Things I Have Learned

There are just some various random events that happen throughout my days here...not enough to fill a blog with but perhaps ok to list together.....

I got my first solicitation call on my home phone. The beauty of this is that when you just keep saying 'hello', they hang up! When I go back to the US, I think I will just keep saying 'Pronto' and see if it works there also!

Had another great cashier experience at the grocery store. I actually admire the math skills of these people now. My bill totaled 23,37 euros (remember they use the comma and period backwards from the US). Well, I didnt have 37 centisemi on me and only had a 50 so I knew I was in trouble to begin with. But she didnt panic on me. I dug into my wallet to look at the change I had and being Venice, she started taking money out of my hand to solve her issue. I will wait why you try to figure out what amount above the 50 she took from me...go ahead, I am waiting. You'll never get it. She took 3,42. So my change was 30,05. OK...perfectly decent math but not really something I would think of doing in a grocery store. Maybe 53, 40 but never 53, 42. Still boggles the mind but I have been told I am easily amused.

Monday is a big day here. All the sales start! Apparently twice a year, they need to clear out the island in order to bring in the next season of stuff. So, suddenly everything is supposed to be 50% or more off. Well, we will just see about that, but I plan on scoping it out. I am looking for a couch cover which is currently 108 euros at the store...wont pay that at all...stayed tuned for the final price.

I was watching the news last night--I dont watch it often because I dont always understand everything and tend to wander in my thoughts. But last night I turned it on just as they were doing highlights from around the world. When they got to the US, they did a piece on the new Simpsons movie. Amazing. Of all the things to talk about in the US, they pick that. Talking today to my realtor, I find out that the Simpsons are highly popular here as well but he says not nearly as funny in Italian because things get lost in translation.

Speaking of language...not to bore you with the details, I had to help a friend the other day. We were both under the impression that these people I was greeting to the island spoke English. Well, they didnt--only French. Or they didnt want to speak English (you know that stereotype of the French). Very nice people and we pantomimed alot but the interesting thing was that as she was talking and asking me questions in French, all I could think of was the answer (or what I thought I should answer) in Italian! Go figure...didnt even think in English. Dont get too excited, I am still far from making conversation, but my words are coming faster and any day now, I might break out in a full sentence and surprise all of us.