After a beautiful month in Italy, I am finally back home in the grand ole USA! And it is good to be back to the comforts of home: air conditioning, having my car, and cheap fast food. I didn’t expect to experience any sort of reverse culture shock since I’ve been to Italy before, but the biggest thing I forgot about the US was the portion sizes at restaurants. I was so used to finishing my meal at the restaurant and having no leftovers I was caught off guard taking home enough food for a second dinner! From studying abroad I learned that there is no true generalization of people from one place. There are some Italian moms who love to cook, and there are some who don’t. There are some Italians who frown at tourists while there are some who welcome them with open arms. And though most Italian men look like they’ve just left the runway, there are some who prefer to dress it down. Like the US, where people come from many different backgrounds and there are many different types of people, Italy is just like that. I learned that it is important to step out of your comfort zone and get to know the people around you in order to truly experience the culture. Take a train, order the octopus, and swim in the cold sea at 6:00 am. Break out of your comfort zone and you will learn more than you think. Ciao Italia! Ci vediamo dopo!
