Italian Hospitality:

This weekend I visited Rome with some friends from the Barcelona program. We stayed with an Italian family, whose daughter (Giulia) is friends with one of the girls in our group. It was an amazing experience, not only because Rome is a beautiful city filled with gelato, but because the family we stayed with was wonderful. They picked us up from the airport, cooked us a delicious lunch, and took care of us in every way possible for the weekend. I had the opportunity to talk with Giulia’s mom, Carla, while we were there.

Carla is very Italian. She kissed us on the cheeks, made us some delicious spaghetti, and said Mamma Mia on more than one occasion (and not in reference to the movie). I had the chance to talk to her one night and learned a lot from our conversation. I learned that communicating is about so much more than language and that really listening to someone can be hard, but rewarding. Carla was as interesting to talk to as she was kind, and I could have listened to her all night. This is my advice for communicating with someone from a different culture:

1. Don’t be condescending

I didn’t talk as quickly when I spoke with Carla, but I also didn’t yell or talk at a rate of ten words per minute. She wasn’t fluent in English, but she was smart, funny, and had a great personality. Just because someone doesn’t speak the same language doesn’t mean that person is unintelligent or dull.

      2. Be open minded

This tip sounds cliché because it is, but it’s still valid. Someone from a completely different culture isn’t going to share all of your opinions and experiences. See the differences as interesting rather than wrong while also finding the similarities. Carla’s use of Italian phrases as well as her perspective on life made it that much more interesting to talk with her. 

3. Listen

Listening seems like an obvious part of communication and yet so many people forget to do it. Quit thinking about what you’re going to say next and actually focus on what the other person is saying, especially if that person has an Italian accent.