During my time studying abroad in Florence, I have had the opportunity to travel to different towns in Italy. One weekend we went to Vernazza, a small town in Cinque Terre. I was able to ask them questions about the language and how certain phrases were properly spoken. They had so much cultural humility towards me as I did them. They were excited to have a teachable moment and appreciated how much I cared to understand their language. By the end of the weekend trip, I felt so much more comfortable with my speaking and also did not feel as scared to try to speak it. I could order properly, have a brief conversation, and grasp more common phrases amongst Italians. I also appreciated how Italians’ if you attempt to speak their language and have any error, they tell you how to correctly say it but not in a shaming way which makes it feel safe to speak and be ok with messing up. Every Saturday in Vernazza, the community gathers together and has a concert, which I had the pleasure of experiencing. Everyone was singing and dancing, and they were drinking and eating. It was an amazing feeling to be connected and close to the people in this town. Children were running around freely, and parents were not hovering over them. It felt like I had known these people for years, not just 24 hours. While chatting with the locals, they were able to explain how safe everyone feels amongst each other in this town. Since it is such a small town everyone knows each other as well as each other’s business. They explained that nobody does anything bad because you would be the talk of the town and have no friends after that. We also talked a lot about how in America so many people have anxiety over certain things whether it’s about impending doom, or if people like you or not, your safety and these locals just did not have these feelings. They understood why we would feel a certain way but never actually experienced those feelings because of how safe they felt in their town. I found myself really settling in there, and aware of the fact that was the first time I was able to not be so on edge. Of course, still conscious of my surroundings, I was able to be somewhat more relaxed than I had been in Florence. This really impacted my perception of America because it is just not the way we were brought up. It was more of a trust no one, and everyone is always on high alert. I would never see a mother be to laxed about where her child was, and not in a bad way. I think it awesome here how they allow their children more freedom because it helps them with developing into a resilient kid.