It's Italy (very long)

Sometimes (often) I wonder what my head would be full of if I didn't blog. Honestly, I can't remember what I think about for the 9 or so months a year that I'm not blogging. Now, I'm always thinking in terms of blog. Even this, these exact words, I thought about while I was in a car. And when we were driving up to lunch today in the hills of Bologna and there were little butterflies, I wasn't just like, "oh! Little butterflies!" I was like, "Ooo, how can I describe this pretty butterflies in a way that'll capture it? Daytime fireflies? Small fairies?"...I never did figure out quite how to describe them.

And the other hard part is how to start it. I always have so many ideas, so many things that I want to talk about, and I never know which to put first. The funny thing, though, is that once I start typing, I end up not really having a choice. It all just kind of flows out. Some of it is pre-scripted, other parts surprise me, and other parts replace the pre-scripted parts that I intended to put in but that ended up getting booted for something else.

I want to warn you that this is going to be (hopefully) a very long blog. I say hopefully because these blogs are as much for me as they are for me. When I am in blog mode, my brain can get crowded because I'm always writing out what's going on internally. Weird, I know, but whatever. This is my Pensieve. If you don't know what that is, you should probably go read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Hmm...but it doesn't make sense to just read one of the HP books, so you should probably just go back and read all of them.

Or I'll just tell you. Dumbledore's Pensieve is a cool thought-bowl that he uses to empty his brain into so he can see everything from a different perspective, as he says, "when I simply have too many thoughts and memories crammed into my mind." Granted, I'm not a ~150 year old great wizard, but there's still a lot going on up there. And I'm hoping to empty it out into my Pensieve. So here we go.


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Writers block.

Oh!

Dado pointed out to me that in my last post, I spelled Porsche wrong (I wrote "Porche"), but I'm just proud of myself for not spelling Audi like "Outtie". So I still consider that entry a win. Just saying...

(Just took a break to write an email to my FANTASTIC father - HAPPY FATHERS DAY, DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

If I'm going to write a lot, I should break it down. I think I'm going to break it down categorically as opposed to chronologically, so I hope that's okay with you.

PACS STUFF & ITALY

I think that everyone should be required to travel. Especially people wanting to do some sort of international-influencing work. Or people who want to work with people. And really especially people who want to work with people internationally. And when I say traveling, I mean traveling where you talk to people. I don't mean a global bar hopping pub crawl expedition. I've already learned so much just from staying with Dado and his dad. So many things that I thought I knew, I realized that what I had been taught or what I assumed wasn't the whole story. I don't know why I keep thinking I know things. Someone smart once said, "There's nothing as firmly lodged as an expert's ignorance." I think I'm beginning to understand that more and more each day.

For example, yesterday I was in Milan with Dado, and I noticed a billboard for a movie coming up called "Dictator." It looks like a dumb, Borat-ish movie about a dictator that can no longer be in his country and has to go work at McDonald's...or something. But the point is, that there's a big sign that says "Dictator" that's supposed to be a comedy.

I found myself thinking, "What is wrong with them? Don't they know? Don't they know that Italy was oppressed by an evil dictator for nearly 20 years? How insensitive of them to put this up." I mean, it had a big enough impression on me that I took a picture of it.

In a conversation with Dado and his dad last night, I learned that not everyone is as negative about Mussolini as I thought. No one denies that his 1940 decision to side with Germany in WWII was horrible. I've never heard anyone say anything positive about his international politics. However, the history books gloss over the good things he did that I had no idea about: creating jobs, improving public transportation, and massive attacks on the mafia that eventually forced them all into temporary inactivity. Now I'm not saying that I'm "pro-Mussolini," I'm just saying that I didn't even know that there was anything to be pro-Mussolini about, and now I do. The train station in Milan, for example, is huge and impressive. It was built under Mussolini. A lot of the big, impressive buildings in Milan were built under Mussolini. The problems with Italians saying there is a lack of jobs and asking for welfare instead would, supposedly, not have happened under Mussolini. I was just so surprised to hear so many good things about him and how much good he did for his country, when only a couple hours earlier I was thinking, "Don't they know these people were oppressed??"

I need to stop thinking I know everything.

