When the Novelty Wears Off

Italians still celebrate their liberation in World War II

We were in Siena when they celebrated their liberation from the Germans in World War II. It gave me a greater appreciation not only for Italian's pride in their culture, but also made me proud to be an American. Silvia said that the Americans are well known for treating the Italians with kindness, not only liberating them, but giving them supplies they needed. 

Here is a clip of the start of the parade. They started near the city wall, and we followed them into the Piazza del Campo. It was a cool thing to experience!

Thunder storms in Italy are intense

The thunder is bone-rattling and the rain comes down in sheets. It's awesome when you are safely indoors, not so much when you get caught in it coming home from the train station. 

Americans value their privacy and personal space much more than Italians

If you don't want to be constantly running into people all the time, you have to constantly dodge people, because Italians have no problem shoulder checking you. I always feel like I'm playing chicken with the people walking toward me, and I always cave and jump out of the way. 

Music has restorative powers

The best way to escape from the stress of being abroad is listening to familiar music in your own language. After having a hard time finding a bus or a train, listening to music through my headphones really helps calm me down. It allows me to be in my own head for a bit, instead of being engulfed by a foreign culture. 

Apparently, I've got a funny sneeze

While we were in Barcelona, I sneezed out on the street. Afterwards, I hear a guy imitate my sneeze all the way across the street while his friends laughed. I just looked up and casually waved at them. :)

Rudeness is universal

People have been overwhelming wonderful here, but rudeness is inescapable. There is one coffee shop that is very convenient because it is right in between our apartment and our school. However, every time we go in there, the baristas are always super rude to us. We always try to order in Italian and meet them part way because they don't speak English, but even though we are attempting to speak Italian, they look at us like we are stupid and speaking some other language. They also always serve us after they serve all the Italians, even if we ordered way before them. Some of these instances may be cultural differences, but based on the way other Sienese people have treated us, I'm guessing its just rudeness.

Some Italian eating habits are totally different

For instance, according to our Italian friends at the University of Siena, eating more than two eggs per week is unhealthy. They were shocked when we told them that a lot of people eat eggs every day for breakfast. Italians also don't like peanut butter. A tiny jar of Skippy peanut butter is over four euros if you can find it! (Thankfully, my mom sent the Costco double pack with my brother, so we are set for the rest of the trip.) They also don't have salad dressing. If they do have salad, they use vinegar and oil. My question is: where did Italian salad dressing come from? Because it definitely didn't come from Italy.

Italians take PDA to a whole new level

People make out and grab ass out in public all the time. Makes me think of John Legend's song, "PDA: We Just Don't Care"

Eventually the novelty wears off

...and what's left is a whole lot of homesickness. Things that were exciting at first become irritating. Not being able to communicate really wears on you after a while. Housemates who don't go to class and never clean the kitchen really start to get annoying. This leads me to do silly things, like cry in front of my Italian teacher right before the oral midterm. Luckily, she was so sweet. She gave me a big hug, kissed me on the cheek, and told me she could be my temporary mom. I've been so blessed in where I've been put, but it doesn't mean that it's always easy.

Showing my family around Siena made me realize how much I love it here
I took them to my favorite coffee shop, Nannini, where we had cappuccinos and croissants with chocolate. I got to show them wear I live, the Duomo, and Piazza del Campo. We had a traditional Sienese lunch with Pici Cacio e Pepe (a thick, spaghetti-like noodle with a cheesy, peppery sauce) and Tuscan wine. It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon with some of my favorite people in one of my favorite towns. Despite the homesickness, I really am loving it here, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to live in such a beautiful place. But when it's time to go home, I think I'll be ready. As long as I promise myself I will come back :)

Blue Suede Shoes

My trip has been great so far, full of new discoveries. Living in another country totally different from my own does not come without it's difficulties, but most of my experiences have been enlightening.

One of my house mates is learning to play the guitar
Blue Suede Shoes by Elvis is our new soundtrack. Hearing "One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, now go, cat, go" in a thick Italian accent is one of the cutest things ever, but we'll see how I feel about it at the end of the term. :)

Stretching yourself can be painful

My Italian class, which is two and half hours, four days a week, has challenged me in ways that I didn’t know possible. Becca can attest to the fact that after my first class I had tears welling up in my eyes because I was so overwhelmed. Our teacher’s English isn’t the best, which will probably be best for our skill level in the long run, but when I’m just starting out, it’s disorienting and confusing. It’s given me a new appreciation for people in the US who’s second language is English. 

Italian advertisements play on Spotify
Back home, when I listen to music on Spotify, an assortment of ads play in English. Here, however, my Spotify account somehow recognizes that I am in Italy, and the language corresponds.

Italy's daylight savings is different than the United States'
My mom always joke that "springing forward" is our least favorite day of the year. Well, I had to live through this day twice. So on top of jet lag, we also lost another hour last Sunday. Nobody prepared me for this! :)

Fanta in Europe is totally different
Instead of being a syrupy orange soda, it is a refreshing combination of orange juice and sparkling soda. It's my new favorite, and I won't admit how many times I've had it already. Of course, I'm looking forward to having one with my dinner.

Cooking can be fun
Normally, I hate cooking back home (so usually I don't,) but the program arranged for us a cooking class, so I went! Our teacher spoke only Italian, but she had a translator. We made an authentic Italian meal, with a tomato soup, picci pasta with a cheese sauce, chicken wrapped in a bacon-like meat, and biscuits for dessert. My favorite part was making the pasta from scratch and rolling the dough into noodle form. Delizioso!

Lella, our chef, and Julia, her assistant, getting ready for the lesson

Becca and I waiting for our dough to be ready to roll out

Apparently, cigarettes and alcohol are good for my health
According to my Italian housemate, Antonio, that is. "It may not be good for the body, but it is good for the soul." There's something to be said about that. As most of you know, I'm an extremely responsible person, and as a result I probably miss out on some of the fun things in life. Although I'm not partaking in the smoking part of the Italian experience, a glass of wine (or two!) at dinner and staying out past my bed time are two things that have really helped me to embrace this new environment. It may not be great for my body, but it is wonderful for the soul!


That's all I've got for now! Becca and I are going to Florence with our professor and his wife for the day on Saturday. It will be nice to travel with someone who can give us some historical and cultural background. Ciao!