by Audrey Sherman (University of San Francisco)FRIENDLINESS. Such a simple concept, yet something that is continually dismissed in America. After living in my apartment for over a year now, I don’t think that I could actually name a single person who lives in the building. Countless attempts of saying hello or good morning have ended in a smug partial smile or a shrug of a shoulder. And those are the nice neighbors. The others haughtily carry on their way with a quick turn, whip of overly perfumed hair and a sway of the hips.
I had almost come to the conclusion that neighborly gestures of kindness and the days of borrowing a cup of sugar had become distinct, waved off as a mere memory of the past. Little did I know that Italians had a whole other way of interacting.
There are those in Cagli who don’t break a grin or shrug us off as “Americans.” But for the most part, I have felt more than welcome. It is as if I have just returned from an extended vacation or re-emerged from a past life lived in Italy.
Not only are Italians physically welcoming, kissing each other good-bye and not afraid to put their hand on your shoulder, they seem to want people around them. What is that? Just hang around the caffe without ordering something? I can stay and use the Internet even when my cappuccino has been finished for well over an hour? Coming from a nation where you cannot even use the bathroom without buying a cup of coffee, this welcome and relaxed attitude comes as a kind of shock at first.
And it just seems to keep getting better. After knowing a local for less than an hour she offered to make me a cake. Not knowing what a certain type of cake was, she said she would bring one over that night. Sure enough, a few hours later, I was eating Torta di Yogurt with a healthy serving of gelato crema in my kitchen. I was astounded. I felt like I had known her for years not just half a day.
