While I have only been in Rome, Italy for a short time now and have not had too much experience dealing directly with the youth in Italy, I did have the pleasure of sitting next to a youth on my flight from Washington D.C. to Rome who lended me much insight to the youth here. Marco was a 20 year old student studying at the Universita de Roma who was returning home to Rome from his first trip to USA. Upon engaging in conversation with him, it became clear to me that he had been disgusted with the culture in America and could not be happier to be traveling back to Italy. He explained to me that his girlfriend (from Italy) decided to attend a four year university in Maine. As I asked him where he went to school he continually rhetorically asked why so many individuals perceived the education in the United States to be better than that in Rome. He elaborated about his professors and conceded that he thinks that his professors at Universita de Roma are the best that the world has to offer. He was very prideful of his country and honored that he could attend university. As I began to ask him questions about their education system, I began to see some significant differences between the youth in Rome and the youth in the United States.
When I asked Marco how many students attend his university he stated that while in his freshman class there were a large amount of students enrolled, around 75 percent of them do not continue onto their second year. He said that he still lived at home with his parents and he hoped that he would not be one of the 75 percent that are forced to drop out of university and immediately enter the work place. Studying political science, I asked him if he has further ambitions to pursue a law degree. He expressed to me that he did not wish to pursue law but that he wished to teach. I also asked Marco what the social scene is like at his university. He stated that universities in Rome and the majority of Europe do not have places where students can live on campus- he expressed that the majority of the students attending the university live at home with their parents and commute to their classes.
When I asked Marco about his other impressions of the United States, he expressed that he could not understand why he could not purchase a beer anywhere in the entirety of Washington D.C. He was confused why the age to drive in the USA is 16 while the age to drink alcohol is 21. Furthermore, he was also unsatisfied with the fact that PDA is not a cultural norm in the United States. He was upset that his girlfriend refused to kiss him in public because it is often not acceptable to do so in the United States. I found this interesting because I was shocked at the amount of PDA that is expressed on the streets of Rome!
Speaking with Marco and comparing our experiences in college was very enlightening and funny to me. I was very impressed at his ability to speak English so well. Since being in Italy, I have noticed that it seems as if while many older people are able to speak English, the younger Italians do not know it as well. When going into restaurants and bars here, I have noticed that many of the time the youth will bring an older man or woman over to translate what I am saying for them.
When I asked Marco what he would do post-graduation, he really did not have an answer for me. He said that in order to make extra money now he will sometimes deliver pizza on his Vespa. When I mentioned the 28 percent unemployment rate for youth throughout Italy, he seemed to not be aware that the unemployment rate was so low for college graduates. I was extremely surprised that he did not seem concerned with job security after graduation.
As we delve into our internships in Italy and begin to more frequently with the youth here, I am confident that we will discover many differences compared to the youth in the United States. I am excited to gain more of an understanding of the youth in Italy and more specifically Rome.
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