ook Both Ways that was speeding along the road. The driver wasn’t doing anything wrong by Roman standards, but in America he would be pulled over by the police. Arguing with a passing driver that can’t hear you doesn’t do any good except to give your lungs a work out. The drivers in Italy have grown up in that culture. They aren’t going to change to fit your idea of American driving. The tourists who learn the system tend to fair a lot better than those that resist or ignore it. After about two days wandering in Rome, I realized I was acquiring something like a sixth sense about when to move to the sidewalk or when to dash across traffic. After a week, I had intuitively learned to listen for cars approaching from behind. I understood that the drivers are used to pedestrians and will not purposefully aim for you. In this way, I learned to trust the drivers. It took a while. There was one point when I was walking in the street and a taxi turned down the road we were on and proceeded to drive toward us. In my mind, I believed I was clear of the taxi. It continued to come at us. I heard my professors warn us that the taxi was coming. I heard them tell us to get on the sidewalk. Stubbornly, I continued in the street. The taxi did not stop. I could have hugged the taxi because it was so close to me. A feeling of terror mixed with surprise took hold of me as I did a quick jig to the side. The wind from the taxi blew around me. I immediately started laughing. While this situation could have ended a lot worse, I felt like a true Roman – unafraid of the traffic and willing to take a few risks to get where I need to go. I’m learning, and so far I’ve survived. Tourists should take the risks of learning a new culture – it pays off in the end.
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