I arrived Feb. 1st, during the Super Bowl. I was tired and jet-lagged and everybody else, both in New York and New Haven was completely excited, especially my taxi driver, who was trying to explain me everything about American football - even if it was absolutely useless - and was yelling almost as a real "tifoso dell'A.S. Roma", and sneezing all the time because he made an allergy to the cat's hairs I brought with me...
Monday, first day of research at the fabulous Beinecke Library, in which I have a grant during the month of February.
My new office, not bad after the Vatican...
After all these years in the Roman archives, I am not used to be so well treated. As a fellow, I have a very friendly personal librarian assigned to me (!). It's a wonderful place to work, and I enjoy every moment in there. I can also have coffee and lunch in a beautiful lounge, reading the New York Times. That's research!
In the afternoons, I go to the Irvine S. Gilmore Library, in the Sterling Memorial Building, a fake Gothic cathedral, artificially aged by acid and built in the 30s, as most of Yale's Neo-Gothic buildings. The oldest building in Yale is from 1750! Yale has been founded in 1701: pretty old stuff for here...
Connecticut Hall, oldest building in Yale
The Music library is tremendous, anyone can access anything at any time (just say that to any European researcher...). I can even go by myself in the reserve and pick anything I want. And the choice is large: I tried to find something they wouldn't have... and didn't succeed yet! I even found an obscure Festschrift in Dutch from the 1970s... the bad news is that now I have to read it! so I tried and the good news is that Dutch is not so difficult.
Sterling Memorial: a fake cathedral to real knowledge
Going to the supermarket was another anthropological experiment of my first week. I dreaded for the worst, but happily had to change my mind. Fruits and vegetables are gorgeous, as long as they come from California. I even found 'rapini' that is 'cima di rapa alla mericana' and it was good!
Americans are so friendly. They just seem to find everything wonderful and I wonder how they do to be happy all the time? Maybe we Europeans are just too cynical. Everybody in the shops, libraries, bars, and supermarkets keeps worrying if everything is OK for you. My supermarket is full of big black mammas asking me all the time: "Hi Hon[ey], did you find what you were looking for?" or calling me "Babe": me? a babe??? well... The only problem in the supermarket is that everything is HUGE: it's impossible to find an onion weighting less than a pound, giant mushroom (diameter at least 10 cm) and elephant garlic (no description needed here). You're also supposed to buy HUGE amounts of everything. But since I live in a beautiful American house, I have a HUGE American fridge (we could put four persons standing inside!) and a HUGE American freezer, where I can put all that HUGE stuff I bought in the HUGE American supermarket. Everything seems to be made for giants here.
My lovely American house
On my way home, I take the bus B on Whalley ave, which is exclusively used by huge Black people. The others have a car of course. It's hard to find a place because everybody seems to need two seats (at least). But it's very funny. "Yeaaaah Sista, we is going out ain we?"
Here it seems that you risk your life every time you set a foot outside your house, your car or the campus. Yale has its own police and scholars are asked to program an emergency number on their cell phones. Alert stations are to be found every five meters. There is also an escort service (no, not this kind of escort...) that can accompany you around the campus. I didn't try that yet. The funny thing is that New Haven is a little town which seems just absolutely quiet and nice. I don't know if Americans are a bit paranoids about safety or maybe you never know... I survived one week, let's hope for the best!
I am also a Yale Bulldog now (I am afraid our cats won't be happy!) since I join the HUGE Payne Whitney Gymnasium: the biggest gym ever, or so they told me. I am very happy to practice karate again and I have an extremely good senseï. Well, Yale has the best of everything... The legend says the old, rich and bed-ridden widow Payne-Whitney wanted to offer Yale a cathedral. The university didn't need a church but a gym. So they took the widow's money, instructing the architect to build a gym looking like a cathedral and everybody was happy: "strani, strani, questi Mericani..."
The Cathedral of Sweat
The Lighthouse
That's all for this week, please, leave your comments, I miss you!
Babe, you're definitely a babe - although on second thoughts, with that hat... :-)
ReplyDeleteI'd never call you "babe", for several good reasons connected to your neck. "Bulldog" fits you MUCH better.
ReplyDeleteCiao ciao from Wotan, who cares from the high Walhall about your personal safety. :-)
PS: have you ever written a report about your experience in italian libraries? THAT would be much more interesting!
she's a babe with a (funny) hat
ReplyDeleteIT IS dangerous in Connecticut, all sorts of things can happen if you're not careful, for example this: http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/2754/rect2456sl3.png
ReplyDeletePff...
See, all sorts of things do happen, you never know, cf. l'ultimo messaggio che ho ricevuto del capo della polizia!
ReplyDeleteChief James A. Perrotti to the Members of the Yale Community:
I write to let you know of a robbery and assault that occurred in the rear parking lot of the BAC, 1080 Chapel Street at 1:06 am on Sunday, March 15, 2009. A male unaffiliated with the University was sleeping in his car with the doors unlocked when two subjects approached the vehicle. The individual was assaulted and robbed. We believe this is an isolated incident however wanted to let you know.
Sincerely,
Chief James A. Perrotti