"One Month Later...Culture Shock (of Sorts)"
Ci�o, America!
Yes, it's me, with another positively stimulating account of my stay here... Hope I'm not boring all of you too much, eh?
Anyway, we just keep on trucking on this end. I've finally finished my struggle with the Questura and gotten my permesso di soggiorno (and yes, I'm sure I've spelled it wrong this time...sigh...) filed at long last! HOO-RAH! After several hours at the immigration office on Monday (and missing half a day's work, for Alle), we got it done. And they questioned why it had taken me so long...? AARRRGH!!! Anywhere you go, folks, it's the same...
Anyhoo...
I had a bit of culture shock a couple of times this week. The first came in a fairly surprising fashion, really, when we went to the library on Saturday to find English-language books for me to read (I've managed to tear through so many, after all). We had originally planned on going to Bologna, but the weather was rotten, so we didn't go. Anyway, whilst visiting the biblioteca, I had need of the restroom, and so I sought out the facilities. I had forgotten, for some reason, that in many public restrooms here, they utilize what are called "Turkish" toilets.
What is that? some of you are asking... Well, here's what it is: A good old-fashioned hole in the ground. Of course, these are porcelain, but you are still required to make like a camper in the woods and bend and squat just so, in order to seek relief. But hey, they give you a handle to hold on to, and a broom to use in case you miss, so... so being me, little miss spoiled American, I couldn't quite manage to bring myself to use it! LOL!! I'm just not coordinated enough...
So Alle and I left with our Stephen King books in tow, and I made it home without any embarrassing moments, to relax in the comfort of my home potty. (neener-neener-neener, nanny-nanny boo-boo to you...)
Sunday was Alle's birthday, as I'd mentioned last letter, and we spent the day at home, enjoying the rain and the end of the first Lord of the Rings film. We spent the latter part of the evening at his sister's, enjoying Chinese food and music videos on the British channels they pull in on the satellite, then a nice trifle that Andrew made (tasted just like Pin� Colada! Yaaay!), a small glass of sweet wine, and then we stood in amazement at the windows to watch the snow(!!!) fall. It was really coming down hard, too, sticking to the streets and the ground by the time we were off to bed.
The next morning found the snow already gone (it rained a bit more during the night), and we were up bright and early, for business at the bank and then the Questura. (On the way from the bank to the Questura, we could see the Apennines in the distance, well beyond the town, still covered in snow at the highest elevations. I have to admit to a little, wee pang of homesickness, just then...) As I said before, we spent a couple-few hours there...and... well, the need for the facilities struck again. And this time, I couldn't just leave and go home. I had to wait for my number to be called, first. sigh... So I waited, and waited, and waited... started feeling quite ill, actually... and then I had to try it: the dreaded Turkish toilet...
I'll spare the details, but suffice it to say - it's not something I look forward to in future!
After we got my paperwork filed, we headed home. Alle went on to work and I took a nap. And then I started reading. I finished Stephen King's "Dreamcatcher" by Wednesday afternoon. This is with my little chores and studying, by the way. So, yes, I'm still eating books...
The other little culture shock came when I switched on the TV in the afternoon one day this week. Now, we get MTV, and other music channels, and they play some American and some English music, as well as Italian. We also have the usual local and public access stuff - in this case tarot card readers and body sculpting infomercials. But guess what else we have?
That's right! Buddy Ebsen speaking Italian!!! Who would've thunk it, ya'll? The Beverly Hillbillies dubbed in Italian! LOL!! And Family Matters - Urkel!! And Sabrina the Teenage Witch! Further investigation has found Early Edition, Hunter ("works for me", remember that one?), Will and Grace, and so many old movies that I've lost track. Now that's hard to get used to, believe me... There are more, loads more, but I can't think of them right away...We even watched Good Will Hunting, dubbed in Italian, but darned if I haven't seen it so many times that I've got the dialogue memorized, anyway!
There's a band here called Ligabue, and they cover all sorts of American songs - they even covered "It's the End of the World As We Know It" by REM, using the original music but Italian lyrics. That drives me crazy...as you all well know. ;)
...sigh...
And that's just about it, for me. I've got to get upstairs and back to my studying and stuff, now. Dirty laundry waits for no woman, besides... So, I hope to hear from some of you, to see what's going on with ya'll.
Make it soon, eh? :)
Tanti bacini for all!!!
Ci�o!
Kim