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A Bump in the Road: Sharing the Roads in Siena

At the time of writing this, I have had the pleasure of spending six awesome days in Siena, Italy! Siena is a very beautiful city with a blend of charm, deep cultural traditions, and a strong sense of identity, and I can’t wait to continue to explore Siena in the coming weeks. However, although I am truly enjoying my study abroad experience and quickly feeling at home in this amazing town, I have encountered a cultural difference that has occasionally left me feeling uneasy while here in Siena.

In the heart of Siena, both pedestrians and drivers share the same road. Moreover, these shared roads are without defined traffic boundaries, therefore having no designated lanes for motor vehicles, nor dedicated sidewalks for pedestrians. As a result, the pedestrians and cars coexist on the same road, and remain in close proximity to one another. This road infrastructure starkly contrasts the more segregated streets that I am familiar with back in the United States. This dissimilarity has occasionally made me feel apprehensive to walk along these Siena streets, since I prioritize the safety of myself and my friends. Moreover, the narrowness and blind corners of these Siena streets only intensifies this feeling of nervousness from remaining so close to these vehicles.

However, sharing the road with cars has produced some unexpected benefits. This unique experience has allowed me to increase my environmental awareness while here in Siena. It serves as a constant reminder to remain vigilant, which is especially useful as a tourist in a foreign country. Furthermore, remaining vigilant helps me to reduce the risk of falling victim to common tourist perils such as pickpocketing.

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Post 1: Into the Great Wide Open

** Music has been an important outlet for me, a lens through which I can make sense of the world. As a result, each blog post will be named after a song that sums up the theme for that week. Given that this entry talks about new beginnings and journeys, there could be no better title than Tom Petty’s “Into the Great Wide Open.”

Ireland… The simple mention of the word takes me to another place, one on the edge of the Atlantic, with a lighthouse looming near as sheep bleat softly and waves crash against jutting rocks. Ireland… Suddenly, I am back on Arranmore Island off the coast of Donegal, where my grandmother grew up and is now laid to rest, where my great aunt and her husband continue to dwell, where I feel most at peace. I have been fortunate to stand on that very soil three times, looking West to the United States and yet knowing where I stand is home. For me, Ireland has always been connotative of family, of comfort, of security; like one of my grandmother’s knitted sweaters, its patchwork of greenery has enclosed me with warmth and welcome. However, I am about to embark on an experience that will force me out of my comfort zone, adding new meaning to a place so near and dear to my heart. In a few short weeks, I will become a student in the Oideas Gael Irish language learning program, undertaking intensive study of the Irish language and culture. I will reside in the Irish countryside, specifically in Gleann Cholm Cille and Gleann Fhinne, places I have never been. I will live and break bread with a host family, people I have never met. I will learn the Irish language with students from around the world, an experience I never could have imagined before coming to Notre Dame. That is to say, I am preparing to experience Ireland in an entirely new way.

Undoubtedly, I am nervous about the journey before me. From concerns about missing the bus and getting stranded in rural Ireland, to nerves about speaking broken Irish in the presence of native speakers, my mind has been racing with anticipation. Yet, the overwhelming feelings I am experiencing are joy and gratitude for the incredible opportunity I have been given. Taking Irish at Notre Dame happened by chance during my sophomore year. The four-credit beginners’ course fit nicely into my schedule, and as a newly-minted Irish Studies minor, I decided to enroll. At first, I expected to simply study grammatical principles and vocabulary words; however, I learned so much more. My professor exposed us to the intricacies of the Irish language, how it has been impacted by Ireland’s colonial past and how its future remains uncertain. It can be a charged and divisive topic on the mainland, so my decision to study the language was, in itself, a significant one, not something to be taken lightly.

