It's All About Perspective

If there is one thing I am being reminded of quite often since arriving in Rome, it is that there are so many ways of looking at things, doing the same thing, etc. Since I am a newcomer in so many ways to the Italian lifestyle, I have so many reminders of this. All too often, value judgments are assigned to these differences, or they are elevated to the realm of the universal when in reality it's all about perspective.

The category of masculine and feminine is one such area. It's a bit stronger here in Italy since the nouns are either masculine or feminine, as well as the definitive articles and pronouns that accompany these nouns.

A feew weeks ago I was looking around our convent for a scale so I could weigh myself and came up empty-handed, so I asked Sr. Tarcisia if we had one. The word I remembered for "scale" was "bilancio". When I asked Sr. Tarcisia if we had a "bilancio", her eyes got really big as if to ask," why in the world would you want a bilancio? Another sister was nearby and overheard what I had requested, and noticed Sr Tarcisia's confusion. "O," she said, "I think she is asking for a "bilancia". "Isn't that what I just said?" I'm thinking to myself.

"Oh," Sr. Tarcisia says, "You want 'la bilancia'--it's feminine. What you asked for was 'il bilancio,' which is masculine, and means the balance sheet that we prepare at the end of the year. I couldn't figure out why you wanted our balance sheet." So, there you go--a balance sheet is masculine, and of course, the scale would have to be feminine! At least I asked the right person: Sr Tarcisia is our accountant!

This is not the only word in Italian which has both a masculine and feminine form, each form having a different meaning. There's also "Il fine" (masculine) and "La fine" both of which could be translated as "end" in English. However, the feminine formof the word means the end of a show, or the end of the world; the masculine form would be used when indicating a goal or purpose. God help us we confuse the two! It could be the end of us! 

A lot can also be said about ways of doing things, customs, etc. Even handwriting! This past week a gentleman asked me for help in the book center. He had written down the title and author of a book he was looking for. I typed the title into the computer and couldn't find it, so I went to the sister in the Italian section. She typed the title in, a different title than the one I had typed in, and of course it came up. Then I realized that what I thought was a "D" was an "A". When the customer left, she turned to me and said, "why couldn't you find it? His handwriting was perfectly clear." I said to her, "I thought the D was an A because I am used to different handwriting." "But that was beautiful handwriting," she said to me shaking her head. Another employee who had overheard what had happened said to her, "But they have different handwriting than we do." The sister still couldn't comprehend that and went away continuing to shake her head completely bewildered that I couldn't read the "perfectly clear, beautiful handwriting."  Once again, it's all about perspective!

I have a lot of reminders. Every evening after we have eaten dinner we have a ritual here. That ritual is to open the windows and air out the dining room--even if the air outside is bitter cold. WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE AIR IN THE ROOM. Okay, I get that. But when I want to change the air in my bedroom by leaving the door open, one of the sisters always closes it, even when I am in the room.... Then she came to me the other day, asking I if ever open the window to change the air in my room. "At times," I told her (after all, I open and close the window every morning and evening to open and close the metal shutter). "Well, it's not enough, she said, because you leave your bedroom door open and the air from the kitchen gets inside of your room. You need to open your window, not your door" Okay????

So, you want to know what my new mantra is?

That's right, you got it: "It's all about perspective."

And that my dear friends, is the end (feminine please, I remind you) of this blogpost (as well as the purpose (masculine, I remind you).

Carnivale

Carnivale is a big deal here in Rome. Not quite like in New Orleans, but it certainly has traditions here that are new to me. For a whole week, children dress up in costumes--like our Halloween. So, I saw cats, and Winnie the Pooh's, and Zoros, and lady bugs. Cute kids!

We got together with the student community that lives two floors below us. And we had such a good time. I baked cookies--a Canadian recipe. They were a hit. And of course, we dressed up too.

With the consistory the day before, of course someone had to dress up like a cardinal.
And every cardinal needs an altar server! Thank God I brought jeans with me!
They came in handy for this little altar boy!

