Culture Shock is Real, Folks.
Written by Samantha June 1, 2016
Traveling throughout Europe, so far, has been the best decision I have ever made. Italy has a beautiful language (‘bella’ means beautiful in Italian, isn’t that so much prettier than English?). The people of Italy are interesting and full of unique perspectives on the world. No matter how much this beautiful land takes my breath away, there are still some parts that “shock” me. These moments remind me that I’m no longer in the United States. Here are some culture shock moments I’ve experienced on my trip and a couple ways to prepare yourself before traveling to Italy.
- The Bathrooms: We were out for the Bassano by Night trip and hung out at a couple Cafés/Bars. After a few hours of the night, my friend and I had to use the bathroom at the bar we were at. My friends had claimed there was only one bathroom, for both men and women. When we went to use it, there was a hole in the ground with bars to hold on to. Me being an American, I was not used to this type of public bathroom. I thought that this had to be an anomaly and that other restaurants/bars would be different. Obviously, I was wrong. We stopped at three other places along the way to the bus and every single bathroom had the same setup. I almost gave up hope, but as we walked toward the bus there was a Hotel Belvedere across the street. I thought I would have the same answer, but luckily there was one bathroom that had a normal toilet. How can you prepare? My best advice would be to research the area you are traveling to and, if you’re uncomfortable using a foreign set-up, make the best effort to wait until your hotel/hostel to use the bathroom.
- It’s not “America the Free” anymore: There’s a fee to sit down in a restaurant, there’s a fee to use a public restroom, and there’s a fee for water. In America, there’s always a public restroom and tap water is free. However, in Italy, all of those things have a charge of 1 euro. Americans take the opportunities and amenities available for granted. It was a shock to have to pay for tap water at a cafe or simply use the restroom. How can you prepare? Budget. Budget. Budget. Now that you know you have to pay for these things, budget an additional 2 euros should be budgeted for each meal or plan on bringing a reusable water bottle.
- The language barrier: Growing up in Minnesota, I never had to know another language to communicate with someone. They always knew English. But now, being in a foreign land, that’s not the case. I need to adapt to this culture and attending a basic Italian class can only take me so far. I was on the train to Florence and halfway there I sat next to this Italian man. I was being polite but just assumed he knew some English, I asked “Parla Inglese?” He looked at me and said, “No, no. No Inglese. Italiano?” I said no. He continued to ask me a question in Italian and pointed to the front of the train with his hand. I said, “Firenze” because that was where I was going. I had no idea what he saying or what he was trying to communicate with his hands. We sat in silence until he finally put his head down on his tray to go to sleep. I’ve never had an experience where I couldn’t communicate with someone. They always knew at least a little bit of English. At our Airbnb in Florence, the lady who was renting to us (and spoke English) was running late and wasn’t there when we were first arrived. However, her father, who did not speak English, was there. How can you prepare for each of these scenarios? We downloaded Google Translator and were able to translate what the father was saying to English, and what we were saying into Italian. I’m sure there are many phone applications out there to make your stay in Italy more productive.
The language and people of Italy are beautiful and unique all in their own way. To thoroughly enjoy the stay more, take these tips to heart in order to prepare for your journey abroad.
Blogger: Samantha, University of Minnesota
