It’s Monday and that’s lunedi‘ in Italian so that means it’s Lunedi’ Listday!
10 Firsts that Count as Rites of Passage when Living in Italy
In no particular order. Have one to add?
- The First Caffettiera, coffee maker, you leave unattended too long as it later explodes onto a brown-splattered stovetop and surrounding area.
- The First Move you make using a combination of public transportation, tiny elevators and handled shopping bags you amassed in preparation.
- The First Outfit you wear that consists of two different colored jean denims, and you don’t even think twice about putting it on.
- The First Re-entry after leaving when you’ve lived here for a while. There’s no immediate learning curve of the language, you know how you’re getting home and you switch on your cell phone to check messages. You’re back.
- The First Conversation you have with an international group in Italian, and not English, even though English may be easier for some of them and/or their native language.
- The First Oven that explodes on you because you didn’t light the gas or correctly or the flame went out. (Ok, maybe this is not for everyone).
- The First Vendor or checkout lady or coffee bar man that recognizes and greets you not because you’re foreign or new, but because you’re a good customer.
- The First Batch of fresh pasta you help make or watch being made in mere minutes. Effortless. And not on the Food Network with commercial breaks.
- The First Time you catch yourself speaking to yourself in Italian.
- The First Routine errand or when you’re coming home from work and you run into a group of tourists speaking your native language. You wonder where they’re going, if it’s their first time here and if they appreciate what they’re seeing half as much as you. You then realize you already have a destination and are not following a map, and continue on.
This post gave me warm fuzzies! You asked, so, can I add:
9a. The First Time you wake up from a dream in which your English-only speaking relatives and friends had some pretty elaborate conversations with you in Italian.
11. The First Encounter with The Beast known as the Italian public administration, and
11a. The First Success you manage when you are able to accomplish what you need to in just one trip.
12. The First Blackout you experience when you have the bright idea of turning on the washing machine and using your hair dryer at the very same time.
Ooh this is fun, I could go on but I’ll save you. Thanks for the fun idea and trip down memory lane!
oh! good list! that gave me warm fuzzies too! nice job!
How about having conversations with people in your dreams regardless of language that you know about but don’t really know, or haven’t seen in years or they are no longer with us and feel like you have fulfilled a soulful duty…This doesn’t much relate to becoming an italian but my lurking skills have zenithed and I wanted to say hi…