Yours truly--closest I'll ever get to the mafia!
Sr Francesca is with me. She is Italian, but was a missionary in Romania for 10 years before returning last September to finish her theological studies.

Sr Ancilla from Korea and Sr Giovanna--our two "white hats".

The two students from Pakistan entertained us with a dance. The sister who introduced them (seated behind them in a Pakistani yellow/brown outfit) told us that we would not be able to understand the song they danced to. It was pretty obvious that it was a love song because they kept tapping their hearts at certain times. At the end of the song, the sister told us that she would now translate the song into Italian and that it could be summed up in two words: I love you (Ti amo in Italian).

Whew! The candles they use on cakes are awesome! They are like mini fireworks.

Does this really need a caption? Pecans coated with egg white and brown sugar....
Best cookies I have EVER had.

I contributed to the festivities by organizing a game. I wrote something up about how confusing it is to learn directions again in another language--you know, right, left, up, down, etc. Before I left, one of the sisters in our community in Boston played a game that told the Nativity Story and every time we heard the words right, and left, no matter how the word was used, we passed a bag containing a gift in that direction. I modified it a little to fit the Italian situation, and added up and down and straight ahead. Well, the sisters were laughing so hard at a certain point, that they couldn't hear me anymore. It was a lot of fun.

Now about the book center. Last week I helped out in the Spanish section, and this week I am in the French section. While I understand Spanish fairly well, and can speak it enough to make myself understood, it was hopeless in the speaking category last week. Keeping Italian and Spanish separate is quite quite difficult. No problem with the French, can't speak a word of it. However, as I am taking an inventory by hand (please don't laugh) in the French section, I am beginning to discover how many English words are similar to French. If only the pronunciation were the same.... Oh well, can't have it all!

Say What?

I have to admit, the cold weather is keeping me indoors. I did make it to Santa Susanna's for Mass this morning. Santa Susanna is a home for American pilgrims and residents in Rome. It is a beautiful Church, built over the ruins of the house where Santa Susanna lived.

It began to dawn on me shortly after I arrived that I have to completely change the assumptions and ways of relating to the world around me that I have developed. The first incident happened three weeks ago, the day I came to the community where I am staying now. As I was unpacking, the superior was bringing me things that she thought I would need. Among these items was a 2nd set of sheets. I almost said to her that I didn't need them because I usually wash my sheets and put them back on my bed the same day. However, since I knew I could not say that in Italian, I just accepted the sheets and put them in my closet. Well am I glad I didn't say anything. The following Saturday I was introduced to how we do our laundry here. Although we have a dryer, the general custom here is that clothing is still line dried. There is no way that I will be able to wash my sheets and put them back on my bed the same day. And if I had tried to explain that to my superior, she would have had quite a hard time understanding my reasoning!

Then the community was talking about the possibility of going somewhere on a weekend. One of the places that came up was Moscow. The look that went across my face was something like, "How in the world can we go to Moscow on a weekend?" Then I realized that I am now a lot closer to Moscow than I am accustomed to being. So, I asked how far away it is by plane--2 hours. Amazing.
This past week, I was helping out for a few days in the Spanish section. I had just finished placing an order for a publisher called Ediciones Encuentro. When I finished, the Sr Chiara told me that I could put the paperwork in the file behind "A". So, I am thinking to myself, "How come she wants me to put the paperwork behind the letter "A" when the publisher starts with "E"? Then it hit me--the way the letter "E" is pronounced here is how we pronounce the letter "A". Whew, problem solved.

Now that the sisters are discovering the types of things that I am good at, I am getting quite a few requests. Yesterday, the student community who lives in the same building that we do was having trouble with one of their computer monitors. So they called on me to help them figure out what was wrong with it. Thank God it was easy because a computer technician I am NOT. However, the fact that I figured out this simple problem has convinced them that I am an expert. Oh dear.... But in the end, it allowed me to get better acquainted with our sisters who are studying--one is from Kenya, two are from Pakistan, one if from Italy, and three or four are from Korea. They are also closer to my age. So, we have decided that I will go to have dinner with them every Saturday. Last night we exchanged stories of acclimating to Italy, and some of the mistakes that we have made with the language. We laughed and laughed. Now I have something to look forward to on Saturday evenings! And yes, I'll remember to bring my camera with me the next time.

