During my time in Italy, I have watched myself grow into an increasingly independent and adaptable student. When deciding to live abroad, there were several challenges I was not expecting to deal with that resulted in my impending need to become self-sufficient. Today, for instance, I inadvertently blew a fuse in our apartment by using the washing machine and oven at the same time. While seemingly mundane, this incident epitomizes the many challenges I’ve navigated during my time here.

Another challenge I have needed to navigate is being on my own for the first time. Being in a completely different time zone from most of my friends and family as resulted in me needing to be creative in the ways that I connect with them while I am abroad. I have come to appreciate the many wonderful people I have in my life, and I am looking forward to being able to talk to them face to face when I come back home.

When thinking about assimilating into a new culture, there are several obvious challenges that come to mind such as a language barrier, time zone changes and different foods. However, I have found myself navigating instances of uncertainty and ambiguity when it comes to small, mundane routines. Some things that I have noticed that are different from the United States are that most restaurants in Florence are not fast food. This means that if you want to eat out, plan on setting aside at least two hours for the meal. Another thing that is different is that there are no dryers! Many times, I have needed to plan days in advance when doing my laundry to make sure I have clothes that are clean and ready to wear.

Aside from small, personal challenges I have needed to face, there have been new challenges I have needed to face in terms of life inside the classroom. Many of my classes are pencil and paper. This is a stark contrast from American classes filled with computer screens, phones and tablets. Another thing that is different, is that most of my classes simply has a professor that lectures with little to no use of slides. This requires students to pay attention to what the professor is talking about, instead of the notes that are shown on the screen. In terms of assignments that are given, there is much more ambiguity. Often times, assignment descriptions will be a few sentences long. Whereas in the United States, it is common to be given assignments with a rubric and examples attached to it.

In terms of class structure, lectures are much longer than in the US, but we are also granted much more breaks and leniency in terms of arrival and departure times. This is most likely because the time orientation of Italian culture is much more lenient than in the US. There isn’t as much emphasis on arriving early, adhering to strict deadlines, or staying at work late.

All in all, I appreciate experiencing classroom structures that are different from the United States. It puts into perspective the cultural differences surrounding learning inside the classroom and gives me a new set of challenges to navigate.