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| Our Italian friend Matteo who we explored Prague with. |
A wise individual once said, “We travel not to escape life,
but for life not to escape us.” Over the past year I have learned a lot about
not only myself but also life in general. It has been almost a year since I
lost a close friend of mine, Brady Wakefield. Ever since Brady’s passing I have
realized how quickly life can pass you by and from that moment I promised
myself to live life to the fullest and that included studying abroad. I hate
that it took something like that to convince myself to follow my dreams and
travel overseas but as I sit here embracing the Italian culture I couldn’t be more
thankful for this experience. I have been overseas for almost 4 weeks now and
have already traveled to 3 countries including Italy, Croatia, and the Czech
Republic. It is so surreal that I only have a week left of this experience, but
already looking back at what the past few weeks have entailed I have learned so
much about traveling, languages, and the daily life of the locals.
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| Is Harry Potter in Italy?! |
Before my
journey to Italy began I had my preconceived thoughts and opinions about the
Italian people and their culture. After living here for 4 weeks I have learned
more about the people and culture than I ever could have imagined. Like the
U.S., Italians hold a special place for coffee in their hearts. Although we
have this in common it is also so different all at the same time. For example,
I have hardly seen anyone order anything else besides a cappuccino and
espresso. They don’t have the blended coffee that we have at Starbucks or Scooters.
Even though it isn’t illegal I learned that it is highly frowned upon to order
anything but an espresso in the evening. In the US we are used to being able to
order anything we want whenever we want, for example, McDonald’s breakfast at
anytime of the day. This is one aspect that has stuck out to me here in Italy.
Another
part of daily life that exists in the Italian culture is the break during the
middle of the day. I realized this when I tried to go get Pizza during the
middle of the afternoon to find that the majority of businesses close for a few
hours before opening back up again for the evening. Unlike Wal-Mart, hardly
anything here is open for 24 hours.
This entire
experience has made me fall even more in love with the Italian culture and way
of life, but one aspect that consumes the lives of the Italians is something I
despise. Smoking everywhere and anywhere is a habit over here. Although I have
been exposed to smoking it has never been like this. The majority of the locals
smoke anytime they have a few free minutes. When walking to class a large portion
of the IULM students relax outside and have a smoke with their friends. Although
I understand this is a part of their culture and lifestyle I personally don’t
care for it at all. Besides this small difference I have had such a positive
experience with the locals. I have made friends with the workers at a small
bakery called Mama Cakes across the street
from where we reside. They are some of the most sincere and caring people I
have met, and it is always nice to get a free cookie or croissant every once in
a while.
As much as
the architecture and country captivate me my experience wouldn’t be anything
without my interactions with the locals. So my advice to you is to talk and get
to know the locals, they are the only ones who can truly teach you the Italian
way of life!
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| UNK students explore the Navigli (canal district) in Milano. |
Conta le tue benedizioni,
Lindsey Jo
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