In my blogs I describe cultural differences among people in my home town and Urbino. In La Crescenta, CA (my home town), people are so stressed out and uptight. In Urbino, people seem so relaxed, friendly, and more family oriented.

“I think Urbino opened up my eyes and helped me to realize what else is out there in the world and not just what’s in front of me.” (”Urbino vs US” blog)

“The day I walked around the market I saw families shopping together. I also saw families working together. They help each other out at their restaurants and their own stores. (”Family” blog)

“It seems like there’s never one minute to relax in the day and we are just constantly on the go. . . .  As I was sitting at a pizzeria on the coast of Pesaro, Italy, I noticed how slow-paced everything was.” (”Quality in Slow-Paced” blog)

“Nothing, and I mean nothing like this has ever happened to me where I live”. (”Just a Way to Get By” blog)

I’m always comparing Italy and the United States. I can’t help but notice all the different and similar things in the stores and restaurants. I think that having this experience has helped me develop a different perspective on life.  It has helped me to not just notice things on the outside, but to get to know everything as a whole. I noticed over the past month that I’ve become a very observant person who quickly can recognize something beautiful and something full of meaning, like the city of Urbino. I’ve come to recognize that I live in a completely different environment than the one in Urbino. I’ve been realizing how fortunate I am to have all the things I have in my life, but I also have realized that there are so many things in this world that people don’t realize; like that the smallest things can be beautiful just like the small city of Urbino.

I think everyone should be able to study and experience a culture different from their own. People would learn so much just by spending time in a different place and communicating with people from another culture.