So Cat (who I stayed with in London) made a post about all the things, big and little, that are different from the United States... so I decided I should make one about all the things in Italy.
To start, when making a phone call, the ringback noise is a beep instead of a ring. It sounds like the noise that Skype makes when you’re calling someone.
The ambulance sirens are really funny sounding. I actually laughed out loud the first time I heard one.
Of course there are loads and loads of vespas.
The cars here too are much smaller than the cars we drive in the States. They are all the size of Smart cars, some even smaller. There are these funny looking one-person trucks that only have 3 wheels.
Pedestrians rule the road, not the cars. People cross whenever and wherever without even looking. Standing and looking both ways for cars definitely makes you look like an American!
The toilets here flush differently. Instead of the water swirling around, all the water rushes out from the top front of the toilet. The amount of water in the toilet is very small compared to toilets in the States.
The toilets here flush differently. Instead of the water swirling around, all the water rushes out from the top front of the toilet. The amount of water in the toilet is very small compared to toilets in the States.
The grocery stores have the smallest aisles! Grocery stores themselves are small in size. It is like someone decided to make an apartment into a grocery. Obviously, there is not as much selection as the groceries in the States.
In the middle of the day people take about a 2 hour siesta (siesta=nap). People don’t actually always nap but some stores will be closed from noon to 2:00. People co nsume much more caffeine. They are always getting espressos. Last night at dinner (around 9:00) a person at the table next to ours ordered an espresso. He is never going to fall asleep with one that late!
Dinner is eaten around 8:00pm and the clubs are open from 11:00pm to 6:00am. I haven’t really been following the true Italian schedule… usually I can’t wait until 8:00 to eat dinner! Another thing is heat only comes on for 8 hours a day… from 7-9am, 12-2pm, and 6:00-midnight. Luckily our apartment stays very warm but a lot of other people have told me about how cold their apartment always is.
The Euro has so many coins! There is a 1 cent, 2 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent, 20 cent, 50 cent, 1 dollar coin, and a 2 dollar coin. My change purse is so full! I just wish the bills section could be as full ;)
One of the trendiest accessories here is a dog. So many people have small dogs here. Dogs are allowed to go into all the stores and restaurants which I found surprising.
Something that I still haven’t gotten completely used to is that the doors push in when entering a store. I’m sure I look silly when I can’t figure out how to get into the store since I’m pulling on the door.
There is an MTV Italia station that plays a lot of music videos so here are some songs that are popular:
Barbra Streisand - Duck Sauce (this is played in the discoteca a lot - the music in the discotecas is often music that is played in the States)
Although things are very different here, it is still wonderful.
Yes, wonderful.
Ciao!
Hannah
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