I think that your own identity certainly influences your experience of the world. Everybody has their own individualized identity and sense of self that they carry with them where ever they are in this world and this identity acts as a lens through which I, and others, see the world. I have a personal identity that is defined by organization and planning out things in my life, as well as tradition and family. When I arrive in Rome, my goal is to break free of my very structured lifestyle in some ways, while still holding on to my traditional and family-oriented values. However, for someone who lives a less-structured normal lifestyle than I, their goals for studying abroad in Rome may be different. They may want to find some structure and routine. So, individuals with different identities do experience the world in a variety of different ways. My identity which is defined as more traditional and family-oriented will influence my interactions with people I encounter in a positive way because Italians, at least from what I can tell, are a very traditional and family-oriented group of people as well. I think that for someone who is more suited for change, that will help them deal with their new environment in Rome and new situation, but it may not help with their interactions with say another Roman. It may be harder for them to understand the perhaps old traditions of the host country and harder for them to respect those traditions that have been around for years. However, different identities present in vastly different people coming together in one foreign location to learn and adapt, both educationally and culturally, is the beauty of study abroad programs in the United States. Study abroad should bring those different identities in one place and provide them with a deeper understanding of how truly multicultural our world truly is and also with a more open and expansive view of the vastness of this world, both physically and culturally, while still holding on to whatever values that make your identity unique. In essence, study abroad should strengthen the aspects of your identity that you hold close, while adding new attributes that expand and increase your cultural knowledge of the world.