Another example. Maybe it's just a PACS thing, but when I think of Italy, I think of immigration. Quick background on international law and Italy's situation. If you check out a map, you'll notice that Italy protrudes into the Mediterranean Sea. On the other side of the sea if Africa. As you may have guessed, many parts of Africa do not have the best qualities of life - some countries are struck with war or poverty or violent revolution or lack of work or any other number of reasons that would push people to leave. According to international law, if someone gets onto your land and claims to be fleeing potential harm and to be seeing asylum, you cannot turn them away until you have evaluated their situation and decided to either grant or not grant their request. You cannot return them to their country, but you can let them pass through your country to seek asylum in the next country. (Please note - this is different from straight up illegal immigration. These people declare themselves as soon as they come into the country. People who simply immigrate illegally can be deported, as any American knows). Anyways, in 2011 there was a lot of talk about how Italy tried to stop the flow of this type of immigration by simply not letting the boats land. (Italy is not the only country to do this - Australia has performed similar practices). After these people sacrificed everything just to get on these boats, however, Italy's refusal to accept their boat onto the land, especially when the people were claiming refugee status, elicited lots of "How could they?!"s from PACS majors everywhere.

But...

Talking with actual Italians about the subject presented another point of view (shocking how that happens!). Giorgio (Dado's dad) and Dado talked a lot about how immigration is mismanaged in Italy, and as a result it creates a country full of (sometimes racist) nationalists who want to protect their country form the immigrants.  They kept saying, "immigration is a resource, not an enemy," but saying that Italy treats it like an enemy. Because they don't have a working process for immigration, like, they say, Germany does (German immigration is pretty strict, but it ends up "successful," meaning it accepts people who will be an asset to the country and who go through a naturalization process if/when they become a citizen). In Italy, though, the process is not as well laid out. As a result, there are people coming in and then asking for welfare and hand outs. The poor Italians cannot get the same help because there are too many immigrants to provide for, which leads to resentment and eventually racism. Immigrants are taking the jobs that poor Italians don't want, such as milking cows that have odd hours and are out in the country, when Italians want to have their weekends and live in the city. (I'm not trying to make sweeping generalizations, just relay a conversation). As a result, the immigrants take the jobs that many Italians don't want, but instead of spending their money here in Italy, they send it back to their family. To anyone that lives in a wealthy country next to poorer countries, this all sounds familiar. It makes sense why there would be animosity and resentment. I'm not saying it's right, but it makes sense. Right? Another thing that I thought was interesting was that here in Italy, they were one people. I think that's something that's something that makes this case different from America. In America, we're supposed to be a melting pot, or it was later changed to a salad (because everyone retains their own cultures, but we're all mixed together). Here in Italy, they were never (in recent history) a melting pot. They were Italian and largely Catholic. Now, immigrants from northern Africa are coming into the schools and saying that they don't like the crucifixes hanging in the classrooms. Giorgio compared it to having someone in your home, and then them saying that they don't like your table cloth - you have to throw it out. Their reaction is to say, "Well if you don't like the table cloth, then just don't come over." I don't know how to end this section gracefully, so I'm just going to leave it at that. It's interesting to talk to people about subjects that they're actually effected by, instead of just bouncing ideas around in an isolated classroom thousands of miles away.

So speaking of that: The Mafia.

I don't know how that's a "speaking of that," I mostly just wanted to talk about the Mafia. Because, you know, I'm in Italy. Oh, for the record, I now know someone who knows someone who knows someone who is just starting out in the Mafia. So if you mess with me. . . I can probably hook you up with some drugs or something. Because that's all he does so far.

Anyway, I'm fascinated by the Mafia. (Is it always capitalized?...I just looked it up. When it's referring to "the Mafia" - like the Italian one - then it is. When it's used to describe a group of people likened to the Mafia, like "a mafia of seventh grade boys out for no good," it's not). I'm talking about the Mafia - capital letters. It's another thing that I think I got all wrong. Which makes sense. They don't exactly have a facebook info page, you know?

