Here are the
tips I thought of for you all: (Hope they help you!)
First of all,
RELAX!!! I know how nerve-wracking it is to come to a new country alone,
leaving your friends and family behind in the USA. My brother-in-law studied
abroad in Spain when he was in college and he told me before I came, and I’m so
glad he did, that the first two weeks are always the hardest. You probably will
be overwhelmed with the language, meeting new people, and wondering “what did I
just get myself into?”! It is 100% normal to feel that way! I did for sure.
This was the first time I traveled alone, without my family. I cried a few
times in the beginning, actually I cried a few nights ago when I missed
Thanksgiving. You’ll get over it trust me! Right now I have a week left and
it’s bittersweet feeling; I miss my family so much but I don’t want to leave
Siena. So first tips: Relax and know it’s normal to feel overwhelmed the first
couple weeks.
Secondly,
packing… for all you girls that are like me and feel the need to pack 2-3 outfits
per day just in case, DON’T!! I brought two big suitcases and didn’t wear half
of it. Plus, it’s a lot to lug around by yourself. The shopping here is a
little bit more expensive but it’s Italy, you’ll end up buying things! As for
shoes, bring a pair of boots, tennis shoes, and a couple sandals and you will
be golden! If you have rain boots I suggest bringing those too if possible. You’ll
end up buying shoes here trust me! Bring clothes you can layer so one sweater
that matches a few different shirts. Don’t bring your entire closet. I sent a
suitcase home with my dad when he came. The weather here in the winter is cold,
be prepared. I’m from Iowa so I’m used to it but if you aren’t used to the
cold, pack warm clothes. Don’t forget you’ll be here during winter at first and
spring during the last part of the semester. Pack accordingly to that. You’ll want
shorts and maybe even a swimsuit if you go to the beach the last part of the
semester. So second tip: don’t pack like Aimee and bring warm clothes!
Thirdly, I
suggest ordering some euro’s from your bank before you come. Do this ASAP
because it takes a couple weeks to get in sometimes. This way when you arrive
in Italy and need to buy your bus ticket to Siena, you will have euros to pay
for it already! Third tip: order euros before hand- cheaper and convenient! (Obviously
they have ATM’s here so don’t order like thousands of dollars worth of euro’s!)
Fourth tip: I
suggest trying to email the other kids before you come! Some of you may be on
the same flight or coming into Florence within 30 minutess of each other and it
might be nice to have a buddy to go to Siena with if you’re really nervous
about it. Find people on Facebook and get to know each other a little before
you come! Everyone is nervous, so be the one to bring everyone together before
coming! I don’t have Facebook so I don’t know how it really works but if you
can start a group discussion or even just a group email not through Facebook, I
say do it! Just say hi and tell them your flight times, etc… Fourth tip: talk
to the others before you come, it might help calm your nerves!
Fifth tip: you
will probably fly into the Florence airport. The Italian name for Florence is
“Firenze”… don’t freak when you see Firenze, you aren’t in France! When you
arrive in Florence you will need to get from the airport to the bus station
alone, take a deep breath! For the other girls and myself we all struggled with
where the bus station was. The instructions are clear but once you arrive at
the train station (from the airport) it can be a little overwhelming. The bus
from the airport might drop you off at the train station and not the bus
station. Some of us were dropped off at the bus station directly, but two of us
were dropped off at the train station. For those of you that are dropped off at
the train station just know that the train station and bus station are two
completely different buildings. You will need to cross the street in order to
get to the bus station. The bus station is a building that has other stores
connected to it, it’s not it’s own building like the train station. Just take a
right, and cross the street and it will be on your right. It’s not very far
away. You may even see buses heading that way so just follow those! It’s easier
than you think! For me, I was so nervous already that I felt like a chicken
with my head cut off! If you need to ask, just ask! Everyone will know where it
is!
Sixth: Once
you’re here, remember you are in a different country. Respect that. If you show
the Italians respect and show them you’re trying to learn their language they
will respect you back and help you! If you are here to learn the language,
stick with it. The Italians who know English will most likely reply to you in
English, this doesn’t happen in every case, however just keep talking Italian!
