Rome

by Linda Gorman

When I first stepped off the bus into the bright sunlight, my senses were immediately overwhelmed. The smells, sights, and noises were unfamiliar and seemed very obtrusive, and I soon realized I was experiencing another culture shock. While I had spent the last 10 days adjusting to Florence, then Cagli, it occurred to me that Rome would be an entirely different experience. Grateful for our trusty and knowledgeable guide, we followed him like sheep to an unknown destination, which thankfully turned out to be the metro.

As we approached the platform to board, it seemed implausible that the subway car could hold all of the people waiting eagerly to get on. Undeterred, we moved forward with the sea of people, securing our small space in what was fast becoming a sardine can. While I have had the experience of riding mass transit in large urban centers before, this experience was unlike any other. Bodies pressed together as everyone had to relinquish personal space preferences to make way for the throngs of passengers. Turning to talk to my classmate, I found my nose embedded in a stranger’s wilted and foul-smelling armpit. How soon can we get off this car, I wondered.

Relieved, the subway came to a halt, and we exited, making our way through the crowd once again. The street was a carnival of sights and sounds, horns blaring, cars weaving their way through the streets, and vendors shoving their wares in our faces, imploring us to purchase sunglasses, knock-off purses, scarves and shoes. All the while, we were clutching our bags, considering every stranger a potential thief.

Several blocks later, we arrived at our destination—our room for the night. We unloaded our bags and changed into our walking shoes, readying ourselves for the real adventure: our tour of Rome.

The cultural mismatches I experienced in this situation and the following day involved verbal, non-verbal and overt cultural mismatches. The manner in which the passengers rushed the bus and the lack of personal space were overt cultural mismatches, as were the seemingly disorganized and haphazard traffic patterns. The mix of different foreign languages and gestures were verbal and non-verbal mismatches, while the aggressive street vendors were likely a mixture of idiosyncratic and covert cultural mismatches.

Despite being initially overwhelmed, I found I was able to adapt and navigate through the various situations fairly quickly. Thus, I was able to maximize my experiences, enjoying similarities and appreciating the various differences.