Bamboccioni..They're not just in Italy

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?

YES WE DID!

"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."

Facebook and Italians...

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?

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!

Expat talk...my meme list

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...