One of the things I’m most interested in is a country’s daily traditions, routines and culture. I love learning about what an average person does on an average day and finding out all the big and more discreet differences compared to my and my family’s daily routine and happenings.
When I meet a new family from a different country I can usually be found grilling them with questions regarding what they eat, their school system, their free time activities, their daily schedules and vacation rituals. It’s so interesting to learn about a new culture through what they do on a daily routine basis.
We personally are a bit of a mixed family in regards to our daily routines and traditions thanks to the fact we are a Canadian and a Belgian living in Italy. We have sort of adopted different aspects of all three cultures and mixed it all up into our daily grind. It works for us but I’m sure some people would find it absolutely confusing.
So I’ve decided to contact some families from various countries and ask them some pretty basic and simple questions regarding their family and kid’s daily life. The last question is my favorite, it’s really something I find so interesting to hear from different cultures. Hope you enjoy it!
I thought I would interview an Italian family as the kick-off to this series. Gaia has been a good friend of mine for years and is also a fellow blogger (check out her site patasgnaffi). Let’s see what she has to say about her daily life.
Where do you live?
I live in Northern Italy on Lago Maggiore
Are both you and your husband the same nationality?
Yes, both Italian.
How many children do you have? What are their ages?
We have 3 kids: a 10 year old boy, a little 6 year old girl who is convinced she’s a princess and wee little gnome of a girl who just turned one.
What language(s) do you speak at home?
We speak Italian at home.
In Italy what age do kids start school?
In Italy kids start elementary/Primary school at 6 years old, which means La Principessa will start this coming September. {Jillian: Italian Scuola Materna (kindergarten) starts at 3 years old}
During the school year, what time do your kids get up in the morning?
We all get up at 7:15
What do your kids eat for breakfast?
I always try to have a cake or some muffins made for breakfast, but often my kids prefer to eat bread with butter and jam or cereal with fruit. There is always freshly squeezed orange juice on the table and La Principessa has discovered that a good omelet in the morning is fantastic!
What time does school start? What is the school schedule like?
School starts at 7:55 and ends three days a week at 4:30pm and two days at 12:30pm.
Do your kids learn a second/third language at school?
At school they learn English as a second language (barely!).
Do your kids eat lunch at school or at home? What is a typical lunch they would eat?
On long days the kids usually eat in the cafeteria at school, but sometimes they prefer to come home for a quick bite to eat. The menu is varied, it could be a pasta, meat with vegetables and sometimes even a salad with many ingredients or a sandwich. The oldest loves to go a restaurant for Chinese, Japanese or even a kebab. Incredibily enough we eat very little pizza!
What sort of extra-curricular activities do your kids do?
Our son plays football (soccer) and basketball and La Principessa does ballet. In this we are definitely stereotypical!
What do you eat for dinner and at what time?
We usually have dinner between 7 and 7:30pm. During the summer vacation usually a bit later. For the menu it varies a lot. Luckily I have a husband who loves to cook and always surprises us with delicious dinners.
What time do your kids go to bed?
During the school year the lights have to be out between 8 and 8:30pm. During the vacation this is much more lenient (though not for our little gnome who always collapses early!).
What do you do as a family on the week-ends?
If we can we like to pass our time with friends. They come to our house for a meal or we go to their houses. Here in Italy socializing really revolves around food! If we manage, we also go to our house in the countryside to spend time with the paternal grandparents.
When are your kids on vacation from school?
Our kids are on vacation from mid-June to mid-September. It’s a very long time for working mothers to organise but also for us stay-at-home mothers who have to find ways to keep our kids busy for three months!
What is an average summer vacation for your family?
We try and take our kids to the sea for at least three weeks every summer. They also do a few day camps and then the last month we stay at our house in the countryside. While there we always try and find a few days to go and discover a new city or place.
And now the famous last question. What are the typical “first foods” for an Italian baby?
We usually start with a little bit of fruit like apple, pear or banana. We then introduce a vegetable broth with carrots, potatoes and zucchini and added cereal flours such as tapioca or corn. With our last little one she graduated quite quickly to eating what we eat though! {Jillian: when we had little babies in Italy our doctor advised us to give ricotta with olive oil and parmesan cheese, rabbit meat, ostrich meat and special pasta for babies from 4 months old!}
{Notice any big differences between your culture and that of Gaia’s? I would love to hear your thoughts. If you’re a family living in a different country and would like to take part in these interviews please contact me at jillianinitaly@hotmail.com}
