It has officially been over a month since I have been in Florence, Italy! With time I have developed an understanding of the city and ways to get around. Through the process of planning my semester abroad, I made the decision not to complete an internship during my time in Florence. I decided to focus on my classes and do an internship during the summer at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Instead of talking about an internship, I will write about my daily schedule and what I have learned!

I am currently studying abroad in Florence, Italy through the GBI program, therefore I had the option to take business classes. I decided to take International Finance and Global Workforce Management. One of my goals when coming abroad was to gain a global perspective through my classes and experiences. Through my classes, I will not only achieve this goal but also be able to apply it to my future career. All the professors at CAPA are insightful and passionate about the topics they are teaching, which makes the classes even more interesting.

Now to take you through my day! Attending school in Florence is definitely a different experience than attending school in Oakland. Every day I have a two-minute walk to the CAPA center, which is in the historic center of Florence close to many of main historic sites such as the duomo. Sometimes in between my classes I take a walk to get something to eat or just to explore more. The classrooms in the CAPA center are each unique with different paintings on the walls and ceilings. My classes start around 9:00am on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday so I have an early start to my day. Classes are three hours long so after my first class, I typically go home for a quick lunch/break before my second class. After my mid-day break, I attend my second class and then head home for dinner. On school days, I always make sure my day ends with watching the sunset and getting gelato.  Walking along the Arno River is always a good spot to watch the sunset! Below is my class schedule!

Monday: Analyzing and Exploring the Global City: Florence, Italian

Tuesday: No classes!

Wednesday: International Finance, Italian

Thursday: Italian, Global Workforce Management

Friday: No classes!

Some of my professor lecture with PowerPoints and some do not use PowerPoints, so it is very important to listen and take notes. There is also a no laptop or iPad policy at CAPA which eliminates the distraction of electronics while in class. Every student uses a notebook and pencil to make most of the learning experience.

I have learned a lot in my classes so far and cannot wait for the rest of the semester. Thanks for reading, until next time!