I have always heard the phrase "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only page".  Well, it is incredibly true.  You can read, watch tv, search on internet, etc., but nothing compares to actually feeling lost in a new city, out of your comfort zone.  Because there is where you start to learn. 

 

I came to Italy with my husband who is Italian, and it has been a daily adventure.  Visiting places like a tourist is very different to visiting places with a local.  Being a tourist is easy, everything is spoon-fed to you.  Being with a local means that people expect you to act like a local too, and Italians will push you and force you to talk, eat and drink like a local.  Which, by the way, is the best way to do things.

 

What fascinated me the most, since my first visit to Italy, is the food culture.  These people don´t just eat; Italians have a relationship with food.  They treat food with love and respect, and everybody devotes part of their day to properly enjoy food.  There is no such thing as "too busy to have lunch".

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So, being here has taught me a different way to see things in every aspect of my life.  And learning about food, ingredients, recipes and local cuisine, has made me have a newfound respect for my own local cuisine (which by the way is Panamanian) and also, has given me the opportunity to teach our friends that in Panama we eat global, so they are learning to appreciate my second favorite cuisine (which is Chinese) along with Japanese, Indian and Middle-Eastern cuisine.  

 

Hope you like this journey as much as I do!