lunedì 24 settembre 2007

Why??

I've been giving some thought to the types of blogs and bloggers out there in expat blog land. There seem to be those who recount their lives to entertain, those who use their blogs as some sort of cathartic outlet for the ups and downs of 'la bella vita' and those who have some sort of hidden motive which determines the content and style in which they 'publicise' places and situations. This post definitely does not fall into the latter of these categories, so if you are of a sensitive nature, or are one of those tireless 'bel paese' advocates, by all means stop here and go drink a nice glass of Chianti on your terrace. Otherwise, pour yourself an extra large glass and read on. It's been one of those Mondays; I promise I will be nicer in future....

1. Why is it that people insist on taking up the entire aisle in the supermarket, refusing to move, no matter how much effort I make to get by. Yet, if I leave my trolley unattended for more than half a second, somebody will start huffing and puffing and complaining about 'these people who have no respect'.....?

2. Why is the bank open for about 2 minutes per day and closed at lunchtime and on Saturdays – the only time that us poor workers can actually get there. Why do I then have to queue for 40 minutes to pay MY cash into MY bank account, and then pay 2 euros for the 'service' (otherwise known as the air-you-breathe fee)....?

3. Why when I run out of bus tickets, why do I have to trek 300 metres to the nearest tabacchi, despite the fact that the bus stop is outside my house, only to find that it is closed / has run out of tickets / only sells them every third Tuesday, if there's a full moon and a 'z' in the month....?
The same goes for scratch-and-park tickets.....

4. Why do I have to watch naked women posing for raunchy calendars EVERY DAY on the national lunchtime news....?

5. Why does everyone seem to think that they own the roads, in spite of having no idea as to how they are intended to be used? The concept of lanes appears not to have reached these shores....


I could go on but I shall stop here as I am starting to annoy myself. Why??

7 commenti:

Karen ha detto...

Sigh. I'm not sure which of these things bothers me the most, but I think it might be no. 1 because it just shows how self-involved and completely inconsiderate of others so many people are. I blame the mothers. What can you expect from people who've been coddled and indulged forever by their mothers? Each and everyone of them thinks himself the center of the universe.

Anonimo ha detto...
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Emmina ha detto...

I agree... it's something I notice a lot and my friends do too. Like when you're walking down the street and people would rather knock you into the road than move over to let you past... In spite of the amount of time that I've been living in Italy, I just can't get away from the fact that I come from a culture where people will go out of their way to open doors for complete strangers, or let people jump the queue at the supermarket when they only have 1 item etc.etc. These are little things I know, but they make all the difference to your everyday quality of life - here it seems to be a really "me first" society. It sounds scathing I know but that's the way it is...

Emmina ha detto...
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Kataroma ha detto...

I've noticed all those things too down here in Rome. Drives me nuts.

I hate to be so negative but I do think you're right - people here generally think of themselves first. Unless you're a member of their family or their social circle - you don't count for anything.

It's especially striking when you go to other parts of Europe. We go the Netherlands a lot (boyfriend is Dutch) and it's so startling the way people there let you past, don't jump the queue, drive considerately and stand up for old ladies on the train. Too bad the weather there sucks! :)

Romerican ha detto...

i just happened upon your blog and this post made me chuckle, a hysterical "i get where you're coming from" chuckle because those are the same kinds of questions i ask myself about rome almost on a day to day basis.
keep 'em coming because misery loves company (;

Nancy - Girl in Giro ha detto...

Hi there, you left a comment on my blog a couple of months ago, and after a break from blogging I just found yours. I feel very similarliy to you about living in Italy. I have to move back to the states and now I feel a little less sad about it as I was reminded of all these very true things about Italy! I'll keep working my way through the blog! Cheers!