An event I attended in Rome, Italy was the Opera. This Opera was the most beautiful building, decorated with frescos, multiple chandeliers, and beautiful red seats. The Opera is something Italians love and is a weekly activity for some. It was so cool to dress up and attend this show. Although I could not understand a single thing that was being said, it was such a beautiful performance and an amazing experience.

I am taking a beginner Italian class at the University I am attending here, but Italian is a very hard language to pick up. Although I am learning a few things it is very hard to communicate with the locals. It has helped me with reading menus at restaurants and being able to communicate when someone doesn’t know English.

A major culture shock I experienced was the size of the hot water tanks here. I share a bathroom with four girls. Showering is something we have to plan for in advance or else we would be standing under a freezing cold faucet. The hot water tanks here are so small that realistically only one person can shower and the next person can’t for at least a few hours. Another culture shock is the nonexistent dryers. I knew this before coming over here, but I didn’t realize that washing sheets would be a two day ordeal. Clothes such as jeans won’t dry for quite a few days as well. These shocks have made me appreciate my dryer and hot water in America very much. Although these aren’t very big issues or concerns, it just takes some time getting used to. I really appreciate the luxury of having these “everyday things” in America.

Some cultural differences I have noticed here is how late people stay up here. Some restaurants don’t even open until 7:00 pm. And most stores or restaurants don’t open until around 8:30 am. In the US we have things open very early or even 24/7. I have definitely had to adjust my schedule to these specific times if I want to go out and buy something.

I have adapted to many different things of the culture here. As stated above, the dryer and hot water did take some time to get used to at first, but now it is just habitual. These cultural differences will not make me take things for granted when I go back home to America!