Amici per la strada
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Today, it dawned on me that being new to a town has its advantages. Like, for instance, the fact that you're not so burdened by maintaining relationships with friends that you're reticent to make new acquaintances.
I think Seinfeld spoke about this; that everyone has a set 'roster' of spots for friends, and that at some point, we achieve a full roster: the daily routine efforts that are required to sustain relationships are such that we can't become everyone's best friend. We have to pick and choose, and eventually we don't accept new applicants. I think Seinfeld spoke about it in terms of, "well, I'm full right now, but if you call back in a few months I may have a spot open up".
Well, it turns out that I have nothing but open roster spots right now, really. I mean, I still have friends and family, but they're all somewhere else. So what all this means is that I can safely go out and meet new people and claim them as my new friends, without worrying about who's spot on the roster this new friend will be occupying.
And that I did today. As I walked into the front door of my place, I overheard two girls speaking Italian on the street, and asked them where they were from. Milan and Rome. Bam. I'm in. I gotta talk to them. What's more, I just happen to have roster spots open for them. The convenience of it all is really quite amazing.
So that's how I met Luisa and Emanuela. Luisa's from Rome, and has been in the States for 19 years. Emanuela is from Milan, and has been here for a few years. We went to a cafe nearby and chatted for two hours, in the process including yet another Italian ex-patriate (Davide, from Bergamo). All were sparkling conversationalists, and I got an earful of Italian—something I'd been craving for a long time! It turns out there's a large Italian ex-pat population in Philadelphia, and Luisa essentially knows where they all live. What's more, they get together routinely and have traditional Italian meals. Mamma mia! Mi sono fatto nuovi amici!
The question now becomes: how many more roster spots do I have? Does anyone have a method for finding this out?
Picard out!
I think Seinfeld spoke about this; that everyone has a set 'roster' of spots for friends, and that at some point, we achieve a full roster: the daily routine efforts that are required to sustain relationships are such that we can't become everyone's best friend. We have to pick and choose, and eventually we don't accept new applicants. I think Seinfeld spoke about it in terms of, "well, I'm full right now, but if you call back in a few months I may have a spot open up".
Well, it turns out that I have nothing but open roster spots right now, really. I mean, I still have friends and family, but they're all somewhere else. So what all this means is that I can safely go out and meet new people and claim them as my new friends, without worrying about who's spot on the roster this new friend will be occupying.
And that I did today. As I walked into the front door of my place, I overheard two girls speaking Italian on the street, and asked them where they were from. Milan and Rome. Bam. I'm in. I gotta talk to them. What's more, I just happen to have roster spots open for them. The convenience of it all is really quite amazing.
So that's how I met Luisa and Emanuela. Luisa's from Rome, and has been in the States for 19 years. Emanuela is from Milan, and has been here for a few years. We went to a cafe nearby and chatted for two hours, in the process including yet another Italian ex-patriate (Davide, from Bergamo). All were sparkling conversationalists, and I got an earful of Italian—something I'd been craving for a long time! It turns out there's a large Italian ex-pat population in Philadelphia, and Luisa essentially knows where they all live. What's more, they get together routinely and have traditional Italian meals. Mamma mia! Mi sono fatto nuovi amici!
The question now becomes: how many more roster spots do I have? Does anyone have a method for finding this out?
Picard out!
posted by Nic at 11:07 PM
1 Comments:
Dai, amici italiani in Philadelphia. Sono veramente gelosa! Magri ci sono in Modesto!
Complimenti per il sito web - e' bellissimo!
Post a Comment
<< Home