My Fantastic Sicilian Summer: Everything and More Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Classes weren’t too difficult, in my opinion, just requiring about the same amount of time and effort as the summer courses offered at my home university. The instructors were all pretty helpful and based most of the class on their lectures. The classes were also all very small, with about 8-12 students per class, which allowed for all the students at the school to get to know each other rather quickly.

On-site administration of your program

The small program size allowed everyone to get very personal attention, which was wonderful. There was always someone available to speak with, about topics ranging from having issues with roommates, difficulties finding ATMs, or homesickness. If any problems did arise, they were taken care of quickly and professionally.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I thought the living arrangements my roommates and I were accommodated with on the island, by API, were fantastic, though it did take a while to get some pipes fixed by the local plumber. Our apartment was surprisingly spacious, with two bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms, and a large living room and kitchen, each with their own balconies suspended over Ortigia’s main street, Via Roma. We all felt very secure, as the apartment was located in a very safe and well lit part of the city, and it required passing through a locked courtyard gate before reaching the door to our place. We were also lucky enough to be the students with the apartment closest to the MCAS School, which was basically across the street, so even when we slept in a little too late we always made it to class in the knick of time. Our apartment was also just down the road from a few restaurants, a little convenience store, and the beach.

Authentic Italian food is amazing, hands down. Though it does include a lot of seafood, which took some people by surprise. My roommates and I would try various places for dinner around the island of Ortigia, but generally we would take turns purchasing groceries for the apartment at the open air market, and cooked in to save money.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

All the students at MCAS were invited to attend optional excursions outside of Siracusa, paid for by the school. Some of the places I was able to tour included the cathedrals of Catania, the catacombs and mafia hotspots of Palermo, and a weekend getaway in the Aeolian Islands off northern Sicily, which included time in the mud baths at a hot sulfur spring and riding up volcanoes on rented Vespas. Through our program with API, my roommates and I were also provided with other excursions and activities exclusive to only the four of us. With our program director, we had the opportunity to navigate the stores at the SuperMall Interspar; spend a day hiking the gorgeous, yet intense, Cava Grande and swimming in its cool freshwater pools at the bottom; explore the city of Taormina and its rock beaches; and experience a laid back evening of wine tasting. The other students at our school were definitely jealous of the perks we received through our program that theirs failed to include. While we were all kept busy by these various activities and our classes, my roommates and I still had plenty of time to do some living of our own, and we made plenty of friends along the way. Every day after class we ventured out to Forte Vigliena, where the locals would layout and sunbathe below on a giant rock with a connecting solarium; men in Speedos and women in thongs were definitely commonplace. It was here where we made our first local friends, swam in the warm water of the Mediterranean, developed sun kissed skin, and even caught an octopus which we subsequently killed, cooked and ate! It eventually became our regular hangout place and where we always met up with our big group of Sicilian friends to discuss our plans for the rest of the week and that night. With them, we would ride around to new places on the back of their bikes, eat dinners at the authentic, local restaurants, enjoy bonfires on the sandy beaches, dance the nights away at discotecas, and demolish 4am Nutella croissants. Although the language barrier made things difficult at times, with our local friends knowing little English and us knowing little Italian, we all worked though it and became exceptionally close.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The city of Siracusa is definitely a safe place to be, and I don't know of any incidents that students had revealing otherwise. Like any other big city in the U.S., it's important to stay with a group while walking home late at night, but that's about it. A couple of my roommates got sick during their stay abroad, which was well taken care of with help from our program director. Because none of the pharmacies in the city had employees who spoke any English, a student would always have to go with a professor or their program director to get any medicine or medical treatment of any kind, which was inconvenient at times. During my stay, I was involved in a very bad car accident including both American and Italian friends of mine, though everyone turned out alright. Specifically, our vehicle rolled end-over-end for a distance greater than 100 meters and came to a sliding stop upside down in the opposite lane. Needless to say, I got to experience the ambulance system and emergency health care in the area, which I was highly unimpressed with. None of the doctors or nurses at the hospital spoke English, which made things very difficult, and the care I received was exceptionally minimal in comparison to how I would have been treated back in the U.S.

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

I practiced the majority of my language learning by speaking with locals in the community whom I made friends with, and other students at the school. Because I stayed in Sicily and not northern Italy, most people did not speak much English, so it was vital to learn Italian quickly and effectively.

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• Apartment

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• Americans

• The people
• The activities
• The places

• The health care