Day zero by Jessica

I’m most excited about spending time with the people studying abroad with me. Super excited to do tours and have classes in museums and also in the colosseum. I’m also excited to see the many markets and flea markets Rome has to offer, I really like to thrift.

What surprised me in the readings is that in chapter 7 of, Italy Culturesmart!, it talked about how standing in lines are not an Italian custom (pg. 142). It said how it’s important to be assertive and most of the time an employee only can help you if they choose you next or make eye contact with you. In addition, on page 143, it talked about how a lot of cars drive recklessly and might not even stop at red lights. That’s good to keep in mind since I don’t want to be caught in a car accident.

I had no impromptu conversations at the airport sadly. I was with my friend, Rachel, and talked with her. We really wanted to get shake shack, but we didn’t.

My family told me to watch out for pickpocketers and to be vigilant and alert. My friend who has already been to Rome told me to rent a Lime scooter since it was really fun. However, she told me to watch out for how long you have it for because she ended up spending an hour on the scooter and had to pay about 20 euros.

My favorite quote from the book, Italy Culturesmart!, is on page 63 of chapter 2, where the author talks about how Italians don’t trust the bureaucratic system because the process is very slow and time-consuming. On page 63 it says that the bureaucracy, “has been nicknamed the lentocrazia, the ‘slowcracy’” (pg. 63). This was funny to me because I would complain about how slow it is for me to wait in the post office, but it seems like I should count my blessings.

The shake shack we wanted to go to, but didn’t

3 responses to “Day zero by Jessica”

Liv Yarrow

June 2, 2025

This is great! I love the road-not-taken theme! Maybe try to echo that in later posts as opportunities arise. It helps us remember that we are constantly making choices, but esp. as we travel and explore.

Please be sure to add a featured image and categorize appropriately. Links are to instructions! There are two more requirements that will soon become second nature as you post. When you finish writing add the word count to the top of the post along with the minutes to read (you’ll find this on side panel under the post options tab). Also get creative with your titles and make them echo some of the themes in your post. Examples for this post might be: “0: Lentocrazia!” Or “Zero: No Shack Shake for Us!” The best part of wordpress is we can always update and change our posts as we go along!

The scooters are super fun but use extra extra care. There are many accidents with them. I once saw a tourist hit by a bus just outside the Vatican. My favorite is to ride them on the paths along the Tiber out of traffic.

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Tina

July 5, 2025

Hi Jessica!
“My family told me to watch out for pickpocketers and to be vigilant and alert. ” I also have a similar conversation with my family. The fear of having your important documents and cards stolen is terrifying😭. My family and I even created some scenarios and practiced a few tricks as preparation in case it happens.

-Tina

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isabelherrera79

July 6, 2025

I’m sorry you guys didn’t get to go the shake shack at the airport. I always like to try American chain restaurants in other countries to see how they’re like. My family and friends also gave me the speech about pick pocketers which originally made me nervous.

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Rome via Brooklyn