Great Expectations

When I was 13, I lived with my family in Spain for one year. While I was there, I was asked the following questions by my classmates:

-do you have a gun in your house?

-did your parents vote for Bush?

-is school really the way it looks in 'Mean Girls'?

-what do you mean, you don't watch the Simpsons?!?

Hmmm. Needless to say, I was a bit shocked at the impression that my friends had of me and apparently all other Americans. At the same time, I realized that before I had come to Spain, I had been just as guilty of stereotyping the Spanish culture. It's what we tend to do when we don't have the time or energy to research the complex intricacies of cultures we are partly or wholly ignorant of.

So of course, as I ready myself to head off into the great unknown that is Italy, I carry with me certain stereotypes. I must say, the clichéd images of delicious pizza and gelato, beautiful people, gorgeous landscapes, and a rich history don't sound too shabby. But the real excitement is in the unknown; the aspects of life that will be most exciting to discover are the ones that I didn't know to look for.

Based on what I've heard, Italy will be beautiful. But I know that the real part of my journey, the exhilarating part, will be to seek out the subtle shades of its beauty, to experience the realities behind the stereotypes. And I absolutely cannot wait :]