Maria, did you REALLY think that?!

Looking back, I laugh at some of the "Italy Imaginings" in my head before I arrived. Boy, was I wrong sometimes! Here are some of the things that went through my mind, and why they were (GULP) wrong. 

1) "My Rome landing on January 6th, 2012, will involve beautiful airplane views of the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps."

Correction: Maria, can you even see fountains from that high? Not to mention, FCO is actually 40km outside of Rome, kind of in the middle of nowhere. But nice try girl. 

2) "Italians eat pasta and pizza all the time." 

Correction: Not completely untrue, but definitely not true. I should have realized this since I come from an Italian family and pasta is definitely not all we eat, but how did I know Italy itself wasn't different? The "primi" menu in most restaurants is actually mainly composed of pasta dishes. And there are several amazing pizza places around. However, there is obviously a lot more to the Italian diet (like vegetables and meat). My roommates and I actually tend to cook meals centered around veggies. Can't complain! 

3) "All of Italy will look like Tuscany."

Correction: Did I not think that Italy had a single factory? Or shopping mall? I guess I imagined a giant countryside. Which, after spending two weekends in a row in Naples a few weeks back, definitely isn't the case. 

4) "All Italian families will have tons of kids."

Correction: I guess for this one, I was going off the fact that my dad is one of seven. But Italy these days has one of the lowest birthrates in Europe. One to two kiddos is typical, and more than that is rare. 

...what study abroad teaches you!