A Fine Firenze Past Review
By Dee L (English And Communications, University of Colorado - Boulder) - abroad from 05/19/2013 to 07/01/2013 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Florence, Italy
I feel like I know more about Florence than I know my own town, which is quite odd. The depths of the city and the culture and history behind it is fascinating, and through learning about that, I was able to have rich experiences in which I learned about myself as a person. Worthwhile is an understatement!
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The courses navigated my sense of culture and history in the city, and being on site while learning about the context was extremely beneficial. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The CAPA Florence staff was so helpful and friendly, always on the lookout for suggestions of activities and places, and. They are there to answer any questions, from "How do you say ____ in Italian?" to "Where can I get the best pizza in town?". There are genuinely there to support and give students the best possible experience. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Although a bit farther from the rest of the students in the program, the 30-minute walk was great in learning more of the city. The apartment complex I lived in was right next to a famous gelato place in town and we were immersed in the culture with solely local Italians living by us. We had a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with a nice set up of the dining area, living room, and kitchen. There was a balcony out of our rooms and a patio to do laundry. |
| * Food: |
Nothing compares to the food in Italy. Period! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I tried to use Italian as much as possible and through this, made some great friends. My neighbors and landlords were all Italian and by the end of my time abroad, I was able to make small talk with them. I even tried tripe which says something... |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Before departure, I filled out forms relating to healthcare. So conveniently, healthcare was part of the package. I had no problems where I had to use healthcare abroad, however I would not know where to go if something were to happen. |
| * Safety: |
Since Florence is a busy, touristy, compact area, I just had to get used to keeping my eye on my bag and pockets. I had one incident where and elderly woman tried to pickpocket me, but I had nothing in my pocket. At night, walking with someone is rule of thumb as well. It is just always safe to be aware! |
| 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) |
I planned accordingly for the most part in terms of expenses go, trading off eating out and buying groceries or eating at the local market. Florence is just a more pricey city with goods sold and food. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $150/week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Saving up beforehand is definitely worth it during the time there. Plan on a budget a week for food and set aside spending money so you have a good idea of how your money is being used. Money goes fast while abroad, and it is not the time to refrain from an activity! |
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 |
Many people know some extent of English near the city center, so it was not too difficult if I did not know how to say something in Italian. However, I loved using the language because locals are very encouraging about it, so I would try when I could. |
| 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? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I took Intermediate Chinese, but zero 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? | Especially if encouraged, use the language! Local interactions made me learn Italian a lot faster and through that, even some new words! I would say to not be shy about it, because chances are, they know you are not a native speaker. Learn the phrase, "how do you say..." and that is definitely a key to knowing more words! |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
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? | I wish I had a better grasp of weather, so I could pack more effiiciently. It was very rainy and chilly for a good weeks upon arriving, and I underpacked for that! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Beginner's Italian |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Anna Kraczyna |
| Instruction Language: | Italian |
| Comments: | Learning another language at age 20 and learning a language at age five are definitely two different things, but I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed learning Italian during my time abroad. My professor, Anna, was helpful, encouraging, and demanding, which was a great formula to acquiring this foreign language. She is very knowledgeable not only in the language, but gave us helpful cues and tips/origins of phrases to help the class learn. She is wonderful. We had three quizzes and a final, which was do-able. One thing I did appreciate was our field trips. We took one to the Oblate Libary, one to the local cafe, and one to the Sant'Ambrogio market, where at each destination, we were prompted to use the new vocabulary and grammar structures we had learned. It helped being in Florence too, which in turn was a catalyst in learning Italian. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I had no problem transferring |
