Submitted by William Voges on the 2019 winter session study abroad program in Siena, Italy sponsered by the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures…
After another week living in Siena, I’ve begun to get more of a feel of what the day to day life is like. Things are much more laid back here than they are in America. There is much less of a rush to do. People take their time. They enjoy a leisurely stroll. When was the last time you went into a coffee shop in America and didn’t see someone working on their laptop? You don’t see that in Italy, people go to cafes just to enjoy their coffee or have a conversation. I think that cultural difference really stuck out to me when we had a meet and greet with local students that were around our age, all between 19-20. When I mentioned to one of them that I’ve had a steady job since I was 17, she responded “of course you have, you’re American.” There is much less pressure to have a career/life path figured out than there is in America. Most people under the age of 20 don’t get jobs, it’s just not expected of them. I think that is a good thing, it’s unfair to expect someone who isn’t even 20 yet to decide their college major, and therefore their entire lifelong career. Nobody is the same person at 18 that they are by 30, nobody is the same person at 18 than they are by the time they’re only halfway through college, why expect them to know what they want?
This weekend was our free weekend so I and a few others returned to Florence to go inside the Basilica di Santa Maria di Fiori. It was breathtaking. The attention to detail both inside and out blew my mind, the walls are intricately carved, not an inch of space is wasted, it’s a facade of green, pink, and white, the building itself is a work of art. The inside is just as beautiful. The dome of the church has a Last Judgement painted on it, again detail is key. Every brush stroke has a purpose, it tells the story of Christianity’s judgement day in such terrifying detail I understand why people back then were such devout believers.
