Maria and I were on the same tour in Pompeii and were seated next to each other on our bus ride. Maria is also studying abroad this summer and is from Guatemala. After talking about our backgrounds, we realized there’s a lot of similarities between our cultures. I am South Asian and she’s Hispanic, but many of the little quirks and traditions I had in my culture and experiences growing up, she had also. For example, I complained about how little seasoning Italians add to their food. She said she had the same complaint, and I realized it’s because both of our cultures enjoy making food that is full of spice and explosions of flavor. It’s amazing how two cultures so far from each other could share so many similarities.
