I hadn’t planned on writing a post during these two weeks as this blog is about living in Italy and I am not currently in Italy! However, my first day in Berkeley, California was an eye opener for me so I thought I would share some thoughts. I am amazed at how much my life has changed in 5 short weeks in another country. In no particular order, here are some observations that struck me and I jotted down the first day I was in the US after a 5-week absence. I type them up while on the plane to see my family whom I have missed very much. So looking forward to Julie, my partner in crime, coming back with me!
1) My travel day was long, very long. From the time I got up until the time I was sitting waiting for my baggage to appear on the luggage merry-go-round was 25 hours. I had crossed nine time zones as I flew to Chicago and on to San Francisco airport. Soon after I sat down at SFO, a young couple came and sat next to me and they had an adorable little girl, probably about 3 or 4. She was chattering away and they were talking to her and it was very sweet. She kept smiling at me so she had my attention. It took me a good ten minutes to realize they were speaking Italian! I understood enough of it to kind of know what they were talking about. This had been my new life, hearing people talk, not getting a lot of it but getting better at picking up some information content as time went on. It was beginning to sound less like background noise and more like language. Mind you, I still have a very long way to go but I smiled with pride when I realized that this new language was at least starting to “sound” normal to me and it was what I expected to hear. Realizing I now understood all of the other conversations around me was the weird part!
2) After a good nights rest, I decided to plug my computer in and figure out a running route so I could explore Berkeley. I had arrived late so didn’t really have much of a feel for anything yet. I had to search for my “American” plug adapters to plug it in!
3) Once the computer booted up, I pulled up a browser and typed in “maps.google” so I could see the area. The Italian google site (google.it) came up as the default. I had to force it to go to google.com.
4) After finding a good route on Google maps, I turned on my GPS watch to get ready for my run. It was totally lost and initially came up that I was in Italy! It also said the time was 9PM, although it was noon in Berkeley. That wasn’t a reminder I needed.
5) On my run, I noticed several things. The streets are very wide here! The cars are big and we park with tons of space between our cars. In Italy, it is rare to have more than 3-4 inches of free space on at least three sides of your car, often four! Double, triple parking happens all the time. If there is more than 5 or 6 inches a space, somebody will pull in at least the front of a scooter or bike. Space is not wasted.
6) After running for 45 minutes or so, I saw a bank sign. It said they time was 1:05 and that seemed odd. I am getting used to “13:05”. The temperature was in °F as well. I am starting to know that 29° is a very nice day but 32° is getting a bit hot. So far, I have witnessed 39° (102°F) and it was 42° (107.6°F) in a car one day. Agosto could be miserable especially without AC. Most places do not have AC.
7) People drive slow here. They stop at stop signs. They stop at stop-lights. Lanes mean something. If a car is not parked near the curb up near a stop-light, that space is not used as another lane. Motorcycles don’t pass cars on all sides while they are moving or not. Seem to be fewer cars with scrapes down the side. There are a lot fewer Fiats! Nobody parks perpendicular to the curb here.
8) The shower in my hotel room was huge! I am not that big of a person and I do not know how a big person would fit in the showers I have seen so far in Italy. I have to say, in “average” person I have encountered in Italy, outside of the airport anyway, have been thinner than the average person in America. When I arrived at the airport in Rome, I remember noticing the “average size” had increased over what I had grown used to.
9) Wash clothes and big, puffy, absorbent towels are nice. I have missed them.
10)In the afternoon, I set out for a walk to meet a friend. I had to stop and get money from a cash machine. I got a couple $20’s and a $10 and as I put them away realized how nice it is when the currency is a different size, shape, and color. Once you get used to them, there are lots of clues to its value of your money without having to search for the number on it. Later when I got change, I realized that I have grown used to “change” in your pocket being worth something. The €2 coin is great and buys a lot!
11)There are microbrews in every style are everywhere here! Boy I miss that. :) Looking forward to exploring the beer scene in Rome. Looking online, I know it is much better than I have seen in Monterotondo-Scalo where I have been living.
12)Even when you are in a place you have never ever been, it is much easier to get around and feel comfortable when you know the language. My goal is to get to the point where I feel that comfortable in a new town in Italy.
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