Category: Italy

Finding Myself Halfway Across the World

Posted on by mdavis9

When we’re young, we all have places we want to visit. For some, it’s a far away land with dragons and damsels and for others maybe it’s just an amusement park with your family. My place was always a little more complex than that. From the moment I hid behind the couch spying on my mom as she watched Under the Tuscan Sun in the living room, I knew the place I wanted to visit was Italy.  

In the summer of my freshman year, those dreams became a reality. I knew that study abroad would give me the chance to see the Italy that I had always dreamt about. I applied for the Intensive Italian Language program in Lecce, Italy. In all honesty, I pictured myself going somewhere more well-known like Florence or Rome, so when I found out that I would be spending the summer in a place I had never heard of, I was a little disappointed. But I would soon find a place of belonging in that special city.  

I boarded the plane ready to embark on a solo trip for my first time out of the country. After a full day of traveling and an overnight stop in Germany, I finally made it to Lecce. Stepping out into the beaming Italian sun for the first time was nothing like I imagined. The landscape was vast, the buildings were foreign, and I soon realized that any ounce of familiarity that I once had was now gone. My host family welcomed me with open arms and spoke to me in an Italian that was much faster than anything I had studied at the UO. I was so grateful for their patience and hospitality as I navigated through this new country those first few days- but I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.  

I think a large part of the study abroad experience that not many people talk about is that it’s not always easy. From an outside perspective, all we see is a person posting how great their trip is on social media, but no one really knows that in a lot of ways that person may be struggling. I know that in those initial two weeks I found myself trying to find a balance of normalcy. I was home sick, not understanding the language, was one of the few people of color on the trip, and still adjusting to what my new life would be for the next nine weeks with my host family. The biggest thing of all, was that I was scared the Italy I had created in my head was wrong.  

It took some time, but little by little I began to find my new normal in a sea of the unknown. I developed a close relationship with my host family who showed me a side of Italy that I never would’ve known just from the classroom. We laughed and danced and sang and ate together. They asked me about America, and I asked them about Italy.

Gradually, the people who were once strangers to me became a second family.  

In the classroom I was growing more comfortable with the language and using it whenever I had the chance. I found myself growing deeper in love with the country that only a few weeks prior, made me feel like an outsider. There were still moments where I struggled, especially dealing with the racial relations in the country but over time, I felt like I had gained a new sense of confidence in myself to make it through. 

 In a lot of ways, I was discovering who I was for the first time. I wasn’t surrounded by the distractions of family and friends back home, instead I was in a new place with new people and could just be me. I found confidence and strength, with layers to myself that I didn’t know existed. The nine weeks flew by, with weekend excursions and a last-minute quick trip to Paris (a story for another day).  

I woke up early that morning on the final day knowing it was the last time I would see my host family. With tears clouding my eyes and the memories of the past two months running through my head, I said goodbye. As I began retracing my steps from airport to airport, I couldn’t help but think of those moments I had created in the city. I thought about the little girl hiding behind the couch dreaming of jetting off to an unknown place. In a lot of ways, I had fulfilled the dreams of my younger self, but I also created new memories and moments that were better than the ones I formed with my imagination.  

I learned that I was never seeking a place to escape to but rather a feeling. I thought back to my mom’s movie, that starred a character looking for something more in her life. A sense of newness, of adventure but most importantly a place that felt like home. I couldn’t help but realize the similarities in my own experience and how my time in Italy achieved those things and so much more.  Through this experience I had discovered people that I loved, a culture that challenged me, and most importantly I felt like I found myself.  

-Mercedes Wright, Intensive Italian Language in Lecce

Pre-Business in Siena

Posted on by mdavis9

Hello, I am Donovan Jones, a sophomore at the University of Oregon. I am a Business Administration major with a minor in Italian Language and Culture. I studied abroad in Siena, Italy in the Spring of 2019. Coming into the UO, I knew studying abroad was one of the things I wanted to do, but I never thought I would go my freshman year. One day during winter break just weeks before the application was due, I found myself searching the GEO website for programs I could potentially do, and I came across Pre-Business in Siena for first year students. I did not take a second glance, and I pulled the trigger to apply. A couple of weeks later I received my acceptance letter, and immediately decided I would be spending my spring term in Tuscany’s rolling hills.

