Culture Shock
A major difference being in Italy is obviously the language barrier. I came into this not knowing any Italian, and although I know Spanish somewhat well, it is not even close. When we visit some of our family business sites, some of the owners only know Italian and our Professor from the University of Catania has to translate it back to us. It is very frustrating at times not knowing what people are saying especially when asking for questions or directions.
Another major difference I noticed is in regards to sustainability. I never realized it until now, how much energy is wasted in the United States. In Italy, even the hotels have mechanisms in place to save water and electricity. For example, you need to place the towels that need to be changed into the bath tub so that the maid will know it needs to be washed. Also, hallway lights in the hotel remain off, unless detected by motion sensor.
A big difference I noticed between the USA and Italy is the pace of life. In Italy people really take their time to socialize and enjoy each other’s company. It is not uncommon to see people getting drinks or lunch for several hours. Of course this pace of life annoyed me a bit when it came to walking around people who take their time walking up and down the streets. However, I do think that coming back to the United States I need to slow down. There is so much time in our lives and moments will be missed with this constant urgency to do things as quick as possible.
Of course in regards to culture shock, I am pretty sure everyone on my trip was in the honeymoon period at first. I was completely in love with Italy- I registered to take Italian 1 at NEU while on my trip, I dreamt about one day moving here for good, and already started making plans for how I was going to visit again next year.
This lasted until the time me and my roommate got lost. We asked for directions and the man we asked proceeded to give a 4 sentence explanation all in Italian. We thanked him, walked away, and realized we still had no idea where we were going. I thought that day about how much easier it would have been if I selected a Dialogue in an English speaking country.
Lucky for me, these negative stages of culture shock didn’t last long. I rationalized that I am only here for a month and need to make the most of it. I tried harder to pick up on some basic Italian and really listened about the history and culture on all of our excursions. If I was ordering food or buying something and said the wrong thing, instead of getting frustrated, I simply laughed it off. I was optimistic every day since and really enjoyed my experience. I still plan to take Italian, but… I don’t think I will permanently be moving to Italy….as of now.
