The most profound intercultural difference I have encountered was the Christian worship.  I am RCC Christian and I like to worship through singing and attending church.  During the first week I went to Sunday mass and had a difficult time understanding what was happening because it occurred in Italian; now I feel that church is a refuge for me and a challenge because I am subjected to only listening to Italian and immersing myself more in the culture-thus, I had a negative view of worship here because I still wanted more, now I see it as an opportunity to expand my knowledge.  The points that brought about this change was that I am better able to understand Italian, I need the time to meditate and reflect and it makes me feel closer (spiritually) to my family at home.  I feel more accepting of the rituals that I at first did not understand and I value the Mass as being more spiritual than ritualistic.  
I believe this will effect me positively as I study in other countries and it will also build my reliance in faith and teach me how to "get something" out of every Christian service.