Alternative ending where I've never left Italy
People who live in a different country from where they grew up may find the idea of living a completely different life all too familiar, for everyone else, welcome to Sliding doors.
Just the other day I was about to go to work when I decided to throw a nice mango in my bag as a morning snack. It’s perfectly normal, maybe a bit messy, but mangoes are still in season and it’s a fruit to peel, hence bag friendly. As I was cutting the mango in half, ready to do the dicey thing, I imagined a version of me still in Italy that would never imagine finding a mango at the supermarket, never-mind dicing it nonchalantly at work.
That got me thinking, what else am I doing now that I would have never come across if I stayed in Italy? What is the other Barbs missing out on?
For that Barbara, the one who has never left Italy, having a job is probably a luxury and the money she spends to get to work is probably more than what she earns. She still lives in the family home and even oranges are too ‘flashy’ to bring to work. Bright orange, scented, and juicy… Put it away, this is not Mardi Gras.
Another fun thing the other Barbara is missing out on, is checking fire forecast before going on a trip. In Italy we learn how to -try to- survive earthquakes and avalanches, whereas in Australia the focus tends to be more towards fire and ocean rips. I am sure you have seen our fire danger rating along popular streets, the ones where the lowest level says 'moderate', the second lowest says 'high', and 'extreme' is not even the highest level.
Talking about heat, sometimes it gets so hot here that car electronics stop working, buses break down in the middle of the freeway and asphalt sticks to the bottom of your shoes. Living on the Italian mountains, the other Barbara knows how to put snow chains on her car tyres and carries around a handy windshield ice-remover tool.
When going shopping, the options that Melbourne city has to offer are endless and competitive. In a small mountain town there usually is only one place selling a specific thing, so Barbara learned to live by the motto 'when you see it, you buy it'. Which, as many of you will know, if applied to Melbourne life, means that you are going to miss out on deals that are happening at the same time, one door down.
True story.
In case you were wondering: 'Code red / Catastrophic' is the highest fire danger rating level, and it's not even red: it's black!
Image: via
Just the other day I was about to go to work when I decided to throw a nice mango in my bag as a morning snack. It’s perfectly normal, maybe a bit messy, but mangoes are still in season and it’s a fruit to peel, hence bag friendly. As I was cutting the mango in half, ready to do the dicey thing, I imagined a version of me still in Italy that would never imagine finding a mango at the supermarket, never-mind dicing it nonchalantly at work.
That got me thinking, what else am I doing now that I would have never come across if I stayed in Italy? What is the other Barbs missing out on?
For that Barbara, the one who has never left Italy, having a job is probably a luxury and the money she spends to get to work is probably more than what she earns. She still lives in the family home and even oranges are too ‘flashy’ to bring to work. Bright orange, scented, and juicy… Put it away, this is not Mardi Gras.
Another fun thing the other Barbara is missing out on, is checking fire forecast before going on a trip. In Italy we learn how to -try to- survive earthquakes and avalanches, whereas in Australia the focus tends to be more towards fire and ocean rips. I am sure you have seen our fire danger rating along popular streets, the ones where the lowest level says 'moderate', the second lowest says 'high', and 'extreme' is not even the highest level.
Talking about heat, sometimes it gets so hot here that car electronics stop working, buses break down in the middle of the freeway and asphalt sticks to the bottom of your shoes. Living on the Italian mountains, the other Barbara knows how to put snow chains on her car tyres and carries around a handy windshield ice-remover tool.
When going shopping, the options that Melbourne city has to offer are endless and competitive. In a small mountain town there usually is only one place selling a specific thing, so Barbara learned to live by the motto 'when you see it, you buy it'. Which, as many of you will know, if applied to Melbourne life, means that you are going to miss out on deals that are happening at the same time, one door down.
True story.
In case you were wondering: 'Code red / Catastrophic' is the highest fire danger rating level, and it's not even red: it's black!
Image: via
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