On wanting to feel truly Italian.

A few words in Italian is all it takes to win over Italians. In the marketplace today. There I was. Standing in line. To buy pastries. With my severely limited knowledge of Italian. But I was able to say the Italian for two. And four. And I even called one of the Italian pastries by the Italian name.  The clerk recognized me from last year. And I called her by name.  Angela.  The other customers standing around, noticed me. They soon learned I was Americano.  And when I told everyone in Italian that I was very lucky to be in Italy, they smiled and greeted me. I even got pats on the back. Yes, a warm welcome. This inspires me to learn a few more phrases of Italian. Post haste.  I owe it to myself. But mostly to my fellow Italians. I want to start feeling truly Italian.  –Jim Broede