5 minutes each

ciao tutti -

as my time in italy is wrapping up (thursday is the last day of this program), i am suddenly struck by the desire to narrate innumerable passing observations from this time as a means of convincing myself that they in fact occurred. that being impossible, i will settle for partiality and offer these 3 or 4 five minute sketches. i'm holding myself to the five minute rule for each - i should be writing a paper about italo calvino, but i'm intimidated by him.

1. beggars : 18:20

although in greater concentration and better organized among themselves in major cities, there are people here in arezzo who sit on the side of the street with a small dish either in front of them or held out to passersby, sometimes associated with a sign. the signs, without fail, begin with 'sono povero' or 'sono povera.' not to sound heartless - when ever i have change in my pocket i try to pass it out to people who need it, but it sounds like they don't even believe that they're poor. you're begging for money. i'm going to go ahead and make the connection with a less than ideal financial situation.

the problem is that a lot of beggars don't need the money. in major cities, as i alluded to before, there can be networks of beggars working in conjunction with pickpockets. here in arezzo, my favorite beggar is a guy who comes into public places with an electronic keyboard over his shoulder and plays the demo music as he comes around with his hand cupped for your change. his method is so ingeniously lazy, i wanted to give a few centesimi as commendation for guts. but i once saw him doing this routine while eating an enormous sandwich. that ruined it for me. yesterday i saw him walking around town in a new sweatsuit and nike shocks.

2. change 18:25

in the united states i hate having change in my pocket. in italy, it's practically a necessity. first of all, i like to think that some people really need the money, so i put it in their little dishes outside of churches. but beyond that, i'm afraid. afraid of going to the supermarket without change. of course in the states i've been in the situation where the stuff that's rolled off that slick reptilian belt across the laser-beam scanner thing have come to like $5.02. the cashier usually asks, have you got 2 pennies? OR, gift of the gods, there's that little bowl of benificence 'take a penny, leave a penny.' here in italy, there is no such benificence, and the lady is pissed if you don't have exact change for your €3.47 bread, cheese, and beer lunch. so i try to keep a collection of coins of diverse denominations in my pocket, hoping that that mess, that incompleteness will make for a more complete cash drawer (or till, as w.b. yeats likes to call it). so after she flings my receipt at me, i can do my little bow that displays subservience, say 'grazie, arrivederci,' and bolt.

3. gli api 18:32 (damn it)

coming from america, a land where cars have become a sort of meta-accessory with which we match our outfits and even personalities on the road, it is delightful to be walking along the sidewalk and hear the subtle doppler effect of un ape as it passes alongside you. the symbolic significance of this name needs to be pointed out - ape (ah-pay) in italian means 'bee,' and thus it is sonically appropriate that a small tricycle truck (an elongated three-wheeler with an enclosed cockpit and a flatbed behind) should be given this name: as it comes alongside, it is almost possible to imagine a giant hand swatting it into a guardrail, or a stiff wind throwing it dangerously off balance, caterwauling from side to side as the now-wakeful driver overcorrects, pulling on the handlebars like reins on a spooked stallion.

it's a nice commentary on the italians that these gritty workmen in rough shirts and padded jackets can light up a cigarette, spit on the ground, and get behind the wheel of a 50 cc machine that drives along the shoulder at 15 mph, still managing to look like the master of materials and machines.

18:42 - i love gli api - i wanted to do them justice.
i like this format. maybe more to come.

ok already

sister and brothers -

to briefly venture into an entirely surreal, new-age linguistic landscape: i'm finding myself in a weird emotional 'place.' i don't feel entirely myself these days; i've been experiencing a mini ego crisis; my chakras are out of alignment and my auras are dissonant. i'm out of touch with the gaia life force source; i'm communicating unhealthy energy. i've lost the link to the mothership.

i'm sorry i haven't given you all the update for all this time, this program in arezzo is hanging in that odd end-of-semester equilibrium between winding down and ramping up that makes me think with interest and shame of arranging crystals on my chest. but really, any old rock will do to bash against my forehead.

i have been living with and in an aretine family for the last 5 weeks: a casa Gallo. Giulio and Valeria, my host parents, are the salt of the earth and i am having trouble thinking about leaving them and their most generous hospitality. i have been eating very well. my favorite part of every day is coming home, throwing my coat and bookbag on my bed, and bounding back to the kitchen to help make dinner while we discuss our days, political developments, tuscan curse words, the consistency of perfectly prepared pasta. my host sister cecilia is a frequent presence, and filippo and matteo come home on weekends from their respective residences in aquila and bologna. i am known as the blonde son.

this semester has illuminated to me my real need of constant intellectual stimulation - unfortunately by its absence in our courses here, relative to semesters past. more accurately, i find that i do miss the american university and the freedom allowed and encouraged by its resources - libraries here close at 19:30 and access to books are limited. i miss hanging out in b stacks and just looking at books, making notes in their margins to puzzle over later. i miss my seat, my table, and the people i share it with. in short, i'm looking forward to the fall.

i'm caught: while i'm more than ready for this phase of my academic life to be over, i'm far from ready to leave italy. although i am ready for a change of scenery. i don't know what's going on! - seriously, its my chakras. i am beyond excited to move on to phase 3 of the european adventure starting 15 may, that being el camino di santiago - 900km across the north of spain. 4 weeks on foot, on the road, material possessions manifesting themselves in their most fundamental form as mass upon my back. walking alongside others who are taking the journey seriously, but not themselves. others providing a model for me to live up to.

in the meantime, my family is coming and i couldn't be more psyched to see them in the flesh, to show them around this place that has become somehow mine and yet continues to elude me. after a week with them, i'm thinking i'll head back to taizé for a week of reflection, reorganization, and preparation. something which i'd like to start on right now. and what's stopping me?