Everyday Facts for an Expat in Rome (that would shock your family back in America)
Your refrigerator freezer must be defrosted by hand and has room for only one manual plastic tray of ice cubes (ten pieces of ice in total, three of which will leap to their death when you try and pry them out).
You are as expert and hanging laundry out to dry as your great-grandmother and have the washer woman hands to prove it.
You think it’s perfectly acceptable to plug in DEET poison into your electric wall socket so you are not eaten alive by helicopter sized mosquitoes.
You have a direct knowledge of just how many electric appliances can be plugged in and turned on in your apartment without causing a black-out.
You keep candles handy and hit save often on your PC for those visitors who don’t.
When visiting friends, it is considered socially acceptable to drool over their collection of English language books and then make pitiful sad faces about the meagre supply at your own apartment in hopes of being allowed to borrow one.
Your house keys look like something a jailer would have in those American Wild Wild West flicks.
You know exactly which buses and metros you have to buy a ticket for and which one’s you can fudge.
Your friend just got back from Philly and you secretly lust over her two blue push-up antiperspirants.
Shortly afterwards, you best friend from DC visits, bringing you your own stash of ziplock baggies, Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Soap and a lifetime supply of Pappy Van Winkle Kentucky Bourbon and you have your friends over to celebrate your own good fortune (and to share).
You find a 20 minute walk, carrying, purse and laptop a relaxing way to start your day.
You find conversations such as “Do you want to be paid “in nero” perfectly acceptable conversations to have with a future employer.
Your butcher, fruit and vegetable boy, hardware store lady, and Chinese laundry workers all recognize you and greet you when they see you on the street.
Your cat understands you when you speak to her in two languages and your boyfriend doesn’t understand you in either.
You think riding a motorino is a right of passage and can’t wait to own one.
You are as expert and hanging laundry out to dry as your great-grandmother and have the washer woman hands to prove it.
You think it’s perfectly acceptable to plug in DEET poison into your electric wall socket so you are not eaten alive by helicopter sized mosquitoes.
You have a direct knowledge of just how many electric appliances can be plugged in and turned on in your apartment without causing a black-out.
You keep candles handy and hit save often on your PC for those visitors who don’t.
When visiting friends, it is considered socially acceptable to drool over their collection of English language books and then make pitiful sad faces about the meagre supply at your own apartment in hopes of being allowed to borrow one.
Your house keys look like something a jailer would have in those American Wild Wild West flicks.
You know exactly which buses and metros you have to buy a ticket for and which one’s you can fudge.
Your friend just got back from Philly and you secretly lust over her two blue push-up antiperspirants.
Shortly afterwards, you best friend from DC visits, bringing you your own stash of ziplock baggies, Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Soap and a lifetime supply of Pappy Van Winkle Kentucky Bourbon and you have your friends over to celebrate your own good fortune (and to share).
You find a 20 minute walk, carrying, purse and laptop a relaxing way to start your day.
You find conversations such as “Do you want to be paid “in nero” perfectly acceptable conversations to have with a future employer.
Your butcher, fruit and vegetable boy, hardware store lady, and Chinese laundry workers all recognize you and greet you when they see you on the street.
Your cat understands you when you speak to her in two languages and your boyfriend doesn’t understand you in either.
You think riding a motorino is a right of passage and can’t wait to own one.
posted by ~Sparrow | Monday, May 28, 2007
2 Comments:
I had a great chuckle over that one. Especially the "helicopter sized mosquitos"
Fantastic post for us wanna-be Romans.
i was amused by your list... i have left the states to live in london. Although it's not at much a culture shock as rome, us american girls still appreciate a new stash of deoderant and especially ziplock bags! You can get that here but who wants to pay more than twice the usual price at home!
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