European Culture

     Something interesting that I have noticed about Europe is in the bathrooms. They seem to be very environmentally conscious about water and paper products. Most of the public restrooms I have used dispense 2 sheets of toilet paper at a time rather than letting you take as much as you want the first time. I think they do this to prevent you from taking more than necessary. I also noticed that compared to the US there is barely any water in the toilet bowls and in the US there is more than a gallon. I like this about Europe because they are more conscious of their water usage.
     I think a method that the US is starting to implement that is widely used here in Italy is 2 different settings to flush the toilet. One button uses less water because you don't want to be wasting alot of water each time if you don't have to. I think, at least here in Italy, they are more environmentally conscious.

SREF

While in Florence, I visited the Galileo museum. Overall, that museum was my favorite one that we’ve visited because everything was so interesting to look at and the guide was very informative. Something that I learned from my independent studies at that place was about the four humors. Blood, yellow bile, phlegm, and black bile were the four humors and it was very interesting to learn how they connected with the earth. The ways that they connected with the earth/climate were hot, dry, wet, and cold along with fire, air, earth, water. 

European Culture

I have noticed many cultural differences that set Italy’s culture apart from America’s. I’ve noticed that the Italian culture highly values family, art, and religion. One difference that I’ve noticed is that mealtime tends to be lengthy and a sit down meal can take a long time. Meals are meant to be enjoyed and the waiters leave you alone basically the whole time. In America, waiters will check up on you more often. I’m used to meals being quick and usually on the go rather than sitting down for quite awhile like they do here. Also, I’ve noticed that bills are usually paid on one ticket rather than splitting it amongst people. 

European Dining Culture

Dining culture in Italy is much more sir-down/relaxed compared to USA’s where it is usually more on-the-go/quick. When they go out to eat a lot of people are sitting alone or with a small group of people and often are very quiet. One thing that is very different is that you have to pay for water, which is normally 3 euros. A service charge is included in majority of bills that helps cover the cost for wifi, air conditioning, bathroom and etc., which ranges from 1 to 3 euros. Tables are usually only visited by the server a couple times and are not checked on. As a waitress, I usually talk to my tables quiet a few times to see if they need anything after they get their food. If the customer has to come and find you it usually implies you are slacking on the job, but in Italy, it is common especially if you’re ready for your check.

SREF

For our SREF free day, I went and visited the last Alchemists magic door. I learned that the 5 doors were built for the use of transmutating materials into gold. This particular door in the piazza Vittorio was built after a legend. The legend was that a famed alchemist Giustiniano Bono was searching in a nearby garden for a herb, Needed to perform the transmutation. After that night that he went searching for the herb, he was no longer seen and a gold leaf was found on the magic door. I also learned that on the door, the ingredients needed for a successful transmutation are subscribed on the door.

SREF

For the SREF project, I visited the history of medicine museum. Something I noticed at the museum was the speed and acceleration of medicinal knowledge. It's impressive how far the medicine has advanced in just a few hundred years. First, I saw crude tools that influenced modern day scalpels and microscopes. Every couple of decades, these tools advanced more and more. However, just a century or so later, we had models and understanding of human DNA.
The museum had a model of a chromosome on display, obviously enlarged, that was really cool to see. Just a few decades after the chromosome was modeled, humans understood the complexities of DNA to the point of, roughly, what every gene does. Nowadays, scientists are close to being able to edit babies' genes before they are born to get rid of diseases.

European culture

One of the cultural differences that I’ve noticed the past week has been the overall smoking atmosphere. Back in the United States there are very specific laws about where you can smoke.
But in Italy, and probably in other parts of Europe, smoking is a very more relaxed activity. In Europe people smoke while eating, riding mopeds, on the train, and at the train stations. I just find this unusual because we have grown up with always been told that smoking is bad and that you can only do it in these areas. And in Europe I don’t think they grew up with the constant warnings regarding smoking. Also while being in Europe, there are a lot more cigarette vending machines, and places to buy cigarettes than in the United States. So I also believe that since cigarettes are more widely available, that this lead to the more relaxed opinion regarding smoking