This past summer I studied abroad in Italy for a month. I absolutely loved it and I have fallen in love with that amazing country. I went with one of my best friends, and while we were there we learned a lot of things. Yes, we learned some things that were to be expected, such as how to ask where the bathroom is and ask for directions in Italian. But we also learned some things that we definitely never expected to learn.
1. Air conditioning is NOT a thing in most of the world.
I'm from Texas, where it is in fact a law that if you are renting an apartment, the air conditioning must be working or you don't have to pay rent. But in most of Europe, even though it is part of the developed world, very few places actually have air conditioning. My student apartment sure didn't!
2. Going to the bathroom is not always as easy as you would think!
My friend and I both are pretty intelligent, but it still took us 20 minutes to figure out how to flush the toilet at our first hotel. Bathrooms in Italy often have buttons, levers, and pull strings on anything from the back of the toilet, to the walls and floors or even hanging from the ceiling. It made each trip to the bathroom into a fun sort of game.
3. Washing your hands is almost as fun as trying to flush the toilet.
Apparently Italians just have a thing against normal sinks. I have never felt more dumb than when an Italian toddler had to show me how to wash my hands because i couldn't work the sink.
4. Being on time means being late.
The first day of class our teacher actually was surprised when we walked in on time. And then proceeded to poke fun at us for being early, even though we were out of breath from running because we thought we were late. This rings true for every Italian. On time means early, and late means on time.
5. Italy does not do mornings.
When we first got there we had really bad jet-lag and woke up by 6:30 AM for the first week. But nowhere in Italy is open until AT LEAST 9:30. Not even the cafe's, so we couldn't even get coffee!
6. Speaking of coffee...
Learning how to use one of these coffee makers was truly an experience. It would have been much easier if the manual had pictures.... or if it wasn't in Italian.
7. Drinking a cappuccino after 10 AM is frowned upon.
As a stereotypical American teenage girl, I am used to being able to enjoy my caramel macchiatos and PSLs at any time of day whether it be 6 in the morning or 3 in the afternoon. But in Italy they will look at you as if you have absolutely lost your mind if you order a cappuccino at even 11 in the morning!
8. Wine does not count as alcohol.
Wine, unlike my beloved cappuccinos, is to be enjoyed with every meal and at any time of day. Even the doctors in Italy drink wine in the middle of their surgery days at lunch! To them it's almost as if wine doesn't even count as alcohol anymore.
9. Gelato costs less than water.
There are Gelaterias on every street corner, and most of the time gelato can cost less than or equal to the price of a bottle of water. My friend made a bet that she could have gelato everyday of our trip. Luckily we didn't have to go that far out of our way for it!
10. Walking to class in Italy means something completely different.
People at OSU complain about their walk to North Classroom Building. But In Italy, cars aren't a thing unless you're rich, and vespas and bikes are look absolutely terrifying. So we walked around 6 miles per day. Which was good, because that meant we didn't feel so bad about all the Gelato we ate!
11. Saying you are not hungry or not finishing your food is extremely rude.
Actually, if you don't finish your food it is hard to even get a waiter to give you your check. But the second you are done with your food AND wine, they are there like magic! And if you try to leave before finishing most of your food, they take it as a major insult to not only themselves, but to their family. because most recipes at smaller restaurants are in fact old family recipes.
12. The mystery of the skinny Italian
You would think that a country with a food culture built around carbs would not be all that skinny. But in fact, Italy is on average much smaller than a lot of countries. This is contributed to not only the fact that they walk so much, but the fact that most of those carbs are consumed in the morning. This gives them time to work them off throughout the day and then they eat meat and veggies for dinner. It is actually abnormal to order pasta at dinner! Didn't stop us from doing it though!
13. It is totally possible to find home 5,320 miles from home.
Florence became our home. When we walked through the streets on our last day, we both cried because we knew that it may be years before we get a chance to come back. We definitely found our home away from home in Italy and I will always have a special place in my heart for our rinky dink student apartment with no air conditioning and a shower that flooded after 7 minutes. Even now, 5 months later, I miss Italy terribly and can't wait to go back.
