Living "the dream" in New York City or...
...is your dream to live in Italy?
This is something I ask myself often. Are you, dear readers, only fascinated by my life because it's unravelling on the other side of the world? Does my life fascinate me solely because of that geographical fact?
It scares me to think that the answer might be yes. The concept of the grass always being greener somewhere else or in someone else's yard is certainly intriguing. I tackle the idea almost on a daily basis when I find myself face-to-face with an Italian national asking me something along the lines of che cazzo fai qui (what the h*ll are you doing in Italy?). Yet for so many of us born-and-raised in North America, a home in Europe is akin to living the dream. What you'll find interesting is that there is a flip-side to this. Just as we all want that villa under the Tuscan sun, the Italians dream The American Dream..skyscrapers and Starbucks, Hollywood's glam and New York City's lights. Take Chiara Ferragni, the self-made Milanese blogger turned designer and fashion icon- she currently boasts a parallel life in Los Angeles that makes all her non-US fans swoon. But those of us who have travelled there, or lived in any North American city swoon less, if at all. It's not exotic enough. It will never hold the same appeal as Milan, London, or Paris. I've met a number of Italians, friends and acquaintances, that either talk about or actually pack up and jump ship to North America or Australia. They absolutely love it. They make their born-and-raised Italian friends jealous on Facebook with photos of milkshakes and hamburgers and anything quintessentially "American". When Massi lived in Canada, his posts would get exponentially more coveted "likes". Now that he's been back in Italy, the "likes" have decreased. Italy is boring because it's familiar. In the end, it's useless to try to make comparisons or to say one place is better than another because it's all relative. Relative to what makes you tick. It's a shame that essentially expats coming to Italy switch places with their Italian counterparts who venture off to the great unknown in America- I know we would get on fabulously because if there's one thing we have in common, it's a sense of adventure. We are those that flourish in challenges, on foreign soil, toiling away in our second language. Kindred spirits. My stance on the question of the grass being greener here vs. there is that Italy is more like my passionate love affair and Canada the boy next-door. Either one would fit me fine and make me happy, but I chose the place that ignites my heart and gives me butterflies while others might go for comfort and familiarity. What would you pick, given the choice?
It scares me to think that the answer might be yes. The concept of the grass always being greener somewhere else or in someone else's yard is certainly intriguing. I tackle the idea almost on a daily basis when I find myself face-to-face with an Italian national asking me something along the lines of che cazzo fai qui (what the h*ll are you doing in Italy?). Yet for so many of us born-and-raised in North America, a home in Europe is akin to living the dream. What you'll find interesting is that there is a flip-side to this. Just as we all want that villa under the Tuscan sun, the Italians dream The American Dream..skyscrapers and Starbucks, Hollywood's glam and New York City's lights. Take Chiara Ferragni, the self-made Milanese blogger turned designer and fashion icon- she currently boasts a parallel life in Los Angeles that makes all her non-US fans swoon. But those of us who have travelled there, or lived in any North American city swoon less, if at all. It's not exotic enough. It will never hold the same appeal as Milan, London, or Paris. I've met a number of Italians, friends and acquaintances, that either talk about or actually pack up and jump ship to North America or Australia. They absolutely love it. They make their born-and-raised Italian friends jealous on Facebook with photos of milkshakes and hamburgers and anything quintessentially "American". When Massi lived in Canada, his posts would get exponentially more coveted "likes". Now that he's been back in Italy, the "likes" have decreased. Italy is boring because it's familiar. In the end, it's useless to try to make comparisons or to say one place is better than another because it's all relative. Relative to what makes you tick. It's a shame that essentially expats coming to Italy switch places with their Italian counterparts who venture off to the great unknown in America- I know we would get on fabulously because if there's one thing we have in common, it's a sense of adventure. We are those that flourish in challenges, on foreign soil, toiling away in our second language. Kindred spirits. My stance on the question of the grass being greener here vs. there is that Italy is more like my passionate love affair and Canada the boy next-door. Either one would fit me fine and make me happy, but I chose the place that ignites my heart and gives me butterflies while others might go for comfort and familiarity. What would you pick, given the choice?
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