March 09, 2009

You know you are integrating in Italy when....

Except for feeling like a total foreigner when standing in the metro while towering over everyone including the men, I'm starting to feel more at home here in Italy.

Ten reasons you know you are integrating well in Italy - in no particular order :

1. When crossing the street and a crazy driver shows you the 'areyououtofyourmindwomansign' - you know the one with the hand in front of the face - and instead of yelling something at him, you gesture back saying it all.

2. When you become fussy about your pizza. Nonono I don't want the thick crusted 'Napoli' pizza, only the very thin one and make it ben cotta.

3. When you -while speaking Italian- throw in a lot of 'perĂ²'s' for no apparent reason.

4. When you walk in the center and whine about the many tourists.

5. When you don't get offended while getting 'Ciao Bella' , ' Amore', ... yelled at you from across the street

6. When you want to cross the street and you are the only one who dares to go out there and raise your hand at the driver so you can actually cross the street and all the flocks of tourists follow you.

7. When you understand there is a lot of traffic, because two drops of rain fell out of the sky.

8. When you are in Panorama and people come to ask you where the salt is or when you are at the metro people ask you if it goes to ''Piramide''. (I must add I absolutely don't look Italian)

9. When you actually defend Italy and put down Belgium in a discussion about politics - I can't believe I actually did this, seems a bit stupid in retrospect.

10. When yesterday you spotted a tourist in a t-shirt and flip flops while you were wearing your winter jacket and thought they were the ones who were crazy.

5 comments:

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

Ha. I love your list.

Glad to hear you are feeling more at home in this crazy, beautiful, maddening, amazing city.

Anonymous said...

Hee! Very good! One of mine is: When you make fun of anyone that orders cappuccino after lunch!

Di Mackey said...

I am wandering in ever decreasing circles here, wondering why I wouldn't have planned washing my clothes so they would be ready to be packed for Rome this morning ... and your list, it made me smile. Proficiaat on fitting in.

Rosa said...

Brava- it seems you've got a great grasp of essentials!

*Belgian said...

nyc ragazza - I'm glad as well!

Joanne - haha, that's funny!

Di Mackey - Hope you had a great time in Rome!

Scintilla - Sometimes that grasp comes easily unfortunately