Life in Florence: La Bella Vida Past Review
By Lesley F (PSYCHOLOGY., Colby-Sawyer College) for
AIFS: Florence - Richmond in Florence and Internship Program
I gained a lot of self-confidence and independence. Parts were hard; there were definitely ups and downs, but it was a great experience in the end.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We were in the Duomo area, which was nice, but we were pretty far on the opposite side of the area than anything we wanted to go to. The apartments were basically awful. We lived three months without a shower, and shared a bathtub between 6 girls. A lot of things were falling apart and we were charged for things that we didn't damage. The landlord was disagreeable and impractical. The cooling and heating barely worked. Most of the lgihts burnt out while we were there and we had to replace them, but then were charged for "missing" items that no one had taken. The living situation was the only bad part of the trip. We also could not pick who lived in which apartment, and were poorly matched. The apartment was not stocked with many kitchen tools, and we bought a lot of stuff and left it there for others. Someone also broke in to one of the rooms at night, so no one felt safe. |
| * Food: |
Food shopping was expensive but the Co Op was a cheap grocery store that we all went to. The voucher restaurants were very helpful and there was a good American grill called House of Sizzle and a mexican restaurant called Tijuana that were great when we got sick of Italian food. Sometimes food was expensive, but there are trattorias that sell dishes for cheap. Sometimes the food got monotonous because we had limited cooking options at home, but if you are always willing to try something new, there will be more variety. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
AIFS set up a number of free activites such as cooking classes, museum tours, tastings, and concerts, that were a lot of fun and all a new experience. There was also a great day trip to Siena and San Gimignano and a weekend trip to Rome. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
AIFS staff were very helpful with making doctor's appointments when someone was sick or injured |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | It's very expensive! |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Try to bargain down prices and shop at cheaper grocery stores. Use meal vouchers at expensive restaurants and only use money at cheaper places. Save your money for side trips and a few souvenirs. I never realized how expensive living there would be, especially with the exchange rate. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Most people spoke English in Florence, but in some other places we travelled, they did not. We only took 2 hours of language a week, which was not very effective. We should have learned how to say words and phrases that would be helpful while living in Italy |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Anyone looking for some life experience in a less structured school environment would love this trip. Be prepared to lose some friends as communication with people back home is quite hard, but those who matter will make the effort. Homesickness is a huge issue but keeping busy with new things will help! |
