A Glimpse of Things to Come

One unfortunate thing about doing these short study abroad trips is that you end up isolated from the real culture. You have just a few weeks there, and all of the summer students are American. You don't really get immersed in the culture, you kind of walk around and see it through your American bubble. However, there has been one experience that burst that bubble and let me catch a glimpse of Italian life.

The Euro Cup is currently raging in Vienna, Austria. This is one step below the World Cup for European football lovers (or soccer, you stinking Americans). The first night that Italy played, my roommates and I ignorantly turned on the tv in the living room and sat down to watch the game. I got my computer out, checked some e-mail. When the first Italian shot at a goal narrowly missed, we heard the cry echoing up to our window. It was as if the entire city of Florence cried out together. Curious, I grabed my stuff and took to the streets to see exactly what's going on.

Right outside my apartment door is a little cafe on a street corner. The cafe has a flat panel tv mounted above the bar, and outside the cafe was a crowd three or four rows deep. Business people, teenagers, beggars off the street, all gathered to watch the match. As I walked on I saw this was the case at every cafe, shop, and bar. I saw an important looking person step out of an office on a blackberry. He passes a bar and gets very distracted from his conversation. He says something quickly into the phone, hangs up, and joins the crowd.

I walked on, spending about ten minutes at each bar or cafe, groaning as a shot misses and partying, oh how we partied, when Italy scored. It was so cool to see how every possible difference between these people melted away as the Italia football team united all people to themselves. It was a sweet glimpse of what life might look when every knee bows at the sound of a single name, and people made to worship fulfill their ultimate purpose.