Well, my time studying in Italy is officially over. I went to Milan, Turin, Venice, Cinque Terre, Lake Como, and now im recouping with my parents in the beautiful seaside town of Rapallo.
The past month really has been invaluable. So many new experiences, new friends, and so much enjoyment. Even though much of my time was spent studying, doing school work, or in class, I really felt that all of the experiences that I have had here in Italy have contributed to my fantastic time abroad. Although to me, my favorite part was noticing the differences in Italian culture and in American culture. In this final blog post I have decided that it would be an appropriate time to go over a few of my favorite culture differences.
Differences
- In Italy, almost everyone either has a small econo-car, an estate wagon, or a modest SUV. It is very rare to see a "normal" sedan such as a camry, corrola, or civic. Also there are practically zero pickup trucks or suburbans. I have not once seen a suburban and the only pickup trucks I see are used by workers that necessitate a truck.
- In Italy, a coffee is espresso. In order to get a coffee like you would in America, you must order a "Cafe Americano". Even if the waiter asks you "Cafe?", they mean espresso.
- In Italy, they sell huge 1.5 Liter (0.4 gal) water bottles. These have become my best friends. One bottle usually lasts a whole day and really carry the perfect amount of water for an excursion.
- Italians cut up their pizza themselves. If you order a pizza here, do not expect it to be cut into slices. Most Italians eat pizza using a fork and knife and slicing it like we do in America is not necessarily frowned upon but is seen as very American.
- Italy has a cash culture. MANY places in Italy will not accept card. This even includes restaurants. Although paying in cash all the time and having to split the check ourselves really has upped our mental math game, which is nice.
- Jorts! Jean shorts are huge in Italy, and not even just for women, I see men wearing jean shorts all the time! Usually they come down to mid-knee and are pretty faded. Im not sure if this is just an Italian thing, but I don't quite know how I feel about it.
- Two types of flushes. On pretty much every toilet in Italy, there will be two buttons to flush the toilets, one big and one small. The small uses less water while the big has a bit more 'umph'. I think this is something we really need in America. Especially with the California draught going on I would think more people would be wary to how much water we use, and even just using smaller flushes could help a lot.
Im sure there are many more differences that either I havn't caught on to or are just escaping my mind, but those should give a good taste on what Italy is like!
Also, as kind of a meta-post, I am considering continuing my blog as a sort of journal/photoblog. I will probably decide within the next week or so if i'm going to continue it. If you are reading this, I will keep you updated!
Ciao!
Jamie