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Matt’s contagious attitude…
Sunday, July 13th, 2008This blog is now close to achieving its final look and has:
- 65 posts
- 1508 comments
Today, as I imported the posts, I had the opportunity to read what I wrote over the past year. Posts I had forgotten about!
After 5 years in different countries and states, this was the first year I spent home in the San Francisco Bay.
I would have preferred to have gone to Rome early, but the timing of my trip home was actually perfect. There were things that had me quite worried and I needed to take care of before leaving again. Besides, I get Rome for the next 5 years. At least.
There is something going on that goes beyond the normal rants most of us do, and I must learn to accept and let it slide, because it’s not going anywhere: the poisonous bitterness that some foreigners feel in Italy. In person. On the web. Eeeeverywhere.
As bloggers, we know each other offline, and compare negative comment data. You’d be surprised to know that people actually post comments under different names. They aren’t fooling anyone.
Yes. I do understand the frustrations foreigners feel with Italy’s bureaucracy, but I don’t understand some reactions, much less why some feel empowered by raining on other’s parade. It’s trollish. It’s draining.
In contrast, 8 years ago I met a good friend who studied medicine in Rome, and we still talk once in a while. Not only did he study medicine in Rome, but also at the University of California. He’s European, and he prepared me for most of what I faced when I first moved to Italy around 6 years ago, and warned me about the bitter expat talk.
Well, I cannot thank him enough. I admire his worldly mentality, strength, and sense of humor.
Attitudes are contagious. Good ones and bad ones.
Early on, good friendships like his paved the way for my life in Italy and their success guides me to this day.
Likewise I just love this guy’s contagious attitude as he takes his happy and goofy nature through 42 countries, which encourages others to join in his fun.
Watch Matt’s video! I get the feeling you will see it a lot on the web.
P.S. Since I just imported the posts from my old blog, I moved up 10 random posts for those who are new here.
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