As my departure for Rome is approaching quickly, I am beginning to think about what I need to expect and different things I need to be prepared for in order not to be shell shocked when I get there. Well, of course I am going to be shell shocked, everyone does when adjusting to a new culture, but what are some things that can put my mind at ease knowing I will expect some difficulties?
Beginning in February, I was sure I was going to learn a little Italian before I left for this trip. I mean, I had like four months to learn a little of the language. Well, today's May 12 and I probably have spent a couple hours looking through my language book and that's about it. However, I think once I get there and I will be forced to interact with locals and learn some lingo, I will hopefully be able to get some basic chores done in my daily routine. I do expect though I will be caught up in awkward conversations for the first couple weeks.
Since I am living in an apartment by myself, I wonder what that experience will be like. I wonder what my interactions with my Italian neighbors will be like or possibly what sort of cool little "local" hidden spots will I discover by living in my little place in Trastevere. Right next to my apartment, there is a historical piazza called Piazza Santa Maria. I am hoping there will be some cool events and shows that might happen there! Honestly, all I really care about is if my WiFi works in my apartment. If it doesn't, there will be a problem!
I am a total foodie, so I hope to discover some amazing Italian restaurants while I am there. I hope I can learn about some famous places around town and visit them after classes. I also wonder how similar the pizza there is to American pizza? I'm betting on it being much better than my Domino's around the corner. I also plan to work off all those food calories by walking long distances around town. I wonder what I will discover when I do this. I will be sure to take different routes everyday so I can discover something new every time I take a walk.
My plan during a couple of weekends is to travel to locations like Florence and Venice. I bet it will be a bit hectic trying to actually get to those places but once I am there, I wonder how different the culture is in those places compared to Rome. I am guessing the locals might have a different view on life and some of the cuisines might alter as well. I just can't wait to see those canals in Venice and the Duomo in Florence!
Many of the things I just covered have been on my mind for a while, but just sitting back and thinking about them is making me confident that I can successfully conquer them. Overall, I am ecstatic about leaving to dive deep into a new culture as scary as it sounds to me! All my life, I have wanted to travel here and its finally going to happen. I will definitely have some highs and some lows but I know I will come out of this grateful of all the lessons it will teach me! Signing off till I get there!
- Joe Stitt