It’s been what feels like a lifetime since I’ve graduated from university. But to this day, studying abroad in Siena, Italy ranks in my top 3 most memorable life events. I was fortunate enough to share this life experience with 2 of my best friends who also joined the program. In subsequent years, my friends and I were able to add this international experience on our resumes and speak to our diverse global perspectives gained from studying abroad. Based on this experience, I want to share ways to get the most out of studying abroad.
Here’s How To Get The Most Out Of Studying Abroad:
1. Be Financially Prudent
Studying in Italy wasn’t a spur of the moment decision for me. I had saved money for 3 years working part-time at various summer jobs. Studying abroad comes at an expense. Consider the hefty tuition fees, books, flight, dormitory, food, and field trips. I was looking into the ballpark of $5000, which was an astronomical figure for a starving student! Saving for the trip taught me financial literacy 101 – to put aside money from each pay cheque and invest the funds to earn interest.
On the trip, my friends and I lived like kings. We didn’t have to work; yet we always had a cash flow (from our savings) at the press of a few ATM buttons. Studying in Siena taught me how to budget spending over 6 weeks on food, souvenirs and weekend trips to other parts of Italy.
2. Make New Friends
Meet like-minded people who want to soak in all the perks of studying in a different country just like you. Many people in my summer program shared similar goals and interests since we were all enrolled in the same course. We all had the same schedule: classes during the day, essays in the afternoon, partying til’ the crack of dawn and studying for exams in the wee hours of the morning!
3. Immerse Yourself in the Local Culture
Be sure to eat locally, shop locally, visit local sites and historic sites to learn about the city you’re studying in. In Siena, we learned the history of old frescoes in the pinacoteche (art galleries), the Duomo and the Palazzo Pubblico (City Hall). Best of all, our trip to Siena coincided with the twice annual Palio di Siena that has been taking place for 700 years. Siena is made up of 17 contrade (districts) and only 10 contrade participate in the horse race each year. We proudly represented the contrada of our university residence – the Snail contrada by wearing its flag.
4. Learn the Local Language
If you’re serious about getting the most out of your study abroad, start by learning the local language back home. I took 2 courses of Italian at my university’s continuing ed program. The marks didn’t count toward my transcript but I was able to speak simple Italian phrases and I knew I was making progress when I started to understand the locals’ replies. Many locals were gracious and were willing to speak to us Canadian students in either Italian or English – they were looking for practice too!
5. Be Independent
It helps that you’ve travelled before studying abroad or have lived away from the comforts of home. No one will clean up after you at the residence and you have to share a bathroom with other roommates. My realization of independence in Siena was when we were sitting in Il Campo (the grand piazza in Siena) having dinner, and we had to uncork our own bottle of red. I offered to do the uncorking with a primitive corkscrew wine opener. Pop (sort of) … the cork was stuck and broken into unsalvageable pieces, until we asked a more skilled local to save our wine. Moral of the story: be independent and learn how to uncork your own wine!
6. Travel widely
Having a home base at a university residence gives you a place to store your stuff so you can make weekend getaways to other parts of the country with only a backpack. With new friends, we made weekend trips from Tuscany to Rome, Naples, Capri, Venice and Amsterdam. Traveling locally was much cheaper than planning separate trips to each of those cities from overseas.
7. Pay Attention in Class
Yes you read that correctly. Actually pay attention in class! The program I joined was not an exchange. Though we studied on site at the University of Siena, the courses were taught by professors from my university who flew to Italy with us. Courses were therefore taught in English. As an art history major, it was so surreal to learn about Italian art in the very locations where they were painted. We had field trips to Assisi, Pienza, San Gimignano and Florence with our professor who acted as our “tour guide”. You can’t get a more informative tour than that!
8. Safety First
Experiencing Italy with my 2 best friends was a dream of a lifetime. We learned to navigate different cities before the age of travel apps and Google maps. Being a student in a foreign country is a lot of fun but remember that you’re not on home turf and could be vulnerable. Think safety first.
We dealt with a few minor situations including going to the hospital in Italy due to itchy eyes and severe mosquito bites; my BFF having to deal with the local banks because the money she withdrew from an ATM did not come out. In both cases we were lucky to have our student ambassador from the university help us figure things out.
We were held at knifepoint on a train en route to Naples during one weekend trip. I refused to give up my purse, which had my passport and we screamed our heads off until the train attendant came by and the perpetrator fled the car. Always know your surroundings and where to find help.
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Safe Travels!
xx Deb
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