Supermarket Schooling

I can't say that I have fully adjusted to small town living. However, there are definitely some things I find endearing about living in a community, such as the spontaneous conversations that take place between strangers in any place at any time. If this happened back in L.A. I would slowly back away, convinced that the conversationalist sporting a smile and a piece of free advise is only using friendliness as an angle to hit me up for something....or worse.

But, here in Roseto degli Abruzzi, even strangers will chime in on a conversation if they overhear a topic of interest. And, since we have so many pensioners and "self-employed" residents, there are a lot of people with time to jump in and school you on the topic of the day. Today, I was schooled on foods to avoid when breastfeeding as I picked out my green beans and tomatoes at the vegetable market. In the past, I have also received unsolicited advise on recipes, how to chose a melon and child-rearing.

Sometimes, instead of offering advise, people start a conversation by asking me a highly personal question, like what building I live in or what school my daughter attends. Like I said, in L.A. these would be huge red flags, but here it's par for the course. Somehow we are all one big family because we are part of the same small community. It is not only this town, but I think this friendly vibe is a part of Italian culture. I commonly see circles of people discussing the economy in a doctor's waiting room or a conversation between the butcher and his client regarding traffic problems in the city (as all other customers wait patiently, or join in if they feel so inclined).

These spontaneous schoolings are a phenomenon that I imagine was a part of people's daily routine during our grandparent's era. And, it likely created a sense of community, which in turn provided roots in a town for an entire lifetime. But, I am sad to say that the willingness to interconnect has completed died out in my generation. We seem to seek independence and freedom of movement more than a feeling of being rooted. Admittedly, I am still hesitant to even say Good Morning to someone passing by because my attitude is "why would I?". I am slowly starting to change, but it took a lifetime to raise my guard and it may take a lifetime to tear it down. Even as a fiercely independent person who doesn't like the weight of other people, I can also see the comfort that the social interaction provides me during monotonous tasks. So to all those who have shared a recipe or a quick piece of knowledge with me along the way, I want to say thank you. I appreciate the unsolicited info; but more than that I appreciate you making me feel like a part of a community, even if we are complete strangers.