ABOUT BEING HOME
We are STILL glad to be home but unfortunately we hit a bad bit of weather…hot and windy and not at all conducive to any real relaxation. Josh did not like to swim when we did
(he burns in the sun and we go just after mid day) so we did not spend too much time down there at the water. Now that he is gone I am sure we will be swimming more.
So I have spent some time again with Italian friends and concluded that a most striking difference between Americans and Italians (who are all, after all, on vacation) is the ease with which they can waste time away gossiping and talking about nothing! It is all part of the “posing” and bella figura that we read about so often. If you haven’t read anything on the subject, the author and native Italian Beppe Severgnino has just written an article in the New York Times about Italy being “The Land of Cheery Dysfunction.” The url is below:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/23/books/23grim.html
The premise is that it is not important here what “is” but what it “looks like it is.” So true so true.
We had our gala dinner last night and we were a cheery table of 10, divided between English speakers and non-English speakers. Beside Steve and myself, we had Josh and Lutz, a German who rents Brigette and Joe’s apartment and who speaks only German and English. Then there was the Andaloros, the brothers who are also American, one of whom speaks English and one who speaks only Italian. They were with their mother who speaks only Italian (there are many older people like her who lived in the US for years who never learned a word of English). Then there was our neighbors Toto and Anna who know no English but liked to gossip in Italian. In the course of the night Josh moved to sit with the young adolescents practicing English.
The meal was late and we got our main course just before midnight. In the meantime there was a recap of the summer activities through picture and video (I don’t think we missed much) and also a display of very fancy Argentinean Tango. Although Steve and Josh had to get up very early for the plane to Rome this AM, we tried to stay through it all. When we arrived back, we found messages saying my dad had been admitted to the hospital. I had just talked to him for almost 20 minutes the day before! So far it seems to be pneumonia, but we shall see.
Also tune in for the report on the annual meeting of the condominium Sunday and the great debate over whether cutting treetops that block out view is illegal or not! There are people here who say that it is not healthy for trees to be trimmed. Hmmmm.
(he burns in the sun and we go just after mid day) so we did not spend too much time down there at the water. Now that he is gone I am sure we will be swimming more.
So I have spent some time again with Italian friends and concluded that a most striking difference between Americans and Italians (who are all, after all, on vacation) is the ease with which they can waste time away gossiping and talking about nothing! It is all part of the “posing” and bella figura that we read about so often. If you haven’t read anything on the subject, the author and native Italian Beppe Severgnino has just written an article in the New York Times about Italy being “The Land of Cheery Dysfunction.” The url is below:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/23/books/23grim.html
The premise is that it is not important here what “is” but what it “looks like it is.” So true so true.
We had our gala dinner last night and we were a cheery table of 10, divided between English speakers and non-English speakers. Beside Steve and myself, we had Josh and Lutz, a German who rents Brigette and Joe’s apartment and who speaks only German and English. Then there was the Andaloros, the brothers who are also American, one of whom speaks English and one who speaks only Italian. They were with their mother who speaks only Italian (there are many older people like her who lived in the US for years who never learned a word of English). Then there was our neighbors Toto and Anna who know no English but liked to gossip in Italian. In the course of the night Josh moved to sit with the young adolescents practicing English.
The meal was late and we got our main course just before midnight. In the meantime there was a recap of the summer activities through picture and video (I don’t think we missed much) and also a display of very fancy Argentinean Tango. Although Steve and Josh had to get up very early for the plane to Rome this AM, we tried to stay through it all. When we arrived back, we found messages saying my dad had been admitted to the hospital. I had just talked to him for almost 20 minutes the day before! So far it seems to be pneumonia, but we shall see.
Also tune in for the report on the annual meeting of the condominium Sunday and the great debate over whether cutting treetops that block out view is illegal or not! There are people here who say that it is not healthy for trees to be trimmed. Hmmmm.
posted by Sicilian Mama at 1:19 PM
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