Since I arrived in Florence, I have definitely felt some culture shock. It has come in waves, and at first I didn’t catch onto the slight differences between life here and at home. The main thing that stands out to me is the concept of time. In the US, everyone is always rushing, whether that is to get to work, school, or even just to eat quickly. In Italy it feels like no one is ever in a hurry. At restaurants, the waiters take their time to take your order, and never bring the bill unless you ask. Italians like to enjoy their food, and if that means lunch taking two to three hours, it’s no problem. Even at a café, people will stand at the bar and drink their espresso or cappuccino and look at you weird if you try to order something to-go. I do it anyway, especially if I’m late to class.
The other thing I didn’t notice right away was the differences in how people dress. I have a friend that lives in Milan, and she was an exchange student at my high school who I’ve stayed close with and visited since I came here. It has definitely helped me to have her giving me advice on what to bring and wear in Italy. One thing I discovered was that flip flops aren’t a normal shoe choice for Italians. I wear my flip flops everywhere, whether that is to class, to a café, or even out to a nice dinner. I still wear them everywhere, but now I am much more aware of how the only people that seem to be wearing flip flops are tourists.
The other main thing I learned was that Italians will only wear linen pants during the summer. As soon as the weather starts to cool down, you will only see people in jeans on the streets. When I visited my friend in Milan, I went to class with her at her Italian University. It was really cool to experience a class taught entirely in Italian, and while I had no idea what was going on, I noticed that no one wore linen pants!
The other obvious cultural difference is the language. My friends and I are all learning Italian, but it has really hit me how different it is speaking a language in class and actually applying it in real life. I took Spanish in high school and college, and I think that has helped me pick up Italian a lot faster! I’m not quite to the point where I can have a conversation at a café or in a grocery store, but I’m optimistic that by December I’ll get there!
