Field Assignments

Field Assignments

Kinship Mapping

The diagram of this write up is on a separate piece of paper. I ended up only doing three levels, which I hope is okay because none of the siblings and cousins, ranging in ages from their 20s and 30^th—mostly early 30s—had children. I thought this alone was quite interesting in and of itself. While the Italy culture is very family oriented, getting married and having children is not a priority at a young age. Having lived in Italy for quite some time here, this was something I knew, but still interesting that there are no grandchildren among the cousins. I had Diego help me with it, he is 26 years old. I was actually quite surprised. I think sometimes I get the stereotypical idea of what an Italian family is in my mind and how it functions, then end up being very surprised when I discover something otherwise.

The first thing that I was surprised about was how difficult it was for Diego to map out his family, he did not know the names of all of his father’s siblings, whether or not they were married, and he had to guess on their children. He said that there were a lot of siblings on his dad’s side—7 he thinks—and that it was hard to know all their names and their family members. I guess I could understand, but my dad’s side similarly 5 kids, my step dad’s side 4 and my mom’s 2, and I can easily recall all the names, I guess because I have a pretty close relationship with most of them and live somewhat near. I know that all families are not like that, obviously, but I think I really expected this exercise to be easy for an Italy family. It just goes to show that even after living here for over 2 months, I still have stereotypes floating around in my head. He wasn’t positive of his dad’s parents relationship, but I feel like that is a bit more understandable given that there is often a lot of years between each generation because people don’t get married very early here and then having kids. Diego did not really have the opportunity to get to know his grandparents.

He did know his mom’s side very well, it was a smaller side of the family, but still notable. He said that he wasn’t super close with his cousins, but he knew their marital statuses and other things like that. I wish I could learn more about his dad’s side of the family, and maybe I’ll see if he can talk to his dad about it, but his parents are divorced… It was a really good experience doing this kinship mapping though, and I think I would like to do it with another family in Bracciano, or at least talk to someone else about it to see how their recollection of family members and family structure in general compares to what I found during this exercise.

Spradley’s social Situations (review locating a social situation, 30 minutes observing a situation with multiple actors, multiple sites and/or multiple activities; create a cluster based on whichever one is more appropriate)

1.    Library, Young Adults, Studying

o   Very quiet, a few whispers  here and there

o   No one makes eye contact

o   Very focused on work

o   If possible, everyone sitting at their own table

2.    Park, Young Adults, Public Displays of Affection

3.    Mall, Young Adults, Shopping

4.    Gelaterria, Young Adults, Eating Ice Cream/Talking

5.    Pizzaria, Young Adults, Eating/Talking

6.    Lake, Young Adults, Enjoying Weather/laying out/talking

Domain Analysis (review Bernard readings on ‘structured interviewing: Cultural Doman analysis”

1.    Mother’s Daily chores

2.    Student’s class and study schedules (college student)

3.     

Participation and Involvement

Leisure/Entertainment Activity

I felt like this was a good field assignment to start with because it allowed me to make some friends and have fun. I spent a whole day with a group of locals, which was really fun and a good experience. I am staying about 45 minutes outside of Rome, and the group I hung out with was from all around Rome, so we all met up in Rome. We just walked around for awhile—Rome is a good place to do that. J There were some bigger group conversations, but it seemed pretty normal to just get caught up in a conversation with one person. My Italian isn’t very good right now, and several of the young adults here speak English—they all learn it in school. One boy, named Edwardo, spoke very good English, which he learned a few years ago. He was good to talk to, even in Italian, because he was very understanding and helped me progress.

Once everyone had walked until their hearts were content, we found a spot on the grass, in the shade, and sat in a circle. We just played some random games, some with signs. I was kind of impressed by how long everyone was content playing that game. I feel like that if I were in the U.S., people would get bored after 15 minutes max, but I’m pretty positive we played for over an hour!

