<p>I’m chaperoning my daughter’s class on their senior trip to Italy. We’ll be in Florence and Rome for about 8 days.</p>
<p>I’ll be one of three chaperones and these are good kids (won’t sneak off, etc.) so I’m anticipating a fun and relaxing time. But my main job, I think, will be eyeing the buffer zone between the students and the locals.</p>
<p>Maybe somebody has some advice on the threat presented by over-friendly Italian men, and pickpockets. The last time I was in Italy was during college and I recall the men continuously invading my private space. Is this a cultural stereotype or should I always be on the lookout while everybody else is enjoying their gelato? </p>
<p>From what I have heard, Italian men see it as their duty to assure women who are not dead- that they are very much alive.
The pickpockets I imagine would take advantage of this- because you have to stand close to grab someones wallet.</p>
<p>Rick Steves has some advice for women traveling alone.
<p>I’d warn the kids more about the pickpockets than the Italian men. For the most part I think the latter is harmless flirtation, and it’s something you notice because it isn’t all that common in the US. An attractive girl/woman is going to hear a lot of “Ciao bella!”. The girls should not walk alone at night (this would be true for most cities).</p>
<p>I’ll be happy to give a report when we get back.</p>
<p>How come you guys can’t find a way to finagle a ride as a chaperone on your own kids’ senior trips?? All you have to do is volunteer selflessly at the school for 10 years and be available to put aside your beloved spring gardening chores for the sake of excellent food and stunning art work.</p>
<p>On the vulnerability of teenagers to local riffraff, I’ve told the students and their parents that while I’ll do everything I can to make sure that nobody gets pickpocketed, if it turns out that it does happen, I’ll take no legal or financial liability. One of the parents still blames me for her daughter falling for a street scam artist that cost her $60 (why a 15-year old was carrying $60 in cash in her purse, I don’t know) on a previous field trip. I’m a great believer in individual responsibility but at the same time I know the kids will be excited, distracted and too trusting. We’ll have a strict buddy policy so hopefully they’ll all be looking out for each other as well.</p>
<p>How come you guys can’t find a way to finagle a ride as a chaperone on your own kids’ senior trips??</p>
<p>Well…that would be a good question, 'cept neither of them went to Italy.
Oldest took a three week trip hiking/backpacking/climbing through the Canyonlands
No parents allowed - just staff.
( their senior advisor- his wife who was also a teacher & her brother who was an experienced climber).</p>
<p>Youngest also went for three weeks- to Ghana. They had to bring their own water as some of the places they were staying would not have potable water. No parents on that trip either</p>
<p>There are stories that are a bit different than “flirtation” or “Ciao, Bella.” There is a lot of inappropriate physical contact in Italy. We were on a bus when a man “rubbed up” against me. I told my daughter, and she said, “Oh, yeah. It happens all the time.”</p>
<p>Warn the girls to carry everything in a zipped bag or purse at all times; nothing in the pockets. And keep that zipper closed. Losing a wallet in a foreign land is not fun.</p>
<p>As Chedva points out, girls should keep their purses zipped shut and also they should use a shoulder strap purse if possible, making sure the strap is on the opposite shoulder from the bag. Guys should keep their wallets in their front (jean) pockets. Be wary of the thieves working together-- one bumps into you while the other one takes your purse or wallet. Enjoy your trip!</p>
<p>Not what you asked, but thought I’d mention it just in case the subject comes up–D’s high school choral group went to Italy for a festival a couple of years ago. A number of the participants were 18, the drinking age in Italy. All the relevant parents were asked in advance if they would permit their 18+ kids to have a single glass of wine with dinner. Most were okay with it, and I think the kids felt terribly sophisticated. Definitely a “when in Rome” moment! But given the fact that they could order their own alcohol with impunity at any time, some very close chaperoning was required outside of those dinners.</p>
<p>My daughters have gone on international and out of state trips with band and orchestra groups. We always had a big talk before they left. </p>
<p>“it is YOUR responsibility to stay out of trouble. It is not the chaperones ’ responsibility to keep you out of trouble. Let’s read the rules now, together, so that you know the boundaries. I do NOT want to get a phone call from the band director and I especially don’t want to spend a fortune flying you home early. Now go have a good time…”</p>
<p>Being a chaperone is a big responsibility…after the Natalee Hollaway incident, I’m not so sure that I have the guts to do it.</p>
<p>*My daughters have gone on international and out of state trips with band and orchestra groups. We always had a big talk before they left. *</p>
<p>Have they gone to Japan?
From what I hear- high school etiquette in Japan, is a little ;), more formal than what you can get out of kids from an innercity high school in the Northwest.
One mom, who happened to be married to the orchestral director, grew tired of telling their hosts where the kids were from( the students were acting out) & started saying they were from San Francisco.:o</p>
<p>Both of my children studied abroad in Italy, and I have spend a good deal of time in Italy as well. Italy is generally a very safe place for young people to travel. While men frequently comment on the attractiveness of women, it is not common, and, more importantly, not at all accepted, for inappropriate physical contact to occur. Pickpocketing is, however, very common.</p>