Rome via Brooklyn

373 words, 2 minutes read time.

I am most excited to be able to explore Rome through history, seeing it both as it is now by walking through it, and learning about its origins. Of course, the Colosseum is very exciting, but every place and activity excites me!

I found a lot of interesting things in the reading. One thing that stood out to me was in chapter 2 of Culture Smart, in the section about tolerance. It talked about how tolerant the Italian people are and that they acknowledge that people make mistakes. In my self-imagined image of Italian people, I thought that they are more closed off and judgmental, and would point out or notice mistakes. However, unlike the Catholic church itself, the reading says that the Italian people are flexible and understanding. The example of the contract was interesting to me, specifically that the person who wrote it was a foreigner, and the Italian people still let him make up for his mistake! I hope this is true and the Italian people will understand when I stumble across my limited Italian or look very lost 🙂

I did not have any impromptu conversations in the airport, but my name was called to show my passport. But before I knew it was just a passport check, I was pretty nervous. I was lucky enough to buy Jessica and then sit with Nico on the plane. It was my first time ever being chosen to be in an exit row, which means I had to consent to being able to open the doors in case of an emergency, a duty I took to heart. My parents told me to have fun and not worry about things, and that everything will work out. Also that I have to make sure to take pictures and notes and update my family!

A funny quote from the reading was on page 138: ” With the number of documents the average Italian has to carry, is it any wonder that Italy pioneered the fashion handbag for men?” I’m happy we didn’t have to deal with the documents! But it shows how many items the Italians carry. They will have to keep an eye out for a bag, they seem to know what they are doing!