Ciao!
This past summer, I spent three weeks in Italy studying abroad with an organization called International Studies Abroad (ISA). My trip began in Rome, Italy where I met the other fifty students’ part of this summer program and had my orientation. ISA organized walking and bus tours for us and brought us to a group dinner. During my four-day stay in Rome I had the opportunity to see the Roman Ruins, the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican museum.
After orientation, ISA brought us all on a bus to Florence, Italy. They brought us all to our respective apartments and gave us our keys. I lived in an apartment across from Pitti Palace with eight other girls. There were three bedrooms with three girls per room each with a bathroom. The nine of us all shared the kitchen, the washer, and the TV. Yes, I only said washer. As I lived independently in a new country, I had to learn new customs. In Italy, dryers do not exist and everything gets hung dry off the balcony or on a line. Italy also does not serve drinks in restaurants with ice. There was plenty to get used to, but nothing to hold me back from having fun and exploring a new country.
During my three weeks in Italy I took a Physics class at the Florence University of the Arts. The credits I earned there were transferable to my major here at TCNJ. I walked to my class five days a week and was in class for about two hours. There were twelve people in my class; therefore my professor was able to supplement some of our class meetings with museum trips and labs. My days in Florence were all structured similarly. I was lucky to have my class in the morning so after class I would walk to the open market with my new found friends to buy food for lunch and dinner. Since the refrigerator was small and since food is so fresh in the markets, we bought our food on a daily basis. I had so much fun cooking in the apartment with the other girls and experimenting with new types of pastas and vegetables.
Every other weekday, the girls in my room and I took day trips around Italy. We chose cities that we about an hour to an hour and a half out of Florence and could be reached by train and/or bus. The train station was definitely intimidating at first and very confusing, but after our first trip we felt confident and continued travelling. The day trips that I went to include San Gimignano, Signa, Pisa, and Lucca. On the weekends we took farther trips. The first weekend I followed the excursion ISA provided and went to Lake Garda and Verona. They once again brought us on tours, however this time it was a beautiful boat tour and a walking tour respectively. On the second weekend my friends and I went to Venice by EuroRail, one of the fastest European trains. Finally, on the last weekend, my roommates and I stayed in Cinque Terre to hike the five villages and stayed overnight to enjoy the beach the following day.
Although, I was nervous and scared at first, in the end I did not want to leave and now I wish I could go back. I can confidently say that if I were to go back to Florence, Italy I would be very comfortable and know where to go and who to go to in the event of an emergency. The ISA staff based in Florence was one of the most amazing groups of people I have ever met. They became like family to me during my stay, helping me out when I needed it, showing me where to go for the best foods and entertainment, even walking me to the post office to send a letter back home. I appreciated their help so much and not once did I feel that they were tired of helping and caring for all of us.
What I have shared with you is just a recap of my experiences in Italy this past summer. This does not even begin to describe all the amazing sites I saw, all the interesting people I met, all the friendships I have made, and all the great food I ate. I was privileged to have the opportunity to study abroad and even have my parents visit me there, but with appropriate planning, anyone can go. I definitely encourage anyone who has even thought of studying abroad to go and explore. My experience is one that I will never forget. St. Augustine once said, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” After this amazing experience I can say that I have definitely turned some pages in my book and I cannot wait to continue doing so in the future.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me or visit http://www.studiesabroad.com/for more information about the program I went on and the many more ISA offers.
-Jessica Phan
ISA Global Ambassador
phan3@tcnj.edu
Jessica Phan, Junior Technology/Pre-Engineering Education Major Communication Studies Minor. When asked about her favorite memory from Italy she said: "(Definitely hard to just choose one, but...) Shopping at the open-air market daily to buy fresh fruits and vegetables because it allowed me to truly experience Italian culture."
The Sophomore Year Experience at TCNJ 