Pre-departure:
As I prepare to begin my adventures studying abroad in Rome I have been thinking about many things. I am anxious about certain aspects of living in a different culture for four months but some of them are less obvious. I do not think I will struggle with problems relating to ethnocentrism, cultural immersion or status. It is easy for me to become involved and interact with others, even when in a completely different culture. Other physical aspects do give me some anxiety. I tend to have a weak immune system and stomach so I am weighing my options on how to ask for certain things in a culturally acceptable way. This also causes me anxiety because I need to be careful but also want to be totally involved in my host culture. After reviewing the documents about learning strategies, I feel less anxious about my ability to learn and adapt to the culture. I have always been an auditory learner but have never struggled to visually learn and can adapt easily so I believe I will be able to adjust to what is easiest in the culture.
When I encounter stress at home I often go for a walk or exercise to relieve anxiety which is something I can also do in Rome that will give me some security. After completing some of the activities I realize that I still have some more research to do about the culture in order to be prepared. Pop culture aspects such as music, sports, movies, and politics in Italy are a great interest to me. Although I only know a little about the culture at the moment, I am excited to learn more about the culture. From the little I know already Italian culture seems beautiful and has a lot to offer as long as I am willing to engage and learn. I am hoping to learn through volunteering while I am in Rome. Volunteering, specifically working with children has always been a passion of mine and I think this would be an amazing way to connect with the Italian culture as well as build relationships while I am in Rome. No matter what I become involved in while I am studying abroad I know that if I keep an open mind then I will truly be able to learn and live in the culture.
Topic 2:Cultural Values, Stereotypes, Generalizations and International Perspectives
I have spent almost the past two week adjusting to life in Rome and getting used to school at American University of Rome. I have done my best to familiarize myself with the culture of Rome and have practice traditional aspects of Roman life that I would never partake in at home in the United States. Things like drinking wine at lunch and dinner as well as having two to three courses in one dinner sitting have taken some getting used to and first caused me stress are slowly becoming appreciated in my everyday life. I have also been aware of clothing and tipping customs. I am proud to be from America but in the same sense I do not want to stand out or seem ignorant so I have tailored my dress to similar styles that I see local people wearing. Some deeper cultural differences such as religious beliefs and time management are not so identifiable. I have noticed that some of my professors are not concerned with due dates or completeness of assignments in a time centered fashion which is very different from what I have previously experience. Although I am still brushing the surface of Italian culture, every day I notice different aspects of life that I try to embrace in my daily living.
As I mentioned I do not want to seem to be an “ignorant American” but some of these stereotypes are hard to avoid and after reading about Stereotypes and Generalizations I have a better understanding of how to avoid making my own stereotypes as well as to what those of different cultures believe about Americans. I was not surprised by some of the negative stereotypes because I do know many Americans who fit those stereotypes. I can only hope that people in various countries will allow me the chance to show them that stereotypes do not always apply to all individuals. Something that did surprise me that I had not previously considered about my own culture was the apparent need to spend money and also the need to go out to eat. My friends and I always go out to eat in order to catch up or talk and hardly ever just get coffee or sit in the park like a student from Spain suggested. Even here in Italy that seems to be more common and I definitely am going to embrace this cultural difference.
Topic 3: Social Relations and Ideas for Interactions
Although coming abroad to a totally new environment and not knowing anyone was a bit intimidating I was able to find comfort in the idea that many people share this similar situation. I have never found it hard to make friends or fit in so I did not feel anxiety about that but rather about meeting people who I would get along with and have the same interests as I do. Knowing someone has the same interests would allow me to have another person to visit certain historical sites and museums with. Nevertheless despite this I was able to build relationships and learn more about people and myself. I also realized it is not necessary to always be dependent on someone else to go with you. I was able to enjoy time by myself as well as with the other knew friends I have made. I wanted and still have aspirations to make friends with resident students at the University as well as local Italians. I sometimes find it hard to speak to Italians my own age because I am embarrassed or feel shy but when I do make an attempt I find that they are always friendly and willing to do their best to understand what I am trying to say. I hope once my Italian improves I will be able to build relationships with some of these people.
