This is my first taste of the European part of the world and I have to say I am not that impressed. Experiencing Italy through college life is not exactly how I pictured my first visit to this beautiful country. When I travel the world I usually stay with friends and their families. This way I experience a whole new way of living life. Living in dorms does not do that. I have found no difference between these dorms and the dorms I lived in during my year at boarding school (except that boarding school had carpeted dorms). The life, the bathrooms and the cafeteria all have the same feeling… or I should say the lack of feeling. There is no family.

My preconceived impression of Italian life is that family is a big factor. Without that dimension, I feel like I am missing out on the heart of the Italian experience.  Don’t get me wrong, I am enjoying living in Urbino, where there is a large collection of people close to my age. But it is not the same as living with a family. I’m not saying that the same experience from other travels is what I want. I am saying that for me to really experience a culture is to live in a family environment. There is no real moment about this story but it is more an overall feeling and reaction to being in this particular living situation.