Allora, I don't know what this sport is called- was on my way to the lavanderia to wash the dirty socks I'd been dragging around sicily for a month- and there, between the two pontes that connect Ortygia to Siracusa- this was going on. It appears to be a cross between kayaking, basketball and water-polo. Whatever it is, I want in- it looks like a lot of fun and a good way to work off the copious amounts of racotta and gelato I've been stuffing down my throat.
I made it to the lavaderia- and was trying to explain in my impeccable ITalian that I was going to do my own laundry and wanted to dry it in a machine... and the owner looked at me and said "Hon, you can just speak English to me." She's from Virginia and she runs the laundry with- I'm guessing it's her husband or boyfriend, David. IT's an excellent laundry- they do it for you- it costs the same. and then they fold it and pack it in neatly in a bag with your name on it and they taped my change to the bag. And she will keep my detergent at the laundry with my name on it! Bravo.
Well, me and my clean socks are at some internet cafe/bookstore in Ortygia. The internet isn't working in my building and I'm convinced Khaddafi is scrambling it, because at one point yesterday it was coming out in arabic. E possibile. And I'm not the only one anxiously weaving apocalyptic scenarios about N. Africa. All of Sicily is gripped by fear of an Arab planet. Last night I was watching Italian television, a program called "L'ultima parola" (the last word) and they had the population of LAmpedusa standing out in the rain and cold at night screaming questions at the guests- a bunch of politicians and ministers who were sitting in a warm television studio in Roma. You didn't have to speak ITalian, and I don't, to get the gist- the Lampedusans are furious because the African migrants are generally brought there first. One reasonable journalist was trying to explain that ITaly was a great nation, a prosperous nation, and surely it could absorb a few thousand migrants. I thought the LAmpedusans- and the other guests ( a minister of finance in particular) were going to demand his head and eyeballs on a platter. (Siracuse's saint, Lucia, is depicted with her eyeballs on a plate... look for more about that in a future, yet to be written "guide to the saints" blog entry).
So the Sicilians and much of the rest of ITaly are watching developments across the water with alarm and concern. And I am upset because I can't get the internet to find out whether Tripoli has been liberated yet... we're all in a lather. But my hopes and prayers are with the Libyans. I fully support armed intervention on their behalf. Depose the Colonel. THere, I said it. lynch me.
The Arab spring and the opening of the Magreb might be VERY GOOD for ITaly and il sud. Marco d'Eramo, the Manifesto correspondent I met in Roma, told me that Sicily's problems and the econmic decline of the south is partly due to Europe turning it's back on Africa. I don't know if that's true, but surely trade and business with a free, democratic, and open African north could only benefit Sicily and the south... and in the meantime they can demand $ from the EU to provide for the migrants. But apparently that's already going on.
I met a Ramzi- a tunisian in Siracusa who is the head of student services at MCAS, the Meditteranean Center for Arts and Sciences, some American exchange student program here (I didn't even know about it until two days ago- it's pretty small) Ramzi believes it's all "a game" to get the EU to cough up money and jobs for Sicily.
who knows? I capito niente... but Ramzi promises to put me in touch with agencies and folks who advocate for the migrants and work with them. So I'll be able to tell you more later.
Until then, NApoli has a BIG football match against #1 Milano on Monday... Is extremely important! Napoli is #2 this year and is led by a living incarnation of Apollo in the person of Cavani- he scores all their goals. The hopes and dreams of all of southern Italy rest on his bony shoulders. And I am a big Naples fan- a "mastiff" as the squad's quasi-fascist fans call themselves. Crush Milan! Viva Napoli!
No comments:
Post a Comment