Big Brother

WhoooEEE it's been a busy few days!  It's amazing how fast midnight comes after waking up at 7:00AM; it must mean I'm having fun.

I have had lots of intriguing conversations this week.  I enjoy how long we sit and discuss things after meals, sometimes lapsing two hours from when the meal started until we finally stand to clean up (and I wonder where my day goes).  It's wonderful, though, I've run into such open, interesting and interested people.  Not to mention intelligent; my host mom fields all topics of conversation from scientific experiments to international politics to silly jokes.  Very versatile, with great energy.

So one of the things I've gleaned from discussions this week is that Big Brother is really out there.  In my first days here I was not as directionally sophisticated as I am now (although the kids still demand I turn on the GPS every time we get in the car; did I mention that they're smart?).  I park my car in a free parking lot just outside of downtown.  Before I gained control of my route, dear old uncle TomTom took me and the Scenic on a tour of downtown (and uptown, and side town...).  I figured the only damage done was in my class punctuality, but it turns out that every car that enters the downtown district has its picture taken.  If the license doesn't have a certain permit a fine is mailed to the house of the owner.

A similar strategy is used on major highways in Italy.  A time-tagged picture is taken when you enter the highway and when you exit the highway.  The distance between your entrance and exit point along with the time is used to calculate your average speed.  If it's above the speed limit you get a fine in the mail.  None of this honky business crossing your fingers that a copper isn't waiting over the next hill.  You can run, but you can't hide from the fine that will come in the mail.

In Italian class it is often a speaking exercise for each of us to describe the view of our country about a certain topic.  We were talking about sweets one day, and I described (with as many hand gestures as possible) how Americans use the gooey innards of pumpkin to make a pie.  The Danish couple sitting next to me said that in Denmark there is a problem with how many sweets children eat because of how easily accessible they are (waiting along the lines of a grocery store check out) and inexpensive.  The quality of teeth is going down. The government placed a tax on all sweets, in a similar way we do with cigarettes.  Wild.

Big Brother, or more aptly put, Big Sister also strikes very close to home.  Our classroom is inside a building downtown which has a huge wooden door that must be electrically unlocked from inside for us to enter.  It is quite a nuisance for the people inside, really, and I have been surprised at how diligent the teachers are about keeping it shut.  Who cares; who's going to walk into a school courtyard anyway?  Yesterday I was sitting in class by my window seat, with a straight view to the front gate/door.  The door was standing slightly open, which we often do when a class takes a break since people are going in and out.  I heard a high pitched noise, kind of like an alarm, except it was erratic.  The noise got closer and closer until I realized it was an old woman, who had made her way down from an upstairs apartment to scream at the teachers for letting the door stay open.  My teacher looked at us and whispered the story about how the woman sits by her window all day staring at the door, and throws a fit every time it's open.  Jolly good time.

 And sometimes I am Big Brother, sneaking into my "kid's" fencing practice where only first time moms are allowed and snapping pictures.  The sad kid in front of me up top spent more time hacky-sacking his sword than he did fighting the motionless opponent coming out of the wall.  The others were pretty impressive.  It was obvious the coaches couldn't get me out of there fast enough, but it was nice of them to let me in at all.

So much more to write, but GONE FISHING to Venice.  Be back soon