Indian's perspective in Italy

Initially, coming to Italy, it was hard to adjust to the winding streets, fast coming cars, etc. However, after staying for the past week, I have realized that everyone seems to be used to it. I think a big factor that played into this was the fact that no one expects perfection. No one expects people to drive in their lanes, use their signals, or stop when they need to stop. By having no expectations and allowing people to get in the lane when they technically should not "get in", it creates a smooth operating driving system.

There was one specific interaction that a friend and I had with a street vendor selling fruit at the farmers' market that opened my eyes on some things. I knew I wanted to buy some cut up fruit in a cup, but my friend was still unsure. So, the street vendor takes the toothpick with fruit on it and says, "try it" and feeds it to her. This, of course, caused her to buy it since she felt obligated from eating the fruit. Looking back at this interaction and analyzing from in a deeper perspective, I realize that when it comes to closing deals here in Rome, they focus on the money when it might not be about money. Of course, people want the best deals on things, but as an American, we make decisions by looking into all the factors. So, when the Romans haggle on prices and such, we don't really give in too easy because they are just talking prices.

One conversation that my friend and I had with a local was actually in an Uber in Milan. We were driving back to our Airbnb after a long day and had a conversation about how beautiful Milan is and how nice of a place it is to stay at. The driver explained that Milan has many tourists and students that he drives and meets which was interesting to hear his perspective on us as students had having some intel on that.

Personally, I have never labeled myself American. Even as an American, I only saw myself as Punjabi. If someone in America would ask me "Where are you from?", I would respond with "India". But, in Italy, things are a little different. I feel like I am an American first. I feel like when people hear me speak English, they do not think "this girl is Punjabi"; they think "this girl is from America". When people from Italy asked the question "Where are you from?", it felt a little odd to respond with "America" because that is something I've never said before. So, it felt really weird and interesting tapping into my American self that I did not know I was hiding inside of me this entire time. There's a lot of negative stereotypes regarding Americans, and I can see where some people are coming from. But, I do not think I fall under the stereotypes because of the way people view the "traditional American". I felt like I was never the ideal. I have only connected to my Punjabi roots my entire life, so I'm used to adapting and learning to not have things a certain way. This experience has definitely taught me a lot about myself.