Stress, anxiety, pressure to succeed. These are commonplace emotions and experiences dealt with by students in the US. However, these are not felt by students in Italy.
In Italy, there is not the same striving to constantly achieve. Instead, they prioritize enjoyment and relaxation by spending time with friends and family, eating and going on walks around the beautiful hills and city. This mentality is exemplified by the buildings here: they are timeless. In Sorrento and Naples, I noticed that there were many fewer cranes than in the UK or the US. This is because there isn’t the same culture of needing things to look perfect or to have the newest model that works the best. Italy’s beauty comes from the buildings not needing to stand out but instead complementing the surroundings and enhancing the natural beauty already present. As a result, Italians are more willing to spend time experiencing things rather than speeding through tasks to achieve as much as possible.
As a student from the US, currently living and studying in Italy, I see the merits of both. It has been incredibly enjoyable spending time going on walks, floating in the sea after class and having long dinners in restaurants. However, part of me misses the exciting, fast-paced life that I live at Notre Dame, where there is always something to do or a problem to solve. Whilst it is nice to not place as much pressure on myself, it is also extremely gratifying to work hard for the things that I care about and challenge myself to see how well I can do something or how much I can achieve.
I think one of the main things that I will take away from this experience is an awareness of these differing mindsets which I can draw upon based on what I need. This means that when I go back to my busy college life, I will remind myself that sometimes it can be beneficial to pause and appreciate where I am, who I am with and what I am doing.