For students traveling outside the country this summer, a suitcase of short shorts and tank tops might not do the trick. Visually adapting to a culture can make a trip safer and more enjoyable. Here are tips to keep you from being reduced to “that American kid.”
Be conscious of religious foundations
When in a foreign country, it’s best to err on the side of conservatism, said Cindy Chalou, associate director of the Office of Study Abroad.
“I recently went to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem and one of my colleagues had a sleeveless blouse and they gave her a shawl,” she said. “As a woman, it’s best to carry a shawl with you all the time if you’re going to religious locations.”
She added that in Muslim countries, women might be expected to cover their heads.
Blend in
“A lot of it is just observing the local culture,” Chalou said. “In South Africa, low-cut tank tops are not discouraged, but shorts are.”
In Japan the opposite is true, said Rhea Young, a higher, adult and lifelong education graduate student. Low-cut tops are looked down upon, while mini-skirts are in, said Young, who spent three years living in Japan.
“The women wear more feminine colors than they do here and very few left the house without makeup,” she said. “If you worked in an office or a school, it was disrespectful not to wear makeup. Here, it’s more to better yourself and feel good about yourself whereas there it’s for others.”
Don’t bother bringing a hoodie
Europeans place more emphasis on fashion than Americans, said nursing senior Juliana Tu, who has studied in Ireland and Italy.
“What my host mom would wear on a daily basis is like what my mom wears to work every day,” Tu said.
Men wear tighter jeans or capri pants and carry purse-like bags, she said. Sneakers such as Pumas and Diesels are preferred to Nikes and Adidas, Tu said.
“If you’re doing casual, people won’t wear jeans and a hoodie (in Europe),” communicative sciences and disorders senior Catherine Semrau said, who studied in Western Europe. “They’ll wear khaki pants and a nice sweater.”
Comfort counts
In India, avoiding heatstroke is more important than looking great, said Jigna Patel, a dietetics and prenursing junior. Patel has family in the Indian state of Gujarati and has traveled there three times.
“There’s no point in bringing a hair straightener or anything because the outlets are different and it’s so hot,” said Patel. “Try to keep makeup to a minimum because you’ll be sweating so much.”
While people overseas tend to cover up more, they’ll often wear less than Americans on the beach.
“Everyone wears Speedos,” said Andrew Hoyles, a biosystems engineering senior. “We stuck out in our swim trunks. We looked like little kids because kids wear swim trunks.”
Hoyles has studied in China and Russia, and said the fashion in both countries is similar to in Europe.
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Know the message you’re conveying
“With the perception out there that American women tend to be loose, if a female student is wearing something suggestive, it might be sending the wrong message,” Chalou said. “It’s a safety issue as well as one of respect.”
She said on a trip to Rome, one student defiantly wore a tank top on a visit to a church.
“She wasn’t able to participate because the guards would say, ‘You can’t come in,’” Chalou said. “After all this tension between the (program) leader and the student, it turned out she had some real issues with the Catholic Church and this was her way to make a public statement. She couldn’t participate in parts of the program and that impacted her grade.”
Hoyles said it’s also crucial to pay attention to symbolism.
“One thing that is a faux pas: In post-communist countries, you don’t want to have anything with a red star or a hammer and sickle on it,” Hoyles said.
