and asked about it or someone will spread the rumor of something evil having happened to you.
4. Image and appearance is everything so be prepared. Here it is what you wear that makes you what you are.
5. Don't ever ever go barefoot. Huge no no.
6. Don't wear flip flops unless it is scorching hot weather in the Summer.
7. Always wear some kind of a jacket, coat, over coat, trench coat, wind breaker. Going without outerwear is another no no.
8. Shoes should always be super clean and polished.
9. Hair should always be nice and tidy and if possible a weekly stop at the hair salon for women is a plus.
10. Make sure your car is clean. This is an ordeal and impossible for the vast majority that live in the countryside.
11. When in doubt, buy designer even if you cannot afford it. This still makes me laugh.
12. Don't ask for a cappuccino anytime after 11 am. A huge no no.
13. Do buy lots of bread, focaccia daily.
14. Beware of when the circus is in town as it brings diseases.
15. The cold outside or rain causes colds and viruses not the fact that someone sneezed on you.
16. Social media is talking a lot outside.
17. An iPhone is the American way of saying telephone.
18. Facebook is a book with many pictures of faces.
5 comments:
Just found your blog! So glad to be reading it. This post in particular! I'm an American who just learned last week that my husband has landed a teaching post in Arezzo! We'll be leaving in July - with our toddler daughter! Can learn a lot from you, I'm betting!
grazie! Gina
Ciao Gina! Great. When you get here, send me your contact info. Arezzo is just a 20 minute train ride away. I lived 4 years in Arezzo. You are going to have a fantastic time!Lucia
Hahah Love it. The humor is to die for. It makes me really want to hang around with the people there.
I am not Italian but work in Italy since 1998 in a big hotel in Florence. 90% of our guests are Americans and, yes, I believe that, at this point, my experience about American behaviours is quite big. Beside many points already considered in the comments above, I\'d like to point on a basic aspect that many American tourists have in common: they like to point on situations they dislike about other countries (in this case Italy) and keep forgetting the real situation of the country they are coming from. The first example coming to my mind is when a lady from Texas complained with my director that in the country she was coming from you don\'t have to pay for water at a restaurant, ever! She totally forgot, however (but not so my director), that her sweet husband had to go the the hospital in Florence after a bad fall he had walking downtown. His wrist had to be put in a plaster cast and, believe it or not, at a cost of 7 euros (ER fees) all included. Try to do the same in the US... The father of a good friend of mine (American from upstate New York, Buffalo), had to sell his house to pay for part of the hospital expenses after he was diagnosed with brain cancer (insurance, apparently, did not cover that disease!?). He died in 2009... He had to go to live with his son in the last period of his unlucky life, but, my friends, at the restaurant the water, from the faucet of course, was FREE!!!! Another thing, and this happened to me during my last trip to the US, which is apparently common among Americans flying abroad, is the sense of safety they feel just in their homeland. The thing could be considered quite normal, I know, since it is obvious to have more confidence in areas and situations we know perfectly and we are at ease with. But to get to the point, and this is what I have seen with my eyes, to kiss the tar of the airport\'s runway (we were just landed in Boston) to show the happiness of being back to \"supersafe\" USA from an American couple (quite funny, btw, since they were pretty huge people indeed and had a few problems to kneel), it makes me think that, maybe, many Americans (I am saying many because i heard the conversations of many other Americans tourists talking about this particular subject) are partially unaware of the country they are living in. Maybe, just to refresh their mind, they should go here sometimes: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2012/12/gun_death_tally_every_american_gun_death_since_newtown_sandy_hook_shooting.html. I\'ve never, never, never seen such a warzone neither in Italy, nor in Greece, where I am from. Maybe, if they considered more also the negative aspects of the country they come from, and not just the positive ones (like the free water at the restaurants), the Americans would get along much better with the rest of the world. No offense people. Be positive! Licia
I am not Italian but work in Italy since 1998 in a big hotel in Florence. 90% of our guests are Americans and, yes, I believe that, at this point, my experience about American behaviours is quite big. Beside many points already considered in the comments above, I\'d like to point on a basic aspect that many American tourists have in common: they like to point on situations they dislike about other countries (in this case Italy) and keep forgetting the real situation of the country they are coming from. The first example coming to my mind is when a lady from Texas complained with my director that in the country she was coming from you don\'t have to pay for water at a restaurant, ever! She totally forgot, however (but not so my director), that her sweet husband had to go the the hospital in Florence after a bad fall he had walking downtown. His wrist had to be put in a plaster cast and, believe it or not, at a cost of 7 euros (ER fees) all included. Try to do the same in the US... The father of a good friend of mine (American from upstate New York, Buffalo), had to sell his house to pay for part of the hospital expenses after he was diagnosed with brain cancer (insurance, apparently, did not cover that disease!?). He died in 2009... He had to go to live with his son in the last period of his unlucky life, but, my friends, at the restaurant the water, from the faucet of course, was FREE!!!! Another thing, and this happened to me during my last trip to the US, which is apparently common among Americans flying abroad, is the sense of safety they feel just in their homeland. The thing could be considered quite normal, I know, since it is obvious to have more confidence in areas and situations we know perfectly and we are at ease with. But to get to the point, and this is what I have seen with my eyes, to kiss the tar of the airport\'s runway (we were just landed in Boston) to show the happiness of being back to \"supersafe\" USA from an American couple (quite funny, btw, since they were pretty huge people indeed and had a few problems to kneel), it makes me think that, maybe, many Americans (I am saying many because i heard the conversations of many other Americans tourists talking about this particular subject) are partially unaware of the country they are living in. Maybe, just to refresh their mind, they should go here sometimes: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2012/12/gun_death_tally_every_american_gun_death_since_newtown_sandy_hook_shooting.html. I\'ve never, never, never seen such a warzone neither in Italy, nor in Greece, where I am from. Maybe, if they considered more also the negative aspects of the country they come from, and not just the positive ones (like the free water at the restaurants), the Americans would get along much better with the rest of the world. No offense people. Be positive! Licia
Post a Comment