Studying Abroad

**Burky** · 01 Sep 2005, 08:49 AM

Don't trust Italian people at all. Italians are thieves.

On all the ebays within Europe, there are hundreds of scammers who hack people's accounts, then use them to sell you electronics and then never send the product, that way no-one has any contact details about them and nothing can catch them.
These scammers are always either Romanian or Italian.

Like Andrew says, learn to ride a bike, but make sure you either get a really shitty one that no-one wants to steal, or an unbreakable bike lock.

**Diff-chan** · 01 Sep 2005, 08:51 AM

haha. My last few months at school I came into contact with a lot of Europeans. Lot of Italians, Turks, French, etc. They were the biggest pieces of human garbage I ever met in my life and probably ever will meet in my life. Unless I go to Europe, of course.

**Mikey** · 01 Sep 2005, 01:31 PM

You've obviously asked in the wrong forum, one where people have been brainwashed into frothing at the mouth and coming out with an envious tirade at the mention of a place to which they've never even been.

Aren't there lots of websites with advice on this anyway, or are you looking for the kind of secret advice you don't get from those?

In Rome you'd haggle for almost everything, including meal prices and taxi fares. But just because it's Italy doesn't mean you can't get killed. There's nowhere safe these days. The bicycle idea is good, though you can take the train. Just beware of pickpockets. It won't be too warm there in a few months though.

**Burky** · 01 Sep 2005, 06:41 PM

You've obviously asked in the wrong forum, one where people have been brainwashed into frothing at the mouth and coming out with an envious tirade at the mention of a place to which they've never even been.

Check out where I live.

Most of the others, e.g, Diffx is right, when he says most Europeans are garbage. I can confirm that with the French, and from genuine knowledge many Italians are thieving bastards.

I agree with watching out for pickpocketing though, which has to occur in a country filled with thieves.

As for haggling, as soon as they know you are English, ie tourist (or good as), they will shake all the money out of you by extorting you as much as possible, hence you haggle back down a bit.
This applies to all countries where tourists are concerned

**Mikey** · 01 Sep 2005, 06:55 PM

Now that you mention English; when they find out you're an English speaker it helps to mention that you're not actually from Britain. They're less likely to hate you if you make that clear.

**Burky** · 01 Sep 2005, 07:21 PM

I never said they hate you, I said they extort you.
I don't think Italy particularly hates English speakers, at least not as much as France.

Anyway, you're English speaking, so you come from better background than Italy, so you got money, so they want it. They will friendly with you, don't doubt that.

Anyway, if anything, being American means you're more likely to rip you off, as American's are in general richer, and if you're an American anywhere in Europe, you must be pretty rich in order to get there anyway.

As for the matter of hating you less for being American, I somehow doubt that...

**FirstBlood** · 01 Sep 2005, 08:45 PM

Originally Posted by Mikey

Aren't there lots of websites with advice on this anyway, or are you looking for the kind of secret advice you don't get from those?

Yes, pretty much.

It's not like I'm going there to make friends. I'm going to eat awesome food and see various museums and make various prints. And basing your opinion of a country on the few people that come to America is probably not the best idea, just like the Italians that hate americans.