Ciao!
The last 4 weeks of classes have truly been amazing here in Florence. I am currently enrolled in Italian 101, Cross-Cultural Psychology, International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior, and Oil Painting. These classes have been providing me much pleasure with fun; moreover, I have been exposed to Italian culture.
The overall focus of Italian 101 is on skills of speaking and literacy built through reading, writing, listening, and exposure to the diverse types of Italian media. What one hopes to achieve is the building of confidence while comprehending and producing spoken and written Italian. I love that our lessons emphasize real-world applications, from ordering at a café to navigating daily interactions.
Cross-Cultural Psychology: The train that takes this course to its final destination travels through broad channels under the thrilling title of “culture and behavior,” making stops at ethnocentrism, collectivist versus individualist societies, and cultural views of mental health. This week, we went to a local cafe to observe how Italians take and enjoy their time with coffee.
International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior: This study will consider how major management theories can be applied within different cultural contexts. Meanwhile, this course examines the study of human behavior in global work environments and cultural impacts on business strategies. I am interested in working on this continent, so this course has been a great eye-opener.
Oil Painting: This is by far one of my favorite classes. It is a studio art course introducing the foundation of oil painting techniques, including composition, chiaroscuro, and color theory. I have loved using these techniques inspired by the awesome art and architecture surrounding me. I spend a couple of hours a week in the studio just painting and enjoying my time.
While living in Florence, I learned that to be successful in this academic environment, I must be able to adapt to my surroundings. Much of the information we are learning in class relates to what is going on in my surrounding area. Especially for Italian, I feel as though using Italian in my day-to-day life is helping me advance in my class faster. I also have learned to have better time management, as I like to do the extra activities that CEA CAPA provides for us.
My Clifton Strengths fall under the category of Relationship Building. I have leveraged this strength in this program by talking to my fellow peers in my classrooms, and building closer relationships with them and the fellow CEA CAPA staff members. Building these relationships have helped me feel more comfortable in this new environment, supported, and learning about opportunities that I wouldn’t have seeked out otherwise.
The main aspect I notice that is different in this environment is that the teachers really value experiences outside of the classroom. They encourage students to go to cafes or have class in the markets and libraries to immerse ourselves into the culture.
Being here has taught me to value a slower pace. Sometimes, it is best to just go to a cafe to talk with friends or enjoy coffee without distractions. I look forward to what the next few weeks have to offer!
Arrivederci! Ciao!
