Life in Italy..

I´m still messing around a bit and have decided to give myself the start of the year to just travel and enjoy life. Career stuff can wait.

Having been in Italy for just under two weeks, it would be presumptuous of me to claim any deep knowledge of the culture, society etc. Nevertheless, these are some of my initial thoughts about Perugia, Italy etc.

Perugia is a very ancient city. It's in the Umbria region, about two and a half hours North of Rome by train. It has a population of around 170,000, although you wouldn't know it because the central city is quite compact.

A fairly typical street 

This is my first time in Europe and I'm already struck by feeling that I'm in a place full of history. Everywhere in the world has a history I guess but Italy brought the world the Renaissance, the Roman Empire, Da Vinci and the Mafia! Would we have had fantastic gangster movies such as The Godfather and Goodfellas were it not for Italy? These days Italy is well known for many things including Berlusconi in all his baffoonery, fashionable clothing and food. 

The centre of the Perugia is perched atop a hill and at the highest point of the city you have a stunning vista of the surrounding valley. It's winter now, which was a shock to my system after being in roasting 38 degree heat in Perth.

These days Perugia is known as a University city, with a number of language schools established to teach foreigners the Italian tongue.

Some thoughts:

Italian: a musical language with hand gestures galore:

We've all seen the stereotypes - Italians are passionate people and they flap their hands about a lot.

A view from the top

When you walk the streets and see and hear them talking you get the impression whatever they are chatting about must be important. Even if they were talking about collecting laundry there appears to be a gravitas to what is being said. The New Zealand accent sounds very pedestrian in comparison.

Narrow streets lined with houses:

Most of the streets in the city are scarcely wide enough for two lanes of traffic. The average road is lined with multiple story stone houses that are joined to one another. The cars are mostly European, which I guess is no surprise and they are a lot smaller than say on Australian or New Zealand roads. Wimmy pointed out that most Italians don't wash their cars. As strange an observation as that is, it's quite unusual to see someone driving a new BMW or Mercedes that is filthy. 

Wimmy and I 

Beautiful architecture:

There's a grandiosity to the Churches and buildings around the centre of the town that you've just gotta love. The intricacy of the brickwork or the detail of the statues, roman aqueducts, crumbling walls.. just great. Perguia is a maze of a town with little curling alleyways, steep streets and stairs everywhere. 

Wine flows like Water:

So far I haven't seen too many drunks roaming the streets but that doesn't mean there aren't any.

You can pick up a bottle of quite tasty wine for less than a Euro, beer is similarly cheap. I've heard that the Italian attitude to drinking is a little less "let's get fucked!" and a bit more "how about some alcohol with dinner?"

Cost of Living:

The Italian economy is pretty rubbish at the moment. They have very high unemployment and a typical wage is 5-7 Euro for basic jobs such as at a bar or in retail. Electricity and gas are pricey so a lot of Italians are reticent to turn their lights or heating on. Room sharing is common.

Food is cheap, most items at the grocery store are around one euro or less, so you can do a decent shop for about 20 Euro (35 NZD). 

 Ridiculously attractive women on TV

Not just in the terrible soaps but presenting serious news.. Berlusconi owns a large chunk of the Italian media including news stations and if you know anything about him, he likes attractive women. Most of the women presenting the news wear revealing tops.. (so what you say?) Well - I certainly don't get offended (quite the contrary) but as a British man said of living here "sometimes you wouldn't know the feminist movement had happened."
 

Rather silly business hours:

They say when in Rome... Right?

Most businesses open at 9am and then close at 1pm. They have three hours lunch break and reopen for an hour at four. The exception is cafes and restaurants. Apparently this comes from a time when a woman would go home at lunchtime to cook a meal for her family. That's nice and everything but a bit difficult if you are trying to get things done. Italians REALLY love their food.

Damn multilingual bastards:

While Italians may not be the greatest at English in the European Union, most of them have a basic grasp of the language. Having dinner with eight Europeans and an Indonesians reminded me of my own linguistical inadequacy and how many Westerners only speak English. I can speak about one and a third languages. The average at the table was three.

Delicious Food:

No surprises here, right? Pasta features heavily but so do olives, tomatoes, olive oil, delicious sauces, cheeses, breads etc... Wowww. I spent three months in Australia eating a staple diet of baked beans, tuna, eggs, plain pasta and microwave food (because I'm a lazy cook) and this is a welcome change.

The birthplace of fascism and a bloody legacy.

I haven't discussed this topic with any Italians as of yet but I find it intriguing that although this country was part of the Axis in World War 2 and had their own brutal dictator in the 20th century - Benito Mussolini, it doesn't carry near as much stigma as Germany. Under Mussolini, Italy was a police state. Mussolini and Hitler had a lot in common (such as ruling out other political parties, heavy use of propaganda, killing opponents, wearing military uniform all the time, hand salutes etc). Near the end of the Second World War, communist partisans captured Mussolini and his mistress and shot them. Their bodies were taken to Milan where they were hung upside down from meat hooks at a gas station and crowds threw rocks at the bodies.. A bit of crowd justice aye? 

