On Being a Foreigner

01/12/2009 Fiesole 9:00 p.m.
I feel like I am getting more into the swing of things now. Today was the first day of class, which is held in a room about a block away from the hotel. The class schedule is very light while we are here, but there is a lot of work outside of class. Mondays I have Global Issues at 10:00 a.m., then the rest of my day is free. Today I did homework for a few hours after class, as I want to stay on top of things so that I have free time to travel during the weekends. In one of the particular texts we are reading for the class, The United States of Europe by T.R. Reid, the perception of Americans by Europeans is discussed. And, let me tell you, their perception of us is none too flattering. According to opinion polls, Europeans see America as a nation of violence, social inequality, and racism. Of course, the stereotypes of Americans are not true for every American, but I feel as if I am judged because of this stereotype to some degree. Walking the streets of Florence it is easy to pick out the Americans. Not only is their skin and hair color different, but also many Americans will be wearing a colored ski jacket, be speaking loudly, or be slightly overweight. These things may not seem too out of the ordinary, but in Italy they really make you stick out. Even Americans, such as me, who try to fit in by wearing black and trying not to draw attention to themselves can easily be pegged as foreigners. But, perhaps you're wondering why this is a big deal. For me it is difficult because people treat you much differently than they would treat someone from Italy. They are less likely to strike up a conversation with you because they know you don't speak much of the language. Often times they are ever-so-subtly hostile by not apologizing if they bump into you or giving you strange looks or exasperated sighs. Now I know that I am the guilty party as well because I do not exactly go around trying to strike up conversations with native Italians. The reason being that I can only say hello, how are you, and a few other simple phrases. But I cannot help but think that learning the language would be much easier if people were friendlier about it. Now I can see how much it must mean for people who are coming to the U.S. as immigrants or students when an American initiates a conversation and patiently tries to understand him/her. Working in the writing center last semester I spoke with many foreign students, so I have been on both ends of the spectrum. I know that there are days when you just don't feel like struggling through another conversation, but when you think about how much it might mean to that person it takes on a whole new significance. I hope as I learn more Italian I will become more comfortable having short conversations and that this will help Italian people become more receptive towards me, not as a stereotypical American, but as an intelligent person who respects their culture and wishes to learn more about it.