Americana a Roma

Living to Work or Working to Live...That is the Question

2010-09-10T00:27:00.000-07:00

Over the past 11 years, I have been plagued with this question while living in Rome. I thought that choosing to live in Rome would have allowed me to simplify my work ethic and reduce my hunger to work and serve others...to recalibrate how I approach my work responsibilities and accept the easier work ethic that surrounds me. Tranquilla, fai con calma, non ti fregare...I figured, quite erroneously, that I would assimilate to the Italian work mentality: do what I need to do until 17:01 and then boom! just drop the pen, turn off the computer, and leave the office, as many Italian office people do (even many colleagues in US institutions).

However, I do not have a typical Italian office job for an entirely Italian company- and of course this is by choice. I work for and serve American students in international education and now have been even more emotionally drawn into the job since I work for my own school in Rome: a sort of No Man's Land where we are to abide by local laws while fostering an American educational tradition with the mother ship 2,000 kilometers away. Believe me, I am so happy to be doing this, do not get me wrong. It's just I find that I am all the more challenged in negotiating my role as lead customer care support and as administrator with her hands tied more often than not. I am the Ambassador for the disfunctionality of Italy....

As each day comes to a close, I realize more and more that I cannot simply adapt the attitude of rimbalzare- having things bounce off of you. (I am simply not the rubber ball-type) But I do need to compromise with the fact that I cannot become the glue for all the negativity on the earth and for the disfunctionality that does abound around me. Misery sure does love company and it is frighteningly easier to become devoured by negative acts and thoughts than by positive ones.

But what I do know is that when I hit the pillow at night, I know I helped a student or colleague approach a new challenge or at least smile and embrace what is Rome and/or the US, direclty or indirectly, by channelling a personal relationship, a personal connection to a new culture.
I am both: a strong American work-a-holic and a passionate Mediterranean who loves people. I do not have to choose, only balance work with pleasure.

Let's hope I do not self-implode.

Bamboccioni..They're not just in Italy

2010-01-30T12:24:00.000-08:00

Working in international education in Rome allows me to have a critical distance for many things State-side. I work with and for college students. I love it- helping students make their study abroad dream become a reality nella Città Eterna. I enjoy being a part of the first semester of the rest of their lives: the amazing semester abroad that opens them up to a whole world of otherness, adventure and internationality.

However, it didn't really hit me until this year that they might be fleeing someone: their parents! I have to say that in all my 15 years of experience in international education, I have never felt such a protective parent alliance out there- yes, in the United States not Italy! We all know that the average Italian lives at home until way past their 30th birthday. Known as 'bamboccioni', these Italian youth are basically socially restricted: since they cannot find jobs, they remain at home with the p's until they can find a way to successfully contribute to society. They are protected and supported until the right moment comes along for them to fly the coop.

In the US, it is a totally different scenario- or at least it used to be. Nowadays, whether it is the crisis or whatever- there seems to be a trend in parenting where US 'bamboccioni' are becoming quite common. Not able to find jobs immediately after college due to the bleak state of the economy, many college grads have been forced to flock back home to mom and dad.

And these parents are quite protective of their fledglings being out there in the world alone- in Rome! Many of these helicopter parents are fending for their kids even if they are well beyond the age of 18! Don't get me wrong. I think it is great that these parents are involved in their son or daughter's life, but not to the point of filling out their application or sending emails on their behalf!! This subliminally strange need to live vicariously through their son or daughter is a bit unsettling. And, needless to say, impedes that individual to face life on her own.

Italian 'bamboccioni' are of course unique: high unemployment forces many of them into their state of eternal teenager. However, I do acknowledge that the US version is quite different and even more debilitating since it is pertpetuated by a parental need for control.

But does this control help or hinder? Familial support is necessary and I believe that is what compensates for the void in Italian public society. However, when does a parent let go?

Where are we safer?

2010-01-08T14:50:00.000-08:00

In his superficial article, Prof. Dave Logan insists that there is something inherently wrong with the "culture" of US transportation security systems.

