Personal space and sign language....... There are only a few negative things about traveling through italy ,but I feel compelled to mention them to any potential future travelers. The first is personal space. Or I should say ,lack of it. You see, in america we all have a level of personal space, a boundary that only a few socially dysfunctional, awkward people don't abide to the rules of. Here in Italy, that rule of personal space doesn't exist. Wherever you go people are breaking this law. When your in line, you can feel them breathing down your neck. Slowly inching their way across the boundary line that us americans have installed from a young age. I try to slowly turn my head around to look at them as if its going to set off some sort of alarm, but they don't seem to hear the alarm. I try to inch forward, but then they just creep up behind you , the way those daddy long leg spiders do when I'm in the shower. When your not looking, they sneak across your border. Yesterday, we did a history bike tour in florence. It sounded like a good idea at the time. Florence is a beautiful city. Once again though, I have had enough of cities. Of course we couldn't find the spot where we were suppose to meet the people, which meant a lot more high speed running in my flip flops. Once we found the place,my mood was sour. Then we take off for our bike ride, our tour guide teacher sounded like daffy duck. ( so said tristan) Her english was so strained, that she twisted and contorted her face every time she spoke, with the veins in her neck looking like they would self combust,she sprayed the words out. The bike ride was enough to give me a coronary. The personal space boundary doesn't exist even when its a pedestrian or bicyclist and the space invader is a motorcycle or car. Even if your in the cross walk, they bring their car or motorbike within inches of you. I was worried beyond sanity about cole especially. He seemed so wobbly on his bike, my overactive imagination kept playing out the scene in my head. A car hits him, I pull the person out of the drivers seat with my bare hands, I wrap my hands around his neck and starting throwing the assailant into the ancient buildings, but then I realize he is one of these hot ,italian stallions, so I decide to grant him mercy ,kiss his cheeks and warn him to never intrude our personal boundary again.He bows his head, kisses slowly my hands, with those deep brown eyes begging for forgiveness. I send him on his way. Fortunately this never happened. I did play traffic control most of the time though. I would stand with my bike in a very authoritative position with my hand in a position that yelled STOP! I took on busses and motorbikes and cars this way until everyone was safely across the street. All I needed was a blue cap and a whistle and I would have been complete. Sign language has been my go to language when all else fails. When i went into the store at the gas station, I tried explaining that I want to pay for pump number seven. The woman stared back at me blankly. So then I used my sign language, and made my fingers into the shape of what I thought was a pump, but I think she thought it looked like a gun. She looked a little startled, more like I wAs trying to say" this is a stick up" than" can i pay for gas?" People use sign language at me too. Yesterday we stopped for gas. As I walked in,the old duffer gas attendant, was checking me out. He tried to talk to me. " I'm sorry i don't speak italian" Pointing to me he says " Bella ". I get that. " thank you" but as I put my bag of pastries on the counter he starts shaking his head, talking italian then puts his hand right on my tummy!!! Talk about personal space betrayal. So then I start laughing hysterically because this old guy feels its ok to warn me to not eat these ,to watch my girlie figure. The nerve! So I use my sign language to make a fist. We both laughed. i thought this was so funny. So I am learning new ways to communicate. How valuable it would be to speak a foreign language, or like many people here, speak many languages. I am getting over my personal space issues and learning that, well," when in rome" I have learned that so many words can be spoken with smiles, laughing, warmth in the eyes. So with my unfortunate, ability to speak only english, for this I am grateful.