Insert "gas" joke here

(**Note: All of the pictures on the blog today are images from a Google search; they are not my pictures.)

The trucker strike seems to be over in Sicily.  The latest news I can find is that the movement headed to Rome for continued protests.  There also seemed to be a falling out between two of the leaders of the movement.  I'm not entirely sure if anything got accomplished.  If someone knows more (Maggie?), please fill us in.

All I know for sure is that gas stations have gas again, and my car is running.  It definitely took a few days.  The strike ran all last week, with practically every gas station in Sicily completely running out of gas.  I had a full tank at the beginning of the week, so my work and normal schedule wasn't particularly affected.  I ran my tank low on Friday, and stayed near the house over the weekend.  The strike officially ended at midnight on Friday, so gas trucks began making their way to stations on Saturday and Sunday.  But everyone in Sicily (we're talkin' one of those "everyone and their mothers" situations), flocked to the gas stations over the weekend. 

(This picture is actually from Greece.)  I couldn't find one of Sicily, but this is exactly what the lines looked like.

Lines were ridiculous.  Facebook was in an uproar with reports of, "So-and-so gas station has gas!" then 20 minutes later, "That station's out."  On Sunday, I ventured out early in the morning in hopes of beating the crowds.  I got a text tip from a friend and got in a long line at a station that for sure had gas.  The line slowly ticked forward...but I wasn't even close to the station when they ran out.  Later that evening, on another text tip, I hurried to a gas station where I actually saw the gas truck leave the station.  The line was long, but I knew, knew I'd get some this time.  Slowly we inched forward.  After about 45 minutes in line, I was three cars away from the pumps...when the attendants began shaking their heads and waving us away.

Dinosaur had to come rescue me with two gallons in a gas can that he filled up at an interstate gas station.  He took my car back to that same interstate station...but they were out by the time he reached it.

It was frustrating to witness scenes like this and not be able to go up and understand what the chatter was about.  Just another motivator to study up on Italian - understanding the civil unrest.

I stubbornly stuck to the house all day Monday, with no desire to repeat Sunday's failed attempts at a fill-up.  Finally on Tuesday, after four days of gas trucks madly trying to relieve the island's deficiency, I waited in line for about a half and hour and finally got to fill up.

I learned a few things.  I learned that my car can go an impressive distance after the gas light turns on.  Dinosaur explained to me that gas stations on the interstate most likely have much larger reserve tanks than back-roads stations (logical, but who knew?), so in case of another strike, it would be best to head straight to the interstate for a lesser chance of them running out while I'm still in line.  I learned that three days at the house won't kill me and actually motivates me to get some long-procrastinated cleaning done.  And I found it really neat to witness a substantial cultural event in another country.  Granted, it would not have been so neat if the protests weren't peaceful or the public at large had freaked out and turned to anarchy.  But those things did not happen.  I learned that Sicilians will stand their ground when they're upset, and that it's best for me to have a stocked freezer, a tolerant attitude, an open mind, and keep my American butt out of the way.

Protestors waving the Sicilian flag, blocking the way of trucks.

Sicily on Strike

No need to guess at the meaning of my title this week - there really is a strike going on in Sicily.  Because nothing in the past few days that I have experienced or done to embarrass the American name trumps this chunk of news, readers, feast upon this nugget of real, non-trivial current events - a rarity here at Mi Scusi.

Here's a Google-translated blurb from http://palermo.repubblica.it/dettaglio-news/11:54/4098673
"Trucking: Protest continues in Sicily, Palermo-Sciacca blocked
Palermo, 17 January - (Adnkronos) - drivers' protest continues in Sicily against the rising price of gasoline. Due to the strike of the truck and 'left off this morning automobile traffic in the highway Palermo-Sciacca at San Cipirello. More than 40 trucks blocked the main road. On site there are traffic police patrols and police. There are many inconveniences to motorists in the rest of Sicily. Deans also this morning at the Palermo-Messina motorway. The strike will continue 'until January 20."