Then, we all grabbed some food at a local subway-type Italian restaurant. Everyone was hungry, but I feel like it was more of an excuse to just do something and talking/enjoy each other’s company. Everyone played this game where you basically act out a scene (by yourself). For example, the first emotion we had to portray was sadness, the second thing we had to do was to pretend like we were a jealous girlfriend and say certain phrases in Italian. There were probably 15 people there, and 4 of the girls (to my dismay—in the beginning—I was somehow forced to be one of them). I was kind of embarrassed, and tried to get out of it, but the 14 other people just stood and sat there, watching me intently, and waiting for me to do it. So, I did. And I’m glad I did, everyone laughed and it was a good way to break the ice. The Italians that I’ve met are very expressive people, and it helped me fit in to be expressive as well. After grabbing food, we went and saw an American movie, that was dubbed in Italian. It was kind of funny for me to see that the words didn’t match up with the actor’s mouths, but not one seemed to think anything of it. I didn’t understand a lot, but my host brother—bless his heart—tried to translate some basic things. It was an action movie, so I did a pretty good job at following it, but a lot of the humor definitely went right over my head. All and all, it was a good experience. Everyone here seems very accepting, but I can tell that they’re a little hesitant of me, just as I am of them due to the language barrier. That said, I’m working on it!

Religious/Spiritual Activity

-       While I have not attended a full service of Catholic mass since I have been here, I have attended good portions of several actual masses and spent quite a lot of time in Catholic churches where I have been able to observe and get a feel for how religious and spiritual activities work here. I also spent a good thirty minutes talking with a Catholic woman and got some great insights from here. One of the first people think when they think of Rome (which is very close to where I live) is Catholicism. It is the main religion here, almost everyone is Catholic. Whether or not they are a devout, practicing catholic is another thing. I was talking with a woman named Flor who was a very very active Catholic, she told me about the different ‘levels’ you go through in Catholisicm and it honestly reminded me a lot of Mormonism. For those who really do practice the Catholic religion, it is a religion that expects a lot from it’s members. It was really good to have that positive idea about the Catholic church before attending a Catholic mass. The first thing you notice walking into a mass before it has started is the grand scale of the decore—everything is absolutely beautiful and, honestly, breath taking. Every cathedral I have been in has beautiful murals on the walls, places to worship specific saints, and beautiful alters. The second thing you notice, and the thing that sticks out most in my mind, is the music. I honestly don’t know if I have ever heard anything so beautiful. One mass that I was able to observe from a high seat at St. Peter’s Basicilia had music that was playing in the background by a beautiful choir. I wanted to just close my eyes and take in the beauty of the sound. A mass that I recently attended, on a Sunday, was not as big as the mass at St. Peter’s, but it was beautiful. I wish I could have had someone explain to me what exactly was going on, but I know that would be very disrespectful. I believe that it was a sermon being preached, but it was all in song. The priest was reciting the song and it’s beauty was almost unparalleled! I didn’t really follow what was going on, and even though it was not a church of my religion, I was still able to feel the peace and love of the spirit.

-       The dress code surprised me slightly, there were people attending the service who were just wearing jeans and a top. I learned that it is not the specific type of clothing that is important in mass, but the modestly of that clothing. I had a friend who was visiting Florence and just wanted to step in and see the mass, but she got kicked out because her shorts were too short. They are very strict in Catholic churches for showing respect through modest dressing; I believe that they do not expect people to dress is super nice clothes because not all people can afford it, but they do expect people to cover up and show the Lord respect.

-       I was also surprised by all the different songs and chants there were, and that almost all of the congregation knew them. I felt slightly out of place when I wasn’t able to recite the words along with them. I think it’s probably similar in the states, I don’t know for sure, but one aspect of going in Italy that I loved was that the services were in the Italian language, which could really be considered the language of the church. I felt like I really got a great first hand experience with the Catholic church.. I feel like there was one last thing I was going to mention…oh! Yes! When people walk into the church late, they take some water out of this little fountatin, touch their forehead, and then do the ‘Father, son, holy spirit’ cross with their hands—touching their forehead, chest and each shoulder. I was surprised by a man who did that and then kneeled for a second, showing his respect to the Lord or possibly uttering a prayer. Although he was doing something different than everyone else, it did not evoke attention. It seemed that even in a place where everyone knows the same sermons and can recite the chants, there is still room for an individual relationship with God there. It was a very spiritual setting and a great experience for me.

Education (3 people of various ages on their views of formal education and the most common types of informal learning)

Education is one topic that is viewed so differently by so many people in Italy. I thought I ‘knew’ how most people thought about education, based on the first several people that I met and talked to about it. However, the more people that I meet, the more I once again realize—there is SO much diversity and making blanket statements don’t really work for a wide variety of people. I will you about each person I spoke to, in the order that I spoke with them so that you can get a better understanding of the process I went through to come to the understanding of education that I currently have.

