Submitted by Kaitlyn McConeghy on the 2018 spring semester program in Rome, Italy…
I’ve always been a huge schedule person. I write everything down in my agenda and love the security and comfort of a daily routine. But when you’re a guest in a foreign country, you adapt to their schedule, and one of the biggest challenges here in Rome has been trying to navigate the Italians’ very distinct one. There are the major things: lots of businesses close from 1:00-4:00 pm for lunch, dinner doesn’t happen until at least 8:30 pm (and the easiest way to reveal yourself as a tourist is to go into a restaurant on the weekend before then). But there are also the minutiae, things that take really living in Rome to get the hang of: cappuccinos are only for before 12:00 pm. (the barista will still serve you one if you come in asking at 5:00 pm, but if you really want to blend with the locals, you’ll order an espresso).
I think adjusting to life in Rome has been a bit like getting over jet-lag. To acclimate to the new time zone, you sleep, eat and wake up when the locals do. To acclimate to life in Rome, you order your cappuccinos before noon and your espressos after that. One of the main tenets of Italian culture is the preservation of their uniqueness (good luck trying to find a Starbucks in Rome), and I think a lot of that stems from their distinct schedule. After four weeks, we’re finally starting to get it down pat, and following the “Italian schedule” has helped me to really feel like a resident, not just a visitor, in Rome.
