Now that I have begun my classes in Florence, and started to get used to my routine, I wanted to talk about what classes I am taking, what they are like, and what the overall academic environment is like in Florence!
The first class I am taking is Italian 101. This class is with only other Pitt students, and is taught by a Pitt professor. This is by far my smallest class, but also one of my favorite. We have it for 50 minutes three times a week, and it is an intro to the Italian language course. It has been extremely helpful in making us feel comfortable in a new country that speaks a new language. I haven’t taken a language class since high school, so learning a language again took some getting used to, but I really feel like I am getting a good basis of the Italian language!
The next class I am taking is International Finance. This will count as one of my Finance major electives at Pitt. I have this class once a week for two hours and fifty minutes. This class is definitely different than the other Finance classes I have taken because it focuses a lot on the effects of exchange rates, as it is International Finance. I think that finance classes tend to be difficult to grasp, and that definitely applies to this class too, but I can tell the knowledge from this class will be very beneficial in my overall understanding of Finance.
My third class is Italian Renaissance Art History. Florence could not be a better setting for this course. Every class, which is once a week for two hours and fifty minutes, we visit a different site to look at different art that has to do with the lessons and readings for that week. So far we have gone to the Basilica di San Miniato and the Basilica di Santa Croce. This week we are going to the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella. This class has been so cool for me, I have loved seeing and learning about the art in person.
My fourth and final class is Beginning Oil Painting. This class is once a week for two hours and fifty minutes, and we basically paint the entire time. It is such a nice period of time to relax and do something creative, which is something I haven’t been able to do in one of my classes for a while! So far we have painted a color wheel, a gray scale, and a still life of different shapes that I will include a picture of!
One of the Clifton Strengths I think is necessary to be successful in this program is communication. When coming to a new country, working with new professors and classmates, and integrating into a new society, communication is vital. Though it may not be the typical communication we think of when we are in our own home countries, communication is vital when moving to a new country and studying at a new school.
