what to wear
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Comfortable walking shoes. You will be walking everywhere! Pack shoes that are already broken in, and remember that you will wear them out! Dark shoes are best because they don’t show dirt. Layers. Layers. Layers. The weather changes frequently in Europe. It may be 60 degrees one hour and 90 degrees the next. Layers make adjusting simple. Also, more layers means more mix-and-match choices! Purses and bags WITH zippers. Yes, pickpockets do exist. I’ve seen it with my own two eyes. You’re more likely to get home with your phone and camera if you have a zipper to keep your possessions in and thieves out.
By Natalie Fletcher I haven’t worn cowboy hats or boots. I haven’t worn a fanny pack, an American flag t-shirt, or a baseball cap. Yet somehow everyone, and I mean EVERYONE in Italy immediately knows that I am an American. What is it that makes me so obviously American? It could be the confidence with which I walk and speak, or the cute little Lily Pulitzer sun-dresses and sweaters that I sometimes wear, or maybe just the dirtyblonde hair and tan skin. Once our group arrived in Florence, my feelings of sticking out like a sore thumb intensified. In one hilarious attempt to “camouflage” with the people around me, I decided to try my best one night to dress as edgy as possible—to be as Italian as possible. Borrow-
ing clothes from my roommates, and donning a pair of pants that can best be described as “MC Hammer” inspired, I walked around the corner with some of my fellow students to a restaurant. After about 20 minutes a group of A&M students walked in. I wanted to run in the bathroom and hide. Instead I had to explain that I really was from Texas, and that I didn’t usually wear such ridiculous garb. Suddenly, I felt like a phony and a fraud. Despite the blow to my confidence, I couldn’t help but see the lesson to be learned in the awkward situation. Trying to fit in while visiting a foreign country can be a great thing, as long as you don’t completely lose your identity in the process. I am who I am, I dress how I dress, and as long as I am a good ambassador for my country I should not mind being easily identified as an American.
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