Comments on: Love it or leave it http://thesmediolanumlif.com/?p=3527 Thes - Old English for "this", neuter of thes, of West Germanic origin: Mediolanum - old name for Milan: Lif - Old English for "life", of Germanic origin; related to Dutch lijf, German Leib 'body' Fri, 16 Nov 2018 07:21:49 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.41 By: Andy http://thesmediolanumlif.com/?p=3527#comment-3062 Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:57:28 +0000 http://thesmediolanumlif.com/?p=3527#comment-3062 @Pietro

Yes – although the picture people (outside of Italy) have in their heads of the way of life (here) is not, necessarily, the reality. We (us non-Italians) have fallen in love with the picture we have. People who come here to live, quite often (for I have seen it) fall ‘out of love’ because of the reality. Day to day life is not the same as being here on holiday. But that problem is not Italy but the people themselves. They think it should be the same as being on holiday (although for me, most of the time, I still feel like I’m on holiday – after 6 years!)

]]> By: Andy http://thesmediolanumlif.com/?p=3527#comment-3061 Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:53:42 +0000 http://thesmediolanumlif.com/?p=3527#comment-3061 @ Lola
Yes, the weather :-)
And the food (most of the time)
And the beauty.
You’re right, everywhere is full of contradictions. And, since I’ve been here, I realise that everywhere is the same – in that, there are things to love and adore and things that are frustrating. And, I do understand why Italians want to move (for their career, it’s almost essential, it seems) but going somewhere else doesn’t make life better (as a whole) – just different.
As you know, I love it here even if there are things to hate. I would not want to go back in time and NOT come here. Here is home.
As I said to A the other night, the first time I stepped of the plane in Italy (about 1982), it felt like I was home :-)

]]> By: Pietro http://thesmediolanumlif.com/?p=3527#comment-3060 Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:36:31 +0000 http://thesmediolanumlif.com/?p=3527#comment-3060 I agree with Lola.
We are italians, everybody know us and particularly our way of life. That is the main reason, I think, why Italy is loved.

]]> By: Lola http://thesmediolanumlif.com/?p=3527#comment-3059 Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:03:22 +0000 http://thesmediolanumlif.com/?p=3527#comment-3059 Very interesting topic, Andy.

When I was in Canada a colleague asked me why I was still working in Italy. Why don’t you move to another country? he asked. You’d have a different position in the UK, apply for a job somewhere else!
Another colleague replied on my behalf: she doesn’t want to move because Italy is the country where everyone wants to live! I can’t blame her.

What else could I say?

It is BECAUSE siamo in Italia that I don’t want to live somewhere else. And it is because, of course, it’s my country and love it despite all the things (many, to be honest) that I don’t like. Never say never, though. Perhaps one day I’ll move abroad basically because here I CAN’T do my job and it’s getting quite frustrating.
However, it would be a challenging decision and I hope not to get there if you can see what I mean.

You’re right, it is a country of paradoxes but all the countries are full of contradictions. At least in other countries beauty is not as apparent as it is here, food is not as good … not to mention the weather ;)

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