Southern Italy Capstone has really changed my whole outlook on life! Past Review
By Stephie H (Earth Science, University of Northern Iowa) for
University of Northern Iowa: Capstone in Southern Italy
I gained knowledge of another culture, and I learned how other cultures interact with one another. This has changed my future plans because I want to go back and learn more about other cultures.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Our workload wasn't to bad, we had to journal about our experiences and answer questions that our instructor had already given us. It is nice to have that journal now as a memory of the trip. We had to incorporate the questions that we had prior to the trip in with the new ones, which was sometimes difficult, but at the same time nice to think about. Teaching methods were excellent. I learned so much about the Italian culture when I was there, more than I will probably ever learn again. It's so different to talk about Italy now, then before the trip. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Sometimes it was difficult to communicate with the Italians, because we weren't required to know any Italian before we went there. We were required to print a list of common phrases, but those weren't really helpful when someone was talking to you. The program size was perfect! It was very small (about 15) people attended and it was nice to get to know everyone. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
All the places that we stayed were very nice. They all had furniture and cookware. The place we stayed at in Rome was a flat, and there were some people that didn't speak English, but seemed friendly. I was never mistreated or badly treated while abroad. |
| * Food: |
Eat all you can when you are in Italy. The food is so good, and there is tons of fresh fruit and healthy food to eat! Gelato is a must. It's just like ice cream only better. Just make sure then when you are looking at a menu, you know EXACTLY what it is. Don't order a tomato salad, or cheese salad, because some waitresses will take that seriously, and bring you nothing but tomato or cheese. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There were a couple protest rallies while we were in Italy. It's always interesting to join those type of events. Going to castles and ancient temple locations were very exciting. It gave you a chance to interact with other people from all over the world that were also traveling. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I didn't have any issues with health or safety while traveling. |
| 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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Language
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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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? | Learn the language or at least some of it before you leave. Any type of student will benefit. |
