Now that I am home I can look back on my time abroad and honestly say that I will forever remember it as one of the best and most amazing opportunities in my life. I knew going into the program that I would make new memories and experience things I had never experienced before but Florence exceeded my expectations in every way. From what I learned in the classroom to what I learned while exploring the rest of Italy and surrounding countries I am so grateful for all of it.
Being born in the Netherlands and only moving to the United States when I was in 7th grade I had had some experience traveling Europe. Nevertheless, I was excited to see how I would feel being in Italy for 6 weeks and how I would do navigating Europe on my own since before I had always been with my family. Living and learning in Florence for 6 weeks allowed me to delve into its rich history, culture, and traditions through museum visits, hearing from locals, and following a more Italian routine. I am proud to look back and realize that I was able to adapt quickly to my new environment, work through challenges, and explore without fear. My times roaming the city alone helped me feel more confident about starting the next chapter of my life and whatever it has in store for me.
On the weekends I had time to travel outside of Florence and me and my roomates never took this for granted. We ended up visiting over 10 different places in just 5 weekends! This meant that there was a lot of planning involved whether it be booking train tickets, bust tickets, finding places to stay, or making sure we see as much of the city in the time we had. I have always been very organized and a bit of a planner so I would take it upon myself to make sure we got to the trains on time and got on the right train. Being in an unfamiliar place and having to trust strangers and signs you can’t read helped me strengthen my problem-solving and leadership skills.
In the classroom I was able to really focus on the particular topics we were talking about. This was fostered through the small class sizes, the fact that I was only taking two courses, and the ability to see certain museums and meet people in person who were beneficial to the curriculum. While working on research projects in my class about interculture and migration I was able to delve deeper into migration issues in Italy that I would never have thought about at Pitt. I am grateful for what I have learned in my classes and noticed that I was able to have amazing group discussions with classmates who went to schools all over the United States. With this experience I will be able to approach projects with a new perspective and I feel more confident speaking up.
Throughout this program I have experienced the importance of cultural competence and how it can help me in my future plans. We live in a society where businesses are almost all globalized and understanding and respectong cultural differences is increasingly crucial. Being able to not only learn about this differences but appreciate them will be incredibly helpful when working with all kinds of people. Additionally, being able to adapt and thrive in a new environment is something that is always necessary when starting a new job. My time in Florence has shown me that I am capable of working in new environments and enjoy it at the same time which will be highly beneficial in my future. I loved learning about the Florentine culture and I hope to keep learning about many other cultures and build on what I have learned for the rest of my life.
That’s all from me, thank you to everyone who made this happen and the friends that I have made along the way!