An experience I had while studying abroad was the hours of operation. Every day, most restaurants close around 2:30 pm compared to in the states where individuals can eat anywhere at any time. To accommodate the eating hours, I had to rearrange my schedule. I finished school at 1:55pm every day, so I had to choose between eating near school, which gave me 30 minutes to order and eat, or walking back and stopping at a grocery store to cook at home.
It was initially frustrating because restaurants were not only closed at 2:30pm, but they were also permanently closed at 10:30pm every night. This time range wasn’t too bad, but if I wanted to eat near the Pantheon or the Trevi Fountain, I wouldn’t be able to because of the buses. The timing of public transportation was not predictable. I adapted my schedule and learned to be ready early and allow myself more time to get to places. I learned to take the earlier buses so that even if they were late, I would still arrive on time. The different mealtime schedules forced me to explore other neighborhoods while looking for new eating options.
A person from my host culture would see my experience as something that can be easily adapted by understanding and learning from the culture. I believe my host culture understands that Americans are known as people who do everything quickly, as opposed to Italians who take their time. I didn’t understand why they would choose to close restaurants early and take so long doing something at first, but my Italian classes taught me that they place a high value on time. Italians take pride in living in the moment and working hard for a limited amount of time because that is how they enjoy life the most.
These reflections prepare me to respond to future cultural misunderstandings and conflicts, as each culture is unique and has its own beauty. I believe that traveling increases knowledge and that studying abroad allows people to immerse themselves in a culture and understand why they do things differently. Something as simple as a time schedule variation in meal times, simply confirmed that I should expect a change in my future study abroad programs. That is the purpose of traveling: to compare and contrast what we believe to be normal, with what other cultures consider customary. I learned that I have to avoid taking situations personally. I have to adjust to my new circumstances, and not expect the world to adjust to me. I believe this experience has allowed me to become more tolerant and flexible. I hope that future students reading this will have an opportunity to consider that organized campus life is very different than urban living in an eclectic capital such as Rome. Finally, I feel that those differences that at first seem inconvenient, later become part of the charm that brings about nostalgia as we daydream of the best semester of our lives.