It’s kind of fun because you’re speaking their language and they’re speaking
yours! So you are both getting practice with a foreign language! The Italians
are really great people, however very different from Americans. At ristoranti
you have to ask for the bill, they take their time eating and you will never be
rushed after dinner! If you want the bill just ask for it: “Il conto, per
favore!” It’s little things you will soon learn and soon wish we did it that
way back in the States!
Seventh: School
is/can be a lot of work. You have time to travel on the weekends but in language
class you will have homework every single day, so be prepared for that! My
speaking skills have gotten so much better since I’ve been here because
language class. For those of you who will have Ida, get ready! She is crazy
fun!! We absolutely love her! She will help you anytime and if you don’t
understand something, she will take as much time as you need to help you
understand. Tim is also great! Truthfully, all the teachers are amazing here!
We are lucky to have the teachers we have! Seventh tip: school isn’t a breeze
here so don’t slack off but don’t get too overwhelmed; you’ll have plenty of
time to travel. The teachers are amazing!
Eighth: Become
familiarized with the train and bus schedules online. If you plan trips ahead
of time, which I strongly recommend doing, sometimes you can get tickets
cheaper from the bus and train stations if you buy them so many days in
advance. If you familiarize yourself before you come it will make traveling
less stressful at first. If you take a bus or train, you can leave from Siena
and arrive back in Siena. If you fly anywhere you’ll either need to go to
Florence first by bus or take a train to Pisa. Either is easy but make sure the
times all match up so you don’t miss a flight or connecting train.
Here are the
websites:
Train: http://www.trenitalia.com/
I suggest taking
the time to check out different places to visit on the weekends before you come.
You can look at my past blogs of where we went or if you have ideas yourself,
check out the traveling options and have an idea at least. We basically did all
of our traveling last minute, which worked but I don’t suggest doing that!
My last tip for
you is to take lots of pictures and maybe even keep a journal. I have over
1,000 photos from my trip and I kept a journal and glued bus tickets, train
tickets and other random things inside it. It’s fun to look back on it all and
you don’t want to forget anything! They both will be a great way to look back
years from now and remember everything you did here! You can buy a journal here
for cheap!
A small tip,
invest in a umbrella when you arrive! If you go to the 99-cent store, the
umbrellas are 5 euro (super cheap!). Trust me, you’ll need it and won’t regret
getting one! It’s something you can leave in your apartment if you don’t want
to bring it back to the States with you! For those living in host families,
your family may even have umbrellas for you to use already. Just ask!
As for Siena
itself, it is absolutely beautiful and you will fall in love with it quickly.
The first weekend we explored the city as a group, since there are only four of
us here this semester, and we became familiarized with the city more from doing
that. Don’t be nervous. First find Pizza del Campo, it’s the main Piazza here,
and learn where you live from there. If you do this you will never be lost.
Siena, inside the city walls, isn’t big enough to get lost! Explore a lot
because there are hidden treasures off the beaten path! One suggestion is to
eat at Bar Siena. They are one of the very few ristoranti who give you a meal
to go! They are so nice and make the best salads in Siena! Christina will show
you where it is! Remember you are all here to have a good time, be patient with
each other and make the most of it while you’re here. For most of you this will
be a once in a lifetime opportunity and you want to make the most of it while
you’re here! It’s a big change from America but after you learn your way around
it’s like home. Every time we came back from a trip and got off the bus we
always felt like we were home. I’ve never felt unsafe in Siena.
Again, if any of
you want to email me please do! I’d love to help you with any questions you
have. I bombarded Hanan with emails before I came so don’t feel like a bother,
I know how you’re feeling because I’ve been there myself! I hope you all have a
great time here. Christina is amazing at her job and is very willing to help
you with anything. You’re very lucky to have her in Siena with you!! Hope you
all have a very Merry Christmas and get ready to start the New Year off in
Italia!!
Nov. 30 at the theater with CET
Un caffè, per favore!
Aimee Crouch, University of Iowa
CET Siena Stuent Correspondent
