Global Citizen

Not many get the opportunity to see Rome as I have these past two months. It’s one thing to come to a foreign land for a short time, see what sites it has to offer, eat the food then leave. It’s a whole different experience from getting the chance to be immersed in the Italian lifestyle and learning how it works. This adventure to the heart of the ancient world is much more than just being a tourist with a camera, it’s about understanding who the Italians are as a people. I have learned so much from this once in a lifetime chance to see Italy on a deeper level. I remember sitting in history or art classes throughout my life as a student seeing pictures of Roman artwork and architecture in books, but those images don’t capture the beauty of the real deal. At best pictures capture the beauty on the surface, they don’t show the history behind the creation or why it is meaningful to the people. Books can say how the aqueducts were built and why they are meaningful, but I wouldn’t understand how Rome continues to thrive because of their existence until I actually saw them at the aqueduct park. The only way to obtain the full effect of these spectacles is to experience Roman culture in its natural form.

When comparing the Italian lifestyle to the American way of life that I have grown up in, two major differences stick out for me. The first is their health. When researching how well the health of Italy fares with the rest of the world, I have found that they have consistently ranked within the top 10. One of the biggest reasons is due to the Mediterranean diet which consists of olive oils, fish, red wine and whole grains while placing a limit on unhealthy fats. Fast food chains are almost non-existent outside of American brands like McDonalds and KFC. I bet that even the American fast food chains are better quality here in Italy than they are in America. As I walked through the streets of Rome, Florence, Venice and Sorrento in the past 2 months, I was able to count the number of obese Italians on one hand. Whenever I drive around the streets of the eastside of Cleveland, every other person it seems is overweight. Another major contributor to this vast difference in health is because Italians walk everywhere. They will traverse close to 4 miles a day on foot while I will drive less than 3 minutes to the Wal-Greens at the end of my street

Public transportation in Italy is far superior to what we have in Cleveland. Never ride the public buses where I live, it’s just too sketchy. Rome has efficient metros, trolleys, trains and buses. Not only is there a wide variety of transportation options in Rome, but mastering them was much easier than expected. The first day it was scary because the process felt so foreign and Danilo’s metro horror stories kept me on my toes, but by the second day I was capable of getting anywhere I wanted to in Rome by bus, train and metro. After about a week of using public transportation, I felt like I was traveling like an Italian. I enjoyed the silence and wanted it to remain that way. I felt like I was able to fit in as much as an Italian does on the train rides.

The deepest look I had in the Italian way of life was definitely the Italian homestay. This incredibly opportunity allowed us to see Italians in their natural habitat. We got to see how they live day by day in their own home. I got to taste the food they make and experience their hospitality. Weldon and I walked down to the Colosseum at 11 p.m. to see Italians after dark. It was the most interesting part of the trip. I got to see the Italian culture without the mix of tourists.