I’ve just started packing, and I’m already beginning to feel culture shock: I’m not supposed to bring sweatpants.
Over spring break, I’m going to Italy on a school trip. I think it goes without saying that I’m super excited, especially because I’ve never been out of the country before. I’ve been preparing for awhile now, buying things and trying to learn some Italian. I think that “vorrei un gelato al cioccolato, por favore” (“I would like a chocolate gelato, please”) should be enough to get me by.
But then there’s this whole sweatpants problem. My Latin teacher who’s taking us on the trip says that people in Europe don’t wear sweatpants, so we shouldn’t waste space in our suitcase packing them. She also says that in her opinion, wearing sweatpants is like saying “I give up.”
If you watch Project Runway, you could say that Wisconsin fashion isn’t very fierce, but it is comfortable. It's nice to have the option to go nearly anywhere in sweatpants and not look out of place. If you go to Sendik’s, there’s sweatpants; Mayfair, there’s sweatpants; church, there’s sweatpants. It’s going to be interesting to see how differently the Italians dress. I'm guessing that there are no green and gold zuba pants.
Anyway, needing something other than sweatpants to wear is a good excuse to go shopping. And, of course, it’s Italy. I’ve got no reason to complain. It’ll definitely be worth sacrificing a little comfort.
