New Like Me

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5 seasons of Lost in a month

When you are away from home, time goes at a different speed. In San Francisco I feel like a day counts like a week, a week is a months, a month almost a year.
When you are far from home, every day something memorable happens. You meet new people all the times. You spend a day with someone and you've got a new friend. After a week you feel like best friends forever. People come and visit you and in a week you plan 1000 things to do - that would have normally taken a month. You fall in love just like you were used to on summer times when you were 16: at first sight and once a week. You spend intense months with people that you have just met, and then they leave, they move, they go back... and it feels like a whole life is gone.
People I've met here change apartment every few months, change job at every opportunity, spend money twice as fast, see 5 seasons of Lost in a month.
Is it just me or do you feel like you are living at a different speed too?

Posted by Roberto Fonti 

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Job Opportunities in the US



In the US you can find jobs that I've never even heard of in Italy. Like the person at the grocery store who puts the stuff you buy in the bags (we've already talked about that in a previous post).

Recently I've discovered two another interesting ones pretty common in ski resorts: first, they have dozen of kids scanning your pass at every lift - we have turnstiles almost everywhere in Italy. Second, and funnier, they have the "lift director", who makes sure no seats of the lift are left unused, picking people to make groups of 4.
They ask: "how many of you?"
- "three"
- "go ahead. Give me one single please!"
- "how many of you?"
- "two"
- "the two of you and the two of you, please go ahead.."

and so on, all day long. They are like playing Tetris with skiers and snowboarders! Impressive. It also reminds me of Micky Mouse directing brooms in Fantasia.

Do you know any other unique or unusual job opportunity?

Posted by Roberto Fonti 

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Getting Ready for England

Hi All,

My name is Ryan and I am an American who is about to relocate to London. As sort of a joke Christmas gift (but not really) my folks gave me this book by Toni Summers Hargis -- a very British sounding name, and it contains several chapters on cultural differences as you would imagine. One is on language entirely -- both the small semantic misunderstandings that can easily occur, and the larger social taboos and ignorance between American and British culture. So what have I learned so far?

1)    If a Brit leaves the room to go “knock up” another sleeping guest, he is not intending to impregnate that person. Simply wake them

2)    Underpants are pants. Outer garment = trousers.

3)    The phrase “I’ll be with you momentarily” is likely to cause confusion, since a more literal translation is likely to be taken by the Brit – making the meaning of the statement that the time spent during the actual meeting will be quite brief. I love that one!

Anyone have any other potential language pitfalls they want to share for the hapless American before his departure?

Posted by Ryan Sommer 

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is your race been left out?



San Francisco - I've just realized how hard it must be to be a marketing person in the US.
Let's say that you want to promote a All Purpose Cleaner: the tipical blond chick we have in Italy who says that's fabolous is not enough here. You need a bunch of woman to cover all possible races, at least an african american, a hispanic and an asian. Commercials become choruses, differente voices, accents and colors repeating the same thing: "this cleaner is super!". So everybody can identify with the product.... well, if your race has not been left out.

Posted by Roberto Fonti 

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Super Size Me



San Francisco - To tell you the true, this picture does not really impress me anymore. It's an "Italian Sandwich" from Ted's, in SF, and it's stuffed with 3 kind of "italian meats", cheese, tomato, lattuce, mayo and more. It weights a couple of pounds, seriously. In Italy you usually get two thin slices of prosciutto and one of mozzarella and that's it.
Which one is better?
I guess I'm starting getting used to American portions. If I don't get my huge hamburger or my 30cm glass of water or a pasta as a side dish I'm a little disapponted. I'm getting used to free coke and coffee refill and I think that the place is cheap if they don't have it.
Am I getting fatter? Not really. And you? How many pounds did you put on on your last trip to the US?

Posted by Roberto Fonti 

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Awesome! Words and Phrases...

Having lived for considerable periods in Ireland, England and America, my accent is a confusing mix of the three. Until recently it was just Irish/English, but since becoming a full time resident here, I've been finding the American influence sneaking in and I can't seem to stop it.

More than the accent, it seems to be the words and phrases I'm picking up on. In Dublin, I use turns of phrase that only make sense to the people there, who use them too. Some of these do make sense, but it would just be an unusual or quirky way of saying something, and people here find it strange. But sometimes, they are completely indecipherable. I am regularly faced with confused or blank expressions in response to something I've said. It doesn't help either that my name seems to be impossible to pronounce or remember for anyone who is not from Ireland.

Since moving here, I have picked up so many new words and phrases, just because of the influence of the people around me. My friends back home make fun of me relentlessly for this. Awesome? Sidewalk? Cell phone? None of these were a part of my active vocabulary a year ago! Now I say them all the time. Then there's the inevitable 'like'...try as I might, I don't seem to be able to get through a sentence without it these days.

What about you? Do people look at a loss when you say something that is completely normal where you're from? Do you find yourself picking up new words and phrases? And are your friends at home giving you hell over it?!

