Atlanta through Paolo.

I would like to talk about the idea of living abroad for a time. In this week which three of my friends are leaving to live for a long time in Australia and Canada. That is a great and necessary experience that everyone should have. An experience that allows to know yourself, grow and see reality from different perspectives. An experience that allows us to be better people and growing in a world where we can know and understand each other. I think, the first thing we need to have peace.   

The first time I met Paolo was in a Italian restaurant in Atlanta. I was talking to him and I didn’t understand that much, he had a strong Italian accent! (It’s true he would say the same thing about my Spanish accent. haha). But we become good friends pretty fast. A few weeks ago, I told him I was thinking about writing a blog, and he told me to collaborate and write sometimes, and that’s a really good idea!

He told me he can’t write about Italians because he doesn’t like that much Italian people. But I can’t believe him. For me, Italian people are natural and passionate. They love their country and they are proud of being Italians. A Italian allways will open a little window to Italy, and you will know a lot of things about this great country.

I let you with Paolo and how he feel the experience in Atlanta.

A couple of months ago a good friend of mine opened a blog and, since I like to write, I asked her if she wanted me to give my contribute. She accepted and asked me to write something about Italians, since I am from Italy. I started it, but I realized that I was talking too bad about us and stopped. Probably I don’t like Italians so much, especially after my experience abroad. I can actually talk about that. Let’s start then..

I lived for almost 3 years in Atlanta, Georgia. I met Irene there, in 2010; I don’t really remember the first time, but we became close a couple of months later. I went to US to work for my company and it was the best experience I have made in my life. I left Italy in January 2008 and I took an airplane (2 actually) for the first time ever. I had never been in an airport before and I hadn’t spoken any English with anyone.

I think that the first weeks of an experience like that one are the best ones. It’s an adventure where we can’t know what to expect. We learn a new culture, we get to know different people, we actually grow up. Everything is new, it feels like exploring a new world, just like being a child in his first years of life.

The day I left I was kind of excited about taking an airplane for the first time, even though I am afraid of highs. On the way to Atlanta I was sitting next to an old woman, very kind, who helped me filling the visa form and gave me a lot of important information about everything; she even waited for me at the airport to show me the custom! The same custom that let me enter in US for the first time in my life; a new world, totally different from the one I just left few hours before.

During the first 2 weeks of my American life I wrote a blog, one post a day. Obviously I wrote it in Italian, because my English was bad, really bad, but I should translate it; maybe I will,  for this blog. I will find a way to fit it here, talking about cultures and people. People who made me mad, people who are in my heart until it will beat.

Let me spend some words about US, the country that I consider my second home, even if I’m not a big fan of it. In US everything is big and, when I say everything, I mean it! Even a shampoo bottle is two times bigger than the Italian ones. The first week I was in Atlanta I got into the car and started driving around. After an hour I finally got into the city (usually it takes 20 minutes, I didn’t really know directions) and I ended up in a coffee shop. Well, I have never found again that place! It’s crazy, it’s like I dreamt about it!

Anyway, I stepped inside and I sat at the bar; after a quick read at the menu I ordered a coffee. Well, a strange drink came to me; it was a big cup, with a lot of dark water in it. I didn’t want to be mean, so I had to drink it and I thought that maybe with some milk it would have been better. I asked for milk than and the barista gave me a small box, like the McDonald’s sauce one. This one was whit and something was written on the top of it: “Cream”.

I asked for milk and you give  me cream? I poured it into my coffe, that became a kind of light brown water (I’m not making any example of what it looked like!). I drank it, I smiled at the cute barista I said something in a language that I think it was not English and I left that coffee shop. I liked it though. It was my first time in a place like that, I felt like I was in a movie.

That barista, like a lot of other people, was so nice with me even though my English was really bad. They were all kind and patient and helped me in many situations, like when I was trying to buy a hair dryer at Walmart. I didn’t know its name in English (in Italian it’s “phon”, then I thought that it was the same) and I couldn’t find it in the store. I asked an employee for a “phon”. He showed me some cellphones. Then I said “No, the hair phone” and he showed me the earphones and the headphones. After 10 minutes he called a Mexican girl that started talking in Spanish, but it didn’t make any difference. She brought me in the shampoo section and at that point I just said thanks; after 5 minutes I finally found the hair dryer. I will never forget that word now!

I think that is the best way to learn a language; making experiences, talking with a lot of people, making a lot of mistakes as well. Other than that, I attended a couple of English classes, that helped me to learn the grammar and, especially, to make a lot of friends. Friends from all over the world, like Japan, Colombia, Germany etc.

Friends who could be the topic of my next article.