I came here from Stumbleupon and your post was so interesting that I had to stay.

I am really sorry you had a few bad experiences. You really should not let this annoy you. I am from Iraq and and I’ve been living in Spain for two years. At the beginning I had a few experiences like that. Like Spaniards, most Italians can not speak English well. Try responding fast in American English and enjoy the moment. I’ve done this a few times, with the added advantage of knowing Arabic and two other ”local” languages from Iraq. It somehow gives me a feeling of satisfaction, especially when you see them go ”Eh?”. Just pass the confusion to them.

In general, the US is WAY more tolerant when it comes to foreigners than countries like Italy or Spain. I went to the US three years ago (my first time outside Iraq) as an exchange student and I spent 11 months there. While I wasn´t your typical exchange student (I spoke very good English as a result of years of learning & 6 months translating for the US troops in Iraq), I can testify that other exchange students with (very) strong accents were very well-received. After all, the US is built on immigration as you said. I was pleasantly surprised with how Americans treat foreigners.

In the US, foreign students were ”popular” and treated very nicely. Here in Spain foreign students are marganalized and can not really integrate if they are not VERY outgoing like me. I know two girls (one from US and the other from Canada) who spent the last scholar year here and no one ever tried to get close to them or show them around. They spent most of the time at my place later on because they just did not have any chance to integrate.

That said, there are several places in the US where the treatment is similar. I spent my time there in rather open-minded areas (in San Francisco for 6 months and the rest in Northern Virigina). I have been to places in Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Texas wher e I got mad as hell -and had a few fights- because of people’s stupidity and horrible treatment.

Keep it up and do not let small things annoy you.

Have a great day,
Mody

Mody, Thank you for sharing your experience. It really gives me perspective in this situation!-jessica

I’ve totally be on the verge of tears countless times. I know what you mean. What comune do you live in? I am out in Lunghezza for now (near the mall).-Jessica

Thanks for the support and encouragement Carole! It is so appreciated! I am glad you came back and elaborated, I totally understand where you are coming from!-Jessica

By the way I have to say that you sure give good blog girl, it always makes me smile to read your posts.

I find I am really shy in “my Italian life”. Which is weird because I am so outgoing and extroverted when I can speak English and am around people with a common background. I hope it changes as I learn more Italian, we’ll see. I also pretend to be deaf! Haha! I even thought about practicing “sono sorda” with slurry speech, but then I thought that could be seen as crazy especially if they knew I wasn’t deaf or if my phone happened to ring at that moment. Oh well! Thanks for the compliment! I feel the same way when I read your blog!-jessica

Hey Elsie!
Yeah it got pretty bad. We were treated like crap from the comune and even the neighborhood priest (part of the reason I said hell no to a catholic wedding)who just assumed I was Romanian. Then after I pulled out the U.S. passport there was a huge sign of relief and they treated me like gold. So sad. I am for there being immigration restrictions, but sometimes the racism is just too obvious and in your face. -Jessica

Actually I think there is BIG difference between learning English in the states and learning Italian in Italy. For one, America is based on immigration. At least half of my friends in high school had immigrated and had an accent. This wasn’t a big deal either, it actually made them more popular in school. Living n Seattle as an adult I dealt with people who had little or no English on a daily basis (Seattle has a large Asian immigration population). I never said or thought “Learn English” we just mimed until we understood each other. In my opinion, there are millions more people migrating or who have migrated to the USA so the tolerance level is much higher than here in Italy. Maybe you had a different experience in the States? Here in Italy, most people think I am east European until I say I am American, as you might guess, there is little tolerance here for E. Europeans so I am often treated rudely until they hear my accent or am told I am American. Also, every school, community college, church or community center in the states offers free English as a second language to foreigners. Here in Italy I have heard of one free/reduced class, maybe, with a long waiting list and this is in the Capital city, so I imagine there is less help in the more rural areas. Here you are expected to shell out hundreds of euro if you want to learn the language. But I must say, there has been many Italians that were patient enough to hear me out (as I spoke very broken Italian), mime with me and help me. It’s just frustrating when you work on something for a year and a half and you still feel like you are swimming with cement shoes! Also, I never said that anyone was monolingual in my post, so I don’t know what you mean by that. The barman actually speaks a little English (a little) and I think French. Anyway, I appreciate your comment and support even though we have different opinions!-jessica

LC

I hear ya, I was used to accents or people with beginning English in Seattle. I hoped I never made them feel how I do now. I remember working retail and this guy would come in. He had just moved from China and we’d spend at least an hour trying to get through what he needed. It wasn’t a big deal, he was just another customer. I think Seattle peeps are really tolerant, understanding, and willing to help. It’s sad to see on the news these rednecks with their anti-immigration signs yelling “learn English!”. It’s disgusting.-jessica

Another annoying thing is when they say to you, in Italian (of course because usually these people are completely monolingual themselves) “dooo youuu speeeak Iiiitalllian?” I just say to them (in Italian) “well, what language do you think we’re speaking right now?” or “no, not a word, let’s speak English shall we?” In my case, I think the accent is compounded by the fact that I’m the stereotypical straniera - tall and blonde. Some people just can’t wrap their heads around the fact that a nearly 6 foot tall blonde woman might speak Italian!

I didn’t realize you were tall too! I am 5′10 and feel like an awkward giant here! It’s even more apparent when I am standing next to my husband who is a good 3-4 inches shorter-lol-jessica

I keep like 10 chapsticks in my purse, all over my desk and next to the couch. Haha! It’s my life saver.-jessica