Submitted by Olivia Smith on the 2016 spring semester program in Tuscany, Italy…
In preparing for my first study abroad semester to Tuscany, Italy, I was very nervous. I thought about many things, such as how the six hour time change would make it difficult to communicate with my family and friends, the language barrier because I only know a few words in Italian, and not knowing what professors I had for my classes. My study abroad program started on February 11th, 2015. On the first flight from Newark, New Jersey to Munich, Germany, I met a couple who were from Italy, and they shared with me some information that they thought I would find helpful.
After landing in Munich, Germany, we had about an hour or so layover before our flight to Pisa, Italy. When I walked into the German airport, I could feel that there was a culture difference from what I was used to in the U.S.A. The airport, at around 9 am, was very quiet; the people who talked, whispered, and people walked at a very natural pace, not in any kind of rush. I compared it to what the United States airports are like. People are often very loud and in a rush to catch their next flight; there is no sense of relaxation. When we got to Pisa, Italy, we took a bus to the campus in Volterra. The first day in Volterra we toured the town, and again, just like in Germany, people were taking their time, walking around, looking at the stores, talking to their friends and not really caring what time it was. For me, this is a bit of culture shock. I am so used to rushing here and there and trying to walk quickly to move on to the next place I need to go. It has been a week since I have gotten to Volterra, and I have concluded that it is a very relaxed culture here and people like to enjoy themselves. Also, after exploring the town of Volterra, the group found a Roman Theater that had been dug up. It is very cool to look at and I believe that this is what makes Volterra unique.
The cuisine has also been a big shock for me. Every meal has a lot of carbohydrates; for example, pizza and pasta. Every meal that I have had since arriving in Italy has been pasta, but there are different types of pasta. Sometimes the pasta is combined with a meat, and salad is the last plate that they give you before dessert. This is different because in the U.S.A., salad always comes before the meal, which is what I am used to. The whole group has gone out to a restaurant for dinner twice, and in restaurants they serve you a 4 course meal. Italians treat eating as an event. The first course is pasta, second course is meat, third course is salad and the last course is dessert. This is very different for me because I don’t usually eat 4 different types of food for dinner, and I take less than 45 minutes to eat my meals because I always have something pressing that needs to be taken care of.
The whole group has been to a few museums so far. We spent a day in Siena, and a day and night in Florence. Siena and Florence both had beautiful cathedrals.
In Florence, I got to go to the David Museum. I cannot even describe how magnificent the actual David statue looked; he was three times the size that I thought he was going to be in comparison to the pictures online. It was an amazing experience to actually see it in person with my own eyes. Also, while I was standing looking at the David statue, an English speaking man came up to me and asked if I would take his picture. After taking his picture, he asked me where I was from and said that he lived in Florida. I think that it is very interesting that I have met several people who are from the U.S.A., in Italy. Also, in Florence, there is a huge market. People are on the street trying to sell you their goods. With every stand I passed, the owner or salesperson automatically started talking to me, asking me, “How are you doing?” and inquiring about what I wanted or what I was interested in. I was very overwhelmed because I am not used to that kind of attention or pressure to buy and I barely know any Italian. Also, the number of people trying to talk to me at the same time and asking if I wanted to buy something immediately was a little scary. I got a few things at the market, but not much. In my opinion, I believe that Florence is a little unsafe and you should always travel with a friend. There are gypsies walking around, men trying to convince you to walk into their store to make a purchase and I did not feel comfortable keeping my backpack on my back. I turned it around to the front side of my body. This is a safety precaution because some people may try to steal your money and belongings. From my experience of being to New York City, I believe that in Florence you have a greater chance of being pickpocketed because so many people walk very close to you.
I think the most difficult part for me this week was the language barrier. I recently tried to order something off a menu, and the person in the restaurant didn’t speak any English. It was very difficult to explain what I wanted, so I just pointed to what I wanted and said, “Si.” I am trying to learn a little more Italian every week so I am able to communicate with the people in my town.