Thursday, July 31, 2008

Daily Life

What is a day like for us in Italy?
Giovanni rises at 6am and has breakfast before biking to work.
I wake up with Matteo and open the shutters in the bedroom to let in the fresh air and sunlight (Italians have shutters on all the windows and doors which they close at night and then in the morning everything is opened - there are no screens and mysteriously, very few mosquitos inside the house). Cookies and coffee in the morning. Matteo gets oatmeal and fruit with juice. I do a combination - I believe american breakfasts are healthier but I really love the encouragement of cookies and coffee. Cleaning the kitchen - you never leave any dishes in the sink or the table messy or the floor unswept. Washing clothes (truthfully Luciana has usually already washed, hung and ironed all our clothes before I even get up). She even irons our underpants, sheets and so forth. Speaking of this, I am learning the science of laundry. I never knew it could be so complex. She has a station dedicated to this in the basement. She hand scrubs each item of clothing that has stains and chooses from one of the 20 plus bottles of detergents, bleaches, stain removers, perfumes according to the material and stain at hand. Then she sorts the clothes according to whites and colors and washes them at specific temperatures in a machine with very precise settings. Afterwards, they are inspected for cleanliness and if they pass, they are hung outside to dry. Ironing occurs almost every day and each item is carefully pressed and folded. It is VERY important that each item is handled with care so to prevent wrinkles. After some light housekeeping (truthfully, Luciana has already done most everything), Matteo and I play or take a bike ride. I contemplate what I could make for lunch if Luciana is working at the company and I usually search for good italian recipes on the internet. I make lunch or help Luciana make lunch. The table is set and everything is ready at noon. Everyone comes home from work (except Giovanni since he only has an hour lunch break and the company provides a delicious meal for only one euro a day). Wine is poured, bread is broken and pasta or rice is eaten. This is called the primi piati (first plate). Their is almost always a first and a second plate. This makes it hard for me to cook since I have to plan more than a one or two pot meal (my usual approach). The first plate is pasta or risotto. The second is usually some kind of meat or fish and polenta served with a vegetable. Then there is always a salad, sometimes dessert and always a coffee after the meal is served and the table is cleared. I realize I have been drinking like three expressos a day - granted they're small but still.... It is really enjoyable to sit and drink a good expresso after eating. By the time you clean up and drink your expresso, it is almost 2pm. Gianny (Giovanni's father has taken a snooze and heads back to work). Luciana has either been playing with Matteo or cleaning the kitchen and she heads back to work. On tuesdays and thursdays, she watches Davide (Matteo's two year old cousin) and so she is at home all day. She told me that she would rather be at home then working at the company in the heat. They have air conditioning but I've never seen them use it. It's quite hot and humid here right now. I am guessing it is in the high 90's. After lunch, Matteo and I play in the swimming pool, or read books and then I take him for a 5 minute bike ride so that he can fall alseep for a nap. This is my only time to myself and I treasure it. When he wakes up, we go walking, playing and then begin to plan dinner. It repeats all over again, the process of the meal, only this time Giovanni is home. We relax and drink some wine, coffee and most likely some Grappa (a northern italian moutain alcohol which warms you up instantly). Lately, after cleaning up the kitchen, Luciana, Matteo and I go on a brisk walk for exercise. I have discovered some charming country roads and historic villas during these walks. The more time I spend with Luciana, the better my italian becomes. She loves to talk and is great at understanding me. We try to go to bed at 10pm. If Matteo goes to sleep right away, Giovanni and I sometimes go down the road and meet some of his friends for a beer. There are always friends meeting and drinking somewhere nearby. Everything seems to happen spontaneously or if you make a plan, it is to go the sea together on the weekend. This aspect of Italian social life is one that I admire and feel very curious about. How do they do this? My main theory has been that they have more time since everyone is living with their parents and their mamas do their laundry, cook, clean and grocery shop (imagine how much more time you would have if someone else did these things for you!). But also it seems to stem from a difference in mentality. More on that later.

2 comments:

dani said...

I'm so freaking happy you're doing this blog thing dydy!!! I can't wait to walk to the panaderia with you & play with Mateo in the pool (but i hope to god i don't have to make lunch for everyone!!!)
I love you & am loving reading about your experiences thus far - it makes you feel so much less far away!!

dani

Leah said...

thankyou, thankyou, for sharing your experiences and being real. I miss you, but when reading this I felt like we were hanging out, drinking tea and watching the kids play!

Leah