During my time abroad one of the adjustments I had to make was dealing with how time was managed in Italy. When I was preparing to leave for Rome I learned about how one aspect of life in Italy is how it can be more relaxed and slow even if you have something urgent to do. Many of my courses were onsight so I had to take public transport to arrive. Often, the buses would arrive late to the stop and at first, it was frustrating, but as time went on, I learned to adjust and wake up earlier or find a different route. As I continued in the program I became accustomed to the bus and metro system and it eventually became an aspect of my day that no longer made me nervous as I learned how to navigate unexpected changes and get to my final destination. I think because I’m so used to things being strictly scheduled most of the time in the US as well as the fact that I typically don’t use public transport in the US it made it somewhat frustrating at first. However, after using public transport almost every day made me realize how useful it was.
After these 4 months, I think this experience was exciting but also challenging at times. It was scary at times to be alone and have to figure out a new city in a new language. However, I felt very lucky that the staff and the people I met in my program were all very helpful and kind. It was cool to have the opportunity to explore Italy with actual Italian students that Trinity introduced us to. I’m glad that I did not just stay in a bubble of just American students because it allowed me to experience Italy close to how a local would. One of the other aspects that made me most nervous at first was being able to communicate. For the most part, Romans were very nice and helpful when I would make mistakes in talking and were glad that I tried even if it was just to try and order a coffee.
I think my experience would be seen as exciting, especially after talking to other Italian college students who expressed that the American college system seems so much easier and fun. While it was fun to get to explore Rome for many of my classes it still was a lot of work and at times very difficult. I think from the outside it can seem like the program is a big group of college students having fun every day but in reality, I think the Trinity program was academically challenging.
I think after being abroad I am prepared to be more flexible and relax more when there are issues of misunderstandings. I think it was helpful to come into this program open-minded and learn to adjust to a new culture and actually try to acclimate so in the end there is more learning and less conflict between different cultures.