After having traveled to Chicago for Christmas, I can say that I have had my fair share of dealing with airport security on both sides of the Atlantic. Thanks to Mr. Exploding Underpants, I thought it would be like post-9/11 travel all over again at the international airports: suspicion, mistrust, racial profiling, and long, long, long lines at security scanners.

But this time, I guess we were lucky. Upon arriving at O'Hare Int. Airport, the longest line we faced was at the check-in counter (we flew Alitalia) and not at the security scanner. Once we did finally check-in, we waited about 20-25 minutes to then be diverted to the "Business/First Class" line (I had no idea this existed). My husband and I were thrilled, looking at ourselves like 'are we in the right line'. Then when trying to be super-cooperative, we felt a little abrasiveness by the people who were conducting the security check- one was obviously tired and quickly frisked me letting me go even though I beeped. Her colleague was staring vacantly into space not addressing my need for more plastic trays to put all our carry on stuff in. And the guy from Homeland Security who checked our passports and boarding passes took his sweet time but seemed so tired and had such a blank, glassy stare he made me wonder if he actually was all that coherent. These security workers must not only be overworked due to cutbacks but must also be a little upset that they have to work twice as hard now that the security level was raised to orange.

According to Logan, I guess these people have a "my life stinks" attitude or 'culture' as he would call it. They "plod along doing the minimum not to get fired." But whose responsibility is it anyway? Well Obama, the righteous guy that he is, has stepped up and taken all of the blame- even though it is not completely his responsibility. I do think that Logan is right up to a certain point. But I do not think simple generalizations about organizational failure help solve the problem. I think Obama's plan to fix the intelligence system is a step in the right direction because it is grounded in communication with other governments and using more human resources. More importantly, we need to examine not only our 'culture' on how things get done but more specifically we must change our attitude or disposition in how we perform our social duties and approach public arenas of interaction- from airports to the workplace.

It's all in the attitude. But is that something that can be detected with a heat-sensitive body scanner?

YES WE DID!

2008-11-05T10:59:00.000-08:00

"And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope."- Barack Obama

America has turned a new page in its history and opened up a completely new chapter by electing Barack Obama.

I am prouder than I was yesterday to be an American. Now more than ever I truly believe that anything is possible if you work hard, strive for the ideal and be true to yourself and others.

The world is smiling with the US once again, and a new era in democracy has begun. But let us remember our future president's words:

"America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do."

Hope for November 4th

2008-11-02T14:40:00.000-08:00

Let's hope change happens...and fear is defeated.

Facebook and Italians...

2008-10-18T11:58:00.001-07:00

An interesting thing has happened over the past couple of weeks in cyber space: Italians seemed to have discovered the new(?) online social network Facebook and let me tell you it has been interesting to see how an Italian uses it compared with my US friends and contacts.
First of all, Italians view it as a way to "collect" as many friends as possible- similar to the way people collect baseball cards or soccer cards - le figurine Panini. I guess this urge to expand one's collection of online friends is not uniquely Italian but it does seem like the more one accumulates the more one wants. Is there such thing as Facebook greed?
Secondly, Facebook for Italians is more of a public digital piazza where one can display who and what they are interested in. I think most Americans (am speaking for myself of course) see it more of a way to keep in touch and make contacts, not necessarily flaunt how many friends we have in our contact list. While both US and Italian Facebook afficinadoes do use Facebook as a platform for voicing opinions socially by adhering to groups and causes, I have to admit some Italian groups are quite superficial and even elitist. For example, many Italian groups tend to hint a social status in an attempt to to become friends with VIPs.
Without a doubt, Facebook has made the world a smaller place where we are all linked somehow in this amazing web of interconnectedness. But it will always be used differently and for diverse ends depending on the person using it and where. For most Italians, I think it is like an accessory (look what I have) whereas for most Americans it's like a business card (look what I can do).

Hard Work?

