Florence Italy - Most Rewarding Four Months of My Life Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I feel that my academic schedule abroad helped me to look at society in a different way while I was there. Taking classes such as Gender Relations and Ethics in World Context with professors outside of PC was quite interesting because they had very different opinions. I think because I was abroad and had a growing open mind, I was able to respond to these different opinions in a good way.

On-site administration of your program

The program at FUA was extremely sensitive to us as US students. The professors discussed with us not only our subject matter but let us vent about living in Italy in general. This was helpful to speak with locals who knew English and had a sense of who we were as students. I loved the Fairfield program because they had a great balance of helping us through our time abroad and providing events with other program participants but also allowed us to learn on our own and be independent. Our on-site administration was helpful because they all spoke very good English but lived or were from Florence. They had a great deal of information about the host country but at the same time knew the American academic style in higher education. My expectations were met in that I felt Fairfield and FUA were there to help me along with housing and provide activities.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was put in an apartment with three American students whom which I knew before heading to Florence. We enjoyed our apartment because it was a place to call "home" and we had a sort of family there where we felt comfortable. We did have Italian families who lived below us but we did not interact with them as much as we would have liked. We did interact with our landlord who was wonderful and lived next door to us. She would come over and clean our house and always was very sweet.

Florence food was by far the best thing I ever tasted in my life. We got paninis everyday and found student budget-friendly places to eat around our apartment. Pino's Salumeria on Via Guiseppe Verdi was my favorite spot and we went there almost every day. The booklet Fairfield provided us with food places was very helpful.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

My most memorable cultural event was the Fiorentina football game that our program organized. I also enjoyed the Gelato crawl we went on and all of the different dinners we had. Seeing Carnivale in San Gimignano is also a memorable experience.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I felt very safe in Florence. Our street was very well lit and I felt that the police force was always present. Our school gave us very clear understanding of how to stay safe in Florence through a meeting with one of the local police as well as a lecture from someone from the US Embassy.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I had Italian class two days a week and always had homework to do. I utilized my Italian in many cases outside of the classroom and felt an urge to learn when I was there because I knew how much it helped me in my outer life. People did speak English, but I found myself wanting to speak the native language to distinct myself from the tourists that filled the streets. If you attempted to speak Italian you were served faster in restaurants and given cheaper prices in the markets.

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• Apartment

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• Americans
• Other

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• Americans