The Quirks of the Italian

Ah Italia, I just started hitting a bit of a slump here. Don't worry, no bringing out the sympathy cards because I know it's just the little things and I have absolutely no real basis to be complaining. It's not quite homesickness but an odd unexplainable feeling of sadness and frustration that just hit me like a punch in the face. The only way I can call people is on Skype and that's only if I have my laptop plugged into one particular spot in my apt, a 25 minute walk from school. It's also been weary dreary rain here for a few days pretty much shutting down any motivation to go and explore. These cobblestones become all these individual seas of muddy rainwater - oi.

Rollercoaster Times

• The food is delicious but there's only so much pasta and bread you can consume. I'm craving pho, bubble tea, steak, fries - the list goes on and on. I've actually bought groceries but too lazy to really check if I'm actually saving money that way. I need a little variety to excite my tastebuds!
• I think I almost get hit by a couple of scooters, a bus or tiny little Fiat every single day. The alleys are so narrow and you almost don't see the vehicle coming until your hair whips around you and you're choking on exhaust while clutching the side of the alleyway for dear life.
  
• There's a little store for everything! One with the mindnumbing wafts of baking bread, a store with displays of every meat available etc. It's nice since you can get the best of the best at speciality shops but that also means no more one stop shopping a la Safeway.
  
• Siesta - The Italians aren't too keen on working overtime and completely scoff at one of the golden rules of U.S. retail: "the customer is always right." Almost all the places shut down for two hours in the middle of the day for lunch and who knows what else. Course I end up slinking away from the barred gates with a sad face half the time because I plumb forget they close.
  
• Oh, and even policemen check you out. Well if you're of the female variety that is. There must be three different precincts of cops around here from government sancitoned to local ones and something akin to the FBI/CIA. Not a lot of suits walking around, just uniformed officials - v. weird to get used to.
  
• And only in Rome (right next to the Vatican City) are there shops where you can buy the garb that nuns, popes and cardinals wear. Early Halloween costumes anyone?

xoxo,

FAITH