Observation on Italians in Italy

I have a few observations on Italians that I would like to write down before I forget what they are:

1.) Italian men have much more of a physical relationship with their children than American men I have seen. It is equally likely to see an Italian father holding his child or pushing a stroller or playing ball with them as it is to see the mother doing such things. As a matter of fact, the Italian mothers have a tendency to sit out during the fun just watching, having a coffee, or talking with other mothers.

2.) If an Italian boy finds out you are from America, you are "very beautiful" regardless of what you say to the contrary. Mind you, it is "very beautiful" not just beautiful. This phrase is usually followed by a very forward gesture: they try to kiss you. It is very simple to divert said gesture. Simply cover your mouth, say no, and quickly walk away.

3.) Italians love to dance. This is especially apparent in the discoteca. Italian men don't just stand there in the club and let the women dance for them. No, they genuinely like to dance and it is such a nice sight and feeling.

4.) Now, one of the hazards of the discoteca is that Italian men also like to touch. This really has not presented much of a problem for me. Most of the time, they just go for my hair or my face (a sign of affection is running your hand down the side of someone's face, it is endearing).

5.) Obviously, one of the biggest problems that anyone will have while visiting another country will be the changes in cultural cues and rules. I don’t know what certain gestures, slang, and other forms of Italian communication mean. If I go to a club and dance with a friend, has the relationship changed or does it stay the same neutral that it was before. Or was it never neutral in the first place and therefore have I led this person to believe something they shouldn’t? This type of scenario is complicated enough using my own language, but add in the factor that I can’t understand the majority of the words they are using and I am irretrievably lost…as any normal person would be.

6.) At the same, Italians are the most laid back people. They open their shops usually around 8 or 9 in the morning, close them from 1 to 4, open them again from 4 to 8 and then the day is done. To top it all off, they get loads more vacation time than Americans do. I think they generally enjoy themselves most of the time working or not.

7.) The drinking age in Italy is 16. Children grow up around wine. I think that this is the reason that they are much less likely to binge drink because they grew up knowing how to actually enjoy a beverage for what it is and the art that goes with making it.

8.) The Italians that I have met who speak English tell me that they like speaking English more because it is easier. This utterly baffles me because I have a hard enough time with it and I’ve been speaking it all of my life.