So basically what's happening is that the truck drivers think that gas is too expensive.  I guess because gas taxes are too high(?)  Lowering the gas taxes would be the only thing the government could do to lower the price, right?  Or maybe the strikers want the government to subsidize it?  I'm no economic expert.  The big issue is, "no one in Italy pays their taxes."  Ok, ok, we all know an ugly stereotype when we see one.  But perhaps you've heard that a few European Union nations are in fiscal trouble.  Italy is one of them.   So I think, I think, what's going on is that the Italian government is scrambling for money anywhere they can.  I know that there were some laws passed this month that even affect the Americans, such as the new rule that any cash purchase over 1,000EU must have a receipt.  That may seem obvious to my American readers, but believe it or not, we've been paying our rent by giving our landlord a fat wad of cash every month.  That's the common practice; cash rules here.  (Why?  So "no one has to pay taxes.")  Brace yourselves - here's my half-ignorant, probably wrong, shouldn't be quoted Italian current economic affairs theory:  Cash has ruled for a really long time, both on the level of government and on the level of the people; Italy jumped on with the European Union and perhaps didn't worry as much about their fiscal state as they should have; the EU cracked down and now Italy is scrambling for money; governments make money through taxes so taxes are rising; no one pays income tax the way "we all do" in the States, so Italy is taxing more tangible things like gas; gas is getting really expensive and people are getting mad.


Again, that could be waaaaaaay off.  Feel free to comment with more educated knowledge if it's in your noggin.


So anyway, today is Wednesday the 18th and this strike started on Monday and is scheduled to go through Friday, and all of Sicily's gas stations ran out of gas today.  You read correctly - we have no gas.  I'm not terribly worried, personally.  I'm lucky to be in a situation where the earth doesn't stop spinning if I can't drive.  I can walk to shops; my job on base isn't essential.  


The immediate future might be a tad...interesting, however.  Apparently the trucker's strike is scheduled to end at midnight on Friday, but then a bigger strike is scheduled to begin next Monday, where the actual gas stations themselves and other service providers will go on strike.  Will gas actually get delivered this weekend, and if so, will everyone who wants gas be able to get it in their cars, including little ol' me?  What does next week have in store?  So far, the protests have been fairly peaceful.  Let's hope it stays that way.


It's times like this that I revert back to the basic needs that I learned in elementary school: as long as I'm able to get food, I have the protection of our house, water runs out of the facets, and I've got clothes to keep me warm, I think I'll be alright.  If I have to hunker down for a few days and snuggle with the pets and a few good books, I can do that too.  Good luck to you all, protesters and Italian government; I will be staying well out of your way.

**Update on January 19**
My friend, Maggie, a native Sicilian, posted this comment on Facebook:
"with all the due respect Erin it is not only a high price gas issue, but everything, all the italian people the middle class, are at the point that we live to pay bills, it is impossible to save money, the raise is everywhere every kind of tax, not only gas, but the thing that pissed us off is the fact the they raise the taxes, cut the pensions cut the job bonuses, but they did not cut the salary of those pigs that rule us in the parliament, Italy is not a republic anymore, it is a regime, a monarchy of the politicians that keep stealing and waste...."

Thank you to Maggie for shedding some informed light on my speculative ramblings.  'Living to pay the bills' paints a vivid picture of a punishing, repressed life.  If the big cats in government keep getting fatter while the middle class barely scrapes by, I can understand the resentment.   I don't know the answer, but there won't be an answer if the disparaging parties don't get together to talk.  And if I have to go without gas in my car for a little while in order to get people to talk and make some just and fair changes, I will do that without complaint.


**end update**


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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120117/local/Truckers-caught-in-Sicily-blockade.402643

Tuesday, January 17, 2012 , by

Matthew Xuereb

Truckers caught in Sicily blockade

A Virtu Ferries catamaran sailing out of Grand Harbour in Valletta.

