Buongiorno! My name is Braden Beach, a senior Economics major with a concentration in International Business, and I am excited to take you all along on my semester-long journey discovering Rome, Italy! I will be studying at John Cabot University which is located in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome, which is also where I will be living.
I have always dreamed of visiting Rome, but never thought I would have the opportunity to live and study there for almost four months. I have lived in the United States my entire life and have only been to Europe one other time during May mini term on the UTK International Business in Germany program, so there are a lot of ‘culture shocks’ that have been unexpected and caught me off guard to a degree so far during my first week here. None of them are necessarily negatives but they are interesting and may take a little bit of getting used to.
Transportation
First of all, something that I love about the city and neighborhood that I am staying in is how walkable and easy to get around it is. I have never needed a car for anything nor wanted a car, as the streets are charming and full of history. I feel like every corner that I turn, there is something new and fascinating to see. There are cars, however, that drive along the streets of Trastevere and the more tourist-filled regions of Rome, and seemingly every street is one car length wide. This naturally leads to lots of tight spaces and close calls while walking. I look forward to learning more about the public transportation such as the metro and bus systems whenever I need to travel further, but for now, I am still exploring the areas near my apartment and the University.
Restaurant Culture
Another interesting difference between Rome and the United States is the restaurant culture. It is very uncommon to tip in Rome, and many other parts of Europe, and water is never brought to the table unless requested. Every restaurant that I have visited so far has been delicious, whether it be a nice sit-down place or a quick to-go spot on the side of the road. I was very excited by the culinary aspect of Rome, and I have not been disappointed by any means.
Lodging
One final difference that I have noticed so far is with my apartment. There are legally mandated quiet hours in the city from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM and from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM which have taken some getting used to but have also been nice to step back and take a breath. We have very little air conditioning in our apartment so it has been fun to find different ways to cool off. Rome has over 2500 drinking fountains, called Nasoni, located all around the city which supply continuous delicious, cold water that is perfectly safe to drink, and great for cooling you off on a hot day with no air conditioning. One more different aspect of our apartment is the laundry situation. I have not had to do laundry yet, but we are without a dryer for our clothes, as it is much more common to hang dry your clothes outside.
Ultimately, it will be very interesting to see how my everyday ways of life change due to these differences, and I look forward to further adapting to my new community. I am very excited to continue exploring this incredible city, and I am glad to have the opportunity to take you all along with me! Ciao!