Florence, Italy: A Life-Changing Experience Past Review

By Kelsey K (Global Studies, Providence College) for

CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Florence, Italy

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I definately have a new outlook on life and the world. I gained a lot of awareness and most importantly, I gained relationships that I value greatly. I still want to keep my major and go to law school, but I know that I will use my exeriences from Italy in my future in one way or another.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	the workload and the grading system was fair. Very similar to PC courses based on class discussion, participation and a long paper at the end of the course. the only difference was that the classes were very long (three hours) and less serious than american institutions (more focusing on sharing experiences and learning than worrying about our grade).
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The administration was always there to help from anything to assignments to housing problems to recommendations for travel. The hours were also very good so that they were available frequently.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I lived with a wonderful family of two parents and their two daughters (one 10 and the other 13). I was in a wonderful wquiet neighborhood where I felt very safe. There were also a lot of locals in my neighborhood, so I was able to see more of the local Italian community. I did not have to buy any items excepts for shampoo, conditioner, soap, etc. My host family treated my great and my favorite part of the day was always dinner with them. I will always stay contacted with my hotst family.
* Food:	My host mother was an AMAZING cook. I ate out not very often, but when I did the food was very good. There were always markets with fresh food and food vendors everywhere, which was a nice change from a grocery store because the food was high quality and fresh.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Just being with my hose family at the dinner tabe was the most memorable and valuable part of my experience. I really liked being able to hike through the country side of Italy in the Chianti region and traveling to the Modena region where I met locals and learned all about the cultural traditions.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	I didn't have any health problems, so I wouldn't really know.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

Finances

* 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)
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Don't spend all of your money in the first month. Wait until you have paid for all of the trips that you really want to take and give yourself time to find the perfect gifts.

Language

If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Go beyond the Center. See all of different aspects of Italian cultures to traveling around Italy.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Contemporary Italian Literature: Self, Memory And Expression
Course Department:	FLOR 3211
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course was kind of boring and was mostly lecture for three hours. Not a very active class..no field trips...the books were interesting, but we didn't have a lot of open discussion about the books.
Credit Transfer Issues:	no.

Course Name/Rating:	Learning Through Internships
Course Department:	FLOR 3336
Instructor:	Anna
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course was amazing because along with having an internship, we had a class with all students in internships where we could share our observations and share our experiences.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No.

Course Name/Rating:	Understanding Modern Italy
Course Department:	FLOR 3332
Instructor:	Dr. Andros
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This was an amazing class to learn about the Italian culture both present and past. We covered many subjects such as Mafia, food, tourism, art, etc. Our final paper consisted of interviewing several Italians on a specific subject, such as food and wine and then do some research and write a relaxed paper on your observations about that certain aspect of the Italian culture.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No.