Less than one week left in Florence! Time has flown by so quickly. I can’t believe it’s almost over. Studying abroad in Florence has allowed me to greatly strengthen so many soft skills through many cross cultural interactions. Studying abroad in Florence has also allowed me to travel to many different cities over the last five weeks. Each and every experience I’ve had, in and out of Florence, has contributed to my personal growth.
The main soft skills I have shown improvement on are communication skills, cultural awareness, and adaptability. Florentines, obviously, speak Italian! Many people speak English as well. However, I do not speak fluently in Italian. I know a few words here and there but I’m still at a beginners level. In order to communicate with people that do not speak English, you need to use other means of communication such as body language/nonverbal communication. Being in many different cities across these five weeks has also helped me in strengthening my cross cultural awareness skills. Experiencing different cultures has allowed me to get a better understanding of how the world works across the globe. I’ve also interacted from people from many diverse backgrounds, enhancing my communication skills as well as my cross cultural awareness skills. Studying abroad and living in a new environment has strengthened my adaptability skills. As I have touched on in previous posts, I have been extremely blessed to have such a great support system my entire life. Moving across the world without them was a huge shock for me. I had to learn how to navigate situations, alone, in a foreign country which was quite challenging.
In regards to hard skills, I have gained skills in examining and analyzing different art pieces. As a part of my renaissance art history course, we visit new museums and churches daily. I have learned how to look at a painting beyond its surface meaning. Such as how to identify the artist through key characteristics and the deep meaning of the painting.
These skills will help me moving forward because of the valuable insight they give me now. Especially in regards to my soft skills in communication, cultural awareness, and adaptability. These are all traits used on the daily in the business world. Business is Global and employers and schools value these qualities in potential candidates. It helps in my personal goals because of the way this program forced me to be out of my comfort zone. It pushed me to new boundaries I never thought I had. Studying abroad in Florence was one of the best decisions I have made and I’m super excited to see what this week has in store!
