Siena: Summer Study in the Center of It All Past Review
By Jonathan E (Biology, General., Brandeis University) for
CET Siena
Before this program, I had never left the United States, and had no idea what to expect. From my arrival trying to find the right bus from Florence to Siena, to living my life in a medieval town, I was amazed at how different the culture was. I think we take for granted that English is a dominant language in the world and we don't really consider having to speak another language. There were some instances in the beginning of the program where I could not communicate what I wanted to say well enough without having to point and use key words. Then there were the aspects of life that were different than the US, such as having to pay to use public restrooms and pay for bottles of water when going to a restaurant. I also learned a lot about traditions and culture from my Italian roommate, such as the time and structure of a usual dinner and how the bus and trains systems worked (like where to validate your ticket). Getting the opportunity to travel, I got to see the differences of the various cities and their histories. I think that now I appreciate other cultures more having done this program. I left wishing that the US was old enough to have traditions as old as the Palio and a history rich with war victories and art. Most of all, I think that the experiences themselves were the most rewarding; there is no substitute to seeing the realness of the David in Florence, viewing the Grand Canal of Venice from the Rialto bridge or seeing all of Siena's medieval architecture from the top of the clock tower. This program has not changed me drastically in terms of my academic plans, but I feel that this experience has changed me for the better as I continue my undergraduate education, and I believe everyone should get the chance to experience another country at some point in their life to benefit the same. I am very glad that I did this program, and wish that I had the chance to do it again.
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. |
The academics were very good in this program. The first few weeks included four hours of intensive language study five days a week, sometimes paired with two hours of art history. As the program progressed, the language hours decreased to two hours a day plus two hours of art history for 2 hours, each daily for four days a week. The homework was manageable, usually exercises within our textbooks or handouts. Because this program was run through an American university, the grading system was the same as many universities. The language course included 2 quizzes, midterm and final exams, all of which covered material learned in lectures and were a fair assessment of our ability. In addition, every level did a presentation in Italian on the cross cultural difference between the US and our host country. Two essays and exams were required for the art course. The major difference for me in the education system was having to complete examinations in pen. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration in Siena was fantastic. Our director there was well informed about Siena and was very helpful in locating certain services or answering questions. She managed to put together many events and really tried to make our experience the best possible. Even when I asked questions she didn't know, she would look it up for me right away. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing I was assigned (13 Via del Poggio) was more than I could have hoped for. The apartment was fully furnished with cookware, towels and two sets of bedsheets. The apartment had a large living area and became a central place for social activity within our program. Another benefit was the location, which was close to the historic Piazza del Campo, a tourist center by day and a cool place to hangout at night. Also close to the location is the Duomo, Siena's famous cathedral. Our italian roommate helped us both with our language studies as well as our navigation of Siena and Italy as a whole. The only negative was the location was relatively far from the school, but the benefits outweighed this one detail. |
| * Food: |
The program did not provide meals for us in the apartments, but the food in Siena was still terrific and very affordable. Pasta and sauces in the grocery stores are very inexpensive choices for dinner, and some places, such a Pizzaland near the school, had slices of pizza for 1 euro. In addition, there are many bars which have inexpensive sandwiches and places to buy kebabs for low prices. If you are willing to spend some money, there are some great restaurants with excellent pasta worth trying. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The major event that occurred over the summer was the July Palio, a horse race for which Siena is famous. 10,000 or more people stood in Piazza Del Campo as nine horses ran three laps to win a beautiful banner (il Palio) and pride. Other notable events were cheese an wine tastings a hike in the scenic Tuscan hills and a day trip to a Tuscan beach. One of the best weekly events was Gelato Giovedi, otherwise known as free gelato Thursday, when the program purchased gelato for us at some of the best places in Siena. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Siena is a very safe city and nobody had any incidents. Nobody required healthcare during my stay, but there are doctors available, and specialists in Florence only one hour away if needed. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
The primary language of Siena is Italian, so most of the interactions with the town involved a certain amount of Italian. The living arrangements included an Italian roommate who helped us with our Italian and better improve our grammar, but the best help was just communicating with people throughout our stay in Italy. |
| 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?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Siena is a beautiful city and was a wonderful place to learn Italian. On my weekend travels, I found that other major cities such as Florence and Rome spoke a lot of English, which didn't give much of a chance to practice Italian outside of class. Siena did speak mostly Italian, and is a pleasant medieval city without many of the tourists of other larger Italian cities. Even though there were classes most days of the week, there was still the opportunity to travel on the weekends, and because Siena is in the center of the country, you could travel almost anywhere using the buses or trains from Siena. I chose to do the summer semester because, majoring in the sciences, it would have been hard to take a normal semester away from labs and lectures to do this. But, the biggest reason to come in the summer is the Palio, a tradition rich in history that you may learn about in the fall or spring semesters, but is a once in a lifetime event worth seeing. I came into the program without any previous Italian study or exposure to other countries, and managed very well as the program progressed. I would highly recommend this program to anyone wanting a memorable study abroad experience. |
