Hi everyone! My name is Sydney Purcell and I’m a junior at the University of Pittsburgh, majoring in Marketing and working towards a certificate in Digital Media. At Pitt I am involved with the professional business fraternity Phi Chi Theta as well as Fashion Business Association. This semester I am studying in Italy through the GBI: Florence program. As the first month abroad comes to a close, I’m starting to settle into my daily life as a student in Florence!

Since before even coming to college I knew that I wanted to study abroad for a semester, what I wasn’t initially sure about was where. I decided on Florence because while I have done a decent amount of traveling, I had never been to Italy. I have also had friends and family study abroad in Italy and they absolutely loved it! The program we are studying with is called CEA CAPA. Because of them we’ve gotten to explore underground sights the city has to offer through walking food tours, cooking classes, and day trips to lesser known parts of Italy such as Arezzo. I’ve also been able to explore new cities on my own such as Rome and parts of Tuscany, as well outside of Italy in Paris and Amsterdam. My goals for this program have been to step outside of my comfort zone while meeting new people across countries and schools, and after a month I’ve already made progress towards this.

Compared to Pitt, CEA CAPA is a much smaller institution with just two main buildings located in the center of Florence. Class size is also different with all of my classes being around 15 students. It makes the program feel much smaller as I am really getting to know my professors and the people in my classes. The types of classes here differ as well. While I am taking international marketing which is relevant to my major, I’ve also gotten to take classes outside of what I would normally enroll in such as Italian and drawing. 

In Florence I live in an apartment located about 20 minutes away from class. This has definitely been the biggest adjustment for me since I’ve always lived on campus at Pitt. I also live with eleven other girls which has made the experience both exciting and chaotic. However we’ve all adapted well to the situation! My roommates and I explore our neighborhood by going out to dinner during the week. The food, especially gelato, has been one of the biggest highlights for me living in Florence. Overall I am loving my time here and I’m excited to see where the rest of the semester takes me!