One instance of cultural confrontation I experienced was navigating the transportation system in Rome. Back home, public transportation is not something that I have much access to in my area, so it was new to me in general. While it was overwhelming at first trying to figure out how to use the buses, it’s a really important skill to know that you can use in practically any big city.
Additionally, the buses in Rome are not always the most reliable. Sometimes they show up very late; other times they might not even show up at all. This is challenging when you need to be somewhere at a specific time. One morning I planned on taking the bus to school, and it never came so I had to walk to school and ended up being late. However, this was something I quickly adjusted to. If I have to be somewhere important at a certain time, I will usually give myself twenty extra minutes in case the bus decides to not show up. That way, I still have time to walk to school if needed. Just this week, I was taking the bus to an on-site class, and it ended up going in the opposite direction that the map said it should’ve gone, but I had given myself a lot of extra time, so I was able to make it to the site on time (with time to spare!) by walking. I’m a very timely person, so this was frustrating for me at first, but it’s something I came to accept and easily adjusted to.
Overall, I’ve come to learn that just walking to places is always a good first option because you’re in control of your time. Walking anywhere in Rome never feels as long as it really is. One night I was in the city center with my roommate and the buses stopped for the night, so we had to walk 40 minutes back to our apartment but it felt like no more than 20. While the bus system isn’t always the most reliable, it’s still a great way to get around Rome when you’re not in a hurry, and I’m really glad that I’ve become familiar with how it operates.