Florence: Eat, Explore, Relax, then Eat Some More. Past Review
By Sarah B (HISTORY., Wartburg College) for
AIFS: Florence - Richmond in Florence and Internship Program
I learned how to be more independent. There are still people (other students or staff memberes) to aid you but in many cases you need to rely on yourself to figure out how to handle situations that may come up. I really learned how to appreciate the slower pace of Italian life. Enjoying the company of others without feeling the need to rush off to get something else done was a nice change.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
In comparison with classes at Wartburg my classes in Florence were much simpler. A lot of my intellectual growth came from just experiencing life in Italy. I did enjoy being able to go on mini field trips around Florence with my class to see historical places that we discussed in lecture. |
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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? |
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| * Food: |
Stay away from the center of the city where all the tourists flock to. There's better, more fresh, local food outside the center. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Dinners with Italians and Fiorentina soccer games were really fun. I loved |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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? | Since AIFS has a meal plan I only spent an average of 10 euros on basic personal expenses a week. What you want to spend on souveniers is up to each student. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | It would be a good idea to do a little research on cost of personal traveling. If you decide to travel on your own instead of through a study abroad travel program you can save money but be aware that there can be extra expenses. For example, when I went to Barcelona I had to plan on spending money on a train ticket to the airport in Bologna, the plane ticket, hostel reservation, taxi, attraction costs, food etc. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | N/A |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
A lot of the local Italians in Florence spoke English. I was able to practice my Italian with my host family and the some locals who worked in restaurants and shops that I often went to. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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* Who did you take classes with?
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