1. The Fluent Italian Student
They’re the ones who don’t gain weight from eating pasta everyday and know how to order said pasta with a convincing accent. They aren’t surprised when they get their food, because they know exactly what they ordered, and they knew it was not a good idea to eat the bread at the restaurant table because you get charged a million euro. They speak Italian and are replied to in Italian. They’ll never get recognized as a tourist as I often do. Is it my backpack? My accent? My face?
2. The Blatant American
The Fluent Italian Student’s nightmare. They are spoken to in English before even attempting to speak Italian. They’re loud, wearing leggings as pants and can often be found with their iPhones in one hand and miscellaneous North Face items in the other. Though I am (and am very proud to be) a citizen of the land of the free and the home of the hot dog, people from the land of the slow walkers and home of the pasta aren’t always our biggest fans. When in Rome, I’ll be pointing at things and hoping I never have to open my mouth so they don’t realize I can’t speak Italian.
3. The Grumpy Café Owner
The grumpy café owner is not so into tourists. He knows few English words, most of which are curses and the rest various kinds of coffee. He’s good at ripping you off, and has the most impressive resting bitch face you’ve ever seen. One time, I got charged double the listed price for an espresso that was taken away from me after I had only had one sip. I protested in broken Italian and silently vowed to pay more attention during the food unit of my Italian 101 class.
4. Overly Friendly Old Man
They’re in clubs, on streets, in shops, behind shops, behind me a lot of the time, behind everywhere. They tell every girl she’s pretty, they dress impeccably and ride Vespas, and they’ve aged better than any American I’ve ever seen. They probably had a good time as students four score and seven more teeth ago. Now, they go to bed at 7 p.m. and spend their days sitting outside at café’s à la nice-weather-Boylan-style. (The grumpy café owner likes them.)
5. The Adventurer
They don’t just want to be in the culture, they want to be immersed. They plan trips every weekend, and have most definitely ridden on the back of someone’s Vespa. They’re always the first and most eager to try the weirdest local cuisine (read: cow intestine) and will definitely be blogging about it within the hour. They came abroad to LIVE, and speak in caps lock a lot. They're mostly fun to be around, if you’re looking for that one-of-a-kind, near-death experience.
6. The Technology Freak
The definition of their trip is “life, liberty and pursuit of a good Instagram.” Phrases you’ll often hear from said person: “Is there WiFi here?”, “Can you think of a witty caption for this baguette in front of the Duomo?”, “Can you ask that waiter for the WiFi password?”, “Oh my God, that guy is on YouTube, I bet he knows the WiFi password!”, “I can’t wait to get WiFi so I can Instagram this!”, “How do you say WiFi in Italian?” They’ll use their phone for everything except Google Maps, and have no qualms about taking selfies in front of very important works of art.
7. The History Buff
Every gallery and museum is the best thing since Giotto painted his frescoes in Santa Croce. (Look Mom, I paid attention in class!) Each painting is worth 1000 words and 1000 minutes of this person describing their deep personal connection it. They tend to get overly excited about fun things like cobblestone streets, as in, "Da Vinci totally could’ve walked on these!" They think those weird plastic museum audio guides go great with any outfit. Michelangel-no more please.
8. The Homesick Student
They found the culture shock a little too shocking. Maybe they have a boyfriend or a girlfriend back home or the most debilitating FOMO ever to exist. Either way, being abroad is not their plate of pasta, and not even a free cone of gelato could cheer them up. They start crying at the sight of any woman/man/dog/hamburger/article of clothing/hint of the English language because it reminds them so much of the United States. They feel most at home in McDonalds.
9. The Health Freak
They’re gluten-free by choice. They say no to gelato. They actually like the taste of plain Greek yogurt and go out of their way to try to find it instead of eating croissants for breakfast like the rest of Italy. They found an Italian gym and joined it. They hike for the exercise and not for the Instagram. They haven’t eaten pasta and gelato every day. I am actually kind of jealous of them. They probably don’t get hangovers. They have never experienced an emotional attachment to a plate of food. They are probably in a stable relationship.
10. The Partier
They go out every night. They live life to the fullest…bottle of wine. They say the word ‘yolo’ and mean it. Their best friends are club promoters and they can confidently tell you the drink specials anywhere on any given night. They are rarely seen in the daytime. They have probably never been to a bar in America.
Read More
A bite of home at Barbie’s Burrito Barn
By Sophie Guettel | 22 hours agoBarbie’s Burrito Barn is more than just a restaurant — it is a testament to the dreams and hard work of its owner.
The fluffiest Swedish coffee bread
By Finn Trainer | YesterdayWith its semi-sweet flavor and cloud-like texture, this Swedish coffee bread is a calming, delicious treat to enjoy this finals season.
Cleaning out my closet — and my mind
By Julianne Saunders | YesterdayCleaning out my closet has become more than a seasonal comfort — it has also taught me that I should not rely on school or social media for fulfillment and peace.
