An aspect of Italian culture that I had to adjust to was the heavy reliance on public transportation and walking. Before this semester, I had never used public transportation. I am from Texas, so I am very used to driving everywhere, since everything is so spread out. In Rome especially, but many other cities in Italy as well, the main way to get from here to there is by bus. Since modern day Rome is built on top of centuries of ruins and ancient archaeological sites, there is only one small underground metro line, and it happened to be very far from my apartment and university. There is also a tram line that usually runs from the neighborhood I lived in to the center of the city, but it was under construction for the whole semester and not functioning. Thus, the bus system and walking were my main modes of transportation. Relying solely on these methods was a challenge for me.
At the beginning of the semester, it was very difficult for me to figure out how to navigate the buses, and a 3 mile walk was very daunting. I can confidently say that I improved significantly over the course of the semester, but not without troubles. Many times I found myself on the opposite side of the city, and the bus that I needed either did not come, or was too crowded to get on. This was due in part to the fact that the tram lines were down, but it was very frustrating at times, and caused me to be late for class and other commitments. Another issue I ran into was that any time it rained in Rome, the buses became exponentially unreliable. A ride that usually took 20 minutes, took over an hour if it was raining. Even my professors who were born and raised in Rome said that this was a very big issue that the city deals with. On the other hand, I loved walking everywhere. By the end of the semester an hour walk was nothing to me, and I learned to enjoy it very much. For me, walking was a reliable way to move about the city, and it was a good source of exercise. I knew that if I left my apartment thirty minutes before class, I would get to school on time without fail.
I am sure that a native Roman would not see as much of a problem with the bus system. Since Italian culture in general is centered around taking your time, and is not a go go go society, a bus ride that takes longer than usual because of the rain would not be such a big deal. I did really try to understand this, but I did find myself frustrated at times. Also, I am sure that Romans would agree with my sentiments on walking. Everyone walks everywhere.
These reflections have prepared me to respond to future cultural adjustments by giving me more patience. At a certain point in the semester I realized that the bus system was completely out of my control, and all I could do was try to leave a little earlier for my commitments. In the future I will use this knowledge and experience to adapt to different challenges.