Rome via Brooklyn

Visiting Italy has been a huge dream of mine for so long, I’m excited for absolutely everything! I’m especially excited to practice my Italian, since I spent five years learning it in middle and high school (though I am pretty out of practice). I hope I’ve retained enough since then to make any interactions with locals go a bit smoother.

What honestly surprised me most in the readings was how similar Italian culture is to the Turkish culture I was raised in and am used to. The idea of family being the most important thing in someone’s life is very familiar to me. Even the way the buildings look instilled some nostalgia for Istanbul. Having to be a little cunning to work around the complicated bureaucracy also felt hilariously familiar. Although, the reading did instill the fear of waiting in long lines in me!

My airport experience was very standard, there was nothing that I haven’t really seen before. While waiting at the gate, I was able to catch bits and pieces of strangers’ Italian conversations, and tried to figure out what they were discussing using context clues (to no avail). I did have an exit seat though, for the second year in a row! Something I did find a little odd about Fiumicino airport was the smoking area was indoors, in a glass compartment with huge vents around it.

My aunt gave me an original proverb before I left: “Be a nerd but not too much of a nerd, and have fun but not too much fun.” A very Generation X way to wish for me to be a good student while also enjoying myself!

A quote from the reading I found funny was the nicknames given to public figures in Italy, such as L’avvocato (The Lawyer) for the owner of Fiat. I especially enjoy the wordplay of Sua Emittenza (His Emittence), combining the title of a cardinal with radio broadcasts.