2008-08-26T07:26:00.000-07:00

In a recent article by an Italian journalist Vittorio Zucconi stationed in Washington DC for La Repubblica, the American notion of hard work and the prevailing habit of not taking vacation days has me in a quandry. Are Americans really work-a-holics and do Italians over do it by practically closing down for almost the entire month of August??
This has been something that has had me torn between two worlds since I have been living in Rome while working for Americans (requiring me to work the entire month of August while my husband is off for 2-3 weeks). At first, I did not think much of it. I figured that working while my marito was lying on the beach would not bother me too much. I would meet up with him on the weekends and sometimes take off either Friday or Monday. I'm from Chicago, the "city that works" so I did what I knew best: I worked. But only after seven years, I finally realized what many Italian friends and family members have always said: tutti hanno bisogno delle ferie, specialmente insieme; everyone needs time off together. Zucconi mentions how not taking time off from work can lead to all sorts of physical and psychological problems. Ironically, I was starting to manifest these in Rome! I was a living contradiction: working in August while everyone else was on vacation. Of course, over these ten years I have seen some micro-improvements in attempts at keeping the city open for business: even my local DixDi supermarket is open during August (except for Ferragosto). And there are many shops, cafes and restaurants in the centro storico that don't close.
But let me tell you, the American hard work ethic lives on in me, even though I may be living 6,000 miles away across the ocean. I guess you can take the girl out of Chicago, but you can't take the Chicago out of the girl!

L'Isolotto

2008-08-06T01:24:00.000-07:00

This is my little corner of paradise. L'isolotto off the coast of Monte Argentario...This is where I'll be for the next week or so...There is no where else like it. Buon Ferragosto!

Byron's Grotto - Portovenere

2008-07-18T01:36:00.000-07:00

PROMETHEUS

by: George Gordon (Lord) Byron (1788-1824)

ITAN! to whose immortal eyes
The sufferings of mortality,
Seen in their sad reality,
Were not as things that gods despise;
What was thy pity's recompense?
A silent suffering, and intense;
The rock, the vulture, and the chain,
All that the proud can feel of pain,
The agony they do not show,
The suffocating sense of woe,
Which speaks but in its loneliness,
And then is jealous lest the sky
Should have a listener, nor will sigh
Until its voice is echoless.

Titan! to thee the strife was given
Between the suffering and the will,
Which torture where they cannot kill;
And the inexorable Heaven,
And the deaf tyranny of Fate,
The ruling principle of Hate,
Which for its pleasure doth create
The things it may annihilate,
Refus'd thee even the boon to die:
The wretched gift Eternity
Was thine--and thou hast borne it well.
All that the Thunderer wrung from thee
Was but the menace which flung back
On him the torments of thy rack;
The fate thou didst so well foresee,
But would not to appease him tell;
And in thy Silence was his Sentence,
And in his Soul a vain repentance,
And evil dread so ill dissembled,
That in his hand the lightnings trembled.

Thy Godlike crime was to be kind,
To render with thy precepts less
The sum of human wretchedness,
And strengthen Man with his own mind;
But baffled as thou wert from high,
Still in thy patient energy,
In the endurance, and repulse
Of thine impenetrable Spirit,
Which Earth and Heaven could not convulse,
A mighty lesson we inherit:
Thou art a symbol and a sign
To Mortals of their fate and force;
Like thee, Man is in part divine,
A troubled stream from a pure source;
And Man in portions can foresee
His own funereal destiny;
His wretchedness, and his resistance,
And his sad unallied existence:
To which his Spirit may oppose
Itself--and equal to all woes,
And a firm will, and a deep sense,
Which even in torture can descry
Its own concenter'd recompense,
Triumphant where it dares defy,
And making Death a Victory.

Expat talk...my meme list

2008-03-01T12:54:00.001-08:00

Name 5 things you love in your new country
(besides my husband...)
:: gelato
:: fashion
:: design
:: fresh food & produce
:: art & architecture

Name 4 things that you miss from your native country
:: family
:: friends
:: 24 hour grocery stores
:: good deodorant

Name 3 things that annoy you a bit (or alot) in your new country
:: Italians not understanding how to form a line..although they are making progress with automatic ticket machines becoming more common in public offices and banks
:: dog owners not cleaning up after their cani leave "gifts" on the sidewalks...pooper-scoopers are hardly used on the streets of Rome!
:: terrible parking habits of Roman drivers

Name 2 things that surprise you (or have surprised you in the beginning) in your new country:
:: lack of customer service
:: existence of over 16 political parties

Name 1 thing you would terribly miss in your new country, if you had to leave it:
:: il mare.. the seaside

Grazie mille to bleeding espresso for the idea to generate this meme list...

