I try to go "home" to the USA every Summer and every time I do I notice things that I never noticed while actually living in Los Angeles. There really are so many differences in cultures (Italian & American). Here are some things that are so different and that I now notice:
-people in LA are very private and it is really rare to see people at all in the neighborhood. Sometimes I think where are the people? You hardly ever see people talking to their neighbors or just hanging out in their front lawns. People are really to themselves and like it that way it seems. I only knew a handful of my neighbors in LA even though I had been living in the same house for 20 years. The others come and go and you smile and say hi if you see someone but that is about it. If you are lucky, they will smile back. I notice now signs in front lawns like "keep away", "no door solicitors", "dog on duty", "keep away". I even see darkened fabric covering gates to be more private and tall hedge between houses, all for the sake of privacy. In small Tuscan towns in Italy, neighbors are neighbors. You know your neighbors' names, their childrens' names, their activities and whether you like it or not, they know pretty much everything about you too!
-people in LA have become more stressed and easily irritated. If you remain half a second more at a red light, you are quickly honked at or given the finger. If your children raise their voices, you are stared down at. If you take extra time to ask a question at a store, the people behind you make it obvious they don't want to wait. Everything is just more laid back in Italy and especially so in the smaller towns. In fact you would not even think of honking at someone unless there was the threat of some real danger.
-people in LA eat in their cars! You would never see anyone in Italy eating in their cars. Food and meals are just too sacred.
-people in LA love to walk around with their cups of coffee. This may seem totally normal to an American but it is considered very strange to an Italian. An Italian would ask, "why can't he just finish his coffee before getting into his car?" You would never see an Italian walking away from an Italian caffe' with his coffee. Goodness sakes an Italian's espresso has to be served in ceramic or glass espresso cups and slowly enjoyed at the bar.
-parking in LA has become so complicated. If you don't have a credit card or buckets of quarters readily available, be prepared to keep roaming. In Italy, I have learned the art of parking!
-people in LA are very private and it is really rare to see people at all in the neighborhood. Sometimes I think where are the people? You hardly ever see people talking to their neighbors or just hanging out in their front lawns. People are really to themselves and like it that way it seems. I only knew a handful of my neighbors in LA even though I had been living in the same house for 20 years. The others come and go and you smile and say hi if you see someone but that is about it. If you are lucky, they will smile back. I notice now signs in front lawns like "keep away", "no door solicitors", "dog on duty", "keep away". I even see darkened fabric covering gates to be more private and tall hedge between houses, all for the sake of privacy. In small Tuscan towns in Italy, neighbors are neighbors. You know your neighbors' names, their childrens' names, their activities and whether you like it or not, they know pretty much everything about you too!
-people in LA have become more stressed and easily irritated. If you remain half a second more at a red light, you are quickly honked at or given the finger. If your children raise their voices, you are stared down at. If you take extra time to ask a question at a store, the people behind you make it obvious they don't want to wait. Everything is just more laid back in Italy and especially so in the smaller towns. In fact you would not even think of honking at someone unless there was the threat of some real danger.
-people in LA eat in their cars! You would never see anyone in Italy eating in their cars. Food and meals are just too sacred.
-people in LA love to walk around with their cups of coffee. This may seem totally normal to an American but it is considered very strange to an Italian. An Italian would ask, "why can't he just finish his coffee before getting into his car?" You would never see an Italian walking away from an Italian caffe' with his coffee. Goodness sakes an Italian's espresso has to be served in ceramic or glass espresso cups and slowly enjoyed at the bar.
-parking in LA has become so complicated. If you don't have a credit card or buckets of quarters readily available, be prepared to keep roaming. In Italy, I have learned the art of parking!
3 comments:
Great blog - having lived in Italy for ten years I really empathise.
You should write a guest article on one of my sites with a link back to your blog. My main site is my-piedmont.com
Thank you. I will definitely check out your blog!
Hahhaha very funny but true!
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