Will & Won't No 2

First, what's the photo, I hear you ask?? It's the Mytro plant growing at the thermal spa I visit. It is the basis for our surname Mirto. The berries are used to make syrup, liquor and who knows what else, mostly in Sardinia. Below is a photo of the berries.

I will miss the markets and the local shops. I won't miss the crush of people shopping, or the push and shove of the housewives elbowing to buy fresh cheese and warm bread.

I'll miss the smiles and friendly greetings of the girl at the checkout, the barrista (guy making coffee at the bar), the pizza restaurant guys and the men at the wine shop. I won't miss the snarl and disdain one receives from service industry staff for the first few months of patronising their businesses.

I will occasionally miss the orchestra of blaring horns on the streets as drivers vent their frustrations. I won't miss the Neapolitan style of driving, the traffic jams, the road works or the pollution.

I will miss the debates that Neapolitans are constantly involved in.I won't miss their apparent collective inability to take action to address the issues they debate about. Nor will I miss what often sounds to me to be an argument rather than a discussion.

I will miss the moving theatre that are the public buses. I won't miss the unsavoury behaviour of certain men, especially when under the cover of a crowd (think rubbing crotches and roving hands). Nor will I miss being verbally attacked by crazy old women who identify me as a naive tourist and don't mind telling me what I should be doing differently to protect myself.

I will miss the incredible Neapolitan cuisine. I won't miss the fact that many Neapolitans are closed minded to anything other than local food.

I will miss the colder weather and the opportunity to wear coats, scarves, gloves and boots. I won't miss the resulting need to dress appropriately for the inclement weather, or the need to robe and disrobe as you come in and out.

I will miss the way Neapolitans completely embrace the summer sunshine and warmth. I won't miss the crowds of people at the beach, or the orange tans, or the excess of exposed flesh that really should be covered up. Nor will I miss the fact that summer brings much of life's regular activity to a stop.

I will miss walking around, discovering new corners, alleyways, doors, windows and decaying buildings. I won't miss walking around huge mountains of stinking rubbish, double parked cars and doggy messages in small, medium and extra large.

I will miss the energy of Naples. I won't miss the energy's apparent lack of purposeful direction.

I will miss the colours. The bright paint of newly renovated facades. The fading frontages of buildings long forgotten. The yellows reflecting the sun or Sorrento lemons, Pompeii reds, deep terracotta, musky pinks, forest greens, sky blues, creams, muted greys, apricots, and caramel. The dazzling mosaics of times past, disappearing frescoes and charmingly mismatched ceramic tiles. I won't miss the contstant presence of ugly scaffolding as restoration and renovation transforms a wreck into a fresh dream.

I will miss the style, flair and panache of clothing, hair and accessories.I won't miss the vanity, checking hair, clothes and faces in any reflecting surface, Vespa mirrors being a favourite. Nor will I miss the heavy make up of the misinformed, or the tight polyester clothing of obese teenagers and their mothers who should know better surely.

I will miss the mozarella. It just doesn't get any better anywhere else in the world. I won't miss not being able to buy regular tasty cheddar cheese.

I will miss teaching English, learning about my own language, better understanding English grammar and its functions. Pushing myself to be less shy and talk to students (= strangers). I won't miss the whiteboard pens that never work, or travelling to dodgy parts of town to give in company lessons to adults who behave like 10 year-olds.

I will miss living next door to the deli and the bakery. I'll miss living across the cobblestones from the butcher and having beauty products, household items and cleaning products within ten metres of the front door. Fruit and vegetables are just fifty metres away. The chemist, pizza restaurant, liquor store, mini supermarket, florist, kitchen supplies, cheese shop, basket lady, clothes, shoes, lingerie, toys are all within sight of our apartment. I won't miss having to borrow a car to drive 30 kilometres to visit a shopping centre.