Lotta Communista

Yes. It's Thursday night - actually, now it's Friday, but anyways, what did I decide to do today? 

Go to a communist student group meeting.

Yes, Communism. 

And, as an American, what was the first thing I thought of when I heard Communism - I thought of evil. As many of you know, we as Americans have learned about the different types of governments and social structures that exist, or have existed, and in what ways these structures work or don't work. 

I'm going to be honest. I am not much smarter than a common American. 

However, I like to hear all sides of the story. Every person has a right to express themselves and tell others what they think. But, I think this concept (which I learned as a child) is slowly starting to fade away.

I went to this meeting to get an insight as to how communists are reacting to the financial crisis that is going on today. I don't remember everything that was said (Give me a break, it was all in Italian!), but some of the points that stood out and stuck with me are the facts that the guy was talking about, which included:

1. About 925 million people in the world barely have enough to eat to survive. This is frightening due to the fact that there are now 7 billion people in the world.
2. Guess how much food is produced? Enough to feed 12 billion people. 
3. Communism exists within Capitalism. It's just a matter of reminding the working class.
4. The only thing that differentiates us from animals is that fact that we work. Nowadays, we work to produce more than we can consume. The more things that are produced, means more that is sold, which equals $$$. But, where is that money?
5. Revolution is something that comes naturally. It's a cycle. How many revolutions have we seen? What are the reasons behind them? We think of revolution and what is that we think of? Change? For better or for worse? (And, what is going now in the States and around the world?)
6. It's almost hard to see the humanity in Capitalism. The need to produce and make more from something makes us forget the fundamentals - we forget that production leads to exploitation of humans and natural resources. What's going to happen when it all runs out?
7. CHINA - everyone's fear. But, can we really blame them for wanting to get ahead? How many countries have already done it? 
8. World War 3? When we here of the problems today, we almost always tend to blame a country or a group of people for being the reason we are all "suffering". How many times do we hear that it is China's fault that there are no jobs, etc. This ultimately leads to hatred, which leads to competition, which leads to war. Who wants to take the blame?

Again, to clarify, these were some the arguments that were used to justify the necessity for change. The main subject of the discussion was the need for a revolution. Yes, this group thinks that within 30 years, there will be some kind of revolution that will completely restructure the world. 

I don't know if these facts are true or if I should even worry about them, but I do know that something needs to happen. And, I wish I knew what that was. I wish I knew what the solution is or could be. 

It frightens me to think of the world just melting and falling apart because we have let the world economy get out of hand. Who is to blame? Who can change it? 

I am all for the American Dream. The fact that you can get ahead and live a comfortable life if you work hard for it. But, I know that it's not easy. I know that there are people that need help. And I am all for helping others. Yet, I know that it is also within human nature to make the most out of this help. But, I think this goes both ways. You want to make more money out of nothing and receive more without having to do nothing in exchange. This is where my thoughts conflict. 

This was an interesting event and I think the members of the group want me to join the effort. I am honestly not sure what to do. I don't feel like I have a strong enough knowledge base to say that I am all for Communism. But, I do appreciate the fact that there is a group that is out there for the rights of workers and the power of the people. 

This all might have just hit me because of my current situation. Well, my family situation. My dad has worked for Fleetwood Motor Homes (which no longer exists and is now another company) for almost 15 years. He is a laborer - he puts these machines together. When he first starting working there, the company was going strong. Then, production started to slow when gas prices started going up. The company shut down one plant in Indiana. Then, moved one to Mexico, which then shut down as well. There was only one left in California. Out of maybe 400 people who worked there, the company has slowly been downsized. The company closed down and filed for bankruptcy and my dad was out of a job for months. He is now working at the same factory, which is under new ownership, but is now one of 40 people working. 

If this company fails, there is no back up. Yes, my parents could have done better with their savings and maybe shouldn't have used so many credit cards and gotten in so much debt, but to them, it was all new and it was what they wanted. They immigrated to the US to work and live a better life. (And, tell me that it is not part of business to tempt people into using credit, buying cars, buying random knich-knacks, etc.) Yes, my parents were illegal. They told me how they would go door to door and use hand gestures to see if anyone would give them a job. My dad started off as a dishwasher at a Mexican restaurant. He also got a job at a bowling alley (He worked at Tava Lanes and then would have to walk to Downtown Riverside to get home). My mom babysat. She still does. I have no idea how many kids she has taken care of! 

They took advantage of these opportunities. They are now US Citizens, they pay taxes, they have never used welfare, they have put me through school and will do the same for my sisters. They are working on being home owners (which is another ordeal in itself) and they are doing there best to make ends meet. 

I am grateful for what they have done. Seeing the current conditions, I see how there is a need for change. A need to help people who are struggling who didn't know better. 

Now, I am just rambling. A combination of fatigue and frustration and maybe, a new way of thinking.

Ottembre

Lunch = Pranzo

The beginning of a new month. A new season. A new chapter. Life in Florence could not be any better. I am still amazed by the sights as I walk to and from school. I am so grateful that I can say that I am living in Florence and enjoying life - in a somewhat Italian way.

I usually wake up and take my time to prepare my coffee in the morning. I enjoy every last drop before going back into my room and getting ready for school. I usually wake up an hour and a half or two hours before I have to be in class so that I have enough time to get ready and make it to to the university or Middlebury’s Sede on time. At first I thought that it was going to be a pain to have to walk about 30 minutes to get to school everyday, but now it’s become part of the daily routine. Now, the walk to and from class is never the same. I sometimes change it up a bit and take different routes, depending on if I have to run an errand or just want to kill some time (aka procrastinate) before getting started on my compiti (homework).

The workload hasn’t been to hard, but I don’t want to jinx it. The most stressful (and discouraging) part is that I am still not feeling very comfortable with my Italian. There are (very few) days when I think that I am a genius because I speak almost perfectly. But, then there are days (almost everyday) that I can’t say a simple phrase or comment. I guess that is why I just need to keep trying and force myself to make the mistakes anyways - that’s the only way I am going to learn. Hooray for Middlebury!

Comunque (Anyways), I haven’t done as much traveling but it all has to do with the fact that I took my time to get situated. I think I know my way around pretty well and I think I have finally figured out how the schedules for school and work. I would really like to travel to some of the countries in the North and in the East and also visit my cousin in London. I will, of course, go to France at some point.

About 30 km away from Perugia, Umbria, Italy

I would also like to travel a little more around Italy since there are still so many places that I think I should visit while I am here. For example, I went back to Perugia with my roommate who knew someone from there. The first time I went there was in 2007, when I was studying in Siena, and I went specifically for the Eurochocolate festival. But, now that I went back, I got a “behind-the-scenes” look at the city and the countryside. And, also learned that the prices at Eurochocolate are hiked up ridiculously and that most of the time, the people selling the chocolate are usually using this time to get rid of the stuff they haven’t been able to sell (aka leftovers). Glad I didn’t buy anything.

PS. Halloween in Italy is getting more and more popular every year. I went out with some of my class mates and ended up staying out ‘til dawn. I was in bed at 6:30 am. So far, the tradition has been that once the bars close and there is no place to get food, you go home with a group of friends and cook up some pasta to eat before going to bed. We did just that. I guess I am now a pasta lover.