Helpful Hints from a Study Abroad Veteran

Since this is my last blog, I am going to outline a few things that I think are important in choosing a study abroad program.

First, I would highly suggest that you choose a program that hosts a variety of students from different schools. Although there is definitely value in getting to know people from your own school that you did not know well before, the fact that I studied abroad with four girls with very different backgrounds and interests means there were never any dull moments. And it also means that I’ve learned a huge amount from them, a fact that derives from each one having a different outlook on life. Not only have I gained patience being around those with different beliefs than mine, but I have also learned how important it is to have an open mind about other beliefs, because you never know what kind of wisdoms you might find.

Secondly, know what you want to get out of your study abroad experience when choosing the size and location of your study abroad program. This is obviously a generalization, but from what I’ve experienced, you will have more opportunities to practice your language and will interact with fewer Americans if you study in a smaller program in a smaller city. Siena has been perfect in this sense. When I speak Italian to shopkeepers, they actual respond to me in Italian, and when I hear English-speakers on the streets during low tourist season, I am always surprised. I have then spent the past semester (when not travelling) really getting to know the people in my program, studying, learning the language, and decoding and appreciating Italian culture. However, if you are looking for a more raucous study abroad experience, I would suggest you look into larger programs in cities with a lot of nightlife. Siena does not offer a massively vibrant night-scene, but what it lacks in party atmosphere it gains in culture, safety, and true character.

Finally, I suggest that you take the time you have abroad to learn how to do things you’ve always wanted to do, but never had the time to. For example, this past semester I learned to cook—a great skill to pick up in a country with amazing cuisine. You should then think about what you would like to learn abroad before you apply to your study abroad program, taking these ambitions into account. Although I’m sure you can learn to cook amazing things in a homestay if your host-mom is willing to teach you, I chose to live in an apartment so that I could cook for myself, among other reasons. And my Italian roommates have only been too willing to teach me recipes and to share their own family food traditions. If you’ve always wanted to learn how to draw, find a program that offers a drawing class, and if you’ve always wanted to learn how to ski, look at programs near the Alps. For a lot of people, study abroad is the time to do what you want to do before beginning graduate school, a career or a family, so make the most of it!

As a side note, thanks CET for everything—I had an amazing time.

Goodbbye, CET Siena. I will miss you.

Last night as I was beginning to pack up all of my clothes, I found myself staring at an empty closet and was struck with the reality of leaving for the first time. What an odd realization to know that tomorrow I will be parting from this beautiful place!

I will miss the resilient little clothing lines hanging out of windows, bearing the burden of clothes even while it is raining. I will miss going for runs in the Fortezza during sunset, with its beautiful views of the Duomo. I will miss speaking Italian with the guy who works at Pizzaland who has gotten to experience my accent in all of its various stages. I will miss going to mass in one of the most beautiful Cathedrals in the world. I will miss being late for meetings in the Piazza del Campo. I will miss feeling so compelled to eat the fantastic food in front of me, and eating so much that I actually start crying from being full. I will miss the concerned and disapproving expressions of my Sienese neighbors as I walk around outside with wet hair. I will miss the excitement of reaching home when I disembark a bus in Piazza Gramsci after a trip out of town. I will miss feeling like death is coming when I’m walking up that terrible hill every morning on my way to class. And, I will miss the painful walk downhill from the Conad supermarket when I have a six-pack of large waters to haul. I will miss all of my pigeon friends. I will miss being able to start up a casual conversation about the Francigena road – hey, thanks to the Francigena, Siena experienced its Golden era. The Francigena deserves its due credit.

I am going to miss CET. I will miss all of my wonderful professors and their quirks. I will miss sleeping next to the space heater on my RD’s office floor. I will miss taking all of my classes with five of my best friends in the world. I will miss martedì merenda bar hops and gelato giovedì. I will miss the view of the Lupa fountain from my kitchen window. I will miss the excitement of starting the confused burners on my stove. I will miss having a bidet in my bathroom even though I’m scared to try it. I will miss cooking myself different types of pasta for dinner every single night, and the frequency with which I use a colander and a cheese grater. I will miss all of the feathers that mysteriously make their way from my comforter into my hair and clothes. I will miss reading novels for my Italian Cultural History class while lying on the squishy green sofa in my kitchen. I will miss my heinous bedroom door that my Italian roommates actually had to remove from its hinges to fix. I will miss walking into the kitchen each morning and seeing the faces of people that I have grown to love so dearly.

