If you are an Aggie who is considering taking a CIBS study abroad in Italy, the best piece of advice I could give you is to just do it. It is an incredible experience and opportunity to meet new people, learn about a different country, and get credit for classes while having a ton of fun. Even if the cost may seem to be a bit too much, I think it is definitely worth it. However, there are a couple things you need to know before going on the Italy study abroad in terms of the cultural differences between the US and Italy. The most significant difference that may take time to get used to is the nonverbal way people communicate with each other. In the US, we are used to having our own personal bubble and space when talking to someone else. Italians love getting up close to one another, which may make us feel uncomfortable, and it is common for them to touch you even if you don’t know them. However, it can also be seen as disrespectful to an Italian if we try to step back because it could seem like we are trying to distance ourselves from them. The amount of eye contact is also different in Italian culture. Don’t be surprised if you see Italians just staring at you when you walk by; that’s just what they do. Finally, they use a lot more gestures in order to emphasize what they are saying. Although all these things Italians do may seem weird to you, it is important to understand that this is just the way they communicate, and it is alright to take some time to get used to these cultural differences.
Another thing to know is that the best way to learn about Italian businesses is to simply walk around. Everything in the city of Florence is walkable, and by doing so, you’ll be able to see so much about the lives of different people that live there. For example, mostly all the restaurants and shops are run by less than ten people. The size in terms of space and employees of such places is so much smaller than what we see in the US, but there are so many more around. Conad City is the equivalent of HEB in the US, but an HEB is probably ten times the size. Italians like to keep their restaurants close to the family rather than try to grow as large as possible. There are also many stalls that sell various items, such as tourist merchandise and sports jerseys. You can see that they all sell nearly the same things for the same prices, so luck is required to get more customers than the competition. Lastly, there are street peddlers all around looking to sell small items to everyone. They will walk up and annoy you to convince you to buy whatever they have. The best thing to do to make them go away is to simply ignore them. There are many more cultural differences between Italy and the US, but I do not want to tell you all of them because having a firsthand experience will give you a more memorable experience and a better understanding of what it is like to live in Italy.
