Since I arrived in Florence, Italy I’ve had an absolutely incredible time. I’ve been here for over a month and have been introduced to a plethora of new things and places. Although this is the case during the first few weeks of the trip I experienced a bit of culture shock. This isn’t surprising as this is my first time out of the country. Personally culture shock has hit me most when food shopping which is definitely something I didn’t expect. The first week I was here, I was unaware that you have to weigh your own produce. One of the workers ended up telling me, but it definitely caused some stress. I’ve also found that the grocery stores here are very small and crowded which is something I’m not used to. The aisles are very compact and running into people is super easy to do. This has definitely resulted in a bit of anxiety, but wasn’t terribly hard to deal with. Even though I struggled a bit with this in the beginning, it’s gotten a lot easier over the past few weeks. With anything new you’re bound to encounter some struggles so none of this came as a complete shock. Overall the culture shock I’ve experienced has been incredibly minor which is the best thing I could have ask for. I was definitely overwhelmed when I first got here, but over the course of the trip I’ve really settled in. My roommates are incredible and I get along really well with everyone on the trip. The locals are also super helpful and easily accessible which has helped me to feel comfortable. These things have definitely eased the transition and has helped reduce the culture shock I thought I would be experiences.