Well, its looking like my internet access in Sardinia is going to be slightly more limited than I thought (I also cant find the apostrophe on this keyboard, so please just pretend that its there in the necessary places). But I will try and post as often as I can. Im having a great time. Sardinia is gorgeous, the family Im staying with is amazing and incredibly hospitable, and the food is delicious — Im eating constantly, and its great. Life here is very relaxed. Im reading a lot (just finished “Manifesta” by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards, and now Im re-reading “The Beauty Myth” and still working on “The World is Flat”) and doing a lot of writing. I spent all morning today at the beach — white sand, emerald water… its perfect.
The people Ive met are very interested in Italian and American politics, and have been telling me quite a bit about there opinions about both. A big issue for Italians right now is a referendum on fertility treatments that the Catholic Church opposes. As it was explained to me, the current law is very regressive: no sperm or egg donations, only two emryos can be implanted at once, embryonic stem cell research is banned, etc. The country will vote on all of these things this Saturday or Sunday (I think), and the Catholic Church is urging people not to vote. In Italy, if a referendum vote has less than 50 percent turnout, its considered invalid — so the Church is trying to create a situation where the vote wont even count. The referendum vote is also on a weekend, the weather is hot, and so theres lots of worry that they wont surpass the 50 percent turnout requirement.
Interest in American politics is also strong — most people want to know, “How could George W. Bush get reelected?” I dont know how to answer that question. It confuses me, too. The people Ive met say they miss Bill Clinton, and hope that Hillary gets elected in 2006. Its incredible to see how important American politics are to people halfway around the world — to the point where they know all the important political figures and closely follow what happens. It would be nice if Americans did the same.
On a different topic, I was talking to one extended member of the family Im staying with, and she was asking questions about the United States — “Whats the word for ___,” etc, and we were talking about how kids are raised, how we speak to them, etc. She asked if we have terms for little kids private parts, and said that in Italy boys have “little p’s” and girls have a “farfalle” — a butterfly. I thought that was so wondeful — to raise little girls with the belief that their vulva is beautiful, like a butterfly. Its a far cry from the non-discussion in the U.S., or the shame-based sexual education we give our children that leads to a larger perception of womens sexual organs as ugly. I think that if I have daughters, theyll be taught that they have a “butterfly” — not a “thing” that will not be named.