It is a dark time for the Rebellion. Although high school is almost over, further uncontrollable desires for freedom have driven the Rebel forces from their hidden base and pursued them across the Ocean.
So I find myself in Omaha. Au-paring for a family who has a lovely 3 year old, and an extremely bitchy 15 year old. It is the 4th of July when I set foot in the States, so it all starts with fireworks! When the pyrotechnics end though I am left by myself a lot of the times, but always find something to do. I would go out riding a bike and snap pics of the neighboring streets. Wide light concrete block rivers through the city, green yards and wood paneled houses had populated my movie fueled imagination for ever and I was finally out there surfing through them. I actually couldn’t have asked for more.
The occasional trip to Target would make my day. Huge department stores had a thing for me, and I returned it. My go to aisle would be the fridges’. Chocolate chip waffles were a must! Everyday!! Yeah that wasn’t my slimmest phase. Also attributable to frequent take away and Applebees.
One of the happiest moments was when I discovered people actually drank milk from the carton. See I’m not a milk person, so I skipped on that tradition. But I was happy to take on a new one: the slip and slide. Good times!
Then finally August came and school started. The 15 year old was going to be a freshman at an all girls’ school. I asked if I could go with. Wish granted. I got my own schedule and attended for two days. I didn’t have time to step my foot into the premises and I was already popular. That was the easiest time I got it. The 15 year old didn’t take it well at all so that is about the time when things really went apeshit. The other girls at school were instead all over me, and so I was in. In the cool kids circle that is.
Homecoming was my first official attendance, where we got to mingle with our nearby all boys’ school. Then it was all football matches, Saturday afternoons’ concerts, Sunday fairs, night outs, basement meet ups and mostly house parties. Everything also went all American Pie on me.
This one time I was at a house party and we were all drinking in the yard from big red and blue cups. I can’t even remember what was inside them. Probably Diet Coke. Well right at that moment two police cars come rushing from around the corners, sirens shrieking. I saw like 50 cups flying in the air like graduation hats decorating the sky and then people were running aimlessly. Someone grabs me and yells to be quick. It truly felt like a movie. I didn’t want it to end. Then this car drives by and someone opens the back door and motions to get in. We were suddenly 9 kids in there. And we drove away from law-enforcement!
These girls I was with during the police escape I’m still in contact with to this day. It’s been 10 years! In hindsight that is definitely what struck me most about experiencing an American community. That it actually is a community. This concept seldom exists in Italy. Each of us thinks about himself and that’s it. Me included. Extreme Makeover Home Edition could never work here if you know what I’m saying. Flocks of people gathering to help unfortunate families. Kids giving up their savings to help. I have seen that happen on that show. Maybe it’s scripted, they fooled me and they gave the kid his money back. But that’s not how I see it. That show gets to me. I cry every single time I watch it. There must be something that goes through, something real. And that would be one of the reasons I want to go live in this country, because I want to be like that. Ty Pennington may be another reason.
Well anyhow, summer 2001 ends, I go back home and I get my drivers license in 1.5 months flat. That’s rare. Because you know, nobody puts Baby in a corner…
Go to Episode III
Go to Episode III
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