Zac Richman
ISA 2021
Florence, Italy
July 27, 2021

When on the plane to Rome, I thought that my time in Florence would be set at a breakneck pace, running around all over the city to see everything. After walking around 10 miles the first day and sleeping in till 11 the next, I was frustrated at myself for wasting my precious and valuable time abroad. However as time went on, I realized I can’t worry about taking time to myself and sleeping in. I like to explore the city when it’s cool at night and stay in doing homework or checking in with my friends during the heat of day. I realized that Italians live life very differently than Americans. They move through life much slower and I couldn’t expect to treat Florence like America. Sightseeing is better done one place per day. It’s important to slow down and take your time to see everything rather than rushing through the beautiful Piazzas all at once.
This major change in lifestyle was tough to get used to at first, especially at restaurants. I couldn’t understand why food took so long to come out and why I couldn’t ever get my check brought to me. At a nice restaurant it once took so long for my waitress to come back I physically handed her the check with the money in it so we could leave. But I’ve learned since then. Walking down the streets I see people dining well into the late night. Dinner takes much longer here. It’s a time to connect with others and unwind after a long day of work, so spending more than 2 hours at dinner is common. While at first it felt like I was spending my entire time in Italy stuck at restaurants, now I’m excited to get stuck at a restaurant. Aperitivo is an important tradition for Italians. It’s a pre-dinner snack and drink that is meant to open the appetite. They consider 6pm too early for dinner but are still hungry so they go out to Aperitivo restaurants for a glass of Prosecco and small complimentary snacks that never stop coming out. It’s an amazing tradition that is a really special experience. I also learned about the culture of wine in Italy. Wine is not real alcohol here. It is as common and in some places, as cheap as a bottle of soda. Wine accompanies every meal. Some older folks drink wine with their brunch. It seems crazy to us but a glass of wine at 2pm won’t get you any stares here. This is because wine is considered part of the meal, a way to enhance and balance out the flavors of the food you are eating.
All of these differences were hard to understand and definitely contributed to culture shock, but I slowly overcame the feelings of being an outsider. I live in the city, I have an address and a school here, and new friends from all over the world. While it’s important to experience these new things and integrate into the new culture, it’s important to balance yourself out. You have to remember where you came from and for me that’s listening to my favorite music from home whenever I go walking. While I’m in a foreign country for multiple weeks, it doesn’t feel so alien when I’m listening to the same music I would at home, hearing English instead of rapid fire Italian. I’m excited to be here and wish I could pause time and stay here for just a few weeks more.