Never Give Up: The Tenacious People I Met in Milan
If asked what I learned most during my six years living in Milan, it wouldn't be about cooking or fashion. It might just be the simple phrase, "never give up."
Italians laugh a lot. They talk a lot. They eat a lot. They love a lot. Hidden behind that brightness is a side that isn't often talked about. ——They are, above all, persistent.
In negotiations, even in situations where a Japanese person would have long since backed down, they do not. Even when told "it's impossible," they push back with, "But what if we did it this way?" Even after being turned down once, they show up the next day with a nonchalant face to talk about the same thing again. At first, I thought they were just being pushy. But after seeing it a few times, I realized. They weren't being pushy. They were not giving up.
Looking back, the colleagues I have written about so far were all like that.
Giancarlo in accounting, who would scold me with a straight face, saying, "If you do that again, it'll be a nuclear explosion." He never let my mistakes slide. He sent them back to me time and time again. ——I understand now that his refusal to give up on me was a sign of his trust.
A colleague who sold clothes on the office floor during lunch breaks. Even if I turned her down once, the following week she would spread out new patterns again, recommending them with sparkling eyes. "This time, I have something that will look good on you, Shin."
Or the colleague who would swipe my change, saying, "This is the tip you bought me." I wouldn't lose out. But if I were in trouble, they would never abandon me. With that tenacity, they helped me.
Italy is by no means a wealthy or blessed country. The economy and politics are always facing some kind of problem. Even so, the people in the city gather at cafes in the morning, laugh, and live through today with tenacity once again.
"It will work out somehow" is not the mindset; it's "I will make it work somehow." ——Yes, there may be some of you who are quietly nodding along.
Since returning to Japan, I have encountered moments where I felt like giving up several times. Each time, the faces of those tenacious people I met in Milan quietly come to mind. I feel as if they are asking me, "Are you going to give up here?"
Cooking and fashion are certainly the pride of Italy. But perhaps what I received most was the tenacity of the people in that city.
(Chapter 1: People I Met in Milan, a brief pause here for now)
Starting tomorrow, I will change the tone a little and talk about the "country that doesn't waste food" that an Italian colleague once taught me. It is the story of the moment in 1999 when I came to love Italy even more.