I'm going to be living with a host family for 7 weeks this summer and I am hoping I can get some good tips from some Italians and non-Italians. Tips about Italian culture vs. American culture, what to expect, what is appropriate and what isn't that sort of thing. Also, I am going to bring gifts from Indiana (my home state) for my family. What types of gifts would an Italian really enjoy? I heard there's no peanut butter in Europe (Ah!), poprocks, or Pop Tarts.

Also I'm curious about what clothes I should wear. I'm not really sure how much "tourist" type things I'll be doing, but what types of clothes do the average teen girls wear? I'm thinking about skirts and sundresses because jeans will be too hot and shorts are just uncomfortable. My goal is to look as un-American as possible! Haha. Thanks for your help!


Any advice is appreciated. Thanks for the input! Ciao!

Raeann

Hello Raeann and welcome to Slow Travel
What an exciting summer you are going to have.
Where are you going to be staying for your 7 weeks?

For clothing look at the spring fashion report and look at the Italian people walking around. Your choices sound great to me.
For the other issues, go to Expats in Italy and pay special attention to the portion namned "Culture Shock." You'll find out what strikes foreigners of all types as strange and incomprehensible and maybe see some explanations from Italians. Actually, that site mirrors this one in form, so you can search on any idea you have and find out what someone thinks about it.

Hi Raeann,

Where are you going in Italy? Not everywhere is too hot for jeans, and Italian teens and young adults wear them a lot - look at the younger people in decobabe's fashion file. Definitely take at least one pair of jeans.

Shorts aren't worn as much except for sport activities, hiking etc.

Nobody will hate you for looking American (or other "first-world" foreigner). I would consider that overall, people in Europe tend to dress in darker colours than people in the US (I think we fall somewhere in-between).

You can pick up some nice fashionable t-shirts or whatever the girls are wearing for a most reasonable price at a public market.

There is peanut butter in Europe, both of the healthfood kind (just ground peanuts) and the hydrogenated major brand type. I have no idea what poprocks are. I've never seen Pop Tarts - there are so many yummy things you don't need them, but manufactured pastries and junk foods of other kinds certainly exist in Europe.

Hi Raeanne.... definitely check out the Expats in Italy website for lots of wonderful information about life in Italy. THere is a message board there too.

We have peanut butter here in Italy. How about some Paul Newman Popcorn, some good salsa, maybe some Hershey's Kisses.

I hope you have a wonderful time, filled with adventures and great memories.

Diana

I'm not sure yet where I'm going to be living. I have to wait until they send me in the information in the mail about my host family and that could be as long as another month and a half! I'm getting so excited, though...once I find out I'll definitely post...thanks for all of the responses!

Rae

That is great. Families are carefully chosen - I'm sure you will have a good time. I think they try to find a family with a teen about your age.

(Here I'm assuming you are doing a school exchange - it is of course a little different if you are already a university student).

Do you speak any Italian? In a month and a half you can do an easy online course if you don't have Italian class at your school. BBC has good introductory classes. Of course it will be a lot easier if you are already studying another Romance language, such as Spanish or French, but even if not, it is MUCH easier to learn languages when you are young - and will be very important in future, for work as well as cultural reasons.

You should also check the website for sites about school and university exchanges, as I'm sure they'll have a lot about people's experiences.

The jeans wearing people in those photos are also wearing down jackets. It is April. It is cold. In July I wouldn't let a pair of jeans into the same room with me.

I'm actually going through a program called AFS, it is neither related to school or a university program. Nonetheless, families are chosen very carefully. I couldnt find the fashion link you were talking about, so if you could add a hyperlink, it would be great. thanks!

I also have another question. How much spending money would you think I need for 7 weeks? I honestly have no idea how much I should bring!

Here is the link with all the links to Decobabe's recent reports on Italian fashion in spring 2006.

decobabe, I remember a lot of young Italians wearing jeans in the summertime (this is in Umbria, in Perugia and other towns, and also in Rome). Has that changed?

I always wear skirts, but I'm not a teen or young adult.

Rae, AFS is a longstanding international exchange program, and carefully monitored.

I am very familiar with the AFS program. I am hoping you get hooked up with a good family- it makes such a difference.
Priority one:get a journal and use it. Even if it is a single line or story every day, you will find this to be priceless. Have an open mind and you will have a wonderful experience. Learn a little of the language- you will pick up more as you are there.
Teen fashion is pretty much the same all over- thanks to MTV. But FYI: flip flops are hard to manage on cobble stone streets.
Cost$ will depend on where you are and how much traveling you will be doing. The AFS idea is that you will experience living in a family, going to school, not exactly the backpack across Italy --that will be your next trip!
How exciting!!