Throughout my time in Matla, Sicily and Italy, I have learned so many things and have had some amazing experiences. I have loved getting to dive into such unique cultures and learn about the history, people, food and more in each region. People in these countries along the Mediterranean move at a slower pace than Americans and it has been refreshing to see. I love eating dinner later and enjoying the food and company. Tourism is huge in Italy, especially in Rome, where we experienced many crowded streets and had to watch out for pickpockets. Conducting business with people who speak a different language from you is very hard. Ordering food at restaurants, purchasing items and even paying your bill is difficult when you cannot communicate with the other person, and is probably the biggest difficulty I experienced on this trip. Most people here can speak a little English or enough to get an idea of what you are saying, but I did not realize how hard communication could be.
My time abroad has expanded my knowledge of the history of Malta, Sicily and Italy. I have learned how diverse the people here really are and it has been a pleasure to learn more about their culture. Maltese people have Arabic backgrounds but speak English, and Sicily and Italy have Roman. Greek and other influences. My perspective of these countries has changed into having more appreciation for their people, their food and their landmarks. The strong Catholic presence in each of these places was interesting to learn about and the churches and cathedrals we visited were breathtaking. Visiting the Vatican was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip, even though it was crazy busy!
Overall, I have loved my time abroad and it has been some of the best weeks of my life! The food was some of the best and the people I met in each city taught me so much about the rich history of each region. The business visits that our group went on taught me about passion and perseverance. My favorite business visit was to an avocado farm, the man who started the farm had a passion after graduating college and after starting on a whim, now has the biggest avocado farm in Sicily. I am so grateful to have been a part of this trip and I can’t wait to come back to Italy!
