The pigeons were not the most challenging part on the route to and from my apartment. They squawked around, followed me down the street and flew at my face. That was a lot. No, the challenging part was the political protest happening down the street between my apartment.
With the increasing conflict and unrest since the election in November, you would think this might not be necessarily uncommon or interesting, but this one was a little different for me. This protest was happening far from the marches in Chicago, Ferguson, Missouri, or Washington, D.C.
This protest was taking place in Florence, Italy.
Being the curious person I am, I inched a little bit closer. I obviously could not understand a word of what they were saying, since it was in Italian, but I could feel the energy and urgency of the protestors.
Protest is one of the most universal actions we can engage in to make our voices heard. Throughout history, people all over the world have stood up for things they believe in. It’s one of my favorite things to see.
As a student abroad this semester in the beautiful city of Florence, I could pretty easily tune myself out to politics for a while and let myself be immersed in the simple beauty that is this city.
I see that as a waste.
In the first few days here, I noticed immediately, even in little bits of conversation, the incredible presence of politics in the Italian culture.
Whether it be the graffiti outside my apartment or the snippets of conversation I hear from my professors, politics is everywhere. My landlady even had something to say about the refugee crisis hitting Italy and the rest of Europe. They are dealing with immigration just like we are. Italy is one of the largest stops for refugees coming from Syria.
I mention this because though there is so much going on in the United States with politics, such as a certain reality television star who’s recently taken office, there is as much going on in Europe.
So, in my semester here in this new country, with new ideas and perspectives alike, I am going to set off to find out as much as I can about what the people on the other side of the world are thinking.
What do Europeans think of President Trump? What do the Italian people think of the change in prime minister last year after their old one resigned due to the rejections of his proposal changes within the government? My goal is to find out.
As I stood trying to decipher what the protest going on outside my apartment meant, a few other students with me moved on pretty quickly, wanting to avoid the loud protesters and get back on their walk.
I don’t mind having the demonstration in the way, there is something sort of amazing about watching people shout out loud for what they believe in, no matter the message or the language.
haask@umail.iu.edu
@khaas96