Having studied the language for two semesters now, I have come to realize that it has been an exercise in connecting with my cultural identity, of exploring where I come from and who I am at my core. By learning Irish, I have claimed ownership over my own Irishness and have found a way to tangibly channel the presence of my late grandmother, an Irish speaker, in my life. I expect that this language program will further help me explore my Irish identity and learn about the experiences of other Irish speakers, increasing my cultural competence. I also anticipate that it will force me to become a better listener, asking questions so that I may better understand the role of the Irish language in Irish culture, politics, family life, etc. I do not envision that I will become culturally or linguistically fluent by the end of this journey, but I hope to depart Ireland as a more well-informed, confident version of myself, one who can share what she has learned with others and engage in productive conversation in both Irish and English. As an aspiring healthcare professional, it is imperative that I develop these skills and get comfortable with listening to stories, as well as telling them; this program is the perfect location in which to practice this art. In the next couple of weeks, I will be contemplating what Ireland means to me. After all, I know that when I step off that plane in mid July, that meaning may soon evolve, and I likely will, too. I look forward to this summer’s growth and discovery; thanks for reading. Go raibh maith agaibh!

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Post #2: Arrêtez et Sentez les Roses

Le Penseur, Musée Rodin, Paris

A noticeable critical incident that I encountered in France happened on my first full day here in Tours as I was walking to class. I was running a little later than planned, so I was walking very quickly, at about the same speed that I do at home in New Jersey or on Notre Dame’s campus. I was struck by how I seemed very out of place, because I was walking significantly faster than everyone else. While not a particularly problematic critical incident, it was something that I would not have expected. The sidewalks in Tours are very narrow, and often only two people at once can fit on the sidewalk. This meant that I had to pass a lot of people if I continued at the speed I was walking. Additionally, I noticed that other people were almost never passing each other on the sidewalk. Most of the time, someone would simply slow down their pace, and in the rare chance that someone did need to pass another person, they would actually cross the street to walk on the other side. This was something I certainly did not expect.

When I came to Notre Dame, I was surprised initially by the same thing: the differing walking speeds of students. I found pretty quickly that myself and my other friends from the northeast or the west coast tend to walk twice as fast as my friends from the midwest or south. However, I was still surprised in France, especially by the norm that people really never seem to pass each other on the sidewalk. This was initially frustrating, particularly when I experienced this in the morning as I headed to class, but it became something that I was able to adjust to pretty quickly, either by learning to follow the road rules in the same way the locals do or by giving myself a bit more time in the morning so that there is no need for me to rush.

I think the walking speeds demonstrate a large difference between life in smaller-town France and the United States, especially the New York City/New Jersey area. Life is much more rushed and fast-paced. People power walk everywhere, meals are eaten very quickly (to the point where breakfast is often just a coffee one grabs as they run out the door), and the mentality is very “go, go, go!” all the time. In Tours, life is slower. People take their time to get places, and dinner often takes over two hours (though I do love the amount of French practice this gives me!). Things take the amount of time they need to take, rather than being crammed into a narrow window in one’s schedule.

The fish bowl metaphor fits very well here. I am from one fish bowl, which has a much quicker and stronger current, and I was surprised to be thrown into another fish bowl, where the water is a bit more stagnant. People in Tours appreciate things for more time and more for what they are. I experienced this with water too: in the United States, we drink lots of water all the time; in France, people only drink water when they are thirsty, and they enjoy it slowly rather than chugging it. People’s lives, and overall ways of life, move at different paces, and one way is not inherently better or worse than the other. Despite the fact that this critical incident was a very easy fix, it has helped me slow down and stop and smell the roses a bit more in my day-to-day life here in Tours.

Château de Villandry, Centre-Val de Loire (near Tours)
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Preparing To Leave

Many students leave home for the first time when coming to Notre Dame. They come from all over the world to gather under the golden dome. However, my journey to Notre Dame was driving a short distance down the toll road. Going to Notre Dame was not that big of an adjustment for me, it was still Indiana. I have lived in northern Indiana my whole life, so my time in Germany will be my first time living elsewhere.

Leaving behind the cornfields of Indiana to soon be living in Germany feels both strange and exhilarating. I hope to use these weeks in Germany to improve my understanding of the German language and immersing myself in the culture of Germany. I am going to try to not rely on English, but communicate in German while there despite the difficulties that might arise. I am excited to embrace the struggles and opportunities of this experience and I look forward to seeing what will happen this summer!