If there was a word I heard a lot coming into this trip (other than “jealous, ” of course), “expectations” would be number one. I was told not to have any expectations, low or high, about my trip or for anywhere I was going. If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that the invention of Pinterest made that goal almost impossible.
To be honest, it’s been so refreshing being out of the world of clicks and filters and into the real world. Not every day here is blue skies and pretty faces like what you see online, but that’s part of the joy of being here. We aren’t removed from reality; we’re living and breathing in Italian culture and life. Things here are slow paced… not shifting with every click of a button.  Everything I gathered from pictures before I came is nothing compared to what I’ve seen and experienced here.
Every Monday we have cooking class, where sweet Mrs. Mary Lou gives us little “nuggets” of cooking knowledge and we have to wait two hours to eat lunch every time. Sure, I’m starving at the end of preparing everything, but it helps me to enjoy it that much more.
There is a huge difference in the concept of food and eating between American and Italian culture. At home, since I can’t cook, I’m removed from my food. When I go out, I don’t see it prepared; it’s brought to me without effort on my part. When I eat in, it is sliced and packaged and ready to go, and I’m set for two weeks after a trip to Walmart.

Here in Italy, everything is fresh and takes time to prepare. We have to go see the mustache man, the precious grocery store owner, several times a week for supplies. I learn patience every time we have cooking class because I see step-by-step the time and care that goes into a meal. I learn to appreciate the company of friends as I sit down to enjoy what we’ve created. It’s these parts of the experience that I had no expectations of and yet have been my most valuable lessons.
 
Hope all is well in the States,
Katie Tynes