Southern Italy: A New Appreciation Past Review
By Alison H (Health Promotion/Women's Health, University of Northern Iowa) for
University of Northern Iowa: Capstone in Southern Italy
Being abroad has given a whole new perspective on life, and everything that I have here at home. I think that sometimes we take for granted all that we have here. That being said, I think that there is a LOT that we can learn from other countries. It was nice to be in towns that were so simple and laid back, and the people weren't rushing around worrying about things that, in perspective, aren't always really that important, and dont have to be done right away. My experience has made me more aware of my environment and how we are treating the environment. Traveling abroad has made me eager to visit other places abroad and experience more amazing trips.
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Being in Italy and discovering places that have been around since B.C. was amazing. It is a completely different experience to actually be there and see all of the ancient artifacts and ruins, than just learning about it in a text book. It really has made me appreciate history a lot more. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I dont really have any complaints regarding the trip. There was a lot of walking around and the days were really long, but it was what made the trip worth while. The 2 weeks that we were there felt like a month long trip, but I wouldn't have it any other way. If the trip had flown by I think I would have been disappointed. We got to do so many amazing things while we were there and did things that a lot of people haven't heard of, and wouldn't know of if they just visited the country. Our professor has been going to Italy for many years and knew of so many great places to take us that he knew we would enjoy. We had 15 students in our group and I think it was a great size to have. Any bigger and it may have been too many, but we were able to all stay together for the most part and really grew to enjoy each other. My expectations were met and more. I couldn't imagine a more perfect trip to Italy. I hope that one day I will have the opportunity to go back and see even more. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Our housing was all pre-arranged for us when we got there. We never felt like we were in a bad part of town. A couple nights we stayed at two different locations and just split up the group. The only thing that we had to buy was groceries if we wanted any, and most of us just split everything for our rooms/apartments anyways. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
One night after dinner we stood outside of our restaurant and talked to a ton of little kids that were there that wanted to talk to us. It was so interesting to try to communicate with them, and listen to the questions that they had. When we were in Palermo they were in the process of voting for No Nuclear Energy, so there was a big concert/promotion going on, so it was neat to be able to learn why they dont want Nuclear Energy and see how many people felt so passionately about it. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| 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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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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