I truly could not have asked for a better host family. They are such a blessing. My host dad especially is quickly becoming one of my favorite people. He, especially, is so nurturing and caring. He always smiles and loves to see me smile. He’s one of the funniest people I know, in a nontraditional way. He and our host mom are excellent examples of a great marriage also. I was realizing this while eating dinner with my roommate, her dad who was in town, and Maria and Bruno. The three “adults” were joking about marriage and “yes dear” and everything like that. Maria and Bruno know when to joke and know when to stop. It is very evident they are happy. They know the secret to a good balance with each other which seems key for a successful marriage. I am truly blessed to have them as further examples of how a family works. I don’t have stories of them fighting to compare like my friends do with their host families. Maria stays home all day and makes the dinner almost all by herself, but Bruno is more than happy to help her in the kitchen cleaning up or taking up the plates between courses, or finishing up the dinner whenever he gets home. It is so refreshing. I am truly blessed to have such good parents back home and parents here. Both are wonderful examples of how a marriage works.
It has rained here like crazy the past couple days. Literally everyday it pours all day. Wednesday we had thunderstorms off and on, even some hail. Thank God it hasn’t been too freezing, but everyday after class I really just want to go back to my room, put on a hoodie and drink hot chocolate. That has yet to happen.
A good friend and I were talking about the Italian culture. I was expressing my frustration about the way men view women here. (Why yes, I do go to a women’s college). Italian society allows men to “ciao bella” women they find attractive. It’s the norm. Even in a different country, walking by men who are “people watching”, I fully expect a “ciao bella”. That confirms how much Italian men say it. I use to see it as devaluing women. There is more to a woman than how she looks. She didn’t even get to pick how she looks so it REALLY is not all she is made up of. We have thoughts, feelings; we are complex creatures. After expressing all of this frustration to my friend, she completely rearranged my thoughts. She said they appreciate beauty. It’s as simple as that. She was totally right. Walk down the street and observe how they dress and that will tell you, they appreciate looks. In a book I am reading, it mentions that a sales associate in a store maybe the least intelligent person, but she is in that position because she looks good. Italians want beauty. It’s just their culture.
As the semester comes to a close (a little over a month left), the feeling all around is it is going to be a mad dash to the end. Most weekend trips have finished, although I am still trying to fit in last minute ones (Switzerland!!). People have tons of work to do and traveling by myself is not as much fun as being with friends. A lot of people I talk to, including myself, really feel the pull to be home. The holidays are quickly approaching. We are already hearing of Christmas stuff and Thanksgiving plans. “Stuff” isn’t as new here as it was when we first arrived. I am more use to the culture and have fallen into a “rut” with how to dive in deeper. I’m still thinking and hoping on this one. Study abroad programs don’t put any of this in their brochures.
The concept of what season it feels like is not truly present with us American babies either. I can only imagine the holiday decorations going up in various locations in the states. Walmart stocking up and boosting their advertising campaign. Walking down any given street in Florence, there is no sign of any season anywhere. Italy is so unique in that sense. It isn’t trapped into the marketing tricks and money aspect of holidays that the US is. I’m fairly certain the government has something to do with that. As Americans, we are so spoiled. We want things now and we want them big. The Italian government won’t even let Italians turn on the heat in their homes until November 1st . If the US government started that, Americans would F.R.E.A.K. out. We don’t have an advantage to being spoiled like we are either. In many ways, it makes us little children who whine and stomp our foot when we don’t get exactly what we want-and no one likes bratty children.
Again, trying not to skip ahead, but I was thinking the other day how hard it is going to be to return back to the “boring” life I had before coming. My brain has been stretched to the max with constantly new stimuli. I won’t have any of that in the near future. Currently, my brains norm is processing a high level of foreign material (foreign in everyway possible). Next semester, I basically know what to expect. That’s comforting and I dread it at the same time. I am super excited to see my friends and family though!
Trying to picture falling back into my “normal” life at home with the way I have changed, is very hard. It’s completely cliché, but I feel so different than a few months ago….That’s totally cheesy, I am aware. I like cheesy. I’ve noticed little things in the way I act and handle situations. I can’t wait to see how that blends with “my world”. So excited!
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