I just finished washing the dishes after dinner. Why was I washing the dishes? Because two children are out camping with the Scouts, one fell asleep before dinner, one is out on the town, and one needed to be in bed and out of sight after a rough afternoon of homework.
While I washed dishes I reflected on how commonplace our lifestyle seems to us right now, and how it might not seem that way to everyone else. You see, I was washing all the dishes by hand in a one-basin sink because we do not have a dishwasher, unless you count 5 children. That got me thinking on everything else we took for granted back in Atlanta.
In Italy, we have:
* no dishwasher
* no microwave
* no toaster
* no deep freezer
* a refrigerator so small it fits under the counter
* a three-burner gas stove we have to light by hand
* no clothes dryer
* one tiny car, which seats 4 and has a top speed of 50 mph
* parking a block away for that car
* 1000 sq ft for 7 people
* no air conditioning
* 4 windows, one for each room
* a "yard" that is a 3-ft by 20-ft balcony
* metered electric power so small that we cannot run the washing machine and the oven at the same time
And do you know what? It is enough.
Lest you think we are serious throwbacks, here are some items from the other end of the spectrum:
* 6 cell phones
* 5 laptops
* 3 iPads
Michael
Actually, it's a top speed of 48 (80 km/hr), but who's counting? For the record, I actually took it on the highway TWICE today! Just for one exit, and I was very brave...
ReplyDeleteI love my little car!! Woo hoo! Have I told you guys about the gas tank...how when you fill it up you have to take out the nozzle periodically to eyeball how full it actually is? There's a reason I love it that it's usually full-service here!
If you want more pictures, let me know. I'm always happy to share!
Isn't it amazing what we can live without?!
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