Honeymoon Period? Over!!

As I sit on my bed and plan out the rest of my weekend trips for the semester, I have a premonition the time will go by so incredibly fast. Someone mentioned the other day that we have been several weeks now. It feels like no time at all. In a moment of sadness, I realize I have hit a major barrier with what I really wanted to do while here: learning about the Italian culture. I continue to learn little things about the everyday lifestyle from observing but the major window into their lives is largely a private affair for them. They don’t let “tourists” into it, and essentially, that is what I am. I am here for several months, but then leave their life forever. Florence is a major tourist city, so that is what they know. They keep their guard up against people like me.
Not knowing the language has probably been the biggest obstacle. I can smile after an Italian woman asks me something, but in the end, no relationship will have been made. I won’t understand her humor, or eventually learn the ways in which the culture makes jokes simply because I can’t talk with them. I get increasingly frustrated with the fact that I can’t communicate with Florentines. I have been with friends who speak the language well, so they have conversations. After, she may mention something the person said or generalize that he or she thinks _______ about their city but how do I get to know these things when most Italians don’t speak the only language I do?
The Italy I see is so different from the Italy they know is reality. The entrance is not passed over lightly. One thing I do know, individuals who speak English have a special bond here, especially English speakers from the states. Last week, I was sitting in a restaurant near campus waiting for my food. While seated, I decided to pull a book out for nutrition class. The woman next to me saw the title and started up a conversation. Little things such as joking about the title of a book with a complete stranger don’t usually happen in the states. It just felt different, almost like we hold on to other individuals like us here.

On a much different note, on Wednesday night I had my first cooking class. We made pasta, not from a box! Just eggs, flour, a tiny bit of olive oil and salt, and a pasta making machine. Well, you can’t really call it a machine because there was nothing electronic about it. It was more like a press that we had to crank after sending the “dough” through to smush it. We made three kinds, ravioli with spinach and ricotta cheese filling (the best), fettuccini with a creamy tomato sauce, angle hair with a tomato/pepper sauce, and for dessert tiramisu. While eating our creations after, I kept thinking, “wow! I made every single thing in this dish, except growing the fresh herbs and laying the eggs“. No preservatives or anything went into it. Such a great feeling! Also, I have discovered why so many moms stay at home (use to) here in Italy, it takes forever to make pasta, which is the staple of their diet. It is easy to make, just a lot of time goes into kneading it then pressing it several different times to get the desired texture and strength. It tastes so amazing and does not compare at all to the box stuff. On Friday, I have my first cooking class with my actual nutrition/cooking class. Two in one week? Yes, please!

Sarah