Monday, January 17, 2011

Italy v. America

I think it’s about time for a fun little comparison of my new home and my home back in the States. Of course the first thing everyone always wants to know about is the toilet. Here, the flusher is a button on the wall. The tank is all the way up by the ceiling on the wall. The bathtub is also peculiar because the shower head is in the middle instead of on the end. The curtain also goes around two sides.

Driving: Italians are INSANE. They drive extremely fast, constantly weave in and out of other cars, and often drive in between two lanes. Lines painted on the road are merely suggestions…including crosswalks! We’ve learned to always look before crossing, even if it’s the pedestrian’s right-of-way. We also learned to make eye contact with the driver and put out our hand in a stop symbol, meaning “Stop, I’m coming!”

Personal space in Italy is non-existent. Italians don’t make organized lines, but squished mobs. Stores are very specialized and often close for 2-3 hours in the afternoon for lunch. Not to make anyone at home jealous, but the weather in the winter is gorgeous. It’s cool and humid and spring-coat worthy. Interestingly enough, the Italians think it’s really cold and walk around in puffy winter coats. The internet (in the Residence)is terrible. And like I mentioned in an earlier post, gelato is oh so much better than ice cream.

No comments:

Post a Comment