The Travel Bug in an Italian Mama's House Past Review
By Adam W (Finance And Economics, Trinity University) - abroad from 09/09/2013 to 12/21/2013 with
Gonzaga University: Gonzaga-in-Florence
You definitely gain a sense of independence and have to solve problems we don't even have to deal with often in America (language barriers, lack of internet connection, getting lost/asking for directions, etc.) You also learn to appreciate differences in cultures, as well as some of the smaller things we take for granted living in the United States! (free water, good wifi, ice cubes, cars)
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
No Friday classes for anyone! They really understand that students will be travelling frequently on weekends. Classes are also not very difficult for the most part and the professors there are very friendly and helpful and actually enjoy getting to know their students. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration staff in Florence was one of my favorite parts of my experience. They were incredibly helpful when it came to important information like how to get your residence permits and anything school related, as well as for small things like where to get the best pizza or gelato. I actually became friends with multiple admin staff members. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Stay in Hotel Nazionale if you have the option! After talking with everyone else in the program and living there myself, it was hands down the best living option. Some of the other pensiones had troubles with hot water and bed bugs and some sub-par meals. Nazionale had none of these problems at all though and the meals Monday through Thursday were excellent every single time. |
| * Food: |
Again, the food is top notch if you stay in Hotel Nazionale. Most of the other hotels' food I heard was decent, but a couple were not very good at all. So it really depends on where you get to stay. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program provides multiple opportunities to connect with local people through English for Pasta, conversation partners from the University of Florence, and competing in calcetto (soccer) tournaments with local Italian teams, which are all fantastic, but the program as a whole is with all American students in all classes and living situations (unless you do a home stay). |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I personally did not have any health issues there, but multiple friends were helped by the doctor who visited campus when requested. |
| * Safety: |
As a whole, Italian men tend to live up to their aggressive stereotypes when on the streets late at night after going out. If you always go out and come home in groups, then safety isn't an issue, but multiple students got jumped over the course of the semester when they tried to walk home drunk in the middle of the night alone. |
| 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) |
Finding cheap food on the weekends is generally not too difficult if you don't get too picky, but everything in Europe for the most part is more expensive than in America. Travelling will make your money disappear quick too, so it really depends on how much you want to do with your time there. I personally traveled a lot and am now in the hole about $4,000. But you only get to study abroad once, so I encourage people to live it up! |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | About $300 on average |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Find cheap food on the weekends, and plan any traveling trips as far ahead of time as possible! The earlier you book flights/trains, the cheaper they tend to be. Also, always check Ryanair and Easyjet first for flights to where you want to go. Also remember that it may be cheaper to take a train to another city in Italy to fly from instead of Florence. Direct flights from the Florence airport are almost always pretty pricey. |
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 Italian as much as we could, but we were never really put into any situations in which it was completely necessary to use it. |
| 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? | No Italian, but I had 3 years of high school Spanish |
| 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? | Just try to learn from listening to the locals, and practice in public. |
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? | How expensive everything was and that literally nothing in Europe is free, including water. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
