Ciao! A month has already gone by, and I am starting to fully adapt to my new academic environment. Through our program with CEA CAPA, I am not participating in an internship but am taking four of their classes. Fortunately, because I completed online classes during past summers and am ahead on credits, three of the classes count for arts and sciences credit, while the fourth is for a finance elective (since I am an Accounting and Finance double major). Overall, I am starting to build knowledge and skills outside of Pitt Business courses while also not putting too much stress on myself while abroad.
The first class I am participating in is Beginning Figurative Sculpting, where we are learning to sculpt the different elements of The Statue of David. So far, I have sculpted one of David’s eyes and am currently working on his lips. Using clay, a lot of patience and precision is needed to make it identical to the original statue. There are multiple techniques and motions that can be used with tools and your fingers, so I really need to take my time to develop the final result. Overall, the class is very enjoyable, being my favorite, and it’s allowing me to develop my artistic side. In addition, there is no outside homework, which allows me to focus more on discovering all that Florence has to offer. Since one of my CliftonStrengths is being restorative (or good at adapting to problems and solving them), I will be able to leverage this strength specifically when figuring out how to best sculpt David.
The second class I am participating in is Museology, which is the study of museums. For half of the class, we are lectured on the history of Florence and how its museums became what they are today. For the other half, we visit a museum for free! I’m very glad I signed up for this class because it allows me to use my weekends to explore other Italian cities and countries in Europe. I know it’s important to explore my hometown, Florence, and I’m able to do that during class time with no additional expense. However, at the museums, you have to pay close attention to detail, truly understanding the mood of the museum and the emotions of the architects who built the statues and sculptures.
The third class I am participating in, for my foreign language credit, is Italian 1. I’m super excited to be taking a foreign language again, as this is my first time since high school, when I learned German. Additionally, since I’m Italian, I’ve always wanted to learn how to speak my “native” tongue, especially being able to learn it while in Italy! However, this is definitely my heaviest course load, as you always have to study to stay on pace with the class. It takes a lot of determination and patience to learn a language, so I make sure to study at least thirty minutes each day. One of my CliftonStrengths is that I’m an achiever, so I will work very hard to be successful in Italian and be able to participate in basic conversations by the end of the semester.
The fourth, and last, class I’m completing is International Finance. It’s lecture-heavy, and we’re learning about how exchange rate calculations work and how to apply them to financial assets within a bank or those sold to customers. Since I enjoy math, I’m using my mathematical skills mainly for this class. Thanks to this specific program in Florence, I’m able to complete this finance elective as part of my double major degree.
While I am thoroughly enjoying all my classes, they do come with challenges. It’s nice that I have a routine, with Sculpting, Museology, and International Finance all being at 9 am every morning, but these classes are all three hours long. It’s easy to get tired, especially with all the traveling being done on weekends and all the exploring there is to do in Florence. So, it’s definitely an adjustment to have to focus for three hours straight. Outside the classroom, it’s important that I am deliberative, another one of my CliftonStrengths, with my study time, as I need to maintain a good work-life balance. I’ve learned that long train rides are the best time to study and get work done, so I focus on taking no naps during the day and making sure I sleep through the night.
In the end, I hope that by the end of the semester, I will have learned to appreciate the little details of Italian culture, gaining more knowledge about their museums, sculptors, finance skills, and language. Arrivederci!
