The usual chaos...

As my bio page indicates, I’ve been living in Italy non-stop since 1989. Quite honestly (and quite frankly), I can’t really say that in all these years I’ve learned anything from the Italians vis-à-vis the work ethic. I may be the only person in Italy who has worked for three different governments so far but WITHOUT being part of the diplomatic career of any of the three: I’ve worked at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, at the Canadian Embassy in Rome and at Palazzo Chigi (seat of the Italian government) and at the Farnesina, also known as the Italian Foreign Ministry. The most organised are the Americans. The least? The Italians. I’ve worked at some major events, such as World Cups, G8 Summits and other things. About the only thing I have learned is how to coach. How to coach soccer that is. I’ve taken 7 coaching courses so far in Italy (plus 1 from the English FA). When it comes to soccer (just witness Italy’s recent 4th World Cup victory), Italians are probably second to none, perhaps just behind the Brazilians. I’ve learned discipline and above-all how to be organised when it comes to running a practise and planning a game. But for the rest, forget it. The latest comes from the recent Middle East conference held in Rome with the Lebanese, Americans, Italians and UN secretary-general Kofi Annan. The title of “La Repubblica” on the organisation of the concluding press conference was: “Press conference amid chaos, the Farnesina becomes a campground”. Some 800 reporters and cameramen were squeezed into a small area without air conditioning. At one point, as Rice and the others came in, they were told to sit down. Not on chairs but on the floor! A Russian journalist had a tough time following orders as she was wearing a mini-skirt! Some older foreign correspondents complained of weak knee joints while the Farnesina’s press office described the scene as being worthy of a “Woodstock concert”! The Egyptian correspondent of the “Middle East News Agency” asked instead where the air conditioning was whereas the Swiss, always precise like their clocks and watches, asked if there was no better place in which to organise such an important press conference. Rice instead was bothered for most of the time by a pesky fly which just wouldn’t go away (and the fly was probably THE happiest living creature in that room as at least it wasn’t mobbed by fellow flies)!