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beware of italian gesture
[Naomi Asselin]
When I was a little girl my mother constantly warned me that when I made a funny face, after a while it would freeze, and I would look like that forever. Italians, however, never seem to have this problem as they are constantly in motion, snapping from one expression to another. The body language of Italian may be quite different than what a lot of travellers are used to. In spite of the language barrier, I found that while communicating with locals, their extravagant hand gestures explained all. I also took notice that the faster someone used their hands, the easier it was to tell if they were a naturally enthusiastic person.
Be cautious, because certain gestures may mean something inappropriate or even completely different than you assume and cause great confusion. In the United States a swift flick with the hand under the chin hints at vulgarity, but in Italy it is another way of saying “I don’t care.” To avoid confusion when ordering a singular item, instead of saying “uno,” and holding up your index finger to indicate one, use your thumb. In Italy when counting on the hand, the index finger is the number two.
With a little patience and understanding, communication in a different language may not be as difficult as one may have thought!
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