Americans Study Abroad Students Amuse Me

Ok...so I've been here about 4 months now so I guess you could say I've garnered a little bit of experience in Italian living. Much of Europe is filled with a bunch of Americans spending a semester (or 2, or better yet 3) abroad. Late December/early January is kind of a dead time period with American college students abroad since most of them have finished their programs and gone home for the holidays. Kids don't start coming back until like the second or third week of January. With that said...it's the "I'm in Europe!" season.

Ok...so this post is not supposed to make fun of American college kids in Europe (ok maybe I'll poke fun a little), but most of all I'm not here to dawg or generalize and stereotype the "American Study Abroad" student. I for one am a study abroad student, but one difference is that I'm here for a calendar year and I'm the lone American student at an Italian University right outside the city. So I get a great perspective in true Italian culture, especially from all my friends at work and simply from my roommate Eugenio.

Anyhow, it always amuses me how American students come to such a wonderful place and try to do everything American. For example, although they were dead (and somewhat peaceful and quiet) all the typical "American" bars (Drunken Ship anyone?) are again in full swing. Shots are poured and phrases like "What is your biggest and cheapest beer?", "Dude I had absinthe last night...it's like 180 proof", or "Man wine is really giving me a headache" are commonly shouted across the pub. Again, no beef wit that but I find it kind of sad when a lot of my Italian friends can easily pick these loud and rambunctious people out and know they are "American". It's especially funny when you hear Italians at a bar or on a bus late night filled with drunk loud Americans just say "Si...Americani". One sweet old lady even shouted out in a tirade in her annoyance with a group of Americans who decided to play a loud drunk game on the bus on the way home from a soccer match. Italians never get out of control like that (ok maybe sometimes, but they are usually not loud and obnoxious...they just start hitting on girls...a lot..ha ha jk...but not really).

I think one of the greatest things for American students studying abroad is the opportunity for them to travel. Europe is definitely a most fascinating place to travel throughout. I think the unfortunate thing is trying to get it all done in a span of 4 or 5 months. One of my favorite things of Italy is how laid back it is. If you're always traveling every weekend and going out to american pubs on the weeknights, you never get to really experience "La Dolce Vita". I feel especially in Rome, there is so much to just experience and it's often not entirely hit up by someone who even lives here for 2 years.