Anyways: The Mafia. This is another thing that people actually had a surprisingly lot of good to say about. Movies like, "Micky Blue Eyes" gave me the impression that the Mafia is all family, and it's something that you're born into and that's it. (I'm not referencing The Godfather because I never saw it. What I saw was "Micky Blue Eyes," a romantic comedy where Hugh Grant falls in love with a Mafia boss' daughter). I learned that it's a lot more than that. There are a lot of economic motivations behind people's involvement. When people are poor and they have no where else to turn to, sometimes they will turn to the Mafia for work in exchange for protection - social, physical, and economic. It makes sense, then, that with Mussolini who created so many jobs, the Mafia action was minimal. And it makes sense that it's more of a problem with the economic crisis and influx of immigrants. But still, the Mafia is commended for their efficiency and accuracy. For such a large organization, they have very little bureaucratic crap. If there's a problem, you take care of it. Normal people are never in harms way. That's something that really sets them apart from terrorist organizations that bomb schools or subways. If the Mafia wants you dead, you're dead. But they're not going to kill you by blowing up a coffee shop, they're going to kill you by killing you. Very efficient. No muss no fuss. And they take care of their own, which is more than you can say for many governments.

I'm not saying that I'm supportive of the Mafia, I'm just saying that it's a really fascinating organization. I would love to learn more about it, but I don't want to be killed, so maybe I won't. BUT, one thing I will say is that if the Mafia wanted Osama Bin Ladden dead, they wouldn't have gone to war with the whole country of Afghanistan. It would have just been done. I can see the benefit of an organization that gets specific jobs done quickly and effectively without casualties or collateral damage.

Is it weird that I miss school and papers and research? Probably not. I'm nerdy. We all know that.

Can you see now why my head has been crowded?

Okay...moving on.

MOTOR NARCOLEPSY

Since leaving Stuart's house a couple weeks ago, I have suffered from what I am calling "motor narcolepsy." Did I talk about it? Basically, whenever I get in anything with a motor, I fall asleep. (We're pretending that trains have motors, by the way. I don't know how they actually work). But it didn't matter what it was: plane, bus, trains, cars, whatever. I would get in and fall asleep.

But I found a cure!

Fast, pretty, fast, shiny, fast cars!

So...that was fun to find out. But it's true! I stay awake in these cars. The blue shiny one (not pictured), the white shiny one (not pictured), the black shiny one (pictured) - I stay awake! ... with the exception of a) if it's 3:30am and we're coming home from the discoteche, or b) if I just spent 4 hours eating. Yay fast cars! Also, I learned that the German freeways have no speed limit. So... that's fun. Anyone in Germany have a shiny car?

IT'S ITALY


The other day I was talking to Dado about different countries and how different countries have different priorities...or something. I forget exactly what we were talking about. But then there was this.

Things That Matter To Italians
1. Girls
2. Soccer
3. Cars
And then there's everything else

I found that funny and worth mentioning.

"It's Italy" seems to be the catch phrase around here. "You don't have to wear your seat belt, it's Italy." (Don't worry, parents, I still do). "You can just leave that trash on the ground, it's Italy." "And then her bike got stolen, it's Italy." "People just do whatever they want, it's Italy." etc. etc.


CLOSING THOUGHTS
I'm suddenly very tired, which makes sense considering I was out last night and it's already late. But it's also quite annoying because I'm not close to done and my brain is still full. Here are more things I want to talk about:
- Thoughts about people who have thoughts about America
- American flag tshirts (they're taking over!)
- Meeting my family
- Dado and his awesome friends/family
- Itinerary (okay, I guess I can still post that)

Sorry this was long, and probably boring for many of you. Just so we're clear: I'm not pro-Mussolini nor do I want the Mafia to take over the world.


Here's my TENTATIVE ITINERARY:


Now - 6/20: Milan, Italy
6/20 - 6/24: Neuchatel, Switzerland
6/25-6/28: Paris, France
6/27-6/30: Bourdeaux, France
6/30 - 7/5: Barcelona, Spain
7/6 - 7/9: Pamplona, Spain
7/9 - 7/11: Something between Pamplona & Zurich
7/11 - 7/12: Zurich, Switzerland
7/12 - 7/15: Verscio, Switzerland
7/16 - 7/22: Amsterdam, Netherlands
7/23 - 7/30: Somewhere, Ireland
8/1 - 8/6: Berlin, Germany
8/6 - Home: Eastern Europe.