Hey America, chill your tots!

So, lemme just cut to the chase with this blog. As I alluded to in the previous post... America, you aren't doing it right. 

Shoot, WE aren't doing it right. 

For those of you who know me, know that my essence is stressing about shit that doesn't matter; (i.e. getting a perfect score on something, what people think of me, or how frizzy my hair might look).

Now, this has gotten much better since, say... oh, 8th grade, where you can guarantee I'd be in full blown tears if I got an A- on assignment (I can thank Berkeley for making that phase deteriorate), but there are still, to my dismay,  insignificant worries that consume my every day thoughts. 

I still stress too much about school. I still worry what people think of me. I'm always in a hurry, worrying if I will get everything done on time. I worry constantly about the future, and what I will be doing with my life. You know, the usual things. 

Here... those concerns wash away. The mentalities, the pace of life, the way people carry themselves, the way people interact, the schooling system, the emphasis on work.... it is all so vastly different. 

How is it different do you ask? (Study abroaders, don't give it away!) 

Well, first off.... 

1. LEISURE, LEISURE, LEISURE

Mix that in with some really good food, and some really good drinks, and you've got the first major difference. Not only is the food great, but every meal is a highlight of someone's day; a  moment to say this is my time, to wind down, enjoy my ability to... well, enjoy things, and possibly even catch up with a friend.

It's normal here to indulge, but healthily indulge. I have yet to see an obese person chowing down on pastries or gelato here... moderate that shit, and DO NOT DEPRIVE yourself. Bolognians definitely understand this, even though the city's nickname is literally "La Grassa," which means "The Fat." The city has this nickname not for having large citizens, but for having rich food. Unlike America, known for having just the opposite.

People are eating and drinking ALL DAY (and don't even get me started on the beauty that is the open container laws.... wine in a beautiful park? YES PLEASE). And by all day, I mean this city is up and running from 6am to 4am. 

2. PACE, and once again, SAVOR

The pace here, is go with the flow. Don't hurry, don't walk fast to places, don't expect your server at a restaurant to rush your food, rush your order, or try to take your plate before you're actually done eating. In fact, it's going to take FOREVER to get all of your courses at a dinner. So you should get in the habit of eating slow anyway.

I realized that in the states I was always trying to go here and go there. And although I can't part from my love of briskly weaving through huge crowds of people, I've pretty much learned to take it easy with other aspects of my life. Don't sweat the small stuff. And plus, if you're going OUT to dinner, you're paying someone to cook for you, ENJOY it, don't rush that. 

You wouldn't want to cut a massage short, now would you? 

3. PARTY ALL NIGHT, SLEEP ALL DAY! 

But really. People are always out so late, especially since it hasn't become frigidly freezing yet. And, unless someone has an early class, people sleep relatively late. And if you can't sleep late, well... YOU NAP! 

What a concept that human beings  might, just might, actually deserve to rest, rather than dehumanizing themselves through endless hours of meaningless labor that generates them meaningless paper, all for the purpose of buying meaningless things. (Oh hey Marx rant, sup modern day proletariats?) 

Night time is honestly a beautiful thing here. The sense of community is incredible. Because people aren't so freaking tired and concerned with their jobs, or excuse me lives, as we call it in the USA (btw this is not an attack on individual lifestyles just our shitty social norms). 

Any given night, you can walk outside, and there WILL be something going on in Piazza Maggiore, whether it's a soft hum of music from a band, or a HUGE bash/concert/movie/festival. We're missing this, big time. The only places I've seen remotely close to this are college towns and big cities. But it's all so spread out, and isn't really open to "everyone." It always feels like an exclusive event, geared towards a "sub" community. 

I could rant so much more about this, but for now I think I have to pause. To be continued. But for now, chill yo' tots America, is the lesson of the day!