My view of Florence after my friends and I climbed to the top of the Duomo! Absolutely breathtaking.

The Arno and distant view of the Ponte Vecchio at sunset.

When I first arrived in Florence, I experienced major culture shock. I noticed so many differences between Italian life and my own culture, some of which I liked and some of which were hard to get used to. After being here for a month now, I have grown almost fully accustomed to the cultural differences and have tried to understand Italian life. The first major difference I noticed between Florence and America is the pace. Especially being from New York, everything at home is very fast-paced and I find it a lot easier to multitask. At home, I run multiple errands at a time and jam-pack a lot into my day. Here, daily life is a lot more slow-paced. I find myself going to the grocery store almost every other day and I constantly have to stop back at my apartment because I can’t hold everything, especially without a car. Although this cultural difference is sometimes frustrating, I do enjoy immersing myself in this Italian way of life. I’ve grown to love that Italians take their time in life and take everything in, capturing every moment.

My friend and I taking our time walking to class on a beautiful day in Florence!

A friendly Italian waiter feeding me dessert (and it was free!)

Another beneficial cultural difference that really stood out to me right from the start is the food. All of the food in Florence is fresh and usually made the same day. This ultimately leads to a better meal and a better overall experience. It is definitely a nice break from processed foods to be eating fresh all of the time! Additionally, the service at all of the restaurants is generally very friendly and most waiters love talking to American students and making them feel comfortable. It is also interesting that Italians eat much later than I would at home. Often, restaurants and markets will close around 2:30pm and not open up again until 7:30pm. Eating out is not rushed and usually takes about 2 hours. At home I was used to eating around 6pm everyday, so that was definitely a big change I had to adjust to.

One of my first homemade dinners with all fresh ingredients.

One last cultural difference I find frustrating is the amount of people that smoke cigarettes. I understand that this is part of Italian culture, however, it is not something I am willing to adjust to. The constant scent blown in my face in passing and the smell it leaves in the air is very irritating. However, despite this minor frustration, I have loved living in Florence thus far and getting accustomed to Italian life. The city is so beautiful and much more aesthetically pleasing than my hometown. It is so nice to walk outside of my apartment and see a beautiful river and historical buildings. Although it was a little hard at first to familiarize myself with these changes and a new way of life, I am so happy to experience a new culture and I hope to continue to have positive experiences!
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Jennifer is a student at University of Maryland studying at Florence University of the Arts during the Spring 2014 term.