Moving to a new country in Europe and embarking on an unfamiliar academic and cultural journey has come with a rollercoaster of emotions- from the initial honeymoon phase of complete excitement, curiosity, exploration, and joy to the dive down into feelings of homesickness, stress, confusion, and isolation. Factors including the language and communication barrier, public transportation system, pace of life, making new friends, restaurant etiquette, etc have all contributed to the eminent culture shock I came face to face with.
On September 9th, my roommates and I took a one-day beach trip to Castello di Santa Severa, which is about an hour long train ride from Trastevere, Rome where I reside. We had a lovely experience and spent hours swimming, tanning, and simply relaxing on the Italian coast. When we arrived at the train station in Castello di Santa Severa to return back to Rome, we found ourselves waiting and waiting… and waiting… for a train that was never coming! We learned after speaking to lingering Italians that a train strike had occurred! This meant that all the Italian train drivers and conductors apart of the trade union staged a nationwide strike from 9 am through the evening, which was beyond belief to us. How could the system that allows thousands of people the ability to commute just stop for a whole day? The last thing we expected after a beach day was to be sitting for hours in the hot sun wondering if our long-lost train would ever arrive. We ended up having to order a taxi back to Rome that cost almost 200 euros.
Although this unfortunate experience with the Italian public transportation system was frustrating, I gained a lot from it. Learning how to adapt when unforeseen situations, bonding with my roommates, becoming more aware of the inconsistencies within the bus and train system, being prepared with water/food when traveling, and facing adversity with ease rather than freaking out are all things I took from this adventure!