• 

"A blockade of ports by Sicilian truck drivers has prevented trailers from loading goods, including those destined for Malta, but the extent of damage this may cause the island will only be determined if the situation drags on.
The last time similar action was taken was in autumn of 2000 when truck drivers brought the Sicilian economy to a standstill with a 10-day strike.
A spokesman for one of the main freight forwarding companies in Malta told The Times yesterday that the strike action caused severe congestion around the ports from where they operate. The company had a number of truck drivers caught in the centre of the strike action.
The spokesman, who spoke on condition that the firm was not named, said his company was making alternative arrangements to have cargo shipped from other ports in Italy such as Genoa and Civitavecchia. The trip from Civitavecchia to Malta takes two days, as opposed to 90 minutes by catamaran from Pozzallo to Malta.
The strike action was ordered by the association representing Sicilian truck drivers (Associazione Imprese Autotrasportatori Siciliani) and the action is expected to last until Thursday, unless a solution to the problem is found before.
The Sicilian truck drivers blocked entrances and exits of the ports in Pozzallo and Catania and roads and motorways in Palermo.
The managing director of Virtu Ferries, Henri Saliba, said the action had not had any effect on its operations so far but if it was prolonged, it would surely hit its commercial vehicle clients.
Virtu Ferries, which operates a daily catamaran link between Malta and Sicily, had to cancel its trips yesterday evening and this morning but this was due to the inclement weather and the rough sea, Mr Saliba said.
Several Maltese businesses, which knew about this planned blockade by Sicilian truck drivers from weeks ahead, managed to make arrangements for their goods to reach Malta from other destinations.
The main gripe of Sicilian truck drivers is the price of fuel which they believe has reached “unsustainable levels”. They are also saying the present system has brought about a reality where the cost to transport goods was greater than the cost of the actual product.
Contacted yesterday, one Sicilian truck driver who owns his own freight company said the rising costs of transportation were having a drastic effect on his profitability.
“We cannot have a situation where a product costs €1 and the price to transport it €1.20. Once the transportation costs surpass the actual cost of the product, the system breaks down. I can’t continue like this. I have a family to feed,” Paolo Caltanivetta said from his truck, which was blocking the exit from the port of Pozzallo.
The truck drivers are also complaining about the rising costs of insuring their vehicles and of wear and tear."

Flash!cards

The week has been low-key as far as Italian adventures go.  However, Dinosaur and I are really trying to make a push toward studying more Italian (he's reviewing flashcards as I type this),which made me think of a few points.

Did you know that people who speak other languages say animal noises differently than we do in English?  I had a good laugh comparing English and Italian animal noises with some Italian friends who work at the hotel where we stayed when we first got here.  I wish I could remember more of them, but for instance - What sound does a dog make?  You're probably thinking, "bow wow," or "bark," or some sort of barking/growling/yipping noise.  In Italian, take the "wow" off of "bow wow" and add another "bow."  Pronounced like a tree bough.  "Bow bow!"  You're saying it out loud, aren't you??  Heehee, animal noises are fun in all languages!

Last week when I entered the produce shop, Mama Produce was sitting with a friend.  I greeted them, then Mama Produce offered a long string of pleasantries, and I answered something that may or may not have made sense.  I told the friend that I'm American and speak very little Italian, but that I'm learning.  Mama Produce was very sweet and quick to defend me, and I'm pretty sure that she said that though I don't speak very well, I understand well.  Which is absolutely, laughable, not the case.  For every sentence that I know how to say, I can readily understand one or two words when spoken to me.  I think Mama Produce is deceived just because I smile and nod so much around her.  She's so cheerful! - I can't help the bright expression plastered on my bobbing head when she talks to me.  "Lei capisce bene" my foot.  Very sweet of her to defend me though.  Such a nice woman.