1.    Eduardo and Marcos: Eduardo and Marcos are 25 and 24 year old guys, respectively. Both immigrated to Italy, but are very much immersed and a part of the culture. They were the first people in Italy that I ever talked to about education, and their basic thought on it was that it was a waste of time. They told me once that, “You can get your education and then work at McDonalds.” They told me that with the economy how it is, to get a job, you need skills. Learning how to learn didn’t get you anywhere, it’s learning a specific skill set that helped you. Marcos works in the IT field right now and Eduardo works at a hotel. Neither have a formal education pasted high school. They have no desire to get one and think that doing it would be a waste of time and money.

2.    Diego: Deigo is a 26 year old man. He currently has a 5 month contract working in the field of Information Technology. While he attended 1 year of university, he thinks that it is too expensive and that—with the poor economy—it’s not worth the money because you are not that much more able to get a job. He thinks that it is a good thing and would like to finish up someday, but at this point can’t really justify spending the money.

3.    Guilia: Guilia is a 22 year old female. I met Giulia in the library and she is currently studying at a university. She studies languages and is fluent in Italian and English, but also learning Spanish and French. Getting an education is one of thee most important things to her. She thinks that it is necessary to get a formal education and to become educated through traveling and meeting new people. She lives in Bracciano, but drives over an hour to Rome three times a week to attend classes. She dedicates most of her free time to studying, and getting good marks on her exams is extremely important to her. Most of her friends also study at university. One of her friends, Limbarto, studied and is currently working at a nurse, while is sister, Livia, is studying biology and wants to go on to get her doctorate. After meeting these students, I felt like maybe they were just more driven. I realized my own American bias at that thought, in the states—at least in my culture/social class—getting an education just seems like the next step in life. Getting only a high school degree is looked at somewhat negatively. I feel like these individuals, who live in Itaily, had a similar mindset. Almost all of Giulia’s friends attend university. I wonder if that has something to do, possibly, with the social class and money situations of their families.

4.    Mariarosa: Mariarosa is a 35 year old female. She is married, and did not get more than a high school education. She works a few times a week at a local store, but is currently married. I believe that her husband attended university and is able to financially provide for the two of them and their unborn child (she’s pregnant!). I was asking her about what she thought on education and she had a really good explanation. She told me that it really just depends on what field you go into. If you want to go into the medical field, or study languages and work overseas potentially, it was important to go to university and obtain a formal education. On the other hand, she said, if you want to work in a field such as Information Technology, getting a formal education wasn’t important to the field. She explained to me how most information technology companies would higher employees and train them on the job; she told me that there were some IT courses that you could go through as well. I thought her opinion was probably dead on—what you do with your education depends on what you want to do with your life. It is not better or worse to get an education and work in a field where that allows than it is to work in an IT field, it is just different.

5.    Johnathan: I didn’t talk to Johnathan very long about education, but I thought that his views were very important and interesting. He had a strong desire for a formal education and has applied to go to dental school 5 times. Although he was an excellent student and has the ‘credentials’ to get in, he has not been able to. A big reason for this is the corruptness of the government. Sometimes in Italy its less about what you have accomplished or what you’re capable of, and more about who you know. I really do feel sad for him, he is now working as an airline flight attendant—which is apparently a very sought after job and one that he will probably keep for the rest of his life. It’s just hard for me sometimes to see people who have a desire and are willing to put forth the effort, but can still not reach their goals because of things that are out of their control.

-       Fausto: I didn’t talk to Fausto for a extremely long time about education either, I just made a comment once (which maybe I shouldn’t have) complimenting him on his drivenness—he is currently finishing up his master’s in physics and will start his doctoral program shortly after; he wants to go into academics and be a professor. Apparently I seemed surprised at his focus because he asked me why I had gotten the impression that schooling wasn’t important to many Italians. I told him a little bit about my ‘research’ which he understood, but I didn’t agree with. In his family, and among his closes friends, those he lives with and those he is surrounded by (he lives in Rome to attend university although he is from Naples) getting an education is not only a priority, it is an expectation. He always knew that he would go far in school, so getting complimented on it almost seemed to catch him off guard. I think that the importance of education is not only a cultural thing in the terms of Italy as a culture, it is a smaller cultural thing—it depends on where you live, who your family is, what you want to do with your life, how much money your family has, what your connections are, and probably dozens of other factors. To some people a formal education is unimportant, while to others it is the focus of their goals.