Top 10 Gelaterie of Rome Part 1

2008-02-19T09:01:00.000-08:00

Ok, Rome may be in the grips of a wet winter spell, but for a true gelato maniac it's never too cold for a good, genuine gelato.
Here are 10* of my favorite places for the creamy Italian delight:
Centro Storico:
1) Pica
Via della Seggiola, 12 (off of Via Arenula)
The owner is the president of the artisan ice-cream makers association of Rome. Try the riso alla canella (rice with cinnamon)

2) San Crispino
Via di Panetteria, 42
A gourmet gelato parlor with home-made flavors. Try the ‘sorbetto di arance e mandarino’- A pleasant, refreshing surprise for your taste buds. The crema di cannella e zenzero- cinnamon and ginger cream- is out of this world.
3) Giolitti
Via degli Uffici del Vicario, 40
52 flavors.
One of the most famous gelaterie of Rome, unfortunately plagued by tourists, but the Bacio is out of this world. Has an 18th century ice-cream parlor feeling.
4) Cremeria Monteforte
Via della Rotunda, 22
Famous for its ‘cremolato’- a rich sorbet. Try the chocolate or berry flavors topped with fresh ‘panna’ – whipped cream- yum!
5) Fiocco di Neve
Via del Pantheon, 51
Isn't "snowflake" a great name for the place? It sure does cool you off in the hot, sticky days of estate Romane. Known for their zabbaione, also try crema di mela verde.
6) Della Palma
Via della Maddalena, 20/23
This is the most colorful gelateria in my book. If Willy Wonka had a gelateria, this is what it would look like. Mars bars and KitKat ground up with gelato leaves one at a loss for words...
Near Vatican/Prati neighborhood:
7) Antica Gelateria dei Gracchi
Via dei Gracchi, 272
One of the best places to taste true pistacchio in the Eternal City. The chopped pistachios create such a wonderful texture contasting with the smooth creamy gelato. Also try the mela and cannella (apple and cinnamon) sorbet-like frozen treat.
8) Al Settimo Gelo
Via Vodice, 21/a
Hidden away off of Via Oslavia deep in the heart of Prati, definitely worth the trip for crema al bergamotto, passito di pantelleria, or pistacchio. Winner of the Gambero Rosso 2008.
9) Old Bridge
Via Bastioni di Michelangelo, 5
Located at the doorsteps of the Vatican City walls (around the corner from Porta Sant'Anna), this small gelateria serves up some hefty servings...their fruit flavors are amazing
10) Gelarmony
Via Marcantonio Colonna, 34
www.gelarmony.it
The fine art of Sicilian gelato-making in the Eternal City. The site has a concise history of gelato as well.

*Check back for additions... the list is a work in progress

Le Nuvole

2007-12-01T11:16:00.000-08:00

Wonderful words by a master cantautore

LE NUVOLE di Fabrizio de Andrè

Vanno
vengono
ogni tanto si fermano
e quando si fermano
sono nere come il corvo
sembra che ti guardano con malocchio

Certe volte sono bianche
e corrono
e prendono la forma dell'airone
o della pecora
o di qualche altra bestia
ma questo lo vedono meglio i bambini
che giocano a corrergli dietro per tanti metri

Certe volte ti avvisano con rumore
prima di arrivare
e la terra si trema
e gli animali si stanno zitti
certe volte ti avvisano con rumore

Vanno
vengono
ritornano
e magari si fermano tanti giorni
che non vedi più il sole e le stelle
e ti sembra di non conoscere più
il posto dove stai

Vanno
vengono
per una vera
mille sono finte
e si mettono li tra noi e il cielo
per lasciarci soltanto una voglia di pioggia.

