As I have previously mentioned in my former blog posts, life in Italy has its similarities and differences when compared to life in the United States. In Italy there are certain cultural norms that we would not think twice about in the United States. First and foremost, Italy is an extremely time-insensitive culture when compared to the United States. Leisure and relaxation is valued to the highest degree among Italian natives. It is almost a guarantee that you will get stuck behind a slow walking couple or older gentleman while trying to navigate the tight sidewalks of Florence. It is important to be mindful of this factor when you decide to sleep in a couple more minutes before getting up to go to class. It is very easy to be stuck in a sluggish crowd when rushing to catch you 9:00 AM class, and proper measures must be taken to avoid this happening.

I would say another extremely prominent difference in the Italian culture is the attitude and norms surround food and dining. Italian people eat the regular three meals a day like Americans, but with a very different approach. For breakfast, it is expected to simply have a coffee and a very small pastry to start your day. Instead of breakfast being the most important meal of the day, dinner is taken much more seriously. Dinner is often served in multiple courses, so you must be very hungry to make it to the finish line. Additionally, it is expected to eat dinner around 8:00 or even later. This was extremely hard to adapt to, as my American stomach is usually hungry far before the hours of 8:00. The first week was filled with agonizing waits for restaurants to open up at 7:00 so I could finally feed myself. Also, Italian people do not grocery shop weekly to feed themselves for the coming days. It is much more normalized to stop at the grocery store or farmers market daily to purchase what you are planning on eating any given day for dinner. I was lucky enough to be placed in an apartment conveniently located walking distance from a grocery store and local farmers market. I have adapted to the practice of buying the food I need, the day I need it.

Thanks to modern technology, navigating the city of Florence has not been a struggle of mine. But navigating the cultural differences, particularly in conversational interactions has proved a challenge. Learning a second language is difficult enough, but it becomes particularly tasking when considering the Italian way of speaking to each other. Italian people are generally reserved at first, not seeking out any interactions unless they are initiated by someone else. My best advice for breaking down this barrier is just being kind, and patient when trying to communicate with someone. I have been lucky enough to make some meaningful connections with some very kind locals already, and hope to continue to meet people for the rest of my time here.