Upon arriving in Florence, the aspect that took me the most by surprise was the walkability of the city. Because Florence was built thousands of years ago during a time before cars, it had to be designed in a way that was accommodating for people getting everywhere by foot. Along the same lines, another initial observation that I had was just how close together every building is. It will almost never be the case that you have to walk more than 30 minutes to get to where you are trying to go even if it’s on the complete opposite side of the city. Moreover, everything in Florence is so old it almost feels like stepping back in time when you see all the sights. In fact, the entire city was actually named a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the amount of historical and cultural monuments scattered throughout. I also really have been enjoying the Italian culture and overall way of life. It seems that Italians tend to lead a slower pace of life, waking up later and going to bed later, and eating meals later than we would typically would in the United States. Italians also seem to place a strong importance on food and meal times, seeing it as a way to slow down and enjoy socializing with family and friends. What I hope to gain from this global experience is an enhanced perspective on cultural differences that would allow me to be better prepared in the future for interacting with people from different cultures, especially from a business perspective. Even though Italians only represent one culture, just being able to be adaptable to a new culture definitely gives you an advantage in the future. I am looking forward to the upcoming weeks of the program as we will be getting to do visits to Rome and Venice and also visit local businesses.
