Rome`s poor seems to be limited to a young women sitting on the ground with a small child in her lap or an old woman on all fours, bowed head holding out a cup. it caught me off guard at first because they would be sitting right at the entrance or stairs of some major tourist attraction or basilica. as soon as you step in or open the door, she`s there waiting. japan`s poor was always well hidden and the police liked to shuffle them from one park to another...i never saw any in the train stations.

the island i went to this past weekend, ventotene, was full of immigrants from the former ussr who spoke a weird dialect that confused even the italian tourists. the apartments/condos/houses we stayed in were spread around the center of the island and the area where i stayed made me think of mexico because of all the lizards and exotic wildlife and spanish-style homes. ive never been to mexico but i imagine (and from the few movies ive seen) it would be like that island.

rome also has a very diverse population of immigrants from north africa to yugoslavia to china to india...although it seems like most of them make a living in the services or by selling bootleg prada and gucci to american tourists. some have souvenir stands set up. but except for the puma store we went to last week havent seen any working in the restaurants or shops. there are a few asian restaurants near the major train stations though.

the men, as beautiful as the women sometimes, can be pretty aggressive and bold...they stare at every part of your body without shame and try to get your attention by saying "bella this or that" or some weird english mixture (we went to a few parties/bars in ventotene and i remember this one guy kept saying he loved me ?!?). and you try not to laugh so they wont be encouraged or follow you. but they seem harmless, despite all the warnings we were given before we arrived, although i havent walked the streets by myself yet. the older men are the funniest.

i feel like all i do is walk and eat and walk and eat some more. no wonder europeans are so much thinner than americans. i`m eating tons of carbs everyday, 4-5 meals a day, with plenty of wine and cheese, and i`ve actually lost weight since i left home. it`s great: all you can eat pasta and pizza and gelati without worrying about your figure (reading your weight in kilos doesnt hurt either...small, comforting numbers compared to pounds). i actually have to force myself to eat more some days so i wont wake up feeling starved because of all the calories ive burned exploring rome. was not feeling the croissant and cafe for breakfast though, so i gave in and bought cheerios today.