When I traveled to Italy I became part of the slower life movement where the importance of taking your time is most important. In America, people are accustomed to the opposite where we rush from home to work, getting to school on time, rushing to get our grocery shopping done, eating meals, etc. In Italy, this is all done with patience and taking your time going through life. When I encountered this new lifestyle I felt anxious and annoyed because I felt like I was working against everyone. For example, walking through the crowded and busy city streets was a challenge for me. I found myself swerving through crowds and realized that Italians do not have an unspoken rule for what side of the street to walk on. In America, we walk on the side we drive on which is the right. But in Italy I found that it changes all the time. I would often say how no one knows what side to walk on and then my Italian friend told me she found it strange that in America there is a preferred side. I explained to her it is that way so we don’t run into this problem of everyone running into each other. She didn’t see a problem with this, but it annoyed me greatly. When going into a grocery store all the customers slowly move through the aisles and the cashiers will slowly check out the customers leaving the lines extremely long. Going to the grocery store was not a quick ten minute trip, rather it would turn into an hour long. For Italians, this is customary, the practice of taking your time and not rushing. They would likely believe that when you rush you do a bad job or it would add unnecessary stress. These reasonings are completely understandable, but for someone who does not enjoy the slow life as much as others it was actually more stressful. This exercise of thinking on what I found to be a cultural difference helps me become aware of how different cultures go through life and still succeed in their own way. Although I do not enjoy all aspects of Italy’s culture, I was able to adapt to them and recognize that even when I do not agree I can appreciate how others live their lives. It was fascinating enough to watch Italians in their daily routines compared to Americans. In a multicultural and globalized world, my experience studying abroad has prepared me for when I encounter other people from very different cultures. I will now understand why they approach their work and life how they do. By acknowledging the cultural differences I can better my approach on how I enter new situations with different personalities. The slower life in Italy taught me how even when you slow things down, tasks are still accomplished and being a little late for work or spending more time in the grocery store does not mean the end of the world. Although the slower life seemed more stressful to me, for others this lifestyle ends up lengthening their life span and lessens their stress levels.
