Boston Red Sox Fan
Originally uploaded by margiana.
This morning Gilda and I took the bus to go to the pediatrician. Everything is perfect with her. Later we went to buy some fruit juice and potato chips since this afternoon friends will come for a snack. We got into this low cost shop where mostly old people and immigrants were. The economical crisis is hitting hard the lower wage band and life is getting a harder. The woman at the counter was really rude and the people pissed off. Later we waited at the bus stop to go back home. At the bus stop there were 2 old ladies and some 5/6 other people that were obviously immigrant, plus me and Gilda in her baby sling (that makes us look "strange"). Those two ladies in their past 60ies were talking aloud about the immigrants and their way of living...saying they're dirty, unpolite, they cook bad-smelling things and they don't wash... all aloud so that everybody could hear them. The immigrants all exchanged looks ... some of them were probably from the eastern Europe and some were from north Africa. Of course they did not said anything... but I felt like a big mass of insults coming to my throat and... I could not resist.
I spoke out. I couldn't believe those women were openly insulting people who clean their houses and watch, clean and give company to their elders... immigrants who build their houses mostly working without any contract and with no insurance and underpaid. Those immigrants who must live in horrible conditions because the houses those same ladies rent cost more than what they get per month... Immigrants who are tired and sad because their lives are way more difficult than those of those ladies who probably grew up well because their fathers and uncles migrated once to the US, Venezuela and Argentina and sent them money here in Italy. Italian always migrated and they were probably no better than those who are now living here. Migrants who leave their life, culture, friends and relatives back in their native country hoping their lives will improve... hoping for a better future for their children. That is why people migrates... not because they want to become a criminal or such. They migrate because the life in their country is probably a lot worse than it's here... and they stay here because their poor life is still better than the one in their Country.
I also added that if they were abroad they probably won't give up to cook their Lasagne alla bolognese and that may be the bad smelling food for others.
Those two ladies looked at me astonished... and they also had the courage to ask me if I was italian... (after all I was speaking my language properly)...they continued telling me that's not the way a baby should be carried and such.
Some of the immigrants looked at me and smiled... some still had the sad face. I felt bad for this need to insult that I felt. I felt like there should not be such feelings. I felt bad because those two ladies are really representative of the society where I am living now and that this is not what I hope for Gilda's future.
I took the bus... and no wonder the person who gave me the seat was a north African woman.
I always complain because I only have 1 car and that I have to take the bus... I pledge not to complain about this because I think this is a richness... in this way I can relate to other people and eventually speak up and give vent to my social rage :-)
