I was in CoOp, the main grocery store in my little town of Opera, and saw Massimo - one of the guys that works in the produce section. Massimo is super nice - he first helped me last Fall (when I had just moved here)... I was looking for hot (chili) peppers. From that first time - on, he always gives me a smile and a hello... calling out, "Ciao Stazy!"
When my parents and brother, Sean, were here last Christmas they met Massimo as well... and he loved meeting my family. Massimo especially loved Sean. The two of them connected right away.
On his last day in Opera (or at least the last time he was in the CoOp before leaving Italy), Sean said that he had to go find Massimo to say goodbye. : )
So now... Massimo saw me and asked how my parents are. ...He then asked how Sean is doing ...and told me (in Italian) to make sure to tell Sean that he says hello!
I think it's really awesome that connections and friendships can be made even when fluent communication is not there. In this instance, something about their energy or personalities... or something... spoke to each other.
My dad is great at forming these kinds of connections as well. He will use what Italian words he does know and have people smiling, laughing, and speaking back.
My mom gets in to town today - YEAH! She is, unfortunately, landing about 5 hours later than she expected but I plan to meet her in the city soon and it's a beautiful day in Milan today : ) She'll be here for the week ahead and I'm really, really looking forward to soaking up some Mom-time!
Massimo welcomed me back to Opera today too! He helped me get the freshest raspberries from the farthest back part of the cooler. He is awesome! As soon as I started speaking to him, he said something in Italian about me being "Stacia's mother"!
ReplyDeleteAhhh - that's awesome, Mom! He's the best. I had told him that you were coming back for a visit : )
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