Tuscany is better then anything you can imagine Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The academics were not as rigorous as at Wellesley but I enjoyed that immensely. The classes were interactive full of field trips, and included varying teachers and teaching methods. I loved being in a different setting and experiencing another way to learn about the environment, through food.

On-site administration of your program

I absolutely adore Miriam. Her passion for the program is present and contagious. Her energy and love for an immersion with the community in Siena made the program very enjoyable.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My host family was a major factor in why my time abroad was so enjoyable. I was welcomed into the family and given a beautiful room for my stay. The mom and I would sit at the dinner table and practice my italian and then on Wednesdays watch a spanish show in Italian. I loved staying with my family and would love to visit them when I return to Siena.

My host mom was an amazing cook. We always had a two course meal with ample wine, water and bread. The food was simple, delicious fresh and prepared with love. We also always sat down to eat together for at least an hour. I may not of understood everything that my host family was saying but the language of food is truly universal.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I interned with a local contrada while in Siena. With my remedial Italian I was able to assist with cooking and other social events. I wish I would of spent more time with the contrada and in local events but my lack of confidence with the language was a social barrier.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

When my nebulizer broke and I ran out of medicine I was able to visit a doctor. The school student assistant went to the doctor with me to get my prescription. It all worked out in the end and it was a lot easier to buy my medication there than to have my parents ship it.

Sometimes I would walk back to my house at 4 in the morning. And I never felt unsafe. Siena is an incredibly safe city! I never heard of any crime while I was there and everyone knows one another and would step in to assist if anything went wrong. There was the occasional sexist remark but the mens friends would make sure the drunk guy would not harm us.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

My breakfast and dinner were already paid for through the program. But I had to worry about lunch and meals on the weekends. Being that I had never been abroad before and that Italy in on the euro, I found it difficult to keep costs down. You just forget that the euro is more then the dollar.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

They encouraged us to use it as much as possible. Because Siena is a smaller town everyone there speaks Italian and will speak to you in Italian vs in English. They also wanted us to immerse ourselves in the culture as much as possible. After all we were only there for 4 months.

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Americans

• I loved learning about sustainable agriculture and what that means to Italians
• I loved living in Siena, a smaller but immensely beautiful Tuscan city
• I loved open liquor laws and how drinking in public is not big deal

• The communication with parents and the school at the beginning of the program needs to be improved
• I would like to have seen a school wide emphasis on sustainability during school wide field trips. I understand that art is important to Italian culture but so it food and agriculture.
• the internship program in the sustainability program needs to be worked on.