There are many groups at school that I am able to join that would help me interact with Italian residents and allow me to make more friends. I have gone to some appretivo’s which is a social event here in Italy and this has helped me to interact with others. I am also interested in participating in Language Exchange Program in addition to my assigned cultural activity. This way I would be able to meet new people and interact with more local Italians who have similar goals and interests as I do. I have found it best to stay involved in the culture and in activities at school because I did experience some homesickness as a result to cultural shock but found that keeping busy and becoming involved in my temporary home cultural was the best way to alleviate this shock. I also was feeling a little overwhelmed due to cultural stress. I felt as though there were so many things I wanted to accomplish while I was abroad and so many parts of the city I wanted to see that I would never be able to do them all! That of course is not the case. After stepping back to look into the aspects of Italian culture I really wanted to experience and plan these events into my life I was able to realize that I did have time to do all I wanted to it was just a matter of planning. After overcoming some of these initial feelings I now feel less stressed and I am ready to interact and connect with my culture as well as start my many adventures I have planned.
Topic 4: Stages of Adjustment and My Personal Highs and Lows
After being in Rome for a little over a month now and reflecting on this week’s readings I think I have reached some of the stages of adjustment but not all of them and also went through various physical, social and internal adjustments. Although I realize it is rare to exist as a person who adjusts easily physical, socially and internally I believe that I have been flexible and naturally comfortable in adjusting which surprised me. I physically settled in to Rome and its lackadaisical way of life. I have come to enjoy the down time I have when the buses are 15 to 20 minutes late because the bus driver had to have a smoke break. Socially I have adapted to the new people I have met, both American and Italian. At first I was apprehensive about building relationships with local Italians but have come to find them very enjoyable and enrich my experience. I am still grappling with internal adjustments because I have not found a reason to integrate both American and Italian culture here in Italy. There are still some parts of my American culture that I hold on to here in Italy such as running and working out, which I have noticed is less common of adolescents in Italy. I think it will be easier to realize internal adjustments when I return to the United States and am able to continue embracing some of the cultural habits such as eating a later dinner and moving at a slower pace which are aspects that I have come to love here in Italy.
I did not find it difficult to understand these adjustments as well as cultural shock but that is because I think I adapted with more ease than I expected. I was anxious about coming over seas and was partly expecting the worst from myself. I thought I would be homesick for at least two weeks and need to call home twice a day. Going into the experience with this mindset allowed me to impress myself. I experienced similar stages, the first being cultural euphoria for about the first two weeks I was here. It was definitely a honey moon stage being that I felt like I was on vacation. After these two weeks I did experience cultural confrontation because I was struggling with the language a lot and began to feel a little homesick. I knew this was going to happen but I had thought it would be much worse than it actually was. I realized some of my personal lows come from when I am just sitting in my apartment doing nothing. There was only one day in particular that I felt sad and uncomfortable being here in Rome. The best way to overcome this, for me at least, was to get out into the city and embrace the realistic cultural parts of the country that I had overlooked in the honeymoon stage. My roommates particularly helped this situation since some of them were feeling the same way. We made an effort to go out and see parts of town we had not ventured to and also made an effort to act like locals and go to places that the locals hang out at including pubs and cafés that are less “Americanized”. This was a personal high for me because I really started to develop personal relationships with my roommates and other people at AUR. Although I do not think I have yet reached the stage of cultural adjustment I am working to that point. Italian language is still a great challenge for me and there are some cultural norms that I still am not completely comfortable with yet or I often forget what the culture normally does in that situation. Italian language and culture classes are helping these situations but I still need to work on my language an incredible amount. Needless to say I am excited to reach cultural adjustment and adaptation.
