Culture shock was not as big of a deal for me as I initially expected. Though, I was left confused for about a week when I first came to Italy when it came to handing money to and receiving money from a cashier. When I reached out my arm to take the money they were seemingly handing over to me, they would instead place it on the counter in front of me. As someone who works in retail as a cashier, this action is typically considered rude. I found myself, by habit, reaching out for the money that they would end up placing on the counter instead of in my hand. Toilets have also been a recurring issue. Each bathroom seems to hold different complications in every place. Sometimes there’s just a hole in the ground, sometimes you have to step on a pedal or push a button on the wall to flush the toilet. One time a toilet door opened up like an elevator door to reveal an elevator like steel interior that had no lights, no way to flush, or no toilet paper. Although things are slightly different, adjusting has not been an issue and it has been fun encountering cultural differences.

As someone who has studied Spanish since my sophomore year of high school, learning and understanding Italian has been both difficult and easy at the same time. Phrases are harder for me to understand, but many Italian words are extremely similar to Spanish, which is very helpful to me. I have learned greetings such as “Buonasera,” “Come stai,” “Caoi,” and “Bonjourno,” but that is the extent of my knowledge. Most people speak English here, and if they don’t, it’s easy to understand them through context clues. While buying a ring from a jeweler, we communicated through google translate. Within the first two weeks of being in Italy, we were immediately whisked away from the city of Florence to the Slow Cheese Festival held in Bra, Italy. The idea of the Slow Food Movement did not really mean much to me when I first heard the term. But, the Slow Cheese Festival gave me a very positive understanding of what such a movement was trying to practice and teach. To be considered slow food, everything about the about the process of the food must be “good, clean, and fair,” which is also the motto of the movement. During the festival, all of the producers were very kind and extremely open to explaining the importance of their trade, even if their English was not the best. The whole community was open and eager to share their passions to the world. Not only did they talk to us about their products, but they allowed us to try their foods, which were some of the best cheeses and honey I’ve ever had in my entire life.