One month into my Florence study abroad program, I have had to adjust to Italy’s practices, environment, and social/cultural norms. Coming in with an American mindset, it was difficult to fully change and forget my normal habits back in the states. With time, and interacting with the locals, I have been able to mold myself to the surroundings allowing myself to embrace the Italian culture. While this was the main obstacle one faces when moving abroad, it also takes time to adapt to the foreign classroom culture norms.
Coming into this semester, I aimed to take classes I wouldn’t have another opportunity to be in while also touching on my major. I am currently enrolled in International Finance, Italian Language, Exploring and Analyzing the City, and Figurative Sculpting. Each class touches on a very different subject than the last allowing me to stay engaged and learn new skills/ways of thinking. My favorite class is Figurative Sculpting. Our first project was to replicate the eye of Michelangelo’s, The David. Completing this project forced me to think abstractly and put my creative skills to the test.
Taking a diverse set of classes, there are many skills and strengths that must come into play for me to excel in them. I need to be able to think dynamically while switching between each class throughout the day. On top of that, with each class being 3 hour periods, it is challenging to stay engaged. I strive to participate by asking and answering questions in order to stay vocal or speak my opinion. I have noticed this skill is applied mostly to my Exploring and Analyzing the City class. In this class, we dissect the Florence’s history while touching on sociology matters. Speaking up has given me the opportunity to spark classroom discussions of comparing Italy’s sociology to the United States’. Comparing and contrasting two cultures, one I am familiar with, and one I am beginning to learn, is what makes me love the class so much.
Comparing these two cultures, I have been able to recognize differences within the classroom as well. In comparison to the United States, Italy is much more exam based rather than assignments and homework. The professors test your knowledge through conceptual matters which makes you think more abstractly rather than surface level. My end academic goal for this semester is to return to the US with the habit of understanding material, rather than just knowing.