When I landed in Italy, my excitement was overwhelming. Not because it was my first time abroad or in Italy, but because I was returning to Italy. I still had a week to enjoy before my program started, so I decided to spend time with family and friends in Rome before I made my way to Siena. My godfather greeted me as I left baggage claim, then drove back to his home in Rome. After getting settled in, my longtime friends picked me up and we headed into the city center. For the next couple of days, I would spend my time with Italians in Rome, improving my basic Italian speaking skills, and getting used to the life I would be living for the next couple of months.

When I got to Siena, I instantly fell in love with the medieval, walled city.

The city was beautiful. The narrow streets and alleys that you could explore for hours opened up to amazing, spacious piazzas, or breathtaking views of Tuscany. I did not live within the city walls though. I lived in a smaller neighborhood outside the walls, at the bottom of a hill. There, we didn’t see tourists or many shops, just the average citizens of Siena living their normal lives. Every day we walked 15-20 minutes up the hill to get to class. In the first couple weeks of the program, Siena saw some of the heaviest rain they had seen in years. That walk became a constant struggle through the rain, but when the weather cleared up it was amazing. One of the best viewpoints in the city was on this walk.

My courses during the program were set up perfectly. I had smaller classes that really allowed me to learn, and the teachers emphasized learning about the foreign country we were in. They encouraged us to go out and explore the city. Our program director even gave us a map of Siena and asked us to have every street that we visited highlighted by the end of the program. My language courses during the program had to be my favorite. My class was three students including me, which made sure we got the most out of our class time. This, and the fact that upon leaving the class I would be speaking Italian in the rest of my day improved my Italian skills.

We went on a good number of excursions during the program. Some of these were farms, wineries, and museums. My favorite was our trip to Bologna. During our trip to Bologna we visited the University of Bologna and their library, which is one of the oldest in Italy, and we also visited FICO World Eataly, a giant complex with all the food you could imagine. There were countless restaurants, stands, and shops, making and selling all types of food, from burgers and cheese to prosciutto and pasta. It was so big, you could rent bikes and electric scooters and race through the complex. Outside, there were animals, a mini-golf course, and carnival type rides. This place was heaven for people of all ages, and hopefully I go back there soon.

The absolute best part of my trip was the people.

The people I met, and the people I knew who I became closer to really made the trip. My roommates and I could not have been more perfect fits. We enjoyed exploring Italy together, and me and one of them even went to London for a weekend. I became friends with Siena’s local DJ, basketball players, and bakers. I learned Italian through them, and built relationships that will last a lifetime. My friends I already knew who live in Rome introduced me to more friends, and before I knew it I was a member of their group. They even invited me to participate in a 3 on 3 basketball tournament, where I led the team to a championship and a free steakhouse dinner!

While Siena was an amazing experience, there were some negatives that I experienced. As a Black man, I am not new to racism, in any capacity. I have experienced casual, “petty,” racism for years now, and in Italy I felt it too. From being uncomfortable because I was the only person of color in a room, or hearing racist comments by street vendors. While most of the people I came into contact with were very hospitable, others not so much. It did not ruin my trip in any way, but people just need to know that their time abroad isn’t going to be just picturesque views and amazing people.

On that note, I did learn a lot during my time in Italy. A lot about the culture, and myself. I learned about my love for other cultures, and just seeing new people. I know that in the future I want to study abroad again, and even live abroad if I get the chance.

Italy: Love at first sight

Posted on by Claire Aubin

As soon as I set foot in Rome on April 11th my heart was immediately captivated, and as I continued to explore new cities and towns throughout Italy and Europe I only fell deeper in love. My program traveled around to Rome, Florence, Siena and Bologna the first 2 weeks and then we settled into Vicenza, our home away from home for the next couple of months. And it truly did become just that. We became regulars at the café down the street from our apartments and our favorite self-serve restaurant. We spent our evenings on the terrace that overlooked the neighborhood piazza. We would frequent the grocery stores for group dinners on the weekends and kick around a soccer ball at the local park. Class was typically outside, drawing and taking notes and when we were inside we worked on our studio project redesigning a new building and Piazza for downtown Vicenza.  Although we were finally settled in somewhere that did not mean that we were done traveling. Vicenza was a short train ride away from Venice and many other small Italian towns that we would go on day trips. Lastly, nearing the end of our time together in Europe our group went on a bus tour through Switzerland for week.

