An American in Florence

During the first two weeks of my study abroad experience, one of the most reoccurring sentiments I have felt is how obvious it is that I’m American. During Orientation, the Villa planned for a police officer from Florence to come speak to us about safety concerns while we are studying abroad. I perhaps naively asked whether it is repugnantly obvious that I am American to Italians. He replied that it was indeed very obvious. A curious student asked whether there were any telltale signs, or red flags. He simply said, “North Face” and pointed to the logo on her jacket.

The Gates of Paradise

Besides my loud American laugh, my unfaded denim, and lack of hand gestures, I have noticed two other ways that give away my nationality. First of all, taking goofy pictures is a distinctly American tradition. In the midst of impersonating tigers in front of the Duomo with my best friend Sally, I paused mid-picture to contemplate how I was not blending into the scenery. My photography gives me away in other areas as well, as most Italians do not pause to take a picture of a random doorknob on the street, no matter how aesthetically pleasing they may be. Another way I stand out is that I smile too much. For most Americans, smiling is a defense mechanism against awkward situations, or a way to communicate impersonally with surrounding people, but it is certainly not an Italian thing to do. While visiting Santa Maria Novella, the church that features Masaccio’s “Holy Trinity”, I found myself smiling at confused, and even disgusted faces. Although my jovial nature is certainly not a negative quality, perhaps I can try to tone it down in a silent and holy place.

Doors of Santa Maria Novella

In spite of my American faults, I am participating in a plethora of “Italian” activities. A favorite activity so far was a wine tasting with a fabulous Italian host named Pino (pun intended). In addition to learning the basics of how to drink red and white wine, we learned telltale signs of what made a good bottle of wine. Although I was somewhat preoccupied with the delicious cheese that accompanied the vino, it was wonderful to taste some local chianti.

Pino of Pino’s Paninos and Vino Tasting

Secondly, our resident Government professor, Deborah Spini, organized for us to go to the Shoah Conference held by the University of Florence. January 26th is Europe’s Day of Remembrance for the Holocaust, or commonly referred to as shoah in Europe. The conference featured guest experts from France, Italy, the UK, and Ukraine. The first speaker focused on accounts of the survivors and how memoirs differed drastically, depending on their age during World War Two. His most interesting point was how children, cruelly, had less to lose, compared to their parents who lost assets, property, jobs, and if they survived, had a much more difficult time starting over. This is in stark contrast to the memoirs of many children who survived shoah, who wrote on themes of forgiveness and reconciliation. This conference ran parallel to my government class in which Professor Spini has often mentioned how Europe is the continent that invented mass murder. Although the overall focus of our class is on the reintegration of Europe and the eventual formation of the European Union, it was interesting to re-examine the seeds of the EU in the midst of chaos.