“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain
I think traveling is important on so many levels, but learning about other cultures is something I find invaluable. Throughout my trip I observed the people and listened to their points of view. Here are a few things I noticed or was told about:
Time and Food
No waiter is in a hurry for you to pay or leave. I always have to ask for my check, not like America where they rush you out the door. This place suits me – it’s much more laid back! Also, many people here make delightful noises when they first start to eat if really good and they take a long time to eat – it’s an event, not something to get done and move on to the next thing.
The men, especially in Florence, really stare and are very friendly, yet the young women don’t really look at me – even in small village. I like seeing the older women hanging out their windows as they watch the world and the older men sitting on benches or standing in the streets visiting.
I was told that they are shocked by the alcohol use of the US and British kids when they come to visit – I wonder why those kids (in general) drink more?
In Italy it is OK to live at home with one’s parents, but in the US it seems like one should be shamed for it. This attitude has changed a bit since the economy has taken a turn for the worse. OH! And in Europe, they call it “The Crisis”, whereas here we say the economy is bad.
The driving and roads are truly crazy. I’ve noticed that ever since I have returned from Italy that I hold onto the hand/clothes hook above the passenger door. I got into the habit of holding on after all the crazy riding experiences in Italy. After being picked up in a taxi at the airport in Florence the song “Tonight’s Gonna Be a Good Night” was blasting through the speakers. I held on as we voomed through the streets dodging other cars, mopeds, people and bicycles! At one point we took a sharp turn and I thought the man standing on the street corner was going to end up in my open window!
There are people who steal in every country, but here I heard stories about Gypsies throwing babies at people to catch while the children stole from their pockets or they would throw water on people to distract them then stole their purse. Oh my was I ever nervous and kept my purse guarded at all times.
They say everything is BIGGER in the US – not just the stores, but even the refrigerators! It’s very rare for Italians to have clothes dryers, too, because there isn’t space.
There has been a lot of controversy over immigration in the US lately, but I was sad to be reminded that it is an issue everywhere. I can’t believe that in Milan they were trying to pass a law that immigrants couldn’t sit down on the bus! That’s terrible!
This experience has educated me on many levels. Talking about the similarities and differences has taught me a lot. It’s also been fun to just sit back and watch, but no matter what our differences are, we are all one people.
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