CEA Florence Newsletter #6

Repubblica 6 News from the CEA Florence Center Issue 6, Spring 2014

Inside Pages:

Forming Friendships Abroad By: Jennifer Weintraub Stepping off of the plane in Florence, I felt alone. I didn’t know the city or know anyone in the program. What was I supposed to do? I kept seeing pictures of my friends together back at school going out and enjoying themselves. Here I am, in the beautiful city of Florence, sitting in my apartment not knowing anyone. However, I quickly learned that the only way to make friends was to put myself out there. Here are a couple of tips to help you form new friendships when you are in new positions:

1) Go out! Don’t sit in your apartment.

You’ll regret it later. Walk the city and randomly start talking to people. Just try it - you never know, they may become your best friends.

2) Don’t be shy. For those of us that came alone to Florence, we were all in the same boat. However, we have all had to move past the shyness to find friends. The only way to find friends is to be social.

3) Talk with your classmates. Many of them feel the same was as you. You never know; the person sitting next to you could know your friend’s best friend!

As the program quickly finishes, I feel myself trying to grasp all that Florence has to offer. Florence wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t for the amazing friends I had met along the way. Not only am I saying goodbye to this new place that feels like home, but also the new people that made it my home away from home.

Arrivederci, Florence! You will be missed!

2: Calendar of Events 3: Volunteer Work 3: Homestay 4: Rome and Siena

5: Family Ties - Assisi

6: Staying Fit in Florence 6: Fashion

7: La Fiorentina

7: Forza CEA

8: Photo Memories

January

14

17

Students Arrive

Welcome Lunch at Castello di Verrazzano

15 & 16

E V E N T S

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gennaio

Orientation

February

Jan. 31- Feb. 1 Rome Overnight Excursion

febbraio

4, 5, 10 & 19 Cooking Classes

March

3-6 Midterm Exams

marzo

April aprile

20 First Day of Classes

21 Excursion to Siena 27 Language Exchange

28 Excursion to Assisi

7-16 Spring Break

10 Language Exchange

28-30 Final Exams

Lindsay with her fifth grade class during Carnival

Volunteering at a Local Elementary School

A Casa: My Homestay in Florence

This semester I volunteered at local private school as a teacher’s assistant for a 5th grade class. We worked on a play in English (“A Christmas Carol”) that they just recently performed for friends and family. I worked with the