Posted by Roisin 

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CROCS

Maybe I'm not one to talk here. My friends are always making fun of my completely inappropriate and impractical sartorial choices, especially when it comes to footwear. I understand that people want to dress for comfort and practicality, but this is surely a step too far! I'm talking about CROCS. Those brightly coloured plastic shoes that are so inexplicably popular here in Berkeley! I see whole families wearing them, and admittedly they are quite adorable on babies and little kids, but I don't understand why any self-respecting adult would allow themselves to be seen out and about in these. I really do not get it! Are they really that comfortable? And what is the point of the plastic? It can't be to keep water out because they are full of holes and open at the back. I have spotted the odd pair of CROCS back in Ireland but it's nowhere near as widespread as in Berkeley, where it's an epidemic! What do you think - am I missing something here? Will they ever catch on in Europe, or have they already done so while I've been away?!

Posted by Roisin 

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Halloween mood (New kids on the block)

Cork, Ireland - Halloween is approaching again, and we are all getting ready for the "Trick or treat" reality. My neighbourhood is full of kids and it's a pleasure to see them coming over , knocking at doors all dressed up, handing over their open bags to receive the treats. I'm still debating if it's my husband the one having more fun, or the kids. Last year he got all dressed up in a scary vampire suite, he put horrifying music on, full of shouts and evil laughters, and he hid behind the door waiting for the approaching groups of kids... he would then open the door before the knocking, and shout and make faces and scare the hell out of the innocent souls! Quite fun, i have to say.
Last year was the first year I decided to get properly ready for the reality. I started a month ahead by shopping for halloween style cookie-shapers, searching the internet for yummy recipes and finally  I spent a week backing different shape of cookies, decorating them with chocolate, green and orange icing sugar and so on. I carefully selected my pumpkin, the biggest one i could find, and i designed it and left the carving part to my husband, who is well trained after years of pumpkin-carving from his teenargerhood between Mexico and the States.
Well, what can I say! I was more excited than the kids and i have been waiting for the first knock all afternoon... and when they knocked, I wore my best smile and offered my hamper of home-made delicatessen, each one of them wrapped in a single transparent cookie bag with colorful ribbons... and you know what? The new kids on the block politely reply "No, thank you!" and went for the cheap candies i bought at the corner shop just in case of shortage of cookies.
I almost cried! No, thank you?! How come?? I am seeing in my head all those halloween American movies with mamas baking loads and kids divouring loads... and the only thing i get i a "No, thank you". I was so distressed that I asked my husband to take care of the offering, and he had the good mind of asking one of the kids why they didn't want to get any of the home made stuff.
"Because mummy said Only industrial candies!"
Fear of unsafe food give out in a peaceful neighbourhood, I guess. Understandable, but what a disappointment for me!
This year, only industrial candies for us. I wonder how are things around the world. Are people really getting suspicious of their own neighbours? Now that I have kids, I'd say i'd be the same... but movies are movies!

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Do you have a preference for the Vodka?

San Francisco - America is the country of choices. Customers are given tons of choices in every shopping situation, which sounds good in theory... but if you are not used to it and, like me, you don't give a damn, it just pisses you off. They overload you with questions like:
"An hamburger please" - How would you like your meat cooked?
"Vodka tonic please" - Do you have a preference for Vodka?
"An Italian sandwich for me" - Everything in it? What kind of bread do you want?
Best Buy, at the counter - Did you find everything you were looking for?
Every restaurant, 10 min after they bring the food - How's everything is going here?
You handle the credit card to the bartender - Keep the tab open or close?

Yesterday I got this one at Nordstrom, that I find pretty funny: "Receipt with you or in the bag?". Ah! Who cares?!

I think there should be a default choice in all these things and they just should not bother questioning. Does any question bother you? Write it in the comments.

(read on about shopping, eggs, coffee sizes and more in the comments...)

Posted by Roberto Fonti 

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Shoes and the City!

Cork, Ireland - Ok, here's the deal. I'm writing this post and feel a bit like Carrie writing her column about shoes, remember that episode of Sex and the City? I'm more of an old-fashioned version of her, especially because my "City" is not the Big Apple but just something I consider just a town, 300.000 inhabitants for 4 roads that make up the so called "city center".
I am desperate for shoes. Not for me, no, but for my 15 months old daughter who's just learning how to walk. I discovered an interesting fact: in here, they don't sell you kid's shoes if the kid is not walking. And they don't sell you kid's shoes if the kid is not with you in the shop. Now, my girl is not walking by herself quite yet, but she surely walks, and sometimes even run, if we hold her with one hand. She just needs a good pair of sturdy shoes to make her more stable on her feet. But no, she can only get the so-called "pre-walkers", sort of dummy shoes with soft soft sole, the closest thing to walking barefoot that I can ever imagine. I have to say that the clerks are very good in their job: they measure the peanut-foot for two or three times, length, witdht and all, and they give you the perfect size but you'll never be able to buy bargains on sales for bigger sizes because they just won't sell it to you!
A friend of mine asked me to buy some good pair of walking shoes for her boy, same age as my girl, when I went on holiday in Italy! Not sure how does it work around the world, but I know I have some bigger sizes I bought back home, surely waiting that my girl will grow into them! 
Talking about shoes, big issues over here to find shoes for my husband as well: 6.3 feet tall, he never found the right size for him in here! Apparently, they're so accustomed to tiny (should we say short?) persons that they never carry big sizes. And forget about fashion! The trendiest thing you could wear in summer is a light brown pair of hairy knee-high boots, over a flashy pink mini-skirt!
Granted, I save on my salary, but thanfully I visit my home town every now and then.... :)
Silvia

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