The first day I arrived in Roccafranca I was informed that my Italian dad’s 29-year-old brother Giovanni was in the market for a wife and I was a suitable match.  Really, I was just the first new girl in town since last summer’s ACLE tutors.  But every time I met a new grandmother, aunt, uncle, cousin or friend of the family they immediately said, “You-Giovanni.  Very good.  Yes.”

Seeing as almost every man under 30 here would be a top contender for The Jersey Shore Season 3, I was not optimistic about this proposed arranged marriage.  But when my “mom” told me Giovanni would like to take me to the scenic Lake Garda with his two friends, I was all over it – as long as my sister could come.  We really hadn’t met anyone our own age and were eager to see where they went out.

So a couple nights ago Perrin and I hopped in a BMW and headed out with the boys.  A couple things stood out:

Me and Giovanni, my 29-year-old Italian “uncle”, in Autocool, a 24-7 convenience store where you can gamble in the slot machines or buy fresh fruit, DVDs, board games, Gelato and more! Giovanni has a graphic t-shirt, ripped jeans and a man purse. 100% standard look for men here.

1. They drive as if they were in Super Mario Kart.  Mika, our driver, went at least 90mph down a one lane highway the whole trip and zipped around other cars like we had the special star shield around us and could go through anything in our path.  It was mildly terrifying and we won’t be doing it again.  They blasted U2 the whole way though, which was a welcome language barrier buffer.

Perrin dancing to U2's "Elevation" blaring in the background.

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