Week 5 just started and my time in Florence is almost over! Florence’s culture is super lively and vibrant. The culture in Florence is focused mainly on quality time with friends and family. This is the part of the culture that I identify most with. Outside of classes, I’ve spent most (if not all) time with friends, exploring Florence’s beautiful city. I’ve also gotten the chance to travel on the weekends with my friends from this program! So far, we have traveled to Cinque Terre, London, Positano, and Barcelona. Spending time and traveling with my friends has not just gotten me closer to them individually, but has connected me with Florentine culture. I have also been fortunate enough to try many popular Florentine dishes. Florentines love to connect with friends and family over dinner. Something that I’ve noticed is that they also love to take time on their meals. They sit over dinner and don’t rush in and out. This is something that I am not accustomed to in the United States. The dinner service in Florence is super slow. This is something that I have been needing to get used to.
Speaking of the slow dinner service, Florentines have a very slow paced life. The strong emphasis is placed on enjoying their time, rather than being quick or speedy. This is the main part of the country’s deep culture that I have had trouble adapting to. As an example, we sat down for dinner expecting to grab our meal and be out of there within the hour. With the timing of the server as well as the food preparation, we were there for two and a half. This experienced sparked a thought that maybe we should give ourselves more time when eating out in Florence. A different part of Florence’s deep culture that has been surprising is the direct nature that they have. Florentines are very direct and don’t beat around the bush. This nature applies to almost everyone that I have encountered.
In cross-cultural interactions, my main strategy is educate myself on the situation before actually experiencing it myself. However, research will only get you so far. Sometimes, I experience things
(such as the restaurant situation), that I did not research or look into. In these types of situations, the best thing to do is to understand and adapt. Not all cultures are the same. when experiencing these situations, the one and only thing to do is to go about them with an open mind. When going about these experiences with an open mind, you allow yourself to navigate life more freely with an open and more flexible mindset.
