My first few days in Rome have been interesting to say the least. First of all, I think I expected Rome to be relatively clean, but just like any other city it’s pretty dirty and there’s a decent amount of garbage. If you’re not trying to avoid garbage or a puddle, or some uneven sidewalk, you’re trying not to get run over by a vespa. This is the second thing I learned here: there are absolutely no rules on the road. Think about your stereotypes of New York or Jersey drivers, then multiply that by ten and that’s how bad it is. Everyone has the same car, which is normally a Fiat or Smartcar hybrid of some sort. These tiny bumper cars are often packed in like sardines along sidewalks, ON sidewalks or in the middle of streets, it’s all pretty disorganized. Not to mention that street lights are merely suggestions and there is no speed limit. I recently found out that one person dies everyday in Rome simply by getting hit on a crosswalk.
There are a few things that surprised me that probably shouldn’t have, but my American assumptions that everything would be relatively similar were pretty awful.
I woke up this morning and thought I would know how to heat up a small pastry called a cornetto in the oven (microwaves don’t seem to be a thing here). As it turns out I didn’t know how to operate the oven. There were three different knobs instead of buttons that read in Celsius, with other knobs for a timer and strange pictures of the oven. Instead of reading up on how to use it, I winged it, and hoped I didn’t burn the place down… trial by error, right? Wrong. Because I burned it (but still ate it because poor college student).
Later that day I discovered that waiters and waitresses do not receive tip here, they get a salary that supplies enough where tipping is not needed, how lovely.
I’m used to weighing vegetables at the register in supermarkets when I go grocery shopping. However, I made a big mistake by not weighing it myself and printing out a price sticker which resulted in getting my broccoli taken away.
When Italians order something to go, they eat it at the counter. I’ve been in three situations already where people order Espresso in the morning, drink it at the counter and then leave. Even if it’s a bigger drink, like a cappuccino, there seems to be no such thing as a styrofoam to-go cup with a hot sleeve. Here’s the deal with coffee, that I feel will probably become difficult: I asked how to order just a black coffee, and the beautiful Italian man whom I asked said “Espresso” which I knew was the most concentrated version of coffee here, but was totally unaware that it really doesn’t come in any other size than a shot glass.
I keep accidently grabbing seltzer water (l’aqua frizzante) because back home I never have to think about whether or not my bottled water is carbonated
Here’s the craziest thing to me: In the streets, they have fountains that filter water that flows free to the public (see picture above). I basically don’t have to buy water for the rest of the semester, FREE FILTERED WATER which is pretty damn cool if you ask me. On a sidenote: I thought this was a drinking spout for dogs until I was informed otherwise.
I’ve heard from the staff at the University that Italians generally like Americans. What I can’t tell though if it’s a condescending kind of “like” (as in “Aww look at the dumb American trying to be cultured) or if they actually enjoy our company. However, my experience has been that they actually enjoy the presence of Americans. What I’ve found is that as long as you put in effort to try and speak the language/follow customs they are more than happy to teach you new words or speak to you in English (because almost everyone knows English here). What I’ve sensed that they do not like, is automatically being spoken to in English, it comes off as pretentious.
In terms of adventures, I haven’t done much yet. I’ve mostly been doing first week orientation stuff and trying not to get lost. The photos you see above are my wanderings from Piazza del Popolo near the campus, and a little of the downtown neighborhood, where I am finding the most adorable shops, galleries and side streets. Everyone is so friendly here and adjusting is getting better day by day.
a Roma,
Kat
There are a few things that surprised me that probably shouldn’t have, but my American assumptions that everything would be relatively similar were pretty awful.
I woke up this morning and thought I would know how to heat up a small pastry called a cornetto in the oven (microwaves don’t seem to be a thing here). As it turns out I didn’t know how to operate the oven. There were three different knobs instead of buttons that read in Celsius, with other knobs for a timer and strange pictures of the oven. Instead of reading up on how to use it, I winged it, and hoped I didn’t burn the place down… trial by error, right? Wrong. Because I burned it (but still ate it because poor college student).
Later that day I discovered that waiters and waitresses do not receive tip here, they get a salary that supplies enough where tipping is not needed, how lovely.
I’m used to weighing vegetables at the register in supermarkets when I go grocery shopping. However, I made a big mistake by not weighing it myself and printing out a price sticker which resulted in getting my broccoli taken away.
When Italians order something to go, they eat it at the counter. I’ve been in three situations already where people order Espresso in the morning, drink it at the counter and then leave. Even if it’s a bigger drink, like a cappuccino, there seems to be no such thing as a styrofoam to-go cup with a hot sleeve. Here’s the deal with coffee, that I feel will probably become difficult: I asked how to order just a black coffee, and the beautiful Italian man whom I asked said “Espresso” which I knew was the most concentrated version of coffee here, but was totally unaware that it really doesn’t come in any other size than a shot glass.
I keep accidently grabbing seltzer water (l’aqua frizzante) because back home I never have to think about whether or not my bottled water is carbonated
Here’s the craziest thing to me: In the streets, they have fountains that filter water that flows free to the public (see picture above). I basically don’t have to buy water for the rest of the semester, FREE FILTERED WATER which is pretty damn cool if you ask me. On a sidenote: I thought this was a drinking spout for dogs until I was informed otherwise.
I’ve heard from the staff at the University that Italians generally like Americans. What I can’t tell though if it’s a condescending kind of “like” (as in “Aww look at the dumb American trying to be cultured) or if they actually enjoy our company. However, my experience has been that they actually enjoy the presence of Americans. What I’ve found is that as long as you put in effort to try and speak the language/follow customs they are more than happy to teach you new words or speak to you in English (because almost everyone knows English here). What I’ve sensed that they do not like, is automatically being spoken to in English, it comes off as pretentious.
In terms of adventures, I haven’t done much yet. I’ve mostly been doing first week orientation stuff and trying not to get lost. The photos you see above are my wanderings from Piazza del Popolo near the campus, and a little of the downtown neighborhood, where I am finding the most adorable shops, galleries and side streets. Everyone is so friendly here and adjusting is getting better day by day.
a Roma,
Kat