After reviewing the readings and thinking about my own personal situation in relation to some of the topics addressed I find it very easy to place myself into some of the certain phases and stages that were addressed as part of studying abroad. After reading a description of what is to be considered conscious incompetence and conscious competence in the phases of cultural awareness I think I fit best into the conscious incompetence stage but at times find myself in the conscious competence stage. Often times I know that I am not aware of certain cultural aspects or traditions and I lack the knowledge to effectively part take in these traditions or communicate. This often happens when I am in a new cultural situation such as a restaurant I have not been to yet or a cultural event such as a festival. I have also found myself in this situation in new cities in Italy because the cultures of the cities and different regions vary greatly. One particular city when I found this true was on a recent day trip to the small town of Orvieto which is in the Umbria region of Italy. Although I knew that many places in Italy are close during the afternoon lunch hours between 2 and 4 p.m. I was unaware of how this would differ in a small town. This tradition has never had a great impact on my life in Rome because many places do not participate in it. It was very different in Orvieto because every single shop in the small town was closed leaving us with almost nowhere to go. We were lucky enough to have planned hiking into our day so this was a perfect time to do that but if not, we would have been out of options because we would not have known how to partake in the afternoon tradition.
I also was able to make relations in the Inference section of the readings. Often times I have found myself along with my roommates participating in the D-I-E model of debriefing. When cultural differences are very apparent or confusing to us we often describe to each other what was going on and how we felt in the situation and then interpret what might be the cause or explanation to this. Many times we do not reach the evaluate stage which is something I will need to further work on to better connect with my host culture. One example of when this happened was on a recent dinner outing to a local restaurant. I had not previously been to this restaurant but thought the experience would be similar to other dining experiences. When the owner of the restaurant offered us dessert on the house and insisted we eat it we were unsure of if this was customary or not. He also gave us each a rose on the way out. The experience itself was great because it was wonderful to be so welcomed at an Italian restaurant. We talked and described the situation to each other and also said how we felt about it. We then continued to explain the situation to some other friends and they had heard of the same situation at some restaurants. We were able to interpret that it was customary at some restaurants if the restaurant’s owner was particularly used to students from our university coming in and being very gracious and warm. The owner wanted to welcome us and ensure that we would return which we definitely will. Overall my experiences have been positive in relation to the models described in our readings and I am thankful that the readings offer suggestions such as to further evaluate these types of situations after describing and interpreting them such as in the D-I-E model of debriefing.
While studying abroad I have not found many situations troubling because of the difference in low and high culture context. This may be the situation because I was brought up in the United States which is considered a low context communication environment using verbal cues and explicit communication and low reliance on cues from context. I was not shocked when in Italy I often still have to explicitly and verbally explain myself. This most likely is because of the language barrier so I am aware it may be difficult for the other communicator to understand me. Therefore I explain the situation thoroughly and in return they often do the same, using extra supporting words and speaking very slowly.
In regards to communication style, I have found these varying styles more applicable to my interactions with my roommates and not host culture members. When interacting with my host culture the communication style is almost always direct communication because it is often very difficult to incorporate emotions or ideas with my limited language skills. I do not find this a disadvantage though because it often helps me to better my Italian. If I were not speaking directly it would be hard to improve my Italian as well as understand the conversation because it would be difficult to pick up on emotions, ideas and social cues. A big part in communicating with people of my Italian host culture is nonverbal communication. I have found nonverbal communication both helpful and confusing while studying abroad. It has been confusing in a sense that simple gestures I used to use in the United States have a different meaning here and can be considered offensive. Therefore, I have to be careful with how I use my hands when trying to explain myself when in a restaurant or other social situation. Another nonverbal form of communication in the United States that is very popular in the United States is smiling at or acknowledging a stranger when passing in the street or at the grocery store. In Italy, I have noticed this is not common practice unless you are passing someone in your apartment building or living space but even then sometimes it is still not acknowledged.
The last nonverbal act I have noted is the way people in my host culture ignore personal space. I often take public transportation and many people have no awareness to how close they may be standing to the person next to them or the fact that they almost trample them on the way out the bus door. This differs from the United States because at home if you knock someone over on your way off of the tram or bus you are often expected to apologize but it Italy no one expects (or gives) any apologies for crowding your space or plowing someone over on their way out the door. I don’t believe this is out of any type of rudeness or lack of respect but more out of simple practicality. The transportation in Italy is fast moving and inefficient so you only have limited space and time and most people recognize this not taking the effects of overcrowding and rushing personally.
