locals

This morning I made it to the grocers for some staples, and met the avuncular Giancarlo and his wife Maria. People turned to look at me, and about five minutes later, a woman who had just walked in, walked right up to me, kissed me on the cheeks with a robust "Ciao!" and spoke so incredibly fast, I'm not sure at all of what she was saying. I caught that she was friends with Miguel and that she's from Calabria. Claudia at the cafe told her I was in town. Turns out she's cousins by marriage to my landlady. Within seconds, she was explaining to all in the shop who I was, since they were wondering.

Tonight I went out to the local restaurant and ordered a pizza. I had to wait twenty minutes, so I went to Claudia's cafe next door, where her brother Fabio was working. I sat down at the table next to Silvano and Mario came to sit at my table. I chatted with them awhile and discovered that Mario is Giancarlo's brother in law. Everyone in this small town is so interconnected, and it's an interesting network in which to move around.