My Most Mortifying Moment in Rome (so far)

2007-11-11T02:18:00.000-08:00

Residing in Rome has its advantages: centuries of architecture, art and history at my feet as I turn each corner, amazing food, gelato, and wonderful shoe stores...But this city does give me the fregatura or incavolatura every now and then: the crammed public buses during rush hour; shops closing by 8pm; absurd condominium rules and regulations, etc. (topics for future posting- stay tuned!) But the most mortifying memory I have of Rome is failing the driving test part of the EU drivers license exam.
Four years ago I decided to get my EU/Italian patente di guida (driver's license). I thought to myself: how hard can it be? Well, let me tell you it was no walk in the park: I had to enroll in an autoscuola (driving school) for 4 months to learn the teoria- driving theory! Yes, as well as all of these road signs
Well, I mastered the theory in Italian (I actually had the choice of taking the theory part as an oral exam since I am an extra-communtaria non-EU resident...but I thought why not take the 30 multiple choice test in Italian..I like pain...) I not only passed the written exam, I got 100% not one error! I walked out of the classroom that warm June afternoon pretty happy with myself. Then I realized I had one more test: the actual driving test with the state examiner. So I scheduled it a few months later in August. In the meantime, I took 4-5 driving lessons with an Italian instructor. I didn't think I needed anymore - I mean, I have been driving for more than 15 years in the US, right?

Flash forward to August: the day of the test finally arrived. Of course, I was one of the last people to be tested that day. The wait alone kills you. Then our driving instructor gave us the line up. I was second to last. No problem, I thought to myself..I can do this. How hard can it be? Meanwhile, there were just 4 people before me who all passed (2 adolescents, an older French woman, and an African priest). Well, it was finally my turn. Ok I thought: calma e sangue freddo. I got inside the Fiat and greeted the examiner "buona sera"- a seemingly harmless middle-aged man. I started the car and slowly started to pull out of the parking space along the curb. Mistake number one: I put the gear in reverse and took a quick glance in the rearview mirror (WITHOUT TURNING MY HEAD)...My teacher, sitting in the front passenger's seat, gives me a look...I of course have no idea what I did wrong. He exchanges a quick comment with the examiner asking me to start again. I start to panic because I just didn't understand yet what I did wrong....How many people actually turn their head to check backward when pulling out of a parking space along a curb...there were no parked cars behind us....SO I'm trying to remain calm at this point, trying to figure out what the heck I did wrong. It starts to drizzle. I fidget to turn on the windshield wipers. They have me circle the parking lot once and have me pull over. The examiner bluntly asks me: so you are from the US, sei Americana? Si, I replied but my parents are Italian and I repeated that I had driven in the US for many years. He really didn't seem to care. Without ever looking up from his papers, he told me that driving in Rome is not the same as driving in Chicago and that I need some more lessons. I smiled nervously and realized that this man was failing me! How dare he...I shot a desperate look at my driving instructor who told me to come to the school after the August holiday and schedule some more lessons. Ok, at this point my blood is boiling but I am trying to keep my cool. What just happened here?? Doesn't this man realize that I am an experienced driver..an American driver...without one moving violation in the last 10 years?? Let me tell you, I was convinced this man hated me because I was from Chicago.
But with my tail between my legs I went back to the driving school in late August and took 4 more lessons. On the day of my second driving test in late September I went last, as my instructor told me. The lady examiner seemed nice and as I entered the car she was very enthralled in a conversation with my instructor...after starting the car, adjusting the mirrors, and turning my head almost 360 degrees before pulling out of the parked space, I realized I didn't exist. They just kept right on talking about Latin-American dancing. After about a 5 minute circle around the lot, she scribbled on her papers and started exchanging phone numbers with my instructor. I looked at him and he winked. I passed!!! Yes, I actually passed!!!
Now, I'm all set with an EU driver's license until 2013. Stay off the streets!!!

My most Memorable Moment in Rome

2007-11-04T02:53:00.000-08:00

Living in Rome for almost nine years now, it's quite difficult to single out the most memorable moment I have had in the Eternal City. I'd have to say that getting married in this meravigliosa città will always stand out as the number one memorable and magical moment in my life.

I know there will be more to come..stay tuned.
(Many thanks to Shelley from At Home in Rome for inspiring me with this topic to kick off my blog.)