I had to go to the store today. I am deathly ill with the flu and/or the sketchy butter I ate 3 days ago (2 more days and I’ll go to the doctor). I felt ok enough to take off my sweats and my fast food friends shirt and put on real clothes to go to the Panorama near my house, the one that’s conveniently in the mall, that conveniently has my favorite store: H&M. I decided I could muster up the strength to go browse for just a minute while D bought me the flu/butter induced food poisoning necessities: bottled water, Sprite, saltine crackers, and popsicles. I walked in and noticed much of their new line featured deep green that happens to match my face color perfectly. Moving to the back of the store, I was halted in my tracks.
It’s a noise like no other.
It’s like fingers to a chalkboard.
“Like, OMG! That is SOOOOOO Cute on you!!!”
There was English in MY H&M. And not your lovely Britished accent English. Big Fat American Valley-Girl-California English! OMG in my store! WAAAAY out in the boonies! It’s like seeing a rare animal or a crazy art exhibition. I am so used to being the freak out here that all I could do was watch in an intrigued, horrified, trying-my-best-not-to-puke, amazement. I decided to go stealth and follow them from a distance. They were tanned, normal looking girls, but one was really tall like me. They talked about how much this H&M sucked compared to THIER store in
Maybe it’s the fact that my fever is on par with the temperature outside (today was the hottest day in the last 7 years), but it was really weird to see these American girls at my mall, in my area. I see Americans all the time in the center, but never out here. I am like a dog: this is my territory, can’t you smell me? It’s not that I don’t like Americans, I am American, I love us. I even have been to known to say OMG. But I felt uncomfy and protective of my mall and my neighborhood. Maybe I just love it so much here, I want it all to myself? But for real, how did they get here?
What’s my problem? Thoughts? Ideas? Do I need therapy? TheraFlu?
EXACTLY!!
Uf, and that’s the kind of “California English” I’m around here. I went to Siena with 150 Californians *shudder* their OMG, and “MY stores are better” “MY school is prettier” “MY professors are smarter” and point and laugh at famous paintings… Ofcourse, they would insult their sorroundings and people in LOUD English as if no one could understand them. I love the bay, but their reaction to Italy made me want to cry many times!
Naturally, after a few months they said “I could not live here” and they all went back home, and from the 150 student Fall program, I’m the only one who extended on to the University of Padova, then Norway and back again to Italy.
You are right, you moved to Italy for a reason, and love authenticity. Now someone stomps and laughs over the masterpiece that is Rome. Personally, I understand you…
I also asked myself, ‘why does this bother me so much’? But to see the “we’re better” arrogance mixed with ignorance is just plain upsetting. No matter how many times you see it…
It’s normal that you want to protect what you’re familiar with…It’s your territory…your home…your new life. So you wouldn’t really like if someone’s insulting a store that you adore. I get offensive if someone says something about Canada, the province or the city I live in…
Farfallina: OMG! I can’t imagine 150 Californians descending onto Siena all together. At least you stuck it out. It shows your intentions were to see and experience the real Italy, not drink and barf on it.
Bluefish: Canada gets a bad rap, but I have liked every Canadian I have ever met. I guess I’ll stop with the Eh jokes.
Oh.my.GOD!
Californians in Rome!
But my burning question is - does H&M REALLY carry size 14? And, if so, is there any way for car-less me to get there and do some shopping?
Get well soon - I’m impressed that you are still blogging while sick!
Hey Kataroma: Yes you can get there by taking the train going to Tivoli from Tiburtina station and getting off at Lunghezza. You can then either walk (kinda far) to the mall or jump on the 314 and get off after one stop. You will have to walk a few km this way as well. I suggest the Porta di Roma H&M but it may be more difficult to get there by public trans. You’ll have to research this. BUT the H&M there is much better and they even have an entire section dedicated to “plus” sized up to fifty something. Email me if you need specifics.
I have a hard time stomaching people who feel the need to be really loud and use inane slang all the time, because it says so much more about who they are than just what they say. I guess it reminds me of Sweet 16, that show on MTV where spoiled rich brats whine and cry when they don’t get the color ferrari they wanted. Please.
To go to Italy and complain about it seems like blasphemy to me. Maybe next time they’ll stay in California and save everyone some griping, haha.
I must admit I feel the same way as you when I am in Italy and happen across English or South Africans (which is usually only at the airport or at major sites). I guess because I regard Italy as my ‘other’ home there is a strange sense of possessiveness about the place. Not so much in Rome, where you expect tourists, but definitely in the outskirts of Naples and in Abruzzo, my normal stomping grounds. Nice to see them there at the same time though.