Sunday, October 14, 2007

Ho alcune domande.

Having procured permanent accommodations just northwest of Lugano centro and the lake (15-20 minutes walking), it now seems possible to contemplate things slightly less mundane than cell phone plans or which color wood to choose during our IKEA binge (we went with “betulla“ throughout). Some of my current puzzlements include: How can a pack of post-it notes cost the equivalent of USD 10? What are the people doing in their homes all weekend closed up behind their blinds? How can the cheese section of one small store be so huge (associated: in what manner do the luganese eat all these cheeses?)? Where does Lugano fall on the political spectrum of the country? Why doesn’t anyone bike?

I suppose I will have more questions than answers for quite a long time, especially not knowing much of the language just yet. (The student in me wants to learn the language thoroughly, systematically, the way they’d teach it in school, but I’ve had to hold off on that to memorize some practical phrases and words first, since we do actually have to function here. I’ve never had to spend time somewhere not already knowing or possessing a basic knowledge of the language to help orient me in most settings – it’s pretty humbling.) Although I’m dying to come to some quick conclusions based on a few observations, I’m determined to hold back, having recently identified this stereotyper tendency within myself as generally inaccurate and limiting. So for now, I’m doing my best to enjoy the developing plot.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

when.i.am.there,i.intend.to.eat.my
weight.in.cheese...fan-tabulous!