Ciao!

I am about halfway through my study abroad trip. I cannot believe how quickly my time is passing here in Rome. Throughout these weeks, the other Pitt students and I have met so many new people, both American and Italian.

The girls that I am here with love talking to Italians, as do I. When we are in the city, we try our best to speak Italian to anyone that we can. I am in Italian 4, so my language skills are starting to get better.

My favorite part about being able to interact with Italians all the time is how much it helps me become better at speaking the language. I have learned so much in these few weeks simply from just walking to class or going out to dinner and hearing Italian being spoken. The other students and I have learned way more than what solely a classroom can teach.

Something I think is cool is that in the first few days, we wouldn’t notice when people around us were American, but after learning how some of our Italian friends perceive Americans, we can pick them out of any crowd. Americans definitely dress and act differently than Italians do, and it was so interesting to take a step back and notice all of these things.

The Italians that we have met have taught us a lot, but we can also help them. It is very common in Italy for people to know English. Some of the people that we have met are currently learning, so we can help them when they have questions. The friendships are so great because we are all helping each other learn about the other language.

Meeting Americans is also fun in Italy because more often than not, they are only here for a vacation. This being said, they may not know much about the art and culture that they are surrounded by, and we can help them by telling them about these things.

The people that I have met so far have been amazing, and I am so excited to continue to meet different people and learn more about the language and culture.

-Shannon