Topic 7: Coming Home! Emotions, Changes and Adjustments
As my time in Rome comes down to an end, looking back I have found a way to do all that I wanted to while I was in Rome. Yesterday I went to a AS Roma futbol game and on Wednesday I am seeing the Papal General Audience. These are the last two things on my “must do” list that I had made earlier in the semester. I cannot think of a better way to leave Rome. I am glad spread out my time and am not running around to see all of the monuments in Rome or eat at famous restaurants. I want my last night in Rome to be spent out at a relaxing dinner or bar, hopefully in Trastevere which has become our favorite local spot. Saturday morning, ideally my transportation will arrive on time so I will not be in a rush to the airport although I will most likely still leave earlier than necessary because Italy transportation is sometimes unreliable. Returning home is a bittersweet feeling. I will miss so many things about Rome but there are also so many things I am looking forward to. Usually I follow a routine but Rome is unpredictable so I have not had much consistency since I have been here. I am looking forward to getting back into a routine of sleeping more, going to the gym and seeing my family. I am not looking forward to returning to work as a waitress for the summer since it is very strenuous and fast paced and that is not at all how my life has been in Italy.
That being said, Italy has taught me many lessons and skills. One of the greatest lessons I have learned studying abroad is dealing with other people and that cannot be taught in a classroom. I have learned to travel and negotiate cooperatively with others that I live in close corridors with and go to school with. Often times, especially with girls, it is hard to say what you mean or how you feel without hurting another but it is necessary to be said. I have found ways to explain my opinion without putting others down and also learned to sacrifice things. Often times when traveling or planning events while abroad there can only be one or two people leading the way. I often thought of myself as a leader and at first it made me uncomfortable to give up this position but studying abroad taught me it is also important to realize when there are enough leaders and it is time to step back.
I think that will be one of the most important things I can share with friends and family. I studied abroad in order to grow and mature as a person and I think some of the lessons I learned show that. Of course I will tell them about the wonderful food and amazing monuments. As well as the various countries and cities I was able to see while I was in Italy. But more importantly I will tell them how I was able to grow as a person and build lasting relationships with the people I shared these amazing experiences with.
Topic 9: Post Study Abroad.
Looking back on my time abroad I experienced many different situations that shocked and surprised me. Mostly, these situations were not drastically different then what I experienced at home which was the shocking part. Although some things were very different I was surprised to see how things in Italy were often similar to situations in the United States. Manners, politeness, and patience are universal attributes that are accepted and appreciated all over. Upon returning I began to think about my views on foreigners in the United States and I think being a foreigner in a different country has taught me a lot of kindness. I appreciated stranger’s patience as I tried to explain myself and understand their directions and understanding that I was in a new place. Upon returning I think I will be more likely to help others who may be new or visiting America because I understand what it is like to be somewhere new. I also have changed views on anti-American feelings. I previously thought that everyone simply disliked people from America because they were Americans. Ultimately, this is not true and many people throughout my study abroad experienced did take the time to get to know me and appreciated my attempts at the language and experiencing the culture.
Upon returning I think I have changed as a person. I am now more grateful for some of the things I had previously taken advantage of in the United States such as a microwave, dryer and car because I had to do without them while I was in Italy. I am also more self-reliant and confident because I was completely independent during my time abroad. Studying abroad also helped me to improve my communication skills on a professional level as I had to e-mail many advisors and other professional personnel in order to be prepared for this summer and this coming semester. I also think I learned some academic skills. I learned how to really budget my time in order to excel in school but also leave enough time for activities, trips, and sightseeing that I wanted to be involved with while I was abroad. All of these life lessons are undoubtedly some of the most valuable things I have learned throughout my time at school and I would not trade them for anything.
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