While living in Florence the last one and half months, I have been able to continuously adapt to a new environment as obstacles arise. Throughout my time here, there has been one consistent challenge I have faced that I have not be able to overcome. The language barrier is something that takes years to fully overcome and master. Coming to Italy with basically no proficiency in Italian, I have struggled with communicating with locals and Italian students my age. While I want to fully immerse myself within the culture, the language barrier restricts me from doing so as it is something that I am unable to overcome in a 3.5-month period. I came to Italy with the goal to connect with the locals, however, some locals speak very broken English making it challenging to create a relationship with.
To overcome this barrier, my basic Italian language course has helped me exponentially to communicate with locals on a very beginner level. After a few rough attempts at the local coffee shop, I have noticed bonding over a language barrier is the best way to build relationships in foreign countries. I want to practice my Italian, and they want to practice their English. This is a great situation for both parties because we equally embarrass ourselves while practicing making us laugh and form a bond! Thankfully, a majority of places in Florence speak English as it is a hub for tourism, but I’m happy I have decided to go off the beaten path within the city and talk to locals.
Navigating Florence has been one of my favorite parts to overcome the feel of “Not fitting in with Florence’s culture. With a sense of adventure and spontaneity, I want to mold myself to Florence. I learned in my Analyzing and Exploring Florence class the four methods of how to understand a global city such as Florence.
- The first is recognition of semiotics and iconography
- An example of this would be the Iris, Florence’s city symbol.
- The second is Psycho-geography.
- This is understanding your location based on behaviors and habits (The Mediterranean Diet).
- The third method is Rhythm Analysis
- This lets you recognize the city’s flow of life from day to day.
- Finally, cognitive mapping
- Creating a mental map of the city.
Combining all four of these methodologies have enabled me to understand Florence from an outsider’s perspective. I have been able to fully assimilate myself to Florence’s day-to-day culture, and I continue to minimize the language barrier.