Già da qualche mese, a InformaGiovani Arezzo, è presente una studentessa dell’University of Oklahoma in Arezzo che svolge uno stage da noi. Una collaborazione che si sta dimostrando una vera risorsa in più per il nostro servizio ma anche per tutti i ragazzi che ci frequentano.

In particolare ogni lunedì dalle 17.00 alle 19.00 è a disposizione, naturalmente in modo totalmente gratuito, per chiacchierate in inglese e far dunque pratica e anche per parlare delle reciproche culture.

Settimanalmente pubblicheremo un articolo in inglese in cui Michelle darà, in inglese, degli spunti di riflessione sulla sua esperienza ad Arezzo.

Enjoy the reading!

Hello, my name is Michelle and I have been in Arezzo for about 3 months. I am from the United States. I grew up in Wisconsin (in the north, near Canada). When I was 18, I moved to Oklahoma (north of Texas) for school. My family still lives in Wisconsin and I enjoy going there to visit.

If you have any questions about life in America or would like to practice speaking English, please leave a comment or come to InformaGiovani Mondays from 17,00-19,00Since I came here I have noticed many differences between the United States and Italy. One of the hardest for me to adjust to is the hours of the various stores and restaurants. In America, there are always 24-7 fast food restaurants or department stores like Wal-Mart open. I almost never have to plan time to eat or buy groceries because I can just go in the middle of the night if it’s more convenient. Here, the stores all have much shorter hours. Many are closed in the afternoon, which is basically nonexistent in America. Many are also closed on Sunday or Monday. In America, only a few places are closed or have limited hours on Sundays.

Another adjustment for me regarding shopping has been the lack of department stores. I am used to being able to go to a store such as Target and buy everything I need there—clothes, make up, food, school supplies, kitchen supplies, furniture, basically anything. Here I need to go to many different stores to buy what I could find in one department store in America. I also have to buy less at a time because I walk so I can only buy what I can easily carry at any point in time.

Although it takes more planning, I enjoy shopping here. Even when I’m just looking for something small, almost every time I’ve gone into a small store, the employees have been extremely willing to help me, even with the language barrier. I will miss the helpfulness and friendliness that I experience in the stores here when I return to the United States.