Perugia - My Favorite Little City Past Review
By Brooke L (Advertising and Economics, The University of Texas at Austin) for
Arcadia: ISI Perugia - The Umbra Institute
I had an amazing time! I met so many cool people, saw cool things, and really started to feel like a local Perugian after only a few weeks of studying there. I would love to go back to Italy and live for a while after studying there because I enjoyed their lifestyle so much.
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. |
I had an excellent professor who really encouraged us to speak the language as much as possible and wanted us to really enjoy the culture in Perugia. He would take us out of the classroom to go get coffee, or see different events going on in the city, which was pretty neat. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was awesome - they were always available and really helpful if we needed anything at all. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We lived in the city center - about a 3 minute walk to the main Piazza (where all the nightlife was) and from our school. Our apartment had everything we needed in terms of bedding and cookware. The kitchen was small, but we made it work. I didn't spend a lot of time at the apartment aside from sleeping and cooking dinner. The city of Perugia is REALLY safe. I never felt in danger at all. |
| * Food: |
Its Italy - - the food is incredible everywhere you go! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We had several dinners and workshops at local restaurants, gelaterias and pizzarias. I always enjoyed those because we got a behind the scenes look at how different dishes were made. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The city is really really safe. I never heard about anyone having any problems with safety or health (besides getting the usual cold). |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Go to the supermarket deli to get panini for lunch instead of going to the cafes. You can go to the counter and order bread, meat, cheese, etc. and sometimes they will even assemble it for you. The sandwiches are much cheaper there and you can save a lot on lunch by going there. Also, cooking pasta dinners with friends is a really cheap way to eat dinner. If you plan on doing any traveling on the weekends or anything like that - it can get expensive. The experiences are worth it, but just be aware of how much you spend on trips. |
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? | 2nd Semester of Italian Language |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced with instructors, peers, and administration at the school. I was able to use the language when I wanted to, but around Perugia, most people could tell that I was American just by looking at me and would immediately speak to me in English. I had to ask people sometimes to speak Italian with me so I could practice and usually they would oblige. The only time Italians wouldn't speak Italian with me was when they wanted to practice their English with me. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Get out there and meet the Italians and foreigners - don't just hang out with Americans. You'll have way more fun and you'll learn more. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Intensive Italian Language through Culture - Advanced Intermediate |
| Course Department: | Italian 311 |
| Instructor: | Gardegni |
| Instruction Language: | Italian |
| Comments: | This course was great. I loved my instructor - he really made the experience. He was a local Perugian and showed us around the town. He encouraged participation in class and helped me become more comfortable speaking Italian. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No, I didn't. |
