Name: Francesco Galletti
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Mantova, Italy
Major: Computer Science – Game Design
Her Campus: What are your passions?
Francesco Galletti: My passions are stereotypically soccer, gaming, of course, and probably getting to know new people from all over the world. That’s sort of why I came to America and why I like English because you can talk with anybody.
HC: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
FG: In a small apartment in New York City, one of those really artsy ones with bricks. I’m probably going to put a bike on the wall like in the movies and I’m probably going to be a game designer for a small company. I’m definitely going to have a small dog, one of those really annoying but cute ones that chew you when you come back home.
HC: What’s been your most embarrassing Halloween costume ever?
FG: Pickachu for sure. I was like 14. Luckily there are no pictures that I know about. I was pretty pale and wearing a Pickachu costume that was oversized so I had problems walking—it was really, really embarrassing.
HC: Do you have any nicknames?
FG: Yes. In Italian I have “Gallo” that comes from my last name because my last name is Galletti and it means “little rooster” in Italian. Pretty much every last name in Italian means something. Then I have, here in America, “Cesco” and “Cisco,” like the company, “Franny” and my least favorite is “Fran Fran.”
HC: Describe yourself in three words!
FG: Umm…talkative and hopefully funny, I wanna say wannabe American but not really. Let’s go with something stereotypical and generic—kind.
HC: What are some of your biggest pet peeves?
FG: Oh, I have a lot. Probably when someone’s lying and it’s so clear that they’re lying. When someone says they have like five hundred different ethnicities and pick one like 10% this, 5% of that and 20% of that. It’s just too much. When people copy from my stuff—like my homework or if we’re in class and they’re always looking at what I’m doing.
HC: If you could have any job, regardless of the plausibility or pay, what would it be?
FG: Photographer, that sounds so much fun. You go everywhere for free; you get free tickets to stadiums and all kinds of events. You can travel everywhere, it’s incredible.
HC: So, as someone who’s grown up on real Italian food, what do you think about American Italian restaurants like Olive Garden?
FG: Do I have to be nice about it or can I be honest? It’s not Italian; we don’t have meatballs or Alfredo sauce in Italy. I think Italian American food is overcooked a lot and there’s a lot of garlic everywhere. In real traditional Italian food there’s not that much garlic. But it’s “Italian” food and it still reminds me of home so it’s not too bad. But if you think you’re eating Italian food, you’re not.
HC: What’s your favorite place in Italy?
FG: My hometown is surrounded by three lakes—Superior, Medium and Inferior. I like the park near the Inferior Lake with benches and everything, it’s adorable. It’s nice to just sit there because since it’s on the lake it’s really beautiful. That’s probably my favorite place in Italy.
HC: What’s something you’ve noticed that we do in America that you don’t do in Italy?
FG: There are so many things! In America people sneeze into their elbows which is weird to me. I know it can be gross for Americans but in Italy we sneeze into our hands and then wash them. Also, in America everybody says “bless you” and that’s so funny to me. Once I was in the library when someone sneezed and the entire library said “bless you.” I was laughing so hard.
The whole Instagram thing also isn’t as big in Italy. We don’t do “throwback Thursday” and “man crush Monday” either, the first time I saw that I was like, is that actually a thing? We don’t do those in Italy.
HC: What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
FG: Probably coming to America. I picked a random high school that said they were helping international students with English and had dorms. I didn’t know much English and couldn’t have conversations or understand what was going on. I came alone for a year but then my parents liked it and moved to New Hampshire where we live now.
HC: What kind of music do you listen to?
FG: I don’t have a favorite kind of music but the one that occurs the most in my playlist is either dubstep or chill music. My favorite artist is James Young and I also like Eden. I also listen to Italian music which is all about love—we have like five songs that are not about love in all of Italy basically.
HC: What’s the number one thing on your bucket list?
FG: To visit Asia, particularly Japan, because it’s so different from Europe and America. I want to see what it looks like. I’ve been all over Europe and I’ve been to 14 countries but I can’t even picture how different Asia would be.
HC: If you had to change your name what would you change it to?
FG: Definitely Kevin. I love Kevin. I know a couple of Kevins and I’m like, “Wow that’s a cool name.” I’d probably change my last name to something that doesn’t mean “little rooster” but it’s whatever.
HC: What’s your favorite homemade meal?
FG: I don’t wanna say pasta because then everyone’s gonna judge because I’m Italian and pasta is a typical thing, but lasagna. Wait, no! Tiramisu! I can eat tons of it, no problem.
HC: Best childhood memory?
FG: Probably Italy and Germany being in the final World Cup of soccer in 2006. It’s in the history of Italy; it’s a big moment. We won, everyone was so excited and celebrating was awesome.
HC: Lastly, do you have any phrases you find yourself saying often?
FG: I try not to say “like” a lot, I’ve gotten conditioned by Americans because they say “like” a lot. I say “pizza” with a stereotypical Italian accent often because every time I don’t know a word or I say it wrong I say “pizza” just to get out of the situation. It’s kind of like, “oh, I’m Italian, don’t mind my incorrect word.”