The Ways Things Were (Store Hours, 1)

Call me what you will, but I call myself an emigrant....an emigrant who should stop talking about her homeland every day.  (Expat has too many rich, white person connotations and immigrant is what my Italian friends call me.)  Many years ago, my foreign (expat) friends in Chicago continually pointed out the differences between life in their countries and life in Chicago.  I might be mistaken, but their use of the word 'different' often sounded a bit like 'better'. 

Not long after moving to Italy (about three hours) I started doing the same thing.  It has finally dawned on me that if my friends in Italy think like I used to think (if it's better in your country why don't you go home?) it might be wise to keep my American mouth shut in Italy and share my thoughts with the other side of the world.  Hereafter, when I notice something different, be it better or just different, I'll (try to) hold my tongue and add it to my list of The Way Things Were.

My goal is to keep it simple with a few words and a photo,  giving the readers the choice of better...or just different.   With more reflection I'll probably realize that some of the "betters" are here and some of the "betters" are there.  In the end maybe they really are just "differences."

Welcome to The Way Things Were.

Someone might buy  these sneakers, beat-up but glittered and marked down from 560euros ($678) if the store had better hours. I'll do the military time translation for you: Monday through Friday from 9:45am-12:45pm and 3:30-7:30pm.  Saturday from 9:30am-12:30pm and closed on Sunday.  That's six hours and forty-five minutes Monday through Friday, and three hours on Saturday morning.  This is a bit exaggerated.....most stores open at 9:30am.

This isn't the sign from the shoe store.  Their hours were hidden by the SALE sign.  But shop hours in Italy are more or less the same.