Throughout my time here in Florence, I have had the chance to learn about, and adapt to Italy’s culture. One of the biggest adjustments for me was getting used to the laid back and slower pace of life here. Compared to back at home, I feel like events are often back to back and people are constantly keeping themselves busy. Here in Florence, many businesses close during the afternoon and meals are often longer and more social. I had a harder time adjusting to this since I am so used to grabbing my food to go, or eating while I commute. Despite this, I have found myself enjoying the down time and appreciating my daily routine here. Something else I found interesting was that in a lot of restaurants the waiter won’t being your check to the table and instead, you go up to the counter to pay. Another challenge I’ve experienced here in Florence is the language barrier. Even though I am taking Italian Here and Now which has helped immensely with basic vocabulary and numbers, I find myself struggling to apply it in real life contexts. It has been super convenient living closer to the city center in Florence because many of the locals here speak some English and I am able to communicate with them in that way. However, the times I have left the city center especially for my classes and site visits, there are less Italians who know English so I find myself implementing what I have learned in Italian class more in these settings.
In my classes, I have also experienced some ambiguity, particularly in my Business Consulting project where our group is working with a local Italian business and the expectations are not always clearly defined. The class is also designed into smaller collaborative groups such as Marketing, Sales, Operations and Finance. Together as a class we have to work together to help advise and plan this event for a company. With so many moving parts for the event, there are times when one group is waiting on another for information and this can lead to unclear communication or ambigutiy. To navigate this, I have focused on communicating more with my teammates, asking questions, and applying what we are learning in class to solve problems collaboratively. My group has had very smooth teamwork thus far into our class and I have enjoyed getting to film content and pitch ideas with them.
Navigating cross-cultural situations in Florence has been one of the most interesting parts of my experience abroad. Many of my daily interactions involves people from different cultural backgrounds whether that is with the locals in Florence, tourists, or classmates. When interacting with locals, I find that they have different names for certain things and it can be different from what I was told. This often can cause confusion especially when I keep saying something they are not understanding. Since I am still learning Italian, I do try to use it most in the places I often visit such as the grocery store or the cafes. At first this felt uncomfortable because I did not want to make mistakes, but I quickly realized that most people appreciate the effort and are very patient. I often try to use simple phrases when ordering food or asking questions, even if I am not completely confident. I found that in doing this, I have become more comfortable initiating these interactions, and it has helped me feel more connected to the culture and daily life in Florence.
Interactions with other students in the program have also shaped my experience. Since our program is through CEACAPA, we are able to meet students from other universities and collaborate with them for in class activities and projects. Spending time with people who view things differently has encouraged me to think more critically about my own perspectives and habits. Being in Florence has allowed me to grow a lot more independent, adapt to new environments, and become more aware of how difference cultures shape the people living there as well.
