I've been in Italy for two weeks. "What could you have possibly learned in that short amount of time?", you ask. What couldn't I have learned? See, there is a distinct difference between living in a foreign city and merely visiting there. While it's quite possible to live in a city and never go the same place twice, frequenting the local cafe across the street from my apartment or the restaurant next door have already become parts of my daily routine.
I've made relationships with the locals and--thank goodness--brushed up on my poor Italian. Most importantly, I have learned invaluable lessons. Things are most certainly different in Italy than they are in America, and as someone who has grown up in the alleged, "best place to live in the world," I have to disagree with our label. Here is a comprehensive list of what America is doing wrong:
1. Corporate America has taken over.
In Italy, you can't find everything in one place. Yes, it's inconvenient, but there are some advantages. It forces you to *gasp* make relationships. You want fresh fruit? Most likely, you can find it at the market or at a local street vendor. Oh no! Does this mean you might have to go somewhere else to find toothpaste?! Why yes, yes it does.
Corporate America has led us to believe that convenience is everything. We must have more. Everything must be more convenient, and we must have more access to more options. Yet, there is something refreshing about having fewer options. It forces you to try new things. Furthermore, having to walk around to multiple places to get everything you need means more socialization and interaction with people, thus more relationships forged, and more connections made. An extra plus is the added walking that might help the most obese country IN THE WORLD. Yeah. There's only so much that eating broccoli can do.
2. Most of us only speak one language.
Most of the people abroad are bilingual at the very least. Some are even trilingual. They speak their native language in addition to English and any combination of French, German, and/or Spanish. Then, we come to their country and are so presumptuous we walk right up to them and speak in English. We might look less entitled if we at the very least brought up our children with more than one language. In fact, research has show that those who speak multiple languages actually perform better on cognitive control tasks.
3. Our food.
On my third day in Italy, I made an egregious error. After two days of rain, I was feeling a little homesick. As a result, my roommate agreed to go get some “quality" food at the Hard Rock Café. Since it was rather busy at this American joint (because my fellow Americans must have been feeling homesick as well), we sat at the bar. There we were greeted Italians who scoffed and laughed at me when I ordered a burger.
“You cannot order a burger in Italia," they said. I was incredibly annoyed. Who were they to judge me for indulging in my homesickness? I rudely rolled my eyes, and continued to wait in anticipation for what I knew would fully satisfy me. When my burger finally arrived, I drowned it in ketchup and gulped it down with a little Coca Cola. Yum.
I didn't realize my error until the next day when I went to El Mercato Centrale. The second I walked in I was on sensory overload. It was bustling with people, and the aroma of fresh meat, fish, and cheese was so strong I could almost taste it. I looked around and saw employees hand slicing the meat then adding natural greens on top of soft, fresh bread. “I'm an idiot," I thought to myself. The next few hours that ensued made me realize that—indeed—I couldn't ever order a burger in Italia (or America, for that matter) ever again. Don't even get me started on pizza, pasta, espresso, or gelato. That could be an article in and of itself.
4. The way that we consume alcohol.
While other countries and cultures may disagree with me, Italians understand the proper way to drink. They enjoy quality alcohol, and spread their consumption out over a long period of time. Moreover, they eat a hefty meal beforehand and as a result are rarely visibly intoxicated. Sure, they're relaxed and maybe even tipsy. Yet if they were to hear slur or stumble, their peers would be disgusted.
As a college student, I understand the value of a good time as well as anyone, but after my time here I also understand the value of moderation. There is a way to still obtain the desirable “buzz" and feel free of inhibitions without looking like an idiot, and the Italians understand this better than anyone.
5. The way that we dress. Once again, there is always an exception to the rule. There are people in urban areas in the U.S. who know how to dress better than anyone, and there are people in Europe who dress like slobs. However, as a whole Europeans know what they're doing. Men take their suits to a tailor, ensuring a perfect fit, and women know how to emphasize their best features without looking overly provocative.
6. Our work-life balance.
The way to describe what differentiates Americans from Europeans (or at least Italians) is that Italians work to live, and Americans live to work. For most Americans, the ultimate picture of success includes an abnormally large house and a 9-5 job that could be six figures, but ideally is seven. Family time is seen as important, but there's this notion that in order for the family to be fully satisfied, they must as a whole live somewhat luxuriously. Except for those very few who benefit off of “get rich quick" schemes, must achieve this goal by hard work and determination. More hours in the office means more work accomplished (although this, too isn't always the case), a job well done, a promotion, more money, and allegedly, a “happier" life.
Italians operate differently. They'd rather work fewer hours (most restaurants, for example close between the hours of 4 and 7) and have family and leisure time than make a profit. What we can glean from this way of life is that they value happiness more than success. Rather, they see success as being happy, and they understand that there's more to happiness than working overtime.
7. Our lack of concern for the environment.
While I admire our strides toward improving human health in the U.S., I think we could do more to benefit future generations. In Italy, for example, citizens can be fined for not separating their trash, and using plastic bags at the grocery store comes at a price. Both of these activities help reduce waste by encouraging people to think about the effect they may have on the environment. If they choose to act in a way that hurts it, their actions will incur a fee. Furthermore, many Europeans also walk, take public transportation, or bike to work, reducing the emission of greenhouse gas. The United States is on its way to a more sustainable way of life, but Europe—the U.K. in particular, actually—was really the first to make significant strides.
Disclaimer: I love the United States, and I'm incredibly grateful to have been raised there. Nonetheless, there's room for improvement, and perhaps we can look to Europe for a few suggestions.
