Cultural differences :)
This evening I have dedicated a bit of time to chatting with strangers. Meaning, I went on a website where my profile is set on a strictly "want to find friends" basis. The website is located in Romania (www.sentimente.ro) and very much frequented by men from all over the world looking for the famous beautiful and sweet Romanian girlfriends ;). But it also offers a friend finder option. My profile states very clearly, in several languages, that I am a)German, not Romanian, and live in Milano, Italy and am b)on the site to find friends in order to practice my Romanian which I am learning for work reasons.
Just a few random snippets of conversation, for your convenience translated all into English :)
[italian guy] (in italian) hi goodlooking woman :)
[dadi] (no answer)
[italian guy] so where are you from in Romania, exactly?
[dadi] I am German.
[italian guy] (in English) oh I love me Romanian woman. You emigrate to Germany?
[dadi] Read my profile.
[italian guy] (in Italian) hey beauty, you know, us Italians do it better! Don't you want to try???? I have a good job in public administration and can get you a work permit here in Italy :)
[dadi] no thank you. ciao.
[italian guy] really, you are goodlooking! I want to talk to you! Please, give me your cellphone number! And, do you have a webcam? I'd love to see you!!
[dadi] (blocks italian guy from communicating further with her)
[german guy] (in German)Good evening.
[dadi] Good evening.
[german guy] Are you Romanian? I like Romanian women. I earn good money.
[dadi] No I am German.
[german guy] so what are you doing here?
[dadi] learning Romanian
[german guy] what the fuck for? Don't they all speak German or English? Don't tell me you want to find a Romanian boyfriend? Are you crazy? Or are you one of these stupid lesbians???
[dadi] (blocks german guy from communicating further with her)
[romanian guy] (in Romanian) hello, good evening, am I disturbing you?
[dadi] (in crappy Romanian) hello, good evening, no, absolutely!
[romanian guy] oh you really speak Romanian, I see! So you are going to work in Romania?
[dadi] (tries to explain in her crappy Romanian the reason for her studies)
[romanian guy] (compliments her courteously for her Romanian)
[dadi] (thanks him for his niceness and asks him to please correct her errors)
[romaniano guy] (proceeds to write long and complicated sentences about Romanian grammar and literature)
[dadi] (excuses herself and tells him she didn't understand everything)
[romanian guy] (repeats everything in nearly perfect Italian)
[dadi] wow! You speak Italian :))
[romanian guy] Ah you did not read my profile? I live and work in Florence!
[dadi] (ashamed) Sorry, no, I was busy trying to write and understand so I forgot (goes and looks at profile)
[dadi] wow you are only 27! I thought you were older from how you wrote.
[romanian guy] :) Thank you. I have been in Italy for 3 years now. I work in the building sector, laying tiles.
[dadi] Not an easy job.. I bet you are tired in the evenings.. (wonders how a building worker manages to acquire such flawless italian grammar and rich vocabulary)
[romanian guy] yes, but it is good work. I am trying to save some money, and seeing how I can get my degree acknowledged here in Italy or in some other European country.
[dadi] oh, degree! what did you graduate in?
[romanian guy] I have a doctorate in molecular physics. But there was no work in Romania I could have lived from with that at the moment. Maybe in a few years. I hope.
[dadi] (impressed) Wow. (... chat goes on for some more time, in a pleasant and friendly way, and ends with a simple expression of hope to chat again soon, and the exchange of yahoo messenger id's)
Just a few random snippets of conversation, for your convenience translated all into English :)
[italian guy] (in italian) hi goodlooking woman :)
[dadi] (no answer)
[italian guy] so where are you from in Romania, exactly?
[dadi] I am German.
[italian guy] (in English) oh I love me Romanian woman. You emigrate to Germany?
[dadi] Read my profile.
[italian guy] (in Italian) hey beauty, you know, us Italians do it better! Don't you want to try???? I have a good job in public administration and can get you a work permit here in Italy :)
[dadi] no thank you. ciao.
[italian guy] really, you are goodlooking! I want to talk to you! Please, give me your cellphone number! And, do you have a webcam? I'd love to see you!!
[dadi] (blocks italian guy from communicating further with her)
[german guy] (in German)Good evening.
[dadi] Good evening.
[german guy] Are you Romanian? I like Romanian women. I earn good money.
[dadi] No I am German.
[german guy] so what are you doing here?
[dadi] learning Romanian
[german guy] what the fuck for? Don't they all speak German or English? Don't tell me you want to find a Romanian boyfriend? Are you crazy? Or are you one of these stupid lesbians???
[dadi] (blocks german guy from communicating further with her)
[romanian guy] (in Romanian) hello, good evening, am I disturbing you?
[dadi] (in crappy Romanian) hello, good evening, no, absolutely!
[romanian guy] oh you really speak Romanian, I see! So you are going to work in Romania?
[dadi] (tries to explain in her crappy Romanian the reason for her studies)
[romanian guy] (compliments her courteously for her Romanian)
[dadi] (thanks him for his niceness and asks him to please correct her errors)
[romaniano guy] (proceeds to write long and complicated sentences about Romanian grammar and literature)
[dadi] (excuses herself and tells him she didn't understand everything)
[romanian guy] (repeats everything in nearly perfect Italian)
[dadi] wow! You speak Italian :))
[romanian guy] Ah you did not read my profile? I live and work in Florence!
[dadi] (ashamed) Sorry, no, I was busy trying to write and understand so I forgot (goes and looks at profile)
[dadi] wow you are only 27! I thought you were older from how you wrote.
[romanian guy] :) Thank you. I have been in Italy for 3 years now. I work in the building sector, laying tiles.
[dadi] Not an easy job.. I bet you are tired in the evenings.. (wonders how a building worker manages to acquire such flawless italian grammar and rich vocabulary)
[romanian guy] yes, but it is good work. I am trying to save some money, and seeing how I can get my degree acknowledged here in Italy or in some other European country.
[dadi] oh, degree! what did you graduate in?
[romanian guy] I have a doctorate in molecular physics. But there was no work in Romania I could have lived from with that at the moment. Maybe in a few years. I hope.
[dadi] (impressed) Wow. (... chat goes on for some more time, in a pleasant and friendly way, and ends with a simple expression of hope to chat again soon, and the exchange of yahoo messenger id's)