So far during my time in Italy, I have found that there are many things that are different than in America. For example, on Sunday most stores are closed which means that if you want to get groceries, you will need to do so ahead of time or during the morning hours if some may be open during that time. My Italian professor mentioned that Italians tend to stare at Americans in public very often because they tend to observe our cultural differences. I have found myself getting used to this type of interaction instead of making myself feel awkward about it. During my time here, I have learned that Italians are very strict and are not as sympathetic as the people back home. They rarely stop for pedestrians on the road which has made me more aware when crossing the street. At a restaurant, when their card machine stopped working, I only had a certain amount of Euros in cash to pay for the meal so the server told me to go to the nearest ATM to gather the rest of the funds when I was only short by a very small amount. In America, they would usually dismiss the situation and let me be on my way. However, in Italy this is definitely not the case. Another cultural frustration that I encountered was that most households don’t use a dryer for your clothes so I have been hanging my wet laundry on drying racks which was a hassle in the beginning, but after becoming more adapted to the routine, I have learned to create it as a habit. I always try to adjust myself to the culture by asking local Italians that know English how to maneuver the cultural differences and they are honestly super nice about helping you around. Anytime I was feeling overwhelmed by cultural confrontations, I would grab some comfortable walking shoes and walk to the city to enjoy the Roman architecture and atmosphere.
