Submitted by Andrew Schaaf on the 2013 spring semester study abroad program in Rome, Italy…
So, this week I began my for-credit Italian internship with the Guarini Institute for Public Affairs. It seems like it’s going to be very time consuming, but I think it will be a very worth while experience that will look fantastic on my resume. Classes all seem to be going well, and I was able to pick up my “permesso di soggiorno” this week so now I’m legally allowed to be here as sanctioned by the nation of Italy. This weekend, we attended our first Italian concert at the largest venue in Rome, the Palazzo dei Congressi, which translates to the Congressional Hall. We saw world famous DJ David Guetta perform along with other famous DJ’s. The Italian concert scene is far different from that of America’s. It wasn’t a formal event, but you could still find people wearing sweaters and scarves and heels and dresses, which is not what we were expecting to find. It seems that regardless of where Italians go, they always feel the need to dress nicely regardless of how practical their outfits may or may not be. I believe it’s this mentality that they always expect that they will end up seeing or meeting someone important and feel the need to be pepared to “fare la bella figura” which means to make a good impression. First impressions are a large part of social interaction here and it’s not really something we value all too heavily in the United States. Culture shocks are arising in all sorts of forms here and its quite eye-opening.