Water Park

Daniele has fallen in love with an Italain Groupon called Groupalia, at first I actually thought it was the same company. After enduring night after night of hearing about all you can eat pizza offers for 5 euros (one pizza typically cost 5 euros and that's all I can eat), I got something good out of this new obsession-- a trip to the water park!

This water park called Aquapiper. It has tube and no-tube water slides and two of those steep drop slides. There is also a wave pool and several other pools and acres of lounge chairs so all those Italians can get their tanning done. We normally go to the beach on his day off, this was a super fun way to mix it up.

All in all it was like an American water park (except maybe cuter lifeguards). I only made one major social observation this day. So. Most of the water slides all boarded on this one platform. One level down were some tube slides and one level up were three of those drop straight down slides. This middle platform was the busiest with the most and best slides. I'm sure anyone who has every been to Italy (or even an Italian bakery) can imagine the neat organized lines everyone formed, right? Of course it was just a big mob of people, everyone just kinda standing, or pushing, the kids running up to the front.

One time I get up to the platform and it was completely full (people are touching each other crowded) so I was standing at entrance and I put my foot and arm over the doorway so no one can get past me. I am at the end of the line, for any of the slides. Some kids try to get past me, to push to the front of the line for one of the slides, and I stop them, which I feel it the fair thing to do. They are not toddlers, they are like 12 years old. Then who shows me whats what-- one of the lifequards comes over, he's making rounds looking for kids to bring to the front.

So, apparently children, even older children in Italy don't have to wait in lines. Which makes it easy to see why adults in Italy never learn the simple skill. I asked Daniele about this and he confirmed it. Guess I was in the wrong blocking the little brats from cutting. Though he added that in a place like this, were it is more than half kids, it normally wouldn't apply. It's more for when there is just one kid, you let them go to the front.

These children seemed so obnoxious to me, as do their grown up counterparts. For example, when they place a basket in line at the supermarket and then go about their shopping, expecting the rest of us to scoot it forward, rather than just step around it (which I've done and gotten a nasty look for). Or when someone walked up next to me (rather than behind) in a line and when asked who was here first, she can't remember, but she only has one thing (same as me) do I mind?

This observation really drilled home for me the significance of having children follow the same rules as adults. It was also a reminder that while I may drink the coffee, speak the lingo, and hopefully soon have the papers to say I'm Italian, I'll always be American.

(Daniele coming down the slide at Aquapiper)

More photos are in my Summer Rome Album:
https://picasaweb.google.com/111221349198606775660/20110608Roma