Submitted by Adrianna Nelson on the 2019 spring semester program in Rome, Italy…
My first few weeks in Rome have been wonderful, and hectic and overwhelming all at the same time. I would not say that I am experiencing culture shock, but simply noticing differences between here and home. Some things that one would think is so normal at home, people here, Italians, European culture may find weird or even grotesque. Biggest shock to me was – public toilets in Rome.
Most public restrooms are co-ed. A male stall and a female stall and then a sink to share. This was interesting on my first encounter. Also, there are no toilet seats at all on public toilets. Depending where you are, it could be just a porcelain or tin “can” basically. I guess what I am trying to say is if you study abroad, things aren’t going to be “just like home”. It’s going to be different and it may take adjusting, but knowing that and deciding to go anyway is something amazing.