Ci spiace, ma questo articolo è disponibile soltanto in English.
Nel 2003 Rebecca ha iniziato a scrivere dei saggi per il sito Slow Travel, raccontando la sua esperienza di ragazza di città che dagli Stati Uiniti si è trasferita nella campagna umbra.
Le sue riflessioni sono riprodotte qui.
Umbria Slow:
Took my breath away.
Beautiful thoughts! Every day of experiencing the awesome wonder of creation is a living prayer…
Beautiful. Thank you.
Anne, thanks so much for your comment….it’s nice to know that someone who lives her spirituality in a way much different than mine was able to appreciate where I am coming from.
To Michelle and Diana…two of my favorite Italy bloggers leaving me positive comments=a good day for me.
Rebecca,
You have such a way with words, it’s always a joy to read your posts. I am struck by the fact that many expats seem to enjoy living in Italy more than Italian natives do. My Italian friends (all over Italy) shake their heads when I say I want to live in Italy, because they have such a difficult time reconciling their country’s rich past with its present struggles, and what they see as a bleak future for their children. They love their country with a fierce passion, but they don’t seem to be able to enjoy it as outsiders do. They find life in Italy difficult, painful, limiting, and many of them would like to live elsewhere, but don’t have the resources, education or opportunity to do so. Expats, on the other hand, are finding a new joy by living in Italy. I can relate, as I feel the same way. But I sometimes wonder if I’m overlooking or discounting something very essential to the Italian way of life, and in doing so, not really understanding the true nature of Italy.
Thanks so much, Marybeth, for your kind feedback and your thought provoking comments.
Make no mistake, I often find life in Italy difficult, painful, limiting, and there are days I would like to live elsewhere. Running a business here can be a nightmare, the bureaucracy is maddening, the cost of living is ridiculous, and there is an every man for himself mentality often in the culture here which can be disheartening.
So, why don’t I blog about that? Well, I do…but you have to look for it, as my self-defence mechanism tends to runs to sarcastic wit so I often joke rather than complain. Plus, venting generally makes me more stressed out, whereas reinforcing the positive keeps me from slittling my wrists.
I think Italians often complain about Italy first because there is a long and proud tradition of complaining in Italian culture…and there is certainly much to complain about. Also, as the globe shrinks and Italians see the relative ease of navigating civic life in the US or even other EU countries they are more apt to make comparisons and expect the same from their own public administration–we are talking about a member of the G7!
The question remains: why do expats tend to have these life epiphanies that escape the locals? Well, I’m not sure if it has to do so much with Italy per se or the simple fact that a big change like moving into a completely different culture lends itself to reflection–both inward and outward–whereas living your entire life in the comfort zone of your own language and culture often leads to passivity. And of course, the grass is always greener on the other side, so we tend to see all that is good and lovely in Italy and Italians often see all that is good and lovely in the US (or elsewhere) where there is a dark underbelly in both realities. Also, we know there is a backdoor if life here does, indeed, become too much of a hassle and we want to move back to the land of bagels and 24 hour grocery stores. Most Italians don’t have that door.
Thank you. So glad Michelle sent me this way. Lovely writing.
I found this post via Michelle – I am so with you on all of this. It’s something I’m trying to focus on each day and in the face of too many in my life who wear their religion on their sleeve.
Beautiful writing.
Jennifer….idem. I am so glad, on my part, that I found your blog through Michelle, which I am enjoying immensely. Michelle is like the Yenta of the blogging world…good match!
Thanks, Jen…I am finding through this post that the sticky spirituality question is something common to many, though so intimate that it doesn’t get brought up often.
Rebecca,
grazie mille for your thoughtful response. You’ve made many good points. I think it’s the idea of “no back door” that gets to me. My interest in living in Italy is to truly understand another language and culture, but I’m beginning to think that it’s likely to be an impossible task. My Italian friends have opened my eyes to the reality of how truly spoiled Americans are, myself included, by the wealth of choices that most of us have grown up with. We can’t escape our heritage, nor can they escape theirs, it seems. But at least we can strive to understand each other better, share each other’s wisdom, pain and joy, and be grateful for the process, which inevitably fosters transformation. And since it’s the beauty of Italy that draws most of us there in the first place, why not savor it? Ti ringrazio tanto for your eloquent insights into Italian life, and your willingness to share your experiences.
Perfectly, beautifully expressed. As someone who grew up in three different cultures, I totally agree with you that the only way to truly appreciate where you are is to have been somewhere else.
@Amy..thanks for your feedback. I’ve noticed that this seems to be common thread that runs through the expat experience, regardless of where you’ve lived overseas.
Well said! I grew up with absolutely no religion. Just the awareness that we were Jewish and that was why my mother’s family came to the US from Austria in 1938. I’ve always found what I think others’ refer to as spirituality in the beauty of nature…and, well I guess anything else that I observe which affects me in some way. As some one who has always felt a bit naive regarding the need for organized worship, I really appreciate your take on it! Thank you.
The title caught my eye and your writing always draws me in. Lovely piece. Even the word “religion” has become an anethma to me these days, but you give it grace in this piece. Water! Water forever!