The entire 3 months that I was studying abroad I never ceasedIMG_1300 to be amazed by the architecture, art, religion, traditions and culture that seems to fill every nook and cranny of Europe. I like to think that Italy is an architect’s heaven on earth. Studying architecture there was incredible. I was able to see things in person that I had only seen in movies or text books. To be in the colosseum or the Vatican for example, places that I have spent so much of my life dreaming about was surreal. What’s more, those were only two of the countless buildings my classmates and I visited and each one, famous or not, was a masterpiece in its own wright.

Moreover, what lingers in my mind more vividly is the smaller details that make up the fabric of Italy: like the narrow cobble stone streets, the shutters, the laundry hanging outside of windows, the small alters for Mary and Jesus that are mounted on to the sides of buildings, soccer playing on the television, ordering a cappuccino, the smell of cigarette smoke, the smell of pizza being made and the lengthy greetings shared in Italian with the coming and going of every friend. These are the attributes of Italy that truly won my heart. I don’t miss the museums and the buildings, I miss getting lost in the streets of Italy and the people, sounds and smells that you run into along the way. Being immersed in a different culture is life changing. It opened my eyes to new possibilities. Traveling not only made me appreciate things about my life back in the U.S but also made me realize where IMG_2012I see room for improvement.

The people are also what last in our memories forever, more than the sites and tourist attractions. I didn’t know a single person in my program and by the end of my 3 months I can call every one of them a dear friend, including my professors. People with different backgrounds and lifestyles coming together over common interests in learning and exploring to create timeless friendships. I learned so much from each of my peers, my professors and the random acquaintances I made along the way. I feel a new sense of independence that I didn’t have before this trip. Now I have confidence in myself that I am capable of navigating the world, but this is thanks to the support and companionship of my new friends.

 

  • Eden Haskins-Dahl, Architecture in Vicenza

Lost in Translation

Posted on by Claire Aubin

It was still the first week in Italy and I did not speak nearly as well as I do now. I wanted to do the “When In Rome” thing and try all of the local customs, as one should when studying abroad. Right outside of the CIEE building where we had just finished our first day of orientation was an Italian bar.

It was early, I was tired, and we were in Italy. Obviously the bar was summoning me to its fine Italian brew. My new friends and I wandered over to the bar. I was the first to order. I am not a big coffee drinker: I know very little about American coffee, much less the seemingly endless varieties Italian bars have to offer. All I knew at the time was that if I was going to get into this coffee thing I was going to have to take baby steps. The first coffees needed to have copious amounts of milk. Earlier in the week I had tried a Latte Macchiato. It was a good mix of coffee and milk but I figured that I could use a bit more milk. So I found a friendly name on the menu and asked the barman, “Cos’è un Latte Bianco?” (What is a “latte bianco”?)

I knew I had nailed the question when he answered rapid-fire style,“Un latte bianco è una tazza di latte caldo. Ne vuoi uno?”

As I alluded to before, I spoke a little bit of Italian when I arrived in September but just was not able to completely comprehend his response. In fact, I did not really hear much of anything. I just smiled and nodded, then looked at the girl next to me. She was not really paying attention. Again, this was the first week and my new friend next to me was really cute, so I decided that I preferred to not embarrass myself by asking for clarification. Instead, I just nodded, “Si, lo prendo.”

I thought, what’s the worst that can happen? He gives me too strong of a coffee while I look awesome speaking Italian with the barman in front of this girl? Well worth the risk of getting even the worst coffee in my book.

As the barman reaches under the counter to grab an empty glass, the girl asks me what I had ordered. I come clean: “I’m not really sure, I asked him what a Latte Bianco was and he said something about milk. I think it’s got a lot of milk and a little bit of coffee.”A lot of milk indeed.

Before Krista can respond we both watch the barman take the empty glass, fill it completely with warm milk, and put it on the counter in front of us. “€1.20,” he says with a smile. Krista starts laughing and I grin sheepishly while I pull my wallet out. So that’s how I paid $1.50 for a warm glass of milk at 9am on my third day abroad.

To me, this story sums up my time abroad. Not in the sense that the majority was lost in translation but rather that I was prepared for struggles and failure yet would be willing to shake it off in an effort to improve my Italian and experience everything this country offers. I knew it would not be easy living in a foreign country where my mother tongue is not universal; in fact, that was one of the main reasons I was attracted to this opportunity in the first place.

