Any advice on moving to the US? (Norwich University ROTC)

Ant345

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Hi everyone, I was admitted to Norwich University Corps OF Cadets for fall 2022 (I will do ROTC). This will be my first time in the US since I was born as I come from a small town in Sicily, I am very excited but at the same time, I was wondering what it will be like? What can I expect from this experience? Especially if I will commission as an officer in the US army and probably spend the rest of my life abroad?

Vermont is a completely different world from where I come from, so if you have any advice you are welcome.
 
Hi everyone, I was admitted to Norwich University Corps OF Cadets for fall 2022 (I will do ROTC). This will be my first time in the US since I was born as I come from a small town in Sicily, I am very excited but at the same time, I was wondering what it will be like? What can I expect from this experience? Especially if I will commission as an officer in the US army and probably spend the rest of my life abroad?

Vermont is a completely different world from where I come from, so if you have any advice you are welcome.
Congratulations on your admission! Take cold showers to train for Vermont winters 🥶 😋
 
Vermont is awesome! You may not be able to take advantage of the area initially but when you get some freedom - the hiking, climbing, skiing, and other outdoor activities are great. Burlington airport is 45+ miles so communicate with others that attend Norwich from out of the area to determine the best airport for travel. Many east coast cities have flights to Burlington.
 
Hi everyone, I was admitted to Norwich University Corps OF Cadets for fall 2022 (I will do ROTC). This will be my first time in the US since I was born as I come from a small town in Sicily, I am very excited but at the same time, I was wondering what it will be like? What can I expect from this experience? Especially if I will commission as an officer in the US army and probably spend the rest of my life abroad?

Vermont is a completely different world from where I come from, so if you have any advice you are welcome.
Congratulations! My son will be there too unless he is lucky enough to get an appointment to West Point. It’s a beautiful area! Winter is long and cold!
 
Hello @Ant345, I did a tour in Sigonella some years ago. Mi manca la Sicilia molto.

I think that initially you can expect some culture shock given that this will be your first time to the United States since birth. I’m not sure how proficient you are in English, but the conversation speed and idiomatic phrase usage may take getting used to if you are primarily speaking Sicilian at home. Don’t worry about it though as full immersion English in Vermont will bring you up to speed quickly. At Norwich, as with any other military institution you will have to shake the idea of doing things “domani” or “doppo domani”. In military training, it’s going to be more like “subito” or “adesso”. So don't let the pace and pressure of things get to you. Climate wise, your summers won’t be as hot as Sicily’s but in in the winter it is going be quite an adjustment for you (freddissima!). Italian Navy pilots I have met stateside have told me some of the biggest adjustments that took getting used to were dietary. They missed their pasta on a daily basis at a set time and the Olive Garden isn’t exactly Italian cuisine. They were amazed that in the U.S. you could eat and find something to eat almost anytime and anywhere. Some put on weight. I don’t know what restrictions you will have at Norwich regarding driving a car, but the Italian pilots were staggered at the sheer size of the United States. Americans think nothing about driving long distances. All things told, you can expect to be amazed, perplexed and grateful when you come to the United States. Buona Fortuna.
 
Hello @Ant345, I did a tour in Sigonella some years ago. Mi manca la Sicilia molto.

I think that initially you can expect some culture shock given that this will be your first time to the United States since birth. I’m not sure how proficient you are in English, but the conversation speed and idiomatic phrase usage may take getting used to if you are primarily speaking Sicilian at home. Don’t worry about it though as full immersion English in Vermont will bring you up to speed quickly. At Norwich, as with any other military institution you will have to shake the idea of doing things “domani” or “doppo domani”. In military training, it’s going to be more like “subito” or “adesso”. So don't let the pace and pressure of things get to you. Climate wise, your summers won’t be as hot as Sicily’s but in in the winter it is going be quite an adjustment for you (freddissima!). Italian Navy pilots I have met stateside have told me some of the biggest adjustments that took getting used to were dietary. They missed their pasta on a daily basis at a set time and the Olive Garden isn’t exactly Italian cuisine. They were amazed that in the U.S. you could eat and find something to eat almost anytime and anywhere. Some put on weight. I don’t know what restrictions you will have at Norwich regarding driving a car, but the Italian pilots were staggered at the sheer size of the United States. Americans think nothing about driving long distances. All things told, you can expect to be amazed, perplexed and grateful when you come to the United States. Buona Fortuna.
Thank you very much! That's a lot of valuable information. 😁👍
 
Thank you very much! That's a lot of valuable information. 😁👍
Prego. That's some delicious looking arancini by the way. You're going to miss that as well as as the cannoli. In New York City you should be able to find both if you start missing Sicilia.
 
Prego. That's some delicious looking arancini by the way. You're going to miss that as well as as the cannoli. In New York City you should be able to find both if you start missing Sicilia.
Ahaha thanks for the advice 👍
 
When you do get out to eat and explore, there is a big difference between restaurants serving Italian-American (but still good, just evolved over time from immigrant melting pot and what was available, not a lot of bufala for real mozzarella in the U.S.) and Italian cuisine, where the chefs/owners are from Italy and know the regional cuisine and can actually spell and pronounce words like “bruschetta.” Let’s not even talk about chain Italian restaurants, where, again, the food can be enjoyable, but not much like bella Italia.

