I’ve been in Europe for almost a week and I’ve learned a lot, and made a ton of mistakes, but that’s what the point of this journey: to embrace a new culture and learn things. So here are 6 things that I’ve learned so far:
1. Clothes and fashion are way different
This might be the thing I wish I knew most before leaving the USA. No one wears short sleeve shirts in Paris, and very few wear them in Rome. I only packed short sleeve shirts. I basically scream "Look at me, I’m an American.” Same goes with shorts and pants. I have no idea how they don’t get hot, but it works for them. Another big difference. Everyone wears black and gray or other dark colors, so when you’re wearing a lime green golf shirt, you tend to stick out.
2. Happiness is universal:
I can’t speak Italian or French. At all. But so far no one has gotten mad at me for being an American. As long as you try, smile, and seem nice and happy, you’ll have no problems.
3. Eventually you’ll figure out what people are saying:
English is derived from Latin and German, most languages in Europe are the same, so there’s going to be cross over words that everyone will understand. Also, you can talk with your hands. Pointing, making shapes, that all works. Eventually you and your new European friend will figure it out, but like I said in number two, be friendly. You probably wouldn’t want to help a rude French speaking person on the streets of New York, and same goes for the reverse here.
4. If you have to take an overnight train, pay to upgrade your seat:
Definitely learned this the hard way. I took an overnight train from Milan to Paris is 10-12 hours. So let me paint you a word picture of how much this night will haunt me. Our compartment was about half the size of the ones on the Hogwarts Express, there were six fully grown men trying to lay down in there. I’m 6’2”, the bed was probably 5’9”. And it got hot. Really hot. So if I could do a do over on that night, I would, but you live and you learn.
5. There is no way to prepare for how big things are:
It was my second day in Rome and I was taking a taxi to a friend's apartment and we rounded a corner and saw the Coliseum. We’ve all seen pictures of the Coliseum, we all know it’s huge. But I’m serious when I say that there is no way for you to prepare for how big it actually is in real life. The same thing goes for the Eiffel Tower. The first time it comes into your sightline, you say to yourself, “It can’t be that big.” But it is. It was a pretty cloudy day when I first saw it and it was so big that I couldn’t see the top because it was hiding in the clouds.
6. Don’t be afraid to get lost:
On the way to a club in Rome we somehow got lost and ended up at the Trevi Fountain. And I didn’t realize it until we got there and I looked up. This was definitely a cool thing to experience. And as long as you have the address of where you’re staying, you can just hop in an Uber.