Becoming Just A Little Italian Past Review
By A student (Elementary Education, University of Connecticut) - abroad from 01/06/2015 to 05/03/2015 with
UConn: Florence - UConn in Florence, Italy
I learned how to communicate kindness to someone who speaks a language with no shared words. I learned how to walk slowly and think quickly, the right ratio of garlic to tomato, how to make airport benches really comfortable overnight beds, everything ever written about Michelangelo, and a little bit of Salsa. Most importantly, I learned how immensely vast the wealth of human knowledge and creativity is, and have developed a driving need to see as much of it as I can as soon as I can.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Teachers strive to link all course material with ventures into the city and country with museum and site visits. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Well run. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Wonderful apartment and apartment location. |
| * Food: |
5 stars because it is Italy, although food was not provided by the program. However, professors advised as to where the best food was and incorporated it into lessons, and a food allowance was provided by UConn. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
You are somewhat forced to get involved as some classes require field trips, and every time you go outside you must attempt to navigate another language and culture. At the end of the trip I felt I understood the culture intrinsically, and added to my daily life those parts which I felt improved it, and simply appreciated those parts which I did not include in my life permanently. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Two friends of mine had unexpected (unpreventable) and serious health problems arise while in Italy. In both cases the school arranged transportation to the closest and best hospital, personally served as translators between student and doctor, arranged followup appointments, kept the families well informed and even arranged accommodation for one, and professors and staff personally visited the students in the hospital even when all was well simply to keep them company and bring good snacks. The Italian health care workers were kind and well equipped to help in both situations and made the entire process as quick and stress free as possible. |
| * Safety: |
It is a very friendly and safe city and the locals are generally very kind. That said, it is always wise to travel in groups at night, to keep valuables in safe places, and know local emergency numbers wherever you go. For example, I once witnessed someone get into a moped crash and had to make sure an ambulance came to assist, and I do know people who got pickpocketed, so becoming familiar with local safety departments is important in both situations. |
| 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 spent about 70-80 euros a week on food (including panini, gelato, dinners out, weekly grocery shopping, papertowels, dish soap, other similar things). The allowance that UConn provides completely covered this cost. However, almost everyone goes away most weekends. These trips can range from 200 euros for a weekend to somewhere within Italy to much more expensive week long trips during spring break. I highly recommend including this in your budget before going away. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | An average grocery shop for one week's worth of food and apartment items (for a smallish girl) was about 45 euros. I would also eat out at cafes/ restaurants a few times a week, and it is very easy to buy a large meal for a few euros as long as you avoid the overpriced (and less delicious) tourist traps |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't buy things buy plane tickets. A framed picture of you in Greece is a much better souvenir of your time abroad than 5 H&M sweaters |
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 |
While only one of my classes was taught in Italian, all my professors encouraged us to use as much Italian as we knew, and would sometimes teach us relevant words or phrases as well |
| 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? | Intermediate |
| 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? | Don't let any locals speak to you in English, and speak to your roommates in Italian as much as you can |
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? | While you are there it feels like you're in a magic world, like it isn't real life. And when you return to real life, you return a different person. It was hard in a way to come back and find my friends unchanged when I had changed so much. However, now that I have been back for a while I find that those friendships did not end but shift, and that being away did not make me an outsider but instead just a more refined version of myself, and it subsequently improved my relationships in general. |
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. |
