The past two days have been a whirlwind of emotion for me (in a good way), but I would like to discuss them tomorrow so that I may spend an appropriate amount of time making sure I have properly portrayed my experiences. Instead, in this post at least, I shall discuss some cultural aspects of Rome that I have learned and experienced here!

• Corn syrup is illegal here. That means everything you eat is seriously good for you, so eat up! (cough, cough, gelato) The soda is made with real sugar, the fruit in the supermarket smells how food is supposed to smell (a bit funny at first, but then something deep down clicks, and that is the moment you realize you will starve in the States because you don’t want to eat anything fake or chemically processed), and that Italy is really cool for outlawing something that shouldn’t be consumed anyway!
• Water is everywhere! The aqueducts system is still in use to this day, and clean, refreshing water is available to everyone! It is the best water I have ever had the pleasure of tasting, and I am so thankful I brought a bottle with me to fill. The hardcore tourists are the ones buying a bottle of water every time they see one.
• Income taxes are approximately 60%. That’s a lot of money the government keeps, yes, but it also pays for your education (you mean you don’t have to go to college and live with thousands of dollars worth of debt when you graduate? No. Absolutely not.), your retirement pension, and your insurance! So basically you don’t have to worry about inescapable debt, saving 10% of your check for retirement, nor about whether or not you or the person next to you has insurance! And yes, people still go out and get jobs.
• Speaking of taxes, the sales tax rate around here is about 18%. It is already added into the price (which saves a lot of time and effort), which is why returns don’t happen.
• And speaking of university, people don’t go to college until about their 20’s or so. Also, the universities don’t have dorms or computer labs, nor are the professors super readily available for help and tutoring.
• I feel this is a good time to mention that people don’t normally move out of their parent’s houses until they are in their 30’s, 40’s. Jill has a few friends that are still living with their parents. It’s just the culture here to not move out until you get married!
• People drive like maniacs here! I compare it to a video game where you don’t care enough to drive properly. Those line things on the road are actually just suggestions. Often times the parking jobs are just as hilarious, with cars jutting out into the road, and SMART cars parking in parallel parking spaces like any other normal parking space.
• Also, they don’t drive super fast! Jill says they are typically driving around 20 miles per hour (kilometers, sorry), even if it doesn’t look like it. That’s why there are so few accidents! The drivers usually have enough time to react to the ever-changing environment, so they avoid a lot of trouble (not that everyone’s goal is to sue everyone).
• Going along with the 20 Km/h thing, you get to cross the street whenever you feel like it! Jill calls me, and those similar, ‘aggressive walkers’ because we are the ones that cross the street when they feel like it. No, Mom, I am not risking my life, I am being a local! This is what they do! The trick is to make eye-contact with the drivers, really stare them down if they start creeping while you are walking across. It is definitely one of my favorite parts of everyday life here. It is funny to watch the tourists wait for them to stop. They don’t if you are on the sidewalk, but they will when they see you in the roadway. If there is a gap in the traffic, no matter how small, just go for it!
• Buon giorno is meant for the morning time, Buona Notte is meant for nighttime. The guy at the reception desk gave me a little Italian lesson on that when I went down there for another Wi-Fi code. Grazie.
• There is a lot of honor-system going on here. Many businesses don’t have high-tech security cameras monitoring every corner of the store. It’s really easy to steal things. They don’t immediately charge you, either. When I get a panino (sandwich), they don’t usher you to the cashier, you get to look around a bit before paying.
• The same goes for the buses — the driver doesn’t check the ticket when you get on, there is a machine on the bus. Their bus system here is fantastic! A bus will drive by the stop every few minutes, as oppose to every other couple of hours like in Florida.
• There is nothing open for 24 hours over here. Italians like to have time with the family.
• On that note, dinners last for a couple of hours and the service in cafes are slow (compared to the US) because you are meant to digest the food gradually and it is encouraged that you talk with your family and friends in the meantime. It’s not the most conventional thing when you get 11 hungry teenagers together, but I still enjoy it, nonetheless.
• Stairs are everywhere. I have learned to accept them. As that one day we refuse to talk about draws nearer, I have even grown to cherish them. After climbing the 28 stories up to the top of St. Peter’s Basilica on the first day here, I will never complain about stairs in Florida.
• Apparently it’s cool to wear American gear, like the US flag on purses and shirts and whatnot.
• Landmarks are literally essential to remembering how to get somewhere; everything is so disorganized that you cannot go to a street-corner and look at the sign. It will tell you nothing. According to Jill, part of the reason why the Nazis weren’t able to efficiently destroy Rome was because “it’s so disorganized, it can’t be organized for destruction”. I think it’s awesome that she knows so much about everything here!
• There are specific ways to eat/drink something. Never drink out of a bottle, it is incredibly disrespectful. That’s why they hand you a glass. Use it. Also, pizza. You don’t cut it into triangles, fold it, and eat it with one hand. That’s very American. You are supposed to use your fork and knife to cut into it!
• Everyone with even the smallest window sill or balcony has their own little garden growing on it. It adds to the charm and beauty of Rome.
• Don’t be surprised if you are wandering through some alleyways and then you turn a corner and the Pantheon is there. That happened to me, and it took my breath away how a huge piece of history and culture was in the middle of modern-day civilization. Add it to the list of things that take my breath away.
• They love Nutella here. Nutella packets in the baskets at breakfast time, Nutella gelato (delicious), Nutella spread, Nutella cereal, etc. Please don’t make me go home.
• There is a reason why I am currently at 28 different flavors of gelato: they make it with every sort of ingredient you can imagine! I don’t recommend the mint; it tastes like Christmas at first, but then (because it’s actual mint in the actual gelato) chunks of the herb get stuck in your teeth and it becomes too much. Still counts, though!

I will add more cultural things to future posts, but I felt I should post something! I hope you enjoy and are able to understand the Italian culture a bit better…