Ahhh, how quickly I am reminded of the stares a female receives walking the streets in Italy alone. Flashing a smile in mute reply does nothing to help, seems my dimples only confuse the starer even further. No matter what I pack to wear, my clothes just scream foreigner, the stares are just something I have to ignore. I regretted my choice of footwear today almost instantly, not that I brought any fancy shoes, but my pink and white Ron Jon sandals seem to almost offend. Twice I’ve been stopped from entering a room, once by a woman on the hotel staff who’d just mopped the lobby floor, and a second time by a woman in a tiny produce store down the road. Both times all eyes were on my sandals, hands held out and downward in what I interpreted to mean “Stop!” as in “Don’t you dare walk in here, on my ‘floor so clean you could eat off it’, in THOSE abominations, those filthy HOUSE SLIPPERS!” Coming to a complete halt each time, I later understood the statement to be merely a warning, “Be careful you’ll fall on your ass in those awful things!” I nod my head and make gestures that I will be careful, very careful.

To the woman in the produce store I made my apology for not speaking Italian very good (said in Italian) and she pantomimed her meaning about slipping, then left me alone. I chose several bunches of cherry tomatoes on the vine, a good bit of arugula and a couple brown speckled plump pears. She weighed and rang everything up, tearing the receipt from the machine. She started to hand it to me, but then it was as if she decided to see how “good” I really did speak her language, turning the receipt away from view at the last she said “Cinque, vente cinque.” If she cared that I came up with $5.25 without help, she didn’t show it. I was pretty darn tickled. My comprehension is definitely up this year.

So, here I am again - faced with discomfort at being stared at for walking alone and nervous if I can eek out a few words that make sense enough to get what I need. All the while I’m smiling away, because I know once I get the first day of getting my bearings behind me the reality sinks in…I’m in Italy…Baby!