I’ve been asked, “How is Italy different than America?” Explaining that would take more time (and experience) than I have.
Instead, I thought I’d share a few pictures of “different”…
Shopping in Italy
At our local grocery store, we find things there like these:
1K of flour (yes, this is a normal-sized bag) costs about 65 cents.
6 hamburger buns cost about $1.65.
This nice little chicken comes with his head and his feet (and claws). He costs about $3.10 per pound.
Some “American” things are here. This is roughly 8 oz of cream cheese for $2.50.
And, this little bottle of syrup (seems not as thick, but I didn’t buy it/taste it, so I don’t know really how it compares to American) costs $8.71.
We also go to outdoor markets to buy fresh produce, and we’ve enjoyed seeing the animals that can be bought there too.
In the bigger shopping centers/malls (it’s just different…), there are these cool shopping carts that lock onto the ascending and descending moving sidewalks (so that your cart doesn’t roll when you’re going up and down the moving sidewalks—at an angle—to the parking lot, which is under the “mall”). However, those same shopping carts (and all the shopping carts I’ve found in Italy) are ridiculously difficult to steer. All 4 wheels turn in all directions, and the thing has a mind of its own. I haven’t run anyone over yet, but I usually have to manoeuvre my body in such a way as to get the greatest leverage and plant my feet hard in order to turn the cart (when it has weight in it…mine always has at least 1 child).
Random stuff:
I’ve seen many of these tiny trucks around. They are tiny, and they sound like mopeds (and don’t go any faster)…and the driver usually appears to be squashed into the cab. 🙂
Plenty of people tie (or just place) water bottles around their property—mostly in the corners. This supposedly keeps the dogs and cats from urinating there. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any method of cleaning up the “other” animal “business” that decorates the sidewalks (and many unsuspecting shoes).
We discovered very early on (when document after document “didn’t print right”) that paper is different dimensions here. No more “8.5”x11”…everything is A4.
People paint buildings this color (or other bright colors) regularly.
Some parks, parking lots, or other public locations have statues and “altars” of some type.
All the cemeteries look like this:
In other words, yes, things are different here…very different.
But things are the same too. People are here, worshipping something or someone, just like they are in every part of this world. And, people are dying here, just like they are in every part of this world. We trust God will open their eyes and bring many more people to true worship of Himself in this life.
“For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking . . . and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”
Romans 1:21-23
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