Ciao! My first few weeks abroad have been eye opening experience. We do so many things differently then they do in Italy. The biggest difference for me will be the coffee… I love a large iced coffee from Starbucks or Dunkin Doughnuts. In Italy they drink small hot Cappuccinos or Macchiatos. That is going to huge difference for me. I also am a big fan of the Italian food! It’s so yummy! Bucatini is my new favorite food. I could literally eat it every single day and be completely happy with that.
Since being in Rome I have had a few learning curbs… The hardest one is that once you’re done with your meal you can leave and pay at the front of the restaurant. The waiter will not come around give you the bill once they see that you have finished. The second lesson was much scarier to learn… If you want to cross the street you have to just bravely step out into the middle of oncoming traffic and expect the cars to stop… which they will… I was shocked when my professors told me that. They assured all of us that they will either go around you or that they will stop. My mind was blown the first time I tried it. The cars really do stop for the pedestrian. Last lesson I learned was how to use public transportation! I know I know this may seem silly to many but I am from a suburb of Boston. Which means there is no public transportation and everyone knows that Boston’s transportation system is nothing to write home about. The metro in Rome works like clockwork and you can always count on trains coming every 2-5 minutes. It’s the perfect way to get around the city! The buses are also pretty good too! Less reliable and much harder to figure out which bus you would want to get on since many stop at the same place. There’s an app that we have learned to use which has become very helpful called, Citymapper! You simply plug in where you want to go and citymapper tells you how to get there! It’s great!
Well these have been my three biggest learning curves. Since being in Rome I feel like I have really gotten accustomed to the culture and have been willing to dive in and learn more about their culture and the similarities and differences between America and Italy.