"Do you really like Forlì?" We get asked this by literally every person we meet here. And I mean everyone. Everyone will ask "Do you like Forlì?" and we say "yes" and we get some form of this answer: "Really?????????? You do???????" (The question marks are supposed to represent the shocked faces we get from Italians when we tell them we like Forlì) You would think we lived in the dirtiest, nastiest, most unsafe place in the world by the way they react to us telling them we really do like living here. Tyler and I were kind of confused at this at first but then we figured out that they are probably saying this because out of all the amazing Italian cities there are, we are in Forlì. Yes, they are right that there are probably more exciting and beautiful Italian cities to live in but there really is nothing wrong with Forlì! It is a quiet town and Tyler and I are liking that. We love going on peaceful walks and I feel 100% comfortable here. Even though it is a slow pace of life and we find ourselves getting bored from time to time, we really are enjoying the simplicity and not being in the hustle bustle of a big city. If we want to go to a bigger city for things to do, Bologna is only 40 minutes away and we have gone there several times to go shopping and hang out for the day.
"We can tell you are not from around here" They are saying this to me. Surprisingly for the small town that Forlì is, there is somewhat of a diverse culture with lots of Asians and Africans, but what you don't see are blondes. So basically, I stick out like a sore thumb here. Right after Tyler signed with the team, I started googling "things to know about living in Italy" (I'm a big googler haha) and I came across things saying "expect to be stared at if you are blonde because you don't see blonde women very often in Italy". I thought this had to be a little dramatic but I'm telling you, it is for real. I am constantly getting stared at like I am some alien from outer space... Really, I'm not exaggerating. Sure, there are girls who try to highlight or dye their hair blonde, but being Italian, their hair is extremely dark so it doesn't even really turn out "blonde". When I first arrived here, Tyler said some of his teammates asked him if I was American or Latvian, thinking maybe he picked up some Eastern European girl while he was playing in Latvia (it is more common to be blonde in Eastern Europe). This made me laugh but at the same time is so weird to me that being blonde is really that "rare" for them to see! Men seem to appreciate it but sometimes I get nasty looks from some girls!!! :-p
"Where are you from?" Although this is common for people to want to know, I can't help but thinking what I am about to tell you is hilarious. When I first got here, and people knew I was American (after they figured out I wasn't Latvian lol) they wanted to know where in the States I was from. I have come to realize that most Europeans I meet pretty much only know of LA, Vegas, Miami and New York City because that is where they vacation to when they visit the States. I know that they don't have the slightest clue where Iowa is but I still tell them Iowa anyways. In Latvia, I would just get a blank stare and an "ok" when I told people where I was from but when I started telling people in Italy I was from Iowa I got the response "Ohio????" I respond with "no, Iowa!" And then I am followed by an even more confused face than normal because I can tell that they still think I am from Ohio but I am telling them to pronounce it a different way (I am laughing out loud as I type this). I have now just started to tell people I am from Minnesota to steer clear of the confusing Iowa/Ohio conversation.
"Aren't you cold, where's your coat?" No we aren't cold! It's sunny and 55 degrees out! We don't need coats... I could be laying out getting a tan in this! ;) I try explaining how cold it is where Tyler and I are from and how this weather is warm for us, but I just get looked at like I'm crazy so it isn't worth my time trying to explain. December and January was cold enough here to wear a coat but nothing like back home! It has started to get back in the 50s and pushing 60 and people are still bundled up in winter coats, hats, scarves and gloves. They don't know how lucky they are to experience weather like this here!
"I can only speak a little English" We will be at a store or restaurant and someone will try to speak to us and we respond with "Sorry, I only speak English". They will then tell us that they only know a little bit of English but will then have a full on conversation in English with us. Frequently, they even know perfect English and will use the correct grammar, etc. I wish I only knew a "little" bit of Italian! People just aren't as confident in their English and they should be! So we rarely ever have troubles communicating with people because a lot of them really do know English.
And even though this doesn't fall under something we are necessarily asked or told.... Everyone in the basketball community here is extremely kind. People from Tyler's team are always making sure we are doing ok and that we have everything we need. They really would do anything for us. For instance, a few weeks ago Tyler got sick with a stomach flu and the only thing I had here to give him was ibuprofen to keep his fever down. I had absolutely no idea what I could get for him even if I attempted to go to a pharmacy. Someone on the teams staff was over in an hour with a bag full of different medications and explained each one to us to use for different symptoms that Tyler could choose from for what he needed. Also, right before Christmas I was experiencing terrible sinus headaches and one of the staff members wives had invited me over for baking and I had to tell her that I wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be able to make it. She told me that she would bring me over medicine or food for me and she wasn't just doing that in the way that people offer just to be nice, she genuinely meant it and would have immediately gone to get something for me. Those are just a couple of examples of the kindness and generosity we have experienced here. The people from the team are so nice to us and always do kind little things for us. Besides from those looks I get from girls sometimes, some of the nicest people I have met have been right here in Forlì!
On another note, I know that I have been slacking on uploading pictures. I promise to upload pictures that have been collecting on my phone over the weeks in a post sometime soon! Happy Monday everyone and have a wonderful week!
