5/21/2010 by Anna Turenko Ukraine
"Italians are so fun, open-minded and positive" - this is the first thought a newcomer can have. "And so handsome", girls can add. "They are more reserved than they seem", can one think after few months living in Italy. In some points, many foreigners can start feeling like some kind of aliens, especially when not speaking Italian. But when it comes to relationships - people of this country (or should I say men?) become sweet, sensitive, and by miracle they remember all few phrases in English they learnt at school. According to the popular stereotype, it's almost impossible to get an Italian man into a serious relationship. Really, what's the point when on one side he has responsibilities and bills, and on the other one - loving mom who looks after him and never dares to say something like "you left your socks on the floor again, you didn't wash the dishes, and I'm sick and tired of football"?Probably this stereotype is partly true. But at the same time, Italians are getting more and more curious about the world, other cultures. There are some men who even refuse to date Italian women - by their own words, it's boring. Plus, according to them, Italian women are… hysterical and jealous (okay, let's pretend that men aren't). And foreigners are so interesting. Strange way to choose a partner, I might say, but whatever.Before coming to Italy, I thought most Italian men were arrogant and sticky. After marrying one of them (not arrogant nor sticky of course), I understood that these men we see at popular sea resorts do not represent the nation at all (meno male, as they say). Only a few things appear to be true (even though there are always exceptions). Yes, most Italian men start living independently at least after 30 years. Yes, almost all of them remain very close (sometimes too close) to their moms. Yes, most of them love football. They are very passionate - it becomes obvious after the very first minute of a conversation with an Italian. So all you need is… patience. It might be quite difficult to get used to a person who uses his hands all the time, speaks loudly and just gets crazy when arguing. Is it possible to get used to it at all? I don't know yet.Coming back to the topic about football, I can mention one thing: having a boyfriend/husband, impassioned by football, after a while you notice that you know names of all players, remember who has scored more goals this season and which team has to be removed from the surface of the Earth. Even if you hate football - you can never say this in front of him and his friends. And don't you never, ever say something like "you love football more than you love me?.." when he refuses to spend a romantic weekend with you because there is an important match of his favourite team. As some of my Italian male friends say, "girlfriends and wives come and go, but your favourite Football Team is always with you". Eventually, if you managed to bear with his mom, with his passion for a football and his incredible emotions… that's ‘Amore'.thanks to Cynthia Jennifer for the translation contribution
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LIFE & STYLE
5/21/2010
5/21/2010
