Buon giorno! It has been awhile since my last blog and I have a lot of great experiences to catch you up on! The weekend before this last weekend (so my second weekend in Italy), I went to Rome with three other girls. We had a blast and ended up walking around Rome head to toe (or so it seemed...). I think we saw just about everything there is to see in Rome and it was well worth it! Needless to say, our feet were a bit sore at the end of the weekend : )
One of my first observations I had in Rome about intercultural communication was our landlady Sandra at our bed and breakfast. She was a black woman from Cameroon and she was able to speak good English, fluent Italian and also French from where she is from. This was incredible to me and it just goes to show you that there are so many people out there who have influences of many different cultures. She loved to tell us stories from different places she had been. She is one of the most culturally diverse women I have ever met!
Another experience I had in Rome was on our second day when we were figuring out details for a classical music concert we were going to go to later that night. I called the number on the flyer to find out ticket information and to see if students got a discount on tickets. The man who answered the phone spoke a little English and it seemed like he understood me. He said that yes, there were student discount tickets and that we could come by that day to buy them before the concert. I asked him if we could come by anytime that day, and he said yes, anytime before the concert just come to the church and buy them. It was a little bit hard to understand him, but I took that as it would be ok for us to come early in the day to buy them. It was about 9 am and we were in a rush to get to the Vatican to try and beat the lines, but we all agreed that we wanted to walk to the venue (which was a long way out of our way) and buy them early to ensure that they didn't sell out. So we walked about twenty minutes to this church to buy the tickets. When we got there, there was no one outside and nothing that looked like a box office. There were a few buzzers on the door. I didn't know what to do, so I called the guy back. He said to wait and he would come down. When he came down, he told us to come back later tonight right before the concert to buy tickets. So of course we had walked all that way for nothing! Looking back, I know that is what he meant when I called him the first time; that we should come early BEFORE the concert started, like thirty or forty minutes before the actual performance started, not early in the day. We all felt pretty silly, but it was just the communication between cultures that was hard to understand. Anyway, it all turned out ok and we made it to the Vatican and the concert and had a wonderful time!
Another notable experience from Rome was on the morning of the day we had to leave (Sunday). We had thought from the day we got there that it would be so cool to go to a Roman Catholic mass, especially because two of my friends I was with are Catholic. I totally agreed and thought it would be a neat experience. So we researched churches (there are so many in Rome!) and found out that there was one literally two minutes away from our bed and breakfast that is one of the four biggest churches in Rome! It was called the Saint Maria Maggiore. We were so exicted that this church had a 10am mass-perfect time for us to attend. Right when I stepped inside, I was in awe of this church. It was like a smaller version of St.Mark's Basilica, which we had seen the day before. Funny though, because it wasn't small at all! It was incredibly beautiful and ornate--I can't even begin to do justice describing it. We found our seats quickly and the service started. We knew beforehand that the service was going to be in Latin, but of course we're in Italy so we weren't going to find one in English very easily, so that was fine with us. I had already accepted that I probably wasn't going to be able to understand anything, but much to my surprise I was able to catch a few words or phrases here and there thanks to my Spanish! I had forgotten how similar Spanish and Latin are. It was really cool to hear them speak Latin. I could not believe how detailed and meticulous the mass was. It was like the most ornate production I have ever seen...I felt like I was in the presence of royalty! It was awesome to see all of the traditions they carry out in the service. I noticed that the hats on the priest and cardinals were very important; they got removed at different points in the service and then put back on multiple times. I also noticed how much the choir sang--it was a lot! They sang almost every 10-20 minutes of the 1.5 hour mass. In my western music class I am taking at CIMBA, we have learned about how choirs started with the monks in churches, so that makes sense that it is such an imporant part of mass. It was a really interesting experience for me and it was really cool to attend a traditional Catholic mass in one of the most beautiful churches in Rome...how lucky were we?
I also had an AMAZING weekend in Florence that I just got back from yesterday...I think it is tied with Venice as my favorite city in Italy so far. Just some quick things that I really noticed in Florence about intercultural communication: when you're at a restaurant you always have to ask for your check. The waiter won't bring it to you right away. I think this is really indicative of how the Italian culture is very relaxed and likes to take long dinners to sit and talk with their friends and loved ones. It seems like in America we are always in a rush and want our checks right away. It is truly the opposite in Italian culture. They expect you to sit at dinner for a long time and don't bother to bring your check unless you ask for it. Another thing in Florence: my friend and I were at a wonderful little Italian resturant and our waiter was this funny older guy who seemed like maybe he was the owner of the trattoria. I always try to speak the little Italian I know when I'm ordering at a restaurant or other place; I at least try to pronounce the name of the dish right. My friend doesn't feel comfortable with Italian at all and she just pointed to what she wanted on the menu. Well, that wasn't good enough for our waiter. With a joking smile on his face, he shook his head and said, "No no, try to say it." My friend got a little flustered but I helped her out and she got it, with his encouragement. Also, at the end of the meal I said to our waiter "Muy bene" to say that the food was very good, but he corrected my Spatalian (Spanish + Italian?) and said that in Italian that the word for "very" is "molto", so you say "molto bene". I was a little embarassed, but he was so nice and encouraging about it and I'm so glad that he corrected us and wants us to speak correct Italian! I want to learn so bad--being here makes me wish that I spoke fluent Italian. Even though I feel a little silly and out-of-place speaking Italian sometimes, I really think that it shows you respect the culture if you put in the effort to speak the language, or at least try to learn. Well, that's it for now! I seriously CANNOT believe that this is my last week of classes...I swear the time is hyper-speed here in Italy. It has gone way too fast for my liking. I am planning on savoring every moment of this last week and I don't even want to think about leaving!
Addio amici!
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