I’m wirting this article in the first instance for those who will live in the future with an Italian. Many things will change in their life. Of course, there are a lot of stereotypes about this nation, but these are only my experiences what I faced. Here you can find some dangerous situations, irrevocable facts and advices:

As of the moment you became a flatmate of an Italian…

… you can’t ideate a conversation without melodious speeches, using gestures or sudden changes in their tones.

… words like ‘perfetto, parmiggano, sí-sí, carbonara, bolognese’ are the part of your everyday life.

… your kitchen closet is full of sweets, breakfast delights and biscuits.

… in your fridge there is always some pasta, mortadella, proscuttio, tomato sauce and cheese.

For me, cheese. For them: mozzarella, parmiggano, pecorino, gorgonzola, mascarpone, ricotta, provolone, emmental and so on.

And now, let’s imagine the following situation. It’s 11 o’clock. You are sitting at the kitchen table and eating your toast with tuna and tomato. And then an Italian comes and asks you: Is it your lunch or breakfast?

Be careful what you answer! Although the timing is a bit strange, the ONLY acceptable response for them is lunch. If you somehow missed answering this, get ready for their reaction:

A: WHAAAAAAAAAT???! This? For breakfast???? What’s wrong with you?

(Explanation: the Italian breakfast is mostly some sweeties)

B: They just turn back, go away and think: ‘you are crazy, man…’

C: They think you probably mixed up the two words. In this case you’re safe as well.

What’s the edification in this short story? One goal of EVS is learn to treat intercultural differences like these. Live in a foreign country, maybe with an other foreigner pair, and both of you have to accept and respect the different cultures. This is EVS.