So this is just some stuff I've thought of in my first week. Hopefully I'll get a much deeper understanding as I live here for a longer...

I´ve still got Rome, Florence, Milan, Venice and Naples to check out!

Future blogs will look at
: Berlusconi
Amanda Knox Murder Case
Rome
Venice

EXTRA STUFF::::: 

                                                                                  
Recent Murder in Perugia
Remember the Amanda Knox case?  This was huge international news in 2008. 21 year old Merideth Kercher was murdered at the end of 2007. Kercher and Knox were flatmates both learning Italian at the Universita Per Stranieri (University for Foreigners). Kercher was raped and stabbed in the throat in her flat and Knox and her Italian boyfriend (a medical student) were accused of the murder. Another African guy was convicted of the murder and testified that Knox and her boyfriend were playing some sort of weird sex game with Kercher.

The Knox case was featured in international media (even on Oprah) and there is a mix of opinions over whether she is guilty or not. Knox has appealed and her family accuse the Italian police of being corrupt and tampering with evidence. Whatever the case, Knox's has been in prison for a couple of years already.

Being realistic..

After a great journey around the country I'm back to the familiarity of home.

Now that it's been more than five weeks since I resigned, I don't regret the decision to leave but I don't feel closer to making a decision about what I want to be doing (I guess there is no great hurry, right?)


A few years ago when I was considering career possibilities I basically ruled out everything I didn't wanna do and sorted through what was left. The past year and a half I was building up to starting a job that I wasn't sure I wanted and as it turned out, I didn't.

The other day I watched a fantastic youtube compilation of stuff Will Smith had said during interviews throughout his career.

Whatever you make of the guy's acting or music, he has come from the stereotypical working class background and through hard work and the right opportunities has become phenomenally successful as both an actor and musiciain. Check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLN2k0b3g70.

One of his memorable quotes was that "being realistic is the most commonly travelled road to mediocrity." I think that's exactly right. Mediocrity is not necessarily a bad thing, it just depends on how ambitious you are and what sort of life you wish to lead.

It got me thinking, do you have to accept that you will work a job you don't really like because it's the easiest and most societally accepted path? People who dare to dream are often shot down as unrealistic - sometimes they are.
But it those who push the boundaries of possibility that expand human knowledge and help us better understand the Universe we inhabit.

They say necessity is the mother of invention so it's probably good advice to take a job when you can, especially when there are not many on offer. However, I want to hold onto the idea that a satisfying career where I can contribute to humanity and live my passion is out there.

As an atheist, I believe the only life I'll ever have is the one I'm living right now. It makes me very wary of wasting time. What I'd hate more than anything is reflecting back on my years and thinking of the things I wish I had done.

At a certain point, holding out for that perfect opportunity or partner or whatever it is will be challenged by the realities of life. I think a good attitude to possess is not to think, "I can't" but instead "how can I?"

Navel gazing and career path

The exploding head sums it up -

I am at a massive transitional stage of my life in terms of career, purpose and so on.

In the last three weeks, I have resigned from my journalism job after just two months when it was meant to last two years. Leaving a secure job in a tight employment market? I must be crazy!

In a week I'll leave my nice Auckland flat and my cool flatties to return home to decide which direction to pursue.

In the grand scheme of the universe what's happening to me is completely banal and unimportant but at this particular moment it feels like big stuff.

Should you care? No, probably not - there are far more important things to be concerned about than my life-trajectory angst.

BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am going through the same thoughts and doubts that many of us go through, so my hope is that you can identify, relate and perhaps give suggestions!

In the next few weeks I want to focus my energy on something new, something that I feel passionate about. I want to find a job that I love and that I feel actually matters.

My journey to this particular moment started at the beginning of 2008 when I dropped out of law school and finished my arts degree in politics and film. I applied and was selected as an intern for a major media company and got entry to Canterbury journalism school which started in 2009.

After traveling for two months over summer I returned to Auckland in March and optimistically started my two year contract.

I had a gut feeling during my placement last year that the work environment wasn't for me but I thought I should see the process through.

Parts of the job were good, and I did meet some great folks. I tried my best and wrote some big stories but I was already dragging my feet to work. One of my colleagues made the decision to leave a lot easier with his behaviour (long story).

I think many people have the feeling they are not on the right path in life but they stay at it cause they feel they should or because they have to provide for their families. For some people work is just a way of making money and the boring bit that you have to go through to do fun stuff.

In 2005, during a commencement address to Stanford University, Steve Jobs used a quote that I think is very powerful and I wholeheartedly intend to live by:

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

People who excel in a certain fields usually have a mix of talent and raw passion. I know what my interests are and want to throw myself into something that feels important. Too idealistic? Probably

For the moment though, I'm reading, learning and surveying options.

They range from finding another job, doing further study or taking a big round the world trip. I have to say at this moment, the third option is most appealing.

Thoughts or comments welcome..