Snow in Rome & more

The biggest news in Rome right now is that it snowed yesterday and last night. If I understood correctly, the last time it snowed in Rome was in the mid '80s. Like most of the southern US cities, Rome is not prepared to cope with snow. Even St. Peter's Basilica closed--which I am told never happens. And while I am used to snowy winters, I certainly was not prepared to face one in Rome. Needless to say, it's melting as I type.... However, I made sure I snapped a few pictures.

The street just outside of the "front door" of our residence looking toward a nearby "piazza".

I am adding this to my list of firsts. First time I ever saw a palm tree frosted with snow.

And today marks the completion of the second week of helping out in the book center. Thanks to these two wonderful people, I have made remarkable progress. I wanted to take a picture of the third person this morning, but nobody made it to work this morning, except us, of course!

Rita, all decked out in her wintry best ready to scurry home yesterday. She works in our A/V department and, thankfully, knows English.

Marcelo works in our Italian section and boy does he know his stuff. Thanks to his expert explanations of the various sections, I succeeded in helping a few customers without help. Yesterday, since there were no customers, he put some music on where we were working. It was great hearing him sing along to "What a Wonderful World", and "The Streets of Philadelphia."

So, I went from the smallest section (A/V dept) the first week to the largest (Italian) section this past week. Whew! And the stock is not only completely unfamiliar to me--but there's tons of it!

One woman approached me at the computer--I was alone at the time--and started rattling off what she needed. After looking one book up in the computer (thank God she had everything written down so I had a cheat sheet), I went to the shelf to get one of the books. Then I heard her asking in English, "How long have you been here?" My response, "A little over a week." Then she said, "But you must have been here longer than that, you speak better Italian than someone who has been here a week." So, I told her that I had lived her for a year a few years ago. "Oh, she said. Because when I started speaking to you so rapidly in Italian, a look of panic crossed your face. I knew you couldn't have been here that long, but then when you replied, you spoke so well...."

Then as I was helping a sister yesterday who was purchsing books for a priest who lives in Australia, as I was explaining one of the books to her she said to me with a compassionate look on her face, "You can speak to me in English" she said--music to my ears!

A highlight of the week was seeing a familiar face in the book center. Bishop Lennon, now the bishop of Cleveland, was here in Rome for the Ad Limina visit. He stopped in our store on Tuesday morning. It was wonderful to see him and catch up a bit.

Stay tuned for more!

Lungo Tevere

Sunday afternoon I went out for a long walk. Now that I live right in the touristy part of Rome, I can get to something famous just by walking. Since I still didn't have a good map, I decided I would just take a walk along the Tiber river--"lungo Tevere". One of the oldest parts of Rome lies on one side of the Tiber River, called Trastevere. Eventually, I will make my way to some of the particular sites there.

This is part of the wall that extends from the Vatican to Castel Sant'Angelo. It is only about 4 blocks from where I live.

Another view of the wall.

Close-up of the bricks.

I made my way along this wall to Castel Sant'Angelo.

Then I started my walk along the river. As I was taking photos, an Italian man approached me and said that there would be a lot of opportunities for me to take pictures. This was his way of starting a conversation.... Like many other people, he had so many questions he always wanted to ask a Sister and never had the opportunity. Let me tell you, it's hard enough to explain why I became a sister and in English--let alone in Italian. Oh well, God knows just where to put me....

Reached my destination--Isola Tibertina--a beautiful island where a group of religious men have a hospital. Gorgeous.

Icing on the cake--ancient buildings like can be seen at times along this route. More to be seen once I have a map that will help guide me through the streets of Rome.