My two months abroad have been some of the best months of my life. While there are definitely some hectic moments, there’s been a lot of calm and peaceful ones as well. Cooking dinner with my roommates is always the highlight of any day and taking trips to places such as Venice, San Gimignano, and Cinque Terre has led to many amazing experiences with my friends and classmates.
Image
The hardest part of studying abroad so far has been the FOMO, fear of missing out, on experiences with my friends. I hit a difficult point in the last few weeks where I was afraid of not being able to keep up with people and not having the energy to go out made me feel like I was missing out. Luckily everyone’s been really understanding when I’m not feeling up to going out and they’re completely happy to fill me in on everything that happened throughout the night the next morning before classes start.
The cultural shift in Italy has been really interesting for me as I’ve changed the way I dress and interact with others. I’m also not generally a shy person, but I've realized that trying to communicate with people when there is a language barrier is one of my biggest fears. So I’ve found ways to overcome that. One example of overcoming the language barrier is being able to order in a cafe or as they call them in Italy, a bar. It was really nerve-wracking at first to try and order a simple coffee and I always needed a friend with me for the first few weeks to even feel confident enough to enter a cafe. Now though I’ve acclimated to the situation and gotten much better at using the limited Italian I know and hand gestures to order a coffee and croissant every morning.
I do think that even if you’re not somewhere for very long or if you’re struggling to learn the language, taking some time to learn a few words or phrases can be really helpful. If you're in a cafe for instance and the barista speaks English you could ask them how to order the drink that you want in their language so that you know it for next time. Most people are super helpful and will be excited to share a bit of their language and culture with you. And hey, maybe someday you’ll memorize that phrase and be able to say, “un caffè latte, per favore,” with no problem.
By Wil Tayco, Diverse Ducks Ambassador
Food, Culture, and Sustainability in Italy, Winter 2023