Graffiti, pasta, and pigeons: those are the three words that come to mind when I think about my first impression of Bologna. June 15, 2007 marked the day of my first experience with European culture. Upon arrival, I only saw what was at face value: I didn’t like Italians and I wanted to return to my country where I was safe and didn’t have to go out of my comfort zone. Now, day 11, I am still without all of my American familiarities because my luggage never arrived. However, because of this incident, I was able to gain a different perspective. While this experience has been a roller coaster of emotions, reflecting on it has made me realize that what I was truly looking to get from this trip, has come about because of a misfortunate occurrence. I wanted to be able to live like the locals and get to experience and see as much as I possibly could. I arrived in a foreign city with no clothing or toiletries and was forced to immerse myself in Italian culture. Communicating non-verbally to obtain the things I needed was something that made me realize just how ethnocentric Americans can become. I came to a foreign country, with no knowledge of the language expecting everyone to know my language. I went into stores and spoke with locals that I would never have had to go into had I not lost my luggage. I had to learn how to use the telephone system and spoke with many different people as a result of this incident. Because of this experience, I was able to understand not only Italian citizens and culture better, but also my own culture and people. While at first, losing my luggage was an inconvenience that was slowing my trip down, in reality I was able to get more out of Italy because of it. As Americans, we tend to go through life with no regard for others and never stopping to take a look around. Losing my luggage was an experience that truly forced me to slow down, take a look around and see that there is more to be learned and saw than what is initially noticed.
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