Well. Here I am. It's been a nice, relaxing 3.5 months since returning from Lima, Peru and the experience of a lifetime that enveloped me there. Since then I've spent quality time with my family for the holidays, and now I've packed up and moved on to Perugia, Umbria, Italy.
For most Americans, and probably people in general, Perugia is synonymous with the Amanda Knox murder trial. Although I didn't think that such a highly publicized murder in my new city of residence would bother me much (since in big cities there's probably multiple murders daily - try Lima!), it actually sort of did. It doesn't help that when I first arrived, Perugia was victim of fierce winter weather (not supposed to happen in Italy) and everyone walked around with their heads down, looking suspiciously intent to be on their way, as the city's stony, medieval buildings coldly towered above all the aforementioned pedestrians. Not to mention that I've also been told that Knox's apartment is rumored to be quite close to mine. All of this did not help to influence my idea of Perugia.
I've been here a month now, and unlike the weather (which is now way sunnier THANK GOD), my feelings toward Perugia have not changed much. To be completely honest, the people here are weird, and I still get creepy vibes from them - specifically the men, who seem to abundantly inhabit this city. First off, men AND women here don't seem to be specifically warm and inviting, especially if you have difficulty speaking their language (that would be me). They're curt, and oftentimes even hostile if you take more than a couple minutes to try to get your point across, or understand theirs... obviously there are exceptions... but this is what I've noticed from the grand majority of people. I think coming from Lima, where Latinos are just so inviting and sweet, the Italian mentality is a very different thing for me to adjust to. In a way they kind of remind me of the "New Yorker" stereotype. Quick to be on their way, unlikely to talk much to tourists/foreigners, and stressed out most of the time. But, this is just one girl's opinion. It kind of pains me to say all of this, since I know that Mia Mamma, and pretty much all the rest of the world, have this great, big love of Italy and Italian culture, and here I am smack dab in the middle of it, and strangely, I'm missing American supermarkets that stay open 12 hours a day (instead of EVERY store here closing EVER DAY between the hours of 1 and 4 pm), being able to joke around with people in my own language, and not being scared to go outside of my apartment because I'm scared creepy guys will try to hit on me.
Which brings me to my next point. Common stereotype that all Italian men are hot? SO WRONG! 90% of them are short, stubby, hairy, smelly, and REALLY strange.... as in, they stare at you (if you're a woman) with such a rabid ferocity that you're afraid their gaze alone will be enough to land you on a silver platter with an apple in your mouth like suckling pig - First course? WOMAN! --- But I'm serious. I've talked to my friends here, and they all agree, so no, it's not just my own opinion... it seems to be a collective female opinion. Which is sad, because I was kind of expecting sweet, romantic types who would woo you like Romeo did to Juliet (after all, Shakespeare's play took place in Verona, Italy).
BUT! amongst all the strange, there is good. I really like my apartment here, it's so cute and comfortable... and I enjoy hosting weekly dinner parties here. That said, I've been teaching myself how to cook, and I'm actually pretty proud of some of the dishes I've made (veal scaloppine with sauteed zucchini, spaghetti with roasted and marinated mediterranean vegetables, minestrone soup). I'm also teaching myself to be self-sufficient, as in, cleaning/doing laundry/paying my landlady on time. So, if nothing else, like I told my parents, I'm learning how to become a real person. yay adulthood!
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