-        I have talked to various other people about education since I have been here, but I really feel that these six individuals that I talked to gave me a pretty good understanding of the feelings about education from various viewpoints. Given that Italy is a developed country, there is definitely a lot of class division and I think that that plays into how education ends up being viewed here. For some it is the most important thing, for others the least, and then you’re always going to find people in the middle.

Consumption and Waste

05/10/12

            I have been observing a lot of the consumption and waste patterns here. One thing that I find very interesting, or at least different from the United States, is that there are FOUR different kinds of trash here. One is for food products, like left over banana or apple peels or the scrapings left on your plate after you finish a meal. Another is for paper products. I’m still trying to figure out the difference between the last two. I haven’t really seen one used that much—maybe it is for cardboard or plastic? I’m not 100% sure. The last is just kind of like the typical American trash. Italians put things in it that don’t fit into the previous four categories, like a used napkin. I don’t feel like much is wasted because they recycle all these things (I think!). Also, because no one drink tap water and everyone drinks from water bottles, I’ve noticed that the water bottles are also put in a separate bag, and sat out in front of the homes.

05/16/12

            I am impressed by how much water is saved here, no one leaves the water on and running and people seem to be very aware of what the price is. We fill up the sink with hot water to wash the dishes and rinse them in cold water because it saves money. The water for the showers is not very hot either, at least in my home, but I have been to homes where you can take a fiery hot shower here. I just think that, with the economy being how it is, a lot of people are aware of how much they are spending—worrying about the little things.

05/28/12

Well there are actually even more trash cans/recycling bins that I originally thought, we have six total in our house and it is because recycling seems to be a pretty big deal here. Since no one drinks from the tap, and everyone buys water bottles that are 1.5 Liters, recycling plastic is very important. The bottles of water are definitely cheap, but I still feel bad about drinking as much because it is not free—you will not find a drinking fountain really anywhere. I guess the only ones that you can find are the out door streams of water that you can stick your head under to grab a drink or fill you water bottle with.

06/09/12

            I mentioned this in the news section as well, but apparently there have been some major concerns about the location of a new dump. Obviously no one wants it near them, but it makes me wonder how much recycling is actually being done here, if finding a spot for a new dump is such a huge thing right now.

06/29/12

            I’m not sure if I just spend my time with a particular type of people, if recycling is just very important in Bracciano, or if it is important in Italy as a whole, but recycling appears to be immensely important. There are different kinds of recycling basket in all the main train stations, in airports and all along the sidewalks. If you walk in the roads, you are sure to lots of big dumpsters for different kinds of recycling. It’s quite impressive to me.

07/04/12

I had the opportunity to travel to Florence, which I will talk more about. I definitely saw a different way of life. I didn’t see a ton of different kinds of recycling bins there. I got up early on Saturday morning, and rather than seeing the different kinds of bags filled with different things—like water bottles, paper, food, ect., all of the store vendors, hotels, and some of the residential places that I saw, simply filled up black garbage bags and made no differentiation as to what was in each. So, it appears that Italy as a whole is not as concerned as the Bracciano/Roma area.

Social Space Mapping (diagram the living space—with lables) Journal write up includes activities and rules for each space; most heavily trafficked)

Current Events

05/10/12	Bracciano’s Local Political Election ·         The same representative that was in office was reelected
05/20/12	Earthquake in Northen Italy -          65 million dollars of cheese lost -          Factors closed down that probably wont open soon -          Tourist industries are being affected, some sites have been damaged beyond repair -          26 deaths -          1st hit Emilia Romagna region with a 6.1 magnitude -          There were 2 aftershocks
05/29/12	Another earthquake hit -          Magnitude of 5.8 -          18 deaths -          Epicenter: Medolla
06/03/12	-          Another earthquake…magnitude 4.9 with the epicenter between Concordia sulla Secchia, Novi di Modena and San Possidonio; felt in Trentino Alto Adige.
06/06/12	-          Yet another earthquake here, I haven’t felt any of the effects where I am staying, but it’s still scary, and sad. This one had a magnitude of 4.5 and epicenter was Ravenna in Romagna.
06/09/12	There have been many demonstrations against a dump that has been chosen to be used for Roma’s temporary waste. I have seen on demonstration and heard a lot about it through people living here and on TV. The town itself is very upset (who wouldn’t be) because of the fact that dump is being build so close to them, and there is also some concerns about the waste in the dump getting into their water and being a health concern.
06/11/12	The European soccer cup is going on right now and it is VERY important to a lot of people. I watched a game against spain last night which ended with a 1:1 draw. Italian supporters seemed pleased, after having lost 1:3 against Russia in a ‘friendly’ match.
07/01/12	Italy was in the European Soccer national cup! I actually went to Rome to watch the game at an outdoor venue. There were huge screens everywhere. I’ll go into more detail about it in my field notes, but let’s that Italians have a lot of national pride, even after losing 0 to 4 against Spain, people were still waving their flags. Disappointed at the loss, but proud of their country.

