New environment, new people, new lifestyle, new life and new questions which need to be answered. That's what waits for me in Italy, in my new homeplace.
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Feeling like at home
... because finally saw the snow! It took us some minutes to go up in the hills but it was worth it. In Lithuania I would have never seen a such big difference - on one hill it's still green, on another - it's white.
Polar cold has approached and terrorize Italy!!! Well, some snow has fallen in some highland parts of Italy, temperature has fallen below zero. Roads are difficult to go, cars are without winter tyres so are dancing on the roads like cows on the ice, schools are closed etc. All TV news programmes have what to talk, what to show... Mamma mia!
I'm looking at that and remembering winter in Lithuania. Snow? If it's winter it should be snowing. The more snow the better. Freezing? Yes, that's the whole fun! Schools closed? Only when the temperature falls bellow -25C°. When I was a kid, I remember checking the radio every early winter morning hoping to hear that today I could stay at home... Well, that happy day was once or twice...
Why this "snow" thing is so different for these two countries? Italians aren't used to that? Aren't prepared? Landscape (mountains) makes it more difficult to fight against the snow? Yeah, most likely... But for example here, near the sea, we had some rain and it's around +2C°. When I was back to Lithuania hearing this I would say "Gosh, well this is not cold at all!". But beeing here I agree with everyone complaining and say "Cold!.." Maybe because of the humid weather. Maybe because it's winter and if now we don't say that it's cold, when will we have another opportunity to use that word?
By the way, in Italian "caldo" means "hot". It took me some time to get used to this strange similarity...:)
As I started speaking about Italian way of eating, remembered my every-morning dilemma: tea or coffee?
At home I usually had a cup of tea. Here, in Italy, I have a big cup of coffee with milk. And I like it. But... this little devil which sits inside myself (or maybe on my right or left shoulder?) always encourage me to say: no, today I want some tea! I like tea! I am tired of coffee! So I make some tea and... I don't find it so delicious like I imagined. So I promise myself that next morning I will be like everyone around and will drink some coffee with milk.
Today I'd like to mention another thing which I noticed in Italian lifestyle and which is strange for me. Being here I feel I am constricted by many unwritten rules which by now (after more than 6 months) are almost normal for me but still sometimes I realize that back in Lithuania we don't do so.
Ok, for example, time schedule for major event of the day - EATING:) Lunch - most likely will be at 1pm. Dinner - in Centro Sud, where I live, most likely will start at 8-9 pm.
Another thing related to EATING, it's what Italians eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I remember once visiting Firenze and tired after long walk in the city we were searching for a place for lunch and I offered to go to pizzeria. "What, pizza for lunch?!!" Well, after 6 months I wouldn't make that mistake and now I search only for some dish with pasta :) But when you approach with this question an Italian, most likely he will answer "ma dai, we eat everything, there's no such rule..."
Ok, I'm not trying to generalize here, I know, there's no rule without an exception and south and north of Italy are two different regions with many different customs and habits. Just wanted to share this with you today. Maybe next time I will remember something else about the life by unwritten rules, because I had noticed something else... just don't remember now!:) I should hurry up to write down all what I see now because after some time it will not seem strange for me. It's like in an organizational practice - a smart manager would ask his new employee to describe all what seems strange to him in the organization, organizational culture, because only in this way they can learn something about themselves... Ok, finito now.
Today is one of these days, when I lose my courage and energy to fight and to go forward. Spent half of evening on internet filling in my CV in various job search websites, but... what the result will be? So far it's nothing. And with every day my hope to find some work for me is becoming smaller and smaller. You think I'm being pesimistic? I would say - realistic.
In Lithuanian we have a saying "Geriau zvirblis rankoje negu briedis miske" which means something like "It's better a sparrow in a hand than an elk in a forest" (I'm sure in English there's a similar proverb). Usually I try to grab that sparrow and this week, probably the first time in my life, I had to reject it in the name for "better opportunity in the future". Maybe that's why I feel like I'm doing something wrong. Ah?
Tonight we went to see "La foresta dei pugnali volanti" (English title "House of Flying Daggers"), the new movie of famous Yimou Zhang film director, known by movies "Hero" and others.
Well, what can I say. I knew what to expect from Chinese movie. Of course they there fighting while flying in the woods, jumping up to the sky, moving like in "Matrix", but that's how we expect Chinese movie to be, no? One thing what took me by surprise was how fast the story evolved. I got an impression that the plot is a bit confusing and in order to make it shorter film director 'jumped over' some parts of the story. That's what seemed to me. And it's more like a film about impossible love than about martial arts. Who says that's bad?:) Anyway, film ends in death. And with lots of snow. I was wondering, what kind of snow was that / seemed like a wet heavy snow...
By the way, I've been to cinemas in the UK, the USA, Finland, Lithuania, but only here in Italy they interrupt the movie to make a some minutes break. Strange. Of course, when you have 3 hours movie, it's better to have some break to go to WC, but in other cases...
Yes, that's what I'm testing. Linking photos from my photoblog at www.flickr.com.
But today I was thinking to write about my experience in Italian bank. It's not the first time I enter there but every time I get amazed how deserted and un-managed they are. In Lithuania banks are always full of people - employees and customers. Here, in Italy, it's always empty, only one teller's window is open and the guy (haven't seen any women working in a bank yet!!!) is so slow, like he would have all the time in the world. Today, while I waited, some customers came in and a lovely line of 10 people were formed while the same lonely employee guy was incredibly slowly typing his "whatever" he had to type and other bank clerks could be heard loudly talking in their backside offices. Hm... where's orientation for the clients, eh???
Yes, that's it. I did it. It's my - don't know which - blog. But let's be optimistic, shall we. WHO knows, maybe it will become my the only and favorite blog. I certainly have what to say. No, not that somebody needs to hear that. I have what to say for myself, out and loudly. Right.
In which language should I write? When I'm writing in English, am I cheating on myself and on my so-called "idea" of writing only for me? Because if I write in English, I am doing that for other people to understand. Aha, renatela, here we got you! Va bene, diciamo é tutto apposto. Dabar keletas zodeliu lietuviskai ir siam vakarui bus baigta.
Let's not get into the details. See you soon, my n-essimo weblog online!
