Aryn Chartock

During the spring semester of my junior year, I was fortunate enough to study abroad in Florence, Italy. It was the most incredible semester of my life, and I learned so much about the different cultures, histories, languages, and more. The biggest takeaway from my semester abroad was how much growth I endured during this time so far away from home. My favorite part of this experience was breaking out of my comfort zone and trying/learning new things, like new foods, new people, and new areas of study (art history)!

I discovered so many cultural differences during my time in Italy. For example, I learned that Italians were super touchy during my first few days there, as evident by the PDA. Not only are Italians touchy romantically, but also in a friendly manner. Whenever you greet someone, you give a kiss on their right and left cheeks, and they are always hugging and kissing in a friendly way. This didn’t bother me at all; it was just something to get used to. Another thing that I observed is that the majority of Italians don’t speak English. When it comes to language, it is important to think about its origin and geography. No other place in the world has Italian as their dominant language besides Italy; therefore, the people in Italy all pretty much speak Italian. Since they all know and speak the same language, there isn’t as big of a need for a secondary language like English. However, nowadays, English is becoming a more and more dominant language, and both children and university students are now learning it, so I think that the majority of Italians will be able to speak English when this younger generation ages. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Italy, and I hope to continue to travel the world and return to Florence one day.