Studying abroad is about losing things in translation, not understanding cultural differences, and flat out looking foolish at times. That is just the way it is. The best way to handle that is to just relax, laugh off the awkwardness, and get back on the horse for another ride. I knew that before I committed to studying abroad and my thoughts on the matter have not wavered in the year since. This experience at the bar early in my year abroad just worked to reinforce that idea in my head and set the tone for an incredibly rewarding time in Italy. After all, studying abroad is about appreciating one moment outside of your comfort zone after another. That, and enjoying a warm glass of milk once in a while.

– Beau Battista, Italy

Reimagining Rome

Posted on by Claire Aubin

Early spring I was not going to be able to have the chance to study abroad because of financial reasons. I ended up being encouraged by my intern supervisor to enjoy the chances of studying abroad before graduating and starting a family. I ended up talking to my parents; they unquestionably loved the idea because they know how much I love architecture and exploring. They allowed me to start applying for the opportunity and I eventually was accepted into the program. I immediately began to apply for international study abroad scholarships and with hard work and perseverance I was able to receive two University of Oregon scholarships from the UO Mills Center and UO International Study Abroad Committee, and I am so thankful for their consideration and for the support to pursue this life-changing experience.

After the blessing of receiving these scholarships I began to think about how my life, attitude, and perspective on culture and architecture was going to transform with being in Rome, Italy for two months. We as a group of 16 students came together, learned a bit about the Italian culture, packed our things, and off we went. I’ve never been outside the United States so I knew flying into international airports was going to be interesting and somewhat a little bit confusing when trying to find the right gates. Nonetheless, I made it out alive and 21 hours later, I made it to the Fiumicino Airport in Rome.

Finally on the ground again, I met up with another student within the program to take a taxi into the city. We first had to exchange some dollars into euros then find an official taxi. I say this because there are many Italians who try to hoax you into paying more because they think you don’t know any better. Our taxi driver spoke little English, but I was able to communicate with him through some Spanish. Once we arrived at the street of our temporary place, the moist and sweaty feel of the air was not too bad. My classmate and I were lost for about three hours because we did not have our ‘student phones’ yet to call other classmates that were already at the apartment we were staying at for the first week. We eventually found the place and gathered up with all the other guys staying at the place.

Settled in and relaxing, we didn’t have class the first week so we were able to walk around and experience the Italian day and night. We were able to obtain Wi-Fi at the apartment and chat with our families back in the states. Classes started up and the studying was something kind of new to me because I’ve never taken summer classes before. I expected that the program was going to be a slow two months, but it went by too fast and I would have loved more time to learn and explore. I took two architectural history classes, one media watercolor course, and a design studio. It was a pretty packed schedule, but we had the weekends to travel and relax. We were able to travel to Northern Italy (Florence & Venice) and Southern Italy (Pompeii and Paestum). All I could think of was beauty and paradise! The Italian cities have changed my views on all aspects of life. Their food is so fresh, the way of transportation, how friendly they are, and how they obtain natural fresh water is amazing. I had to buy groceries every three to four days, walk or take a taxi to class, and being able to just have a water bottle and fill it up at every street corner or piazza was awesome.

The things I was concerned and shocked about the Italian culture and lifestyle was their ability to keep streets clean. It is quite wonderful that many citizens walk but the city of Rome itself has a poor means of transportation. The immense amount of parking lots and cars everywhere has made the air feel unclean and muggy; Rome currently deals with a major urban infrastructure problem and as architects we try to repair these problems through design, communication, and user inputs.

My main highlights during these weekend trips were being able to see, touch, and feel the colossal scale of awe-inspiring architectural structures, such as churches and cathedrals. It is still amazing to me today as to how much labor based work a whole city or region had to commit to finishing these huge buildings. The techniques they had to do to collect materials from other parts of the world and bring them back to Italy is astounding.

More importantly I discovered who I was as an individual and who I could become. I’ve never been abroad so I felt like I broke out of a shell of being a follower and transformed into a self-leader. Italy gave me the opportunity to eliminate the anxiety of being lost alone and knowing that I could do things separate from the group. The first couple of weeks were difficult because I felt like I wasn’t comfortable with my surroundings and was not able to see or reach new places. After the trip got deeper into the program I went to scenic places by myself, met some new people, and learned that sometimes our future back in the states could be like this after graduation from school.

 

Dylan Garza, Architecture in Rome