Oh My, From Los Angeles to Vitulazio...

What better place to start then to tell you about my new hometown here. First of all, I cannot tell you how many people are thrown off when I tell them I am originally from Los Angeles. It usually is the same reaction and goes a little like this...

Italian: "Oh where are you from?"

Me: "I am American. I'm from Los Angeles"

Italian: (looks confused and a little afraid to say another word then hesitantly says as if it's taboo...) "But... you don't look American....not your origin...."

Me: (after losing a little patience by the hesitation and waiting for them to finish their sentence so I can clarify the mystery once again) "Yes, I am Chinese, but I was born in America and have lived there all my life."

Italian: "Oh okay" (blows a sigh of relief that the mystery has been solved, yet still feels a little peculiar) "Oh my, from Los Angeles to Vitulazio, what a crazy turn of events to end up in our little city..."

Yeh... welcome to my world here. I have to always remember that they are a small town and given the fact that they are not use to foreigners or tourists, these things aren't normal to them. And of course, I can't blame them for automatically assuming I am Chinese and should be from China... I guess.... ?

So back to the lovely little town Vitulazio that I now call home and is where my husband grew up. Now let me put on my "Tour Guide" hat and give you a little summary...

Vitulazio is located in Southern Italy in the province of Caserta and region of Campania. It is situated about 20 km away from the busy streets of Naples. Population stands at about 5600 people and covers an area of 22 km (8.8 square miles). *You like how I have also converted to the metric system here?* Life would seriously be easier if we all had the same measurements... sigh... So basically... even UCLA is bigger than this town and has more students by like 6 times or more.... you will get to know me better and realize that I like to compare towns and cities to UCLA to get a good idea of the size. =)

Anyways, I have to say every day is a challenge for me. I get really self-conscious when people stare... My friends always tell me it's because they are curious, but I have a hard time getting use to it. However, for the people that I do know, they are the most friendly and sweetest people I know. There is definitely character in this little town and a lot of adjustment for me coming from a big city, but the fact that you have everything just downstairs from you is awesome. I've got a little mini market 50 meters away from me with all the food staples I need and fresh vegetables and fruits. And right under me is a fish shop (Pescheria) that has fresh fish everyday. It's pretty great.

You can really tell that they still have whole-hearted traditions and family values here and are not corrupted or diluted from the big cities which is quite comforting. Coming from a very tight-knit family myself, it's great to still have that here. I absolutely enjoy learning all the Italian traditions and my mother-in-law is so great at telling me stories... but I will save that for another blog. I think my adjustment here will be a challenge for a while but it is a good challenge. I like to think that this truly is an experience that will make me a stronger person in many ways and I am glad I can share my journey with you all. Will write soon.... Un bacione...