Culture shock (noun): the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes.
Before we left for our study abroad program, we were warned that we may experience culture shock once we get here and should be prepared for it. I thought it would come because of the language barrier or because we are living in a small, traditional Italian town but I’ve actually thoroughly enjoyed living in Ariccia rather than a “tourist-friendly” big city. It has forced me to get out of my comfort zone to interact with locals by learning the language, following their customs, being on their time schedule, etc.
The way that culture shock has hit me is in regards to food. Don’t get me wrong. I’m loving pasta, pizza, and wine galore but being here made me realize just how much variety we have in America and how convenient meals can be back home compared to Italy. I miss having restaurants serving Mexican, Chinese, burgers, BBQ, sandwiches, wings, etc. just right down the road from me where I can drive-through or order ahead instead of sitting down for a 2-hour meal.
Although living in Ariccia can be tough in regards to food variety, the group finds relief every time we visit Rome. For example, the very first day we went into Rome as a group, most of us got McDonald’s for lunch because it was something familiar and we missed having meat that wasn’t ham (Ariccia is known for its prosciutto). That night we wanted something even more familiar and decided to find a good sushi place, and just a couple of nights ago I went to an Irish Pub that served American food. Overall, we love Italian food, but it’s nice to have some Roman relief when we need familiar food varieties. I look forward to finding my favorite Italian and American food places over the next 9 weeks!
Casey Van Hout

This is a picture of the sushi (Roman relief) that we got the first weekend we visited Rome. Doesn’t it look delicious?