Gulia Vago, an Italian exchange student from the small town Bovisio Masciago, is working to grow accustomed to her new life as a student at Starkville High School. 

“Starkville is going to be a really different experience for her,” English teacher Robin Dibble said.  “She is from a town that is actually smaller than Starkville, but it is only 20 minutes from Milan, which is a very large, important city in Italy.  In fact, she travels by train every day to Milan to go to school.”

Dibble’s family is the first host family for Vago; in the spring, she will be staying with the Remotigue family. Vago is sponsored through Starkville’s Rotary club, an international organization that sponsors exchange student programs.

The Dibble family is trying to introduce Vago to American culture as much as they can.

“We are planning to go on a trip to Wisconsin to show her more of the United States, the differences between the North and South, maybe even to go to South Carolina to visit my brother,” senior Sandor Dibble said.

Vago attended school in Milan six days a week, ate lunch at home, and had gym once a week.  The school day went from 8:05 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the only sport her school had was volleyball, surprising considering the popularity of sports in Europe, especially soccer.

“I was surprised, because I figured that they would have a soccer team at their school,” Sandor Dibble said. 

Vago says that her little brother would love to watch a live game of a sport commonly associated with America.

“He likes American football,” Vago said. “Sometimes he watches it on TV in Italy.  At home, I watch shows like Jersey Shore and some other Italian shows.” 

America holds several attractions for the youth, according to Vago.

“All of the young people in Italy want to visit America because they think that it is more free,” Vago said.  “For example, you can drive at 16, we [can] only [drive] at 18.  We can go into the disco parlor before, at 16 (the drinking age in Italy).”

Even with the perceived freedoms of coming to America, Vago’s exchange coordinator didn’t recommend the US as first choice.

“They told me to go not in America,” Vago said.  “I chose the USA and they chose Mississippi.” 

Normally, Vago would be skiing around Christmas. But here in Mississippi, it almost never snows, a phenomenon that strikes Vago as extremely strange.

However, she does have other sports more suitable to the Southern climate.

“I play tennis,” Vago said.  “I want to play in the spring.  I’ve been riding horses for three years. At home, I go to something like a farm to ride.”  

While leaving home was hard, Vago is excited about living in America.  She communicates with her parents and 14-year old brother through her international cell phone and email.  Vago has not used Skype yet but plans on getting it set up.