Benvenuti in Italia! Walking through the airport brought the essence of Italy back quickly. I noticed the lilt of the language and was recognizing more words than the last time I was here. That’s progress!
You are hit with avant-garde billboards by designers like Valentino as soon as you are out of the jetway. It’s definitely a different culture here! It’s not uncommon to see an advertisement where there is partial nudity. Our Puritan roots in America would gasp at the thought! Wait until the Americans head to the beach…
Day 1 of an overseas trip is a grind. There is so much time spent traveling, waiting, and feeling sleep-deprived, while trying to stay alert enough to not get your stuff stolen. It’s happened to me on Day 1 before so I’m more vigilant now. Live and learn!
I quickly start noticing how things operate here. It’s not as if I haven’t been before but for some reason, different things are jumping out at me. Or maybe because I’m exhausted, they seem new again.
Americans have a bad habit of looking at their phones while they are driving. It’s scary and I see it regularly! I was driving down a more major neighborhood street in my town last year and saw an SUV in front of me swerve from the right side to the left and back. I can only assume they were looking at their phone or were already drunk by midday!
Most people are getting around in Florence via foot, bike, or scooter. There are cars and buses, of course, but the others seem more prevalent. Instead of driving a car and looking at their phones, Italians are riding bikes and scooters while looking at their phones. I barely want to take my eyes off the sidewalk while I’m walking for fear of twisting an ankle on the uneven cobblestones and asphalt or stepping in dog poop! And they’re happily riding and FaceTiming someone.
Speaking of FaceTime, or whatever video chat they’re using, it seems totally acceptable to video chat wherever you want whenever you want. No headphones are required. Maybe out of courtesy for the people around you or possibly the person on the other end of the call one could use headphones. Things have changed so much since that Seinfeld episode where they discussed the rudeness of “the walk and talk” on a cell phone. (There’s a Seinfeld episode for all the inane moments of life!) I’m not sure I would want to have strangers listening in on my call! Please note, if we’re on the phone together, video or otherwise, don’t put me on speaker when you are out in public. I might say something stupid and I don’t need the whole world to hear it!
A man next to me on the train was video chatting with a child. Maybe it was his daughter, although he looked a little old to have a 4-year-old. He kept repeating some sound to her. I don’t think it was an actual word but, rather, a cute sound you say to a child to make them giggle. Do you remember the “Schmoopie” episode of Seinfeld? It got old to me pretty quickly! I suppose this sort of thing goes on at home too but I rarely take public transportation. Maybe those of you who take it regularly can comment below if this is happening near you too.
The next surprising thing this sound-making man did was smoke his e-cigarette. Italians smoke a lot, as do most Europeans. They’re getting closer to where we are now with not smoking in public places, but apparently, this guy can smoke wherever he wants. I remember the first time I came to Italy, you could still smoke in restaurants. I believe they had designated “non-smoking” areas but you know how well that works. There was a day that smoking anywhere and everywhere was normal but it’s been so long now that it was a little shocking to me.
These differences in lifestyle definitely need my consideration, should I decide I want to live in Italy one day. I will have to become comfortable with these cultural norms, and possibly even come to love them. Or just put my big girl pants on, and suck it up.