Reaching the Wisdom

FMM:   8.39 miles on Sunday (No, I'm not kidding)

Hi, friends, frenemies, and fam,

Recently, we got an eight euro break on a museum entrance.  When I asked the man why, he smiled and replied, "Because you have reached the wisdom."   Wow, and I thought I was just touring around; I didn't know enlightenment was part of the deal.  O'Connell children,  take note.  It's official: I now really do know best.

Since you are all reading this to learn about Italy, or at least to pretend you are spending your time wisely, I'll let you in on a few things I have experienced since arriving:

Women hanging out apartment building windows talking to people in the street.  (Yes, this happens a lot.  It's probably because most of the windows have no screens. So far I haven't seen any men doing this.)

A man holding his thumb to to his two fingers, bending his elbow,  and shaking his arm while speaking loudly. (Yes, and I don't think I was the cause of it, but one can never be sure about such things..)

Graffiti everywhere. (Yes.  It is on every possible surface.  Today we even saw in on the pop-up side of an escalator step.  I'm told that if it weren't for graffiti we would have no knowledge of how the ancient Romans lived.  Nonetheless, when I first saw our neighborhood, I feared that I had landed in the middle of a Crips vs Bloods turf war or perhaps a Corleone vs Sarducci vendetta.  But, no, I'm in an ordinary neighborhood.  And I'm told that most of the remarks have to do with soccer. Of course, designing creative ways to "solve" this problem has caused us to dream up all types of cruel and unusual deterrents and punishments for offenders.  Send me your suggestions.)

The frequent use of an Italian word that most of you didn't know you knew.  Answer at the end of the blog.

Tizhaps (Admit it; this is your favorite section.). I went to the post office to buy stamps.  I had a half-written letter with  an extra sheet of blank paper in it with me as I wanted to show the postal worker that I was mailing the letter to the U.S.  She promptly grabbed it out  of my hand, taped it shut,  and demanded two euros twenty.  Add one more person to the list of people who will now think I am off my rocker...I was talking to my sister on the phone while sitting outside at a subway station when I looked down and saw a lizard on my purse--- well, you can picture the rest; I prepared for pickpockets, not lizards......There's an unusual man who lives in this complex and sits at the entrance or sometimes lies on the curb.  I must pass him every time I come or go.  I've said , "ciao" to him a number of times, and he eventually answered back.  Then he stopped me and tried to ask me something.  I thought that perhaps he had found my lost metro card.  He put his hand in his pocket and showed me a handful of change and kind of shook it. I replied (in English, of course), "No, I didn't lose any money, but I did lose my metro card."   He hasn't spoken to me since.  So, now I think maybe he wanted money, or perhaps he wanted to offered me money (don't laugh; you never know!).  My "friend" suggested that perhaps he had recognized my wardrobe plight and wanted to offer me money for new clothes...I've taken to wearing my sunglasses each time I go out, but somehow I think he still recognizes me.


Give up?  Okay, the word is "prego."  It means "you're welcome" in Italian.


Wise and in disguise,
I remain

Tizzie/Tiz/Mom/ Tizmom/Liz/Grandma Tizzie