While exploring Italy’s political system and culture, I discovered an intriguing aspect that sets it apart even more from the U.S.: the role of the Vatican and the Pope. The Vatican City, an independent city-state enclaved within Rome, is the spiritual and administrative center of the Roman Catholic Church, led by the Pope. Although the…
Category: Italy: ISA Rome
Blog Post #2 – ISA Rome
A strong aspect of Italian culture that I have experienced since my time abroad has been their differing concepts of time — which often influence various aspects of their life including their work/life balance, dining, and others. Even in a large city like Rome, locals tend to live slower-placed lifestyles that allow more time for…
ISA Rome: Blog post #2
One thing that has stood out to me while living in Rome is the historical significance of architecture and its purpose in being preserved. Unlike the United States, (Chicago specifically being the city I’m most familiar with) many of the buildings and ruins in Rome date back thousands of years and have amazing craftsmanship and detail…
Blog #2
From my time abroad in Rome, the aspect that has piqued my interest the most has been the public transportation system. I come from the Dominican Republic, which is a country that is not known for having a good public transportation system. When I moved to the United States, the aspect of transportation was very…
Pre-Departure Post
There are many aspects to American culture, but the first one that comes to mind is consumerism. Consumerism is a significant aspect of U.S. culture, represented by acquiring and consuming goods and services over one’s basic needs. This phenomenon is deeply ingrained in the American lifestyle, where buying power is usually linked to success and…
ISA Rome, Italy – 1st Blog Post
CVOLPE. One aspect of American culture I have experienced, being from the Midwest, is friendliness towards strangers. Especially in more rural areas away from big cities such as Chicago, it is common for strangers to smile or wave when walking or driving past each other. This behavior is seen as a common courtesy to ease…
ROME ISA Final Reflection Blog Post
Objective Description: While taking the public bus home in Rome, Italy, I encountered a situation where a woman sitting next to me was reprimanded by fellow passengers for speaking loudly on her phone. The bus was crowded, and the atmosphere was tense as people exchanged annoyed glances. One man spoke up, expressing his disapproval of…
Pre-Departure Blog – ISA Rome
I think one of the most identifiable aspects of American culture is the fast pace of life that many U.S. Citizens live; this often applies to multiple facets of one’s lifestyle including their work-life, eating/dining, traveling, communicating, etc. Americans value convenience, and often convenience comes with the expectation that things will be done for you…
Blog 1: Pre-Departure
An aspect of U.S. culture that stands out to me the most is individualism. What I’ve learned from my time in the United States is that personal freedom and the pursuit of individual goals are strongly emphasized in American culture. This is reflected in many aspects of life, ranging from the education system to the…
Final Blog Post – ISA Rome
HKEY — Italy is drastically different from the United States in multiple ways, whether it is the food andwine aspect or how they enjoy their free time. At each restaurant there are around three orfour courses in a meal and they expect you to pick one of each, they do not like it when you…