Guest Spot: Lucia Loeb

For the final Guest Spot, I've choosen to highlight a good friend from Humboldt State, Lucia Loeb. Lucia and I both joined the women's rowing team in August of 2008, our first semester at HSU. We were often assigned to the same boat, and we spent countless hours together during our first two years at university, from early mornings on Humboldt Bay to bus rides and plane trips to competitions. She is currently in Viterbo, Italy.

Where did you study in Italy? 

I studied at Università degli Studi della Tuscia for the first semester. I knew that four months was not enough to immerse myself in the culture so I managed to stay longer by Au Pairing for a family. I live in the region of Lazio, which is about an hour from Rome.

Why did you choose Italy?

It is a combination of things that attract me to this country. Partially the obvious factor that attracts many women to Italy; the beautiful men (which is a stereotype I find not always true). It is also my appreciation for art, particularly Italian art. It is all of the stereotypical things such as nude beaches, gelato, pasta and pizza. Although I do not condone stereotypes, the food part has proven to be quite true. It is the language too; I believe it is the most beautiful one I have heard in my twenty years so far. Italy is also part of my heritage. Although I am mostly German, partially Irish, French Jewish and probably more. In fact, I am only one forth Italian. Both of my grandfather's parents came from Italy, but I never met them and I never met my grandfather. Maybe it is the unknown mystery that draws me here. Maybe it's not really important to figure out the steps leading to my fascination with Italy. The only thing that matters in this moment, as I write this, is that I am in Italy.

What were your expectations before you went abroad?

Coming here, I tried to let go of all expectations, but of course this is impossible. Coming to Italy I expected everyone to be friendly, guys to be more forward and more nude beaches. I think all of these things are indeed characteristics of Italy but the main thing that I, and many other Americans, overlook is that Italy is a fairly new country and that each region differs tremendously. Understanding this important fact would help foreigners understand that stereotypes of Italian culture are definitely not true for all Italians or all of Italy. In fact, it may be quite the opposite.

What were the biggest challenges for you? What surprised you the most?

One of the biggest challenges in the beginning was trying to fit in. I wanted so badly to fit in and be Italian, so I avoided groups of Americans, spoke as much Italian as I could, copied their motions and tried to wear similar clothes, which my wardrobe did not allow. It was weird being part of the minority for the first time in my life (although I am aware that Americans are not a marginalized group in any country). Still, it is definitely a different experience having everyone stare and judge us when we would walk by, especially the girls, who didn't seem to want to talk to us at all. I think this is what surprised me the most- I came here with the idea that Italians are all warm and open and friendly, but this depends on where you are regionally and under what circumstances. In the beginning, I made all of my judgements based on the people in my town, but as I traveled and met more Italians I found variations throughout the country. Over time, I learned that if you go to the same shops and start seeing the same faces everyday they will welcome you in with a big smile.
Another huge challenge for me was the language, not so much because it was hard to learn or that I was nervous to speak, but because all I wanted to do was speak Italian. Part of the reason that I split away from Americans was so that I could learn the language faster, but in the beginning I had to speak mostly English because I came here not knowing any Italian. I started to improve my language skills as the months went on, and by only speaking Italian, it isolated me in many ways. It was frustrating when Italians would speak to me in English, but I have realized that they were not being rude but maybe they really did want to practice and learn. Then I was able to relax a bit and think of it as a trade, a little English and a little Italian and everything would be just fine.

What was the biggest lesson that you got out of your time in Italy?

It is important to look at a person for who they are and not judge them based on cultural stereotypes. At the same time, it is important to recognize what the cultural differences are between your own culture and the culture you are living in. In Italy, the first thing I will say is that many Italians don't feel Italian. Instead many people may identify themselves based on their city or region. Rome differs from Napoli just as much as New York differs from San Francisco, if not more. Each region and city has its own cuisine, its own dialect and there are even different languages. Despite these differences, there are some things that are true throughout the country. The mindset and pride about food is a big one. Another thing that Italians share is generosity, in the sense of hospitality and sharing food. I feel, in general, Americans are more greedy with their money, and even after six months of being here I am still like that- it is hard to break habits of a culture we were raised in.

What suggestions would you have for people who are thinking about studying abroad?

Study abroad!! It is such an important and eye-opening experience. Do whatever you can to put yourself out there and make friends with locals. Be independent and don't cling onto what is familiar to you- after all, you are abroad for a reason. This being said, I have found it is also important to have at least one friend from your own culture. In my own experience, I felt it was really important to learn the language. A lot of Americans in my group said that they wanted to learn but did not put in the effort. This was really hard for me to understand and at first it was hard not to judge them for this. I was able to come to terms with the fact athat maybe they came to Italy for different reasons than I did (like art, traveling, partying, eating, etc) and that language was not on the top of the list. Meeting people and building a community was important and this meant communicating in Italian. I would have felt like an ignorant American if I did not put in the effort that I did to learn the language. Knowing the language helped me to learn a lot more. If you have the chance of studying for more than one semester, do it. By staying longer, I feel like I have learned so much more and I have really built a community here.

Thank you, Lucia!

Did you miss the others?

Here is an introduction to the Guest Spot Project.

Catch up with Guest Spot: Jan Havlas and his experience in Norway.

Catch up with Guest Spot: Mary Centrella and her experience in Mexico.

Catch up with Guest Spot: Mirjam Blaum and her experience in Norway.

Catch up with Guest Spot: Hannah Stutzman and her experience in Guam.