John, it seems like whenever we post to one another lately it's about some acrimony we have toward eachother. So, in the spirit of "there has to be something we can just talk about', I thought I would take a break from politics and talk a bit about my experience in Italy thus far...here's some ramblings...
Even though I'm taking a college course to learn Italian, it's very tough! Most of the time I feel like a complete bafoon struggling to memorize the various rules of writing and speaking. To top it off, my 10 year old son is waaay ahead of me in learning the language by just hanging around the Italian kids at the piazza! Arrrrgh!
The Italians also have some unique cultural issues.
Some good ideas I think America should adopt.
When you register a car you have to stick your insurance card inside a pouch on the front windshield of the car where it can be easily seen. Failure to do so will result in a 600 euro fine. In this way, a carabinaree officer walking down the street, looking at parked cars, can verify whether you're insured or not. Good policy we should adopt in the U.S.
In general, there are a lot more police walking the beat and available to the public than in the U.S. In most small towns it will only take 5 or 10 minutes to find a carabinaree officer. They're also very professional and deal with the public in a no nonsense fair way. Additionally, they set up a lot of road blocks where they hold a lolly-pop looking stick in the air and pull over any suspicious vehicles.
Fines are huge when you break the law. Jail sentences are really stiff too. For instance, the other day a couple of guys had a small bon-fire going on the local beach and they were arrested and fined 2000 euro's a piece for the offense.
Trash pick-up is completely free. There are medium sized dumpsters located near most neighborhoods and residents are expected to carry their trash to the dumpster. Makes sense to me.
Some not so good things....
Italian men routinely cut in line. From the airport, to the ferry terminal ticket counters, to the rides at the Aqua-Dream park, they cut in line everywhere. Women seem to notice it and at times try and talk the men out of cutting, but it seems to be almost instinctive with most Italian men. Not sure why that is...
Everyone blames the government when things aren't working. In America there is a much greater sense of civic do-ism (sorry for the made up word but it seemed to fit). When something doesn't work, we typically look for a neighborhood or local solution to the problem. In Italy, Rome is the harbinger of everything which is not right. Drinkable clean water being the biggest gripe that I know of now.
Well, enough rambling for tonight. I hope you found some of it worth reading. Take it easy,
Mike |