Oral traditions and Storytelling (have someone tell me a story/personal narrative—what the story means to this person, underlying values or norms of social controls and social sanctions.

-          It is not just that I am studying the culture of love or dating and courting practices here; I think had come to study something else, I would have probably

Attire and Adornment

Activities/Events	Males	Females
A job interview	Suit and tie—what I would have expected; clothing is very important here, so if it a serious interview for a good place, I would probably expect it to be tailored.	Similar, it obviously depends on the job you are applying for, but women are expected to wear suits as well. Always best to make your first impression a good one.
A religious ceremony or worship	Honestly, the dress code is not strict or inforced for catholic churches here. As a rule of thumb, you should keep your knees and shoulders covered; I have heard that it is also heard that you should keep your whole arms covered, but I’m pretty positive that that isn’t the case. Since those are the ‘rules,’ to keep your knees and arms covered, that does not mean that you have to wear a dress or any attire that is that formal. Instead, you will find many of the people at a catholic mass wearing jeans, and pretty regular clothing. At a Mormon church ceremony, the dress code is definitely more strict and the exact same as it is in the states. Shoulders covered and skirts to knees for woman; flip flops are not worn, but sandals are acceptable. For men, a suit and tie are the preferred norm.
A funeral	All black, it used to be the tradition that the spouse of the deceased person wear black for an extended period of time, but that is not the case right now. One thing that I thought was interesting was that at a funeral, it is open casket and most people kiss the forehead or the cheek of the deceased; even children are encouraged to kiss the cheek or touch the hand of the person to show respect.
A wedding	No black or white—black is for mourning and white is for the bride. It is important to consider the time of day of a wedding, if it is before noon, you should avoid cocktail dresses and wear something that is a bit longer and more appropriate. If you are at a religious ceremony it is important to bring a shawl to cover up with. Weddings are sacred events, so wearing a strapless or spaghetti strap dress really isn’t appropriate. At the reception, you can take off your shawl though!	Nice Italian suit, you know how those Italians love their tailored clothing!
A sports event	I have actually been to a sporting event and the attire is pretty much just like everyday attire. People mostly wear jeans. Many of the fans are wearing soccer jerseys for the team that they are supporting. Other than that, you’ll really see everything. A lot of guys wear tight fitting tank top—which is more just of the general style rather than a style that is unique to soccer games. I went when it was cold, so most people were somewhat bundled up. Women, however, do tend to wear a lot of heels at a lot of different events, so you are sure to see some women dressed nice in stilettos, but you will also see women wearing jeans and soccer jerseys. So, I guess what I’m saying is that there is definitely a big range of what is acceptable attire at sporting events.

Diagramming of Local Governance (Bracciano—a chart and then an explanation)

Italy is divided into 20 regions—with 5 of them being granted ‘semiautonomous’ status, and the other 15 regions have more limited autonomy. Each region has a regional council; the council and the regional president is elected by ‘universal franchise under a proportional system analogous to that of the parliament of Rome (I feel like I need to GoogleTranslate that eventhough it’s in English). The 20 regions are further divided into 94 provinces, which each elect a council and president. Further, each region is divided into communces, which are towns, cities and townships—this is the basic unit of local administration.  Everyone is allowed to vote for these officials for a four-year term. The elected offices are the 1) mayor and 2) the board of aldermen to administer to the commune. There is a commissioner in each region to represent the federal government. It really doesn’t seem the average person knows very much about Braccianos local government system, but just about everyone I talk to mentions to corruptness of ever level of government in Italy—which is sad L