A Man of Few Words

My AirBNB hosts have really cool Italian names! I'll be boarding at various locations with Riccardo, Alessandro, Lorenzo, and Fabio (yes! Fabio). They have Italian last names too!

In keeping with AirBNB etiquette, after I've booked my stay I'm supposed to send a quick email (via AirBNB only, no external fraternization allowed!) to the host to say how excited I am to be staying at his house. Then, within a week of the check-in date I'm to send another email with details of my arrival.

(I'm serious about this -- AirBNB sends me [the guest] reminders to follow this protocol.)

My first nights are in Genoa, in an apartment with Riccardo and his cat, where he will serve me breakfast in his rooftop garden looking out over the harbor (Christopher Columbus, yada yada).

So, in following AirBNB etiquette, after he accepts my reservation I send Riccardo a little note:

"Thanks for accepting my reservation! I am looking forward to seeing your garden and experiencing life in Genoa!"

He sends back:

:)

So, this week I get the reminder to make contact with Riccardo about my stay next week. During the lapsed time I'm thinking, hmmmmm, perhaps Riccardo's English is limited... I decided to send the note in English and in Italian. So after visiting quickly with my friend Google Translate (don't hate me, Lori!) I send this:

I am looking forward to staying at your place in Genoa beginning XXXX. I will take the train from Florence and hope to arrive by 18:00. Is it OK to text you after I've gotten my SIM card?

Vedo l ' ora di stare al vostro posto a Genova all'inizio XXXX prenderò il treno per Firenze e spero di arrivare entro le 18:00 . Il testo va bene dopo ho avuto la mia scheda SIM ?

And he responds with:

OK

Riccardo is a man of few words. We should have lots to talk about!




(What's even weirder is that when I look at the message I sent to Riccardo in my AirBNB Message History queue, it shows I sent this:

I am looking forward to staying at your place in Genoa beginning XXXX. I will take the train from Florence and hope to arrive by 18:00. Is it OK to text you after I've gotten my SIM card?

I am looking forward to staying at your place in Genoa beginning XXXX. I will take the train from Florence and hope to arrive by 18:00. Is it OK to text you after I've gotten my SIM card?