Living in Grado

            When I came into this trip I didn’t realize just how different it would be than living in the states or even my previous two trips to Italy. When I came before, I had been in more populated areas where there are usually a good amount of tourists. So there were always people that knew a good amount of English, and enough other Americans to have a noticeable presence. In Grado, however, there are not as many Americans around, meaning fewer English speakers around town and making us stand out very noticeably.

            This being the case, we are being so fully immersed into the language and culture of Italy. It is so helpful already in this program to be forced to know how to communicate with people because of the lack of English. The lack of other Americans around does cause a lot of looks when our group of very obviously not locals walk through the streets, but I think this is part of the whole experience. I think that by the end of this program we will become much more immersed in both the language and the culture.