La Cultura

Mercato

We are finally getting the hang of getting around and buying things at the Mercato.
Stopped over at the Mercato Centrale today and showed some of my roommates where it was at. One of the older guys working asked where we were from and then every time after that, he would see us and sing 'Chicago' or 'New York, New York.'

The Italian lifestyle blows America's out of the water. To a certain extent, I guess. Just everything from throwing out garbage, to energy/water conservation and cultural aspects is so different. I love it.




Trash
There are dumpsters that really look like giant mailboxes, lined up on the street, labeled for 'plastics,' 'food,' 'trash that touches food,' etc...
We have to separate our trash before we throw it out. Can you image Americans ever needed to do that? No.

Energy/Water
The energy is regulated for only a certain amount of hours during the day. So the heat is only on at a certain time period. When taking a shower, you have to realistically wait 30 minutes in-between, sharing it with other people if you want good pressure/hot water. At home, my brothers take long showers... I take advantage of it too. We cannot do that here. We have to be conscience of how long we use the hot water..


Mi piace L'Italiana perche...
Everything about the culture here is amazing. Starting work; it is not precisely at a specific time. It is a little later in the morning and then they break at around 1-4 pm for lunch. I love that they do this. My teacher explained it to me as, "we work and then we live. we separate the two. I  don't live to work, I work to live." That was the perfect explanation.

Also, food and mealtime is sacred. Dinner is something special where you meet to talk, be with each other, and enjoy your time together. When we eat at home, it is over in 10-15 minutes and every one gets up to leave. I hate it.
Here, we sit, we drink some vino, we talk, eat, and talk some more. We enjoy each others company and want to spend time with each other.

It is so obvious why there are no fat people here.
I really don't think I have seen one fat Italian person here. Everyone walks everywhere. There is rarely any junk food sold, except for at gas stations. No one eats in-between meals. Everything is fresh. The market is where everyone shops for the essential fruits, vegetables, and meats.

As of right now, I want to extend my stay for another few months longer. I cannot wait to pick up more of the language and adapt more to the culture. It has been amazing.