Whenever I go abroad, I enjoy the little details about the country I visit. Each country has their unique aspects and cultural traditions, and I love experiencing them. For instance, doner in Germany makes my heart (and stomach) swoon. While you can find kebabs in many places, Germany’s is distinctly different, and I dream about getting it whenever I can. Now that I’m in Italy, I’m noticing things distinct to this culture. For instance, the old men who laze about in the Piazza; the abundance of young people who think they are invincible when they smoke and drive recklessly; the free water you get in a mini-bicchiere with coffee but not with anything else.

I decided I wanted to compile a list of three things that I will miss the most about Italian culture. While it’s (obviously) not comprehensive, these are the main three things. Do you have anything unique to any countries that you have visited that you will/do miss the most?

1. Uncut Pizza

As an American, I am used to my pizza being cut. I never considered pizza being delivered to me…well, uncut. Frozen pizzas, restaurant pizzas, chain-pizzas—they are all purchased/served with a minimum of four cuts. So coming to Italy and ordering my first pizza gave me a nice little surprise; it was a delicious, yet all-in-one, piece of pizza. Fortunately, it didn’t take too long for me to get over this, and it’s become quite endearing. I don’t know why Italians do this, but I have a feeling it might be weird for me to return back to the US and get my pizza delivered to me already cut.

2. Easy to Find Gelato

I never tried gelato before I came to Italy, but I made friends who happily convinced me to. Gelato is a God-send. Granted, I have only tried a couple of flavors, but I’m content with the ones I have. I will eventually venture out to more flavors, but when I really crave it, strawberry (i.e. fragola) is the one for me. My favorite is at Puro & Bio in Urbino; it’s organic and vegan, but the flavor is so strong.

3. Fashionable, Yet Casual

One thing that Europeans (especially Italians) do very well is dress. They dress up well, dress down well, dress in between well. Italians love to look like they put in an effort. It’s really different than how Americans are; some people follow the European style (like New Yorkers), but many others are super casual all the time (like Californians). There’s nothing wrong with how we dress in America, but I really like the effort Europeans put into their day-to-day style.

This is the time of year that I learned about my acceptance to my Germany study abroad program. I remember the day vividly: I came home from school and was talking to my mom on the phone. Out of the blue, she said, "You're going to Germany," and I was so confused. She was confused, too, in a way. I think we both forgot about my whole application and interview process with YFU earlier in the year, so this news was a genuine surprise. It took me a moment of asking her a thousand questions before I checked my e-mail and saw "Congratulations!"

The time after that was a blur. I had to quickly inform my school and go through an entire process of filling forms out and sending them to their respective places. It was a busy and exciting time. Not too long after school was out, I was flying to Washington D.C. for the Pre-Departure Orientation. And not too long after that, July 31st arrived: I was on my way to Germany.

But pause...

...rewind...

I needed stuff for Germany. I was going to be gone for a freaking semester! I couldn't go without any preparation. So...what did I do to prepare, and what the heck did I pack?

Preparation

What to pack