by Yolanda Chang
I have been in Italy for almost two week now. I have to say that I have had so many different levels of the culture shock, such as the language, the hand gestures, the way the drive and park, and so on. To be honest, it has been hard for me to adapt to the Italian culture. However, I do admire the difference between Taiwanese culture, Italian colure, and me.
First of all, I love the fact that Italians know how to take a break and enjoy their lives. In Taiwan, people always try to work as hard as they can. Having a pausa seems impossible and lazy. On the other hand, Italians think pausa is a way to refresh their bodies and souls. To me, pausa seems a challenging because I’ve never taken a nap or just relax in the middle of a school or working day. I still want to keep myself busy even though I am allowed to take a pausa.
Moreover, breakfast is very important to me. Before I came to Italy, I usually have at least two eggs, a piece of toast, and a big cup of American coffee to start my day. Yet I can’t find any of these in Italy. Italians normally just have a pastry with a “tiny” cup of espresso ora cup of cappuccino in the morning, which is not quiet enough for me. Nevertheless, I have had some delicious pastries and fresh espresso. Those pastries are yum!
Theses past two weeks are neither long nor short. I have experienced many interesting things here. I won’t say I love and enjoy the whole Italian life style. However, I really appreciate every dissimilarity I have seen, felt, and experiences.
