The hardest thing I've ever done, but so, so worth it. Past Review
By A student (Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado - Boulder) - abroad from 09/07/2012 to 12/15/2012 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Florence, Italy
It was absolutely worthwhile!!! I learned how to stand up on my own: how to travel, how to interact with total strangers, how to get by without speaking the language, how to problem-solve on my feet, how to be flexible, how to enjoy the present moment, how to love diversity and differences in people and places, how to appreciate my home and culture while also recognizing some of their fallacies. I learned that it is important to be confident but it is also important to be humble and to be honest about what I do and do not know. I learned that the world is so much bigger and yet so much smaller than I ever imagined.
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. |
The courses were not overly academically challenging, which was a relief. I enjoyed all of my classes, though at some points they did seem disorganized. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The CAPA staff are all incredibly helpful, friendly, and encouraging. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
If possible I would recommend that everyone be placed in a homestay. I think it is an incredible chance and experience that allows a person to get even more immersed in a culture. |
| * Food: |
It was different than what I was used to, but absolutely amazing. The homestay experience really made the food incredible for me. All the food tastes so fresh, and all the dishes are very elegant yet simple. Each region is so proud of their local dishes, it is so fun to try all the different types of food there. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
On one hand, the homestay experience really integrated me into the Italian culture. On the other hand, it was very difficult to meet Italian people who were my age. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never had any health issues in Italy, just minor colds that were taken care of quite easily. |
| * Safety: |
I felt safer walking around Florence at night than I feel walking around Boulder at night. We were always warned about overly aggressive guys trying to take advantage of foreign girls, but I never experienced that. Almost everyone I met was very friendly. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
It was very, very expensive because I chose to travel a lot out of Italy when I was there. If I had traveled less I would have spent less. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I spent about 350-400 dollars a week when I was there. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Plan out the places you want to travel beforehand. Then EARLY in the program when you arrive look around for travel deals and plan what you can in advance. Leave a few weekends open to be spontaneous, but planning ahead will save money. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
We were encouraged to use the language but not strongly. I feel like many students in my program didn't really try to use the language much at all. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I had taken 3 years of Spanish in high school but no Italian. |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Speak the language as much as you can. Struggle through it. It's hard, but it will make you better faster. Even if people speak back to you in your native language, insist on speaking the local language. They will appreciate it tremendously. |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | TAKE YOUR CAMERA WITH YOU EVERYWHERE!!! You never know when the most amazing photo opportunity will come up. When speaking the language, make a fool of yourself if you have to, because you will anyway. Try really hard to speak the language and let go of embarrassment as much as you can. Also be as open-minded as you can, because the people in the country hosting you have traditions and mores and quirks that are just as valid as yours. I wish I knew how little time I had and how four months can just disappear in the blink of an eye. I wish someone had also told me that studying abroad is wonderful, but it can also be really, really difficult. There are days that give the most dramatic ups and downs. |
