Florence Italy - Most Rewarding Four Months of My Life Past Review

By (Marketing., Providence College) for

Fairfield University: Florence - Semester or Year in Italy

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
My perspective on life and culture was widen immensely. I grew to have a love for travel and seeing new things different from those I know. I am much more accepting of other cultures and more interested in learning from them. Before studying abroad, I do not think I would have considered working abroad in my future career but now I am almost hoping I will be able to. Being abroad made me realize how big the world is and how much good is in it.

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.

I feel that my academic schedule abroad helped me to look at society in a different way while I was there. Taking classes such as Gender Relations and Ethics in World Context with professors outside of PC was quite interesting because they had very different opinions. I think because I was abroad and had a growing open mind, I was able to respond to these different opinions in a good way.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The program at FUA was extremely sensitive to us as US students. The professors discussed with us not only our subject matter but let us vent about living in Italy in general. This was helpful to speak with locals who knew English and had a sense of who we were as students. I loved the Fairfield program because they had a great balance of helping us through our time abroad and providing events with other program participants but also allowed us to learn on our own and be independent. Our on-site administration was helpful because they all spoke very good English but lived or were from Florence. They had a great deal of information about the host country but at the same time knew the American academic style in higher education. My expectations were met in that I felt Fairfield and FUA were there to help me along with housing and provide activities.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was put in an apartment with three American students whom which I knew before heading to Florence. We enjoyed our apartment because it was a place to call "home" and we had a sort of family there where we felt comfortable. We did have Italian families who lived below us but we did not interact with them as much as we would have liked. We did interact with our landlord who was wonderful and lived next door to us. She would come over and clean our house and always was very sweet.

* Food:

Florence food was by far the best thing I ever tasted in my life. We got paninis everyday and found student budget-friendly places to eat around our apartment. Pino's Salumeria on Via Guiseppe Verdi was my favorite spot and we went there almost every day. The booklet Fairfield provided us with food places was very helpful.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

My most memorable cultural event was the Fiorentina football game that our program organized. I also enjoyed the Gelato crawl we went on and all of the different dinners we had. Seeing Carnivale in San Gimignano is also a memorable experience.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I felt very safe in Florence. Our street was very well lit and I felt that the police force was always present. Our school gave us very clear understanding of how to stay safe in Florence through a meeting with one of the local police as well as a lecture from someone from the US Embassy.

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? It is easy to get lost in spending a lot of money in the first few weeks because you are not quite sure about going to the supermarket and you want to experience the city. I wish I had stuck to my budget better in the first month so I would have had more money come May. Try to book your trips early because plane tickets will be much cheaper and in my opinion, spend money on memories, not on clothes and shoes, which are plentiful in Italy!

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

I had Italian class two days a week and always had homework to do. I utilized my Italian in many cases outside of the classroom and felt an urge to learn when I was there because I knew how much it helped me in my outer life. People did speak English, but I found myself wanting to speak the native language to distinct myself from the tourists that filled the streets. If you attempted to speak Italian you were served faster in restaurants and given cheaper prices in the markets.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • Other
* 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? Take advantage of the city of Florence. It is small enough that you can truly feel that you were a part of it and it will be special to you forever. Do not travel every weekend, learn the ins and outs of your city! Eat! Eat! Eat! And be ready to have your life changed for the better. Being in such a beautiful city will make you want to learn not only more about the world, but more about your potential impact on it.