Similar to @WT Door ,the Navy gave me the privilege of being stationed in Napoli, I traveled by train, car or ferry every weekend and didn’t go home to the U.S. for almost 4 years, spending 3 years in Spain and almost 3 in Italy. Ate my way around the country, Sicilia, Sardegna, the Aeolian Islands, all the major cities and regions, etc. I took many military hops to NAS Sigonella.

Just go with the flow, stock up on warm stuff. LL Bean, Lands End, Patagonia, North Face are good sites to browse, depending on what you are told to bring the first year.

There is much beauty in that part of the country, go with open mind and dive in. Try everything. And remember, Americans think something is old if it was built in the 1600’s. 🤣

I am sure as the time gets closer you will have many questions. People here will help.
 
If you haven’t seen it and have time to binge-watch your way through HBO’s “The Sopranos,” it’s a well-done fictional account of a modern-day Italian-American crime family. It is good cultural reference knowledge for you, and does NOT reflect the vast majority of Italian-American families in the U.S. You will laugh out loud when Tony Soprano visits Italy for the first time.

Your written English is superb, so I suspect you won’t have much trouble there. You will be mentally exhausted with immersion in another culture and language 24/7, but you’ll get through it. Your brain will adapt.
 
Bring a chef with you or learn to eat fast food. We have ample food, but not ample good cooks.
 
If you haven’t seen it and have time to binge-watch your way through HBO’s “The Sopranos,” it’s a well-done fictional account of a modern-day Italian-American crime family. It is good cultural reference knowledge for you, and does NOT reflect the vast majority of Italian-American families in the U.S. You will laugh out loud when Tony Soprano visits Italy for the first time.

Your written English is superb, so I suspect you won’t have much trouble there. You will be mentally exhausted with immersion in another culture and language 24/7, but you’ll get through it. Your brain will adapt.

The Sopranos never even reflected a realistic portrait of the Mafia. But it was a tremendously entertaining show!
 
When you do get out to eat and explore, there is a big difference between restaurants serving Italian-American (but still good, just evolved over time from immigrant melting pot and what was available, not a lot of bufala for real mozzarella in the U.S.) and Italian cuisine, where the chefs/owners are from Italy and know the regional cuisine and can actually spell and pronounce words like “bruschetta.” Let’s not even talk about chain Italian restaurants, where, again, the food can be enjoyable, but not much like bella Italia.

Similar to @WT Door ,the Navy gave me the privilege of being stationed in Napoli, I traveled by train, car or ferry every weekend and didn’t go home to the U.S. for almost 4 years, spending 3 years in Spain and almost 3 in Italy. Ate my way around the country, Sicilia, Sardegna, the Aeolian Islands, all the major cities and regions, etc. I took many military hops to NAS Sigonella.

Just go with the flow, stock up on warm stuff. LL Bean, Lands End, Patagonia, North Face are good sites to browse, depending on what you are told to bring the first year.

There is much beauty in that part of the country, go with open mind and dive in. Try everything. And remember, Americans think something is old if it was built in the 1600’s. 🤣

I am sure as the time gets closer you will have many questions. People here will help.

To paraphrase British comedian Eddie Izzard's first visit to Los Angeles, in the mid-1980s, his tour guide would tell the tourists "Some of these Hollywood homes were built as far back as the 1920s!"
 
Hi everyone, I was admitted to Norwich University Corps OF Cadets for fall 2022 (I will do ROTC). This will be my first time in the US since I was born as I come from a small town in Sicily, I am very excited but at the same time, I was wondering what it will be like? What can I expect from this experience? Especially if I will commission as an officer in the US army and probably spend the rest of my life abroad?

Vermont is a completely different world from where I come from, so if you have any advice you are welcome.
I think you'll find Vermont to be nice and welcoming, the Italian community up there should be decently sized, and you should click with people in no time. Compared to Indiana, most of the Italians that are here work in a restaurant and I'm one of the few who don't. Also, what part of Sicily are you from? My family's from around Contesse.
 
I think you'll find Vermont to be nice and welcoming, the Italian community up there should be decently sized, and you should click with people in no time. Compared to Indiana, most of the Italians that are here work in a restaurant and I'm one of the few who don't. Also, what part of Sicily are you from? My family's from around Contesse.

I'll bet that Italian-Americans in the state of Vermont refer to the "old country" as Brooklyn. NYC expatriates are a dime a dozen in the Green Mountain state. Go to any restaurant or bar on Church Street (Burlington) on a Saturday, close your eyes and hear your people complaining about waiting "on line" (not "in line" like the rest of America), or some "joik" (aka "jerk") or opinions of "Boy-nee" (Senator Bernard Sanders, who STILL hasn't lost his Flatbush accent ater more than 5 decades of leaving the Big Apple).

Fuggedtaboutit!
 
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