I've been chatting to Bella more often on Facebook.  She writes in English and I try to write what I can in Italian.  I usually have Google Translate open in the next tab, but I try really hard to think of the Italian on my own before I look it up.  The problem is, Bella would never correct me.  Just as I don't correct her.  It would be an incredibly tedious and unpleasant conversation if we corrected each other after every entry.  So that's not an ideal way to practice, but at least it gets me thinking about Italian.  And she had a really great idea recently.

Bella said that singing along to American music helps her learn English.  She suggested that I listen to Italian music.  Most of the radio stations here play American music, but I managed to find a pop station that's about 50/50.  I concentrate super hard on what the DJ's are saying, but I only manage to make out a word here and there.  But songs are different.  Most are slower than you would talk, so I can pick up so much more.  And by learning a song, even if I don't know exactly what the lyrics mean, my ear gets used to hearing how Italian words go together.

This hadn't occurred to me before I came over to Italy, but when we speak, we anticipate quite a bit.  When you ask someone, "How do I open this?" you've already subconsciously primed your brain to anticipate the answer.  Your brain knows the answer isn't going to be "lipstick" "lima casserole" or "in a tree stand," so it's not perked for those answers.  But when I ask that same question in Italian, I have no idea what to expect for an answer.  Imagine the anticipation if every time you asked a question, you had to be ready to mentally sift through ever possible phrase that you know, never knowing where in your brain the matching phrase, if it's even there, will be.  So that's why songs are handy.  The tune helps me put together words in a sentence the way they're supposed to be, the way I'll hear them when Italians speak to me.  At first, I'm just memorizing the sounds of words, but once they're in my head, they're stuck there.  Then I look up the meaning, and boom - another phrase in the arsenal.

Dinosaur is so diligent.  He's still flash-carding away.  I guess I'd better join him so he doesn't have all the intercultural conversational fun.  A presto!  (ahem - see you soon!)

Sicilian Christmas Part II

Buon Anno!  Did you pronounce both n's as you read that?  If not, you just told yourself "Good Butt" instead of spreading New Year cheer.  Gotcha!  What a language, this Italian...

Despite it being a week into 2012, let's take a moment to reflect way back to Christmas Eve 2011.  Back when we were young, innocent.  And very full.  Dinosaur and I, as well as two other American friends from base, had the extreme pleasure of joining a Sicilian family in their Christmas Eve feast.

We began digging into the antipasti (pictured above) around 9:00pm.  When you visit Sicily, beware: the antipasti alone could be a meal.  Pace yourself.  Next will be lasagna, two types of stuffed pizza, chicken and onions, and then desserts galore.  (But you won't pace yourself.  It's all so darn tootin' good!  I'll say I told you so.)

Our gracious hosts, Bella's parents.  They spoke zero English, but I think we managed to convey our appreciation for being witness to such a cool cultural event!

A packed and boisterous kitchen - Christmas Eve done right - feasting the night away!

Everyone speaks the language of laughter. 

Just a sampling of the many, many (MANY) desserts.  In addition to those pictured above, there were multiple cakes, oranges, candy, and liqueurs.

After the food was cleared away, the card games began.  This group was playing what appeared to be hearts, or something similar.  Their deck was Italian, not the suits and numbers that we're used to.  But I think it was a similar concept.  A bit later, the entire group sat down to a fun gambling game: everyone fished all their Euro coins out of their pockets and we bid on cards that had different pictures on them.  After all the cards were purchased, four cards were placed face down in the middle of the table, from an identical deck.  All the collected money was divided up on those four cards.  If you had purchased a card or cards that matched the ones in the middle, you won the corresponding money.  Winning money is fun for all ages!

At midnight we drank a champagne toast and, with kisses, wished each other "Auguri!" ("Seasons Greetings!").  Outside, the church bells clanged nonstop and fireworks could be heard from all directions for a solid 20 minutes.  Buon Natale!  Merry Christmas!  Auguri!