When I first arrived in this city, I had a difficult time believing that this place would actually be my home for the next four months. Now, on my last day abroad, I am having difficulty believing that I am leaving. The concept of going home is a troublesome one because Siena has become my home, too. CET Siena has been one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. To those of you thinking of applying, know that I have no regrets or complaints about this wonderful program. To my little CET family, know just how much I love and appreciate you all. Well, I am about to go make pancakes for my Italian roommates, but I suppose there is still yet one thing left to say: thank goodness for the Francigena road.

Samantha Leahy - CET Student Correspondent

The Sienese Streets: a unique personality

If you are a prospective study abroad student looking at Italy and you like to party, I must advise you that Siena is probably not the place for you. While there are plenty of places to hang out at night and many people to meet, Siena is a far cry from many American college students’ typical weekend social scene. If you can hold off from sweaty dance parties for just a short four months, Siena has an incredible wealth of entertainment to offer, in the form of random, sometimes mind-boggling surprises.

I think my first indication of this phenomenon must have been dressed in black and white tights with the outfit of what appeared to me to be a medieval minstrel. My roommates and I were doing homework in our kitchen when we heard the sound of drumming approaching. We got to the window just in time to see a band of several Sienese citizens dressed in elaborate uniforms beating drums and waving flags of the Lupa (she-wolf) contrada while filing down the street outside of our apartment. For the next several days, these Lupa representatives marched through the streets of Siena showing pride for their contrada. Over the next couple weeks, different contradas sent their own representatives with their own colorful tights and flags to practice just the same form of contrada pride throughout the city streets of Siena. None of the Sienese people were at all phased by the marching minstrels. The music, the flag waving, and especially the medieval costumes, were both bizarre and beautiful to behold.

If you have read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, you should be familiar with Professor McGonagall’s giant chess set. I think it is safe to assume that we all wish we could have bore witness to the epic battle between Harry, Ron, and Hermione and giant living chess pieces. Well, Harry Potter lovers, you just might be in luck! During one of my very first weeks in Siena, I was walking along Banchi di Sopra and happened upon some Sienese people playing chess with giant pieces in front of the Monte dei Paschi di Siena Gothic revival building. I sat down at the foot of a statue and watched them play while reveling in my confusion and contentedness.

On another occasion, I was on an excursion to buy ricciarelli when I came across some Native American musicians playing native instruments and dancing and singing for an audience of Sienese passersby. I must say, I was incredibly tempted to buy their CD. Another time, I saw someone performing a marionette show with a chicken puppet on Banchi di Sopra. Once, we happened upon some fire-throwers. Sometimes, they do clown therapy by the supermarket (not my favorite). It is impossible to feel bored while walking along the streets of Siena.

Perhaps the most startling of the random incidences occurred while my American and Italian roommates and I were hanging out on the Piazza del Campo one night. We were in the midst of conversing when an elephant appeared in the Piazza. Yes, the Sienese citizens brought a live elephant into a medieval city. How did they fit it through the narrow, highly inclined streets? We will never know. Those that were leading the elephant around walked it around the Campo before they moved out of the Piazza. I suspect that the Oca (goose) contrada brought this elephant in to make fun of the Torre (elephant with a tower on its back) contrada. Regardless of the motives behind this stunt, I can safely assume that I will never accidentally see an elephant in a medieval city again.

My favorite activity in Siena is simply walking through the city streets. It is true that many strange and amusing things occur on these streets, but the streets themselves are beautiful and fascinating in their own right. Now that it is December, garlands, Christmas trees, and giant stars with Christmas lights have put up throughout Siena’s streets. Because of the beauty of these lit stars, the fact that it now gets darker earlier does not phase me. Even after the sun goes down, the city feels warm and cozy under the white lights.

When I return home in a mere couple of weeks, I will miss both the beauty and the personality of Siena’s city streets. And yet, whenever I’m feeling homesick for Siena, I must remind myself that I will never truly be without it: you need only to see those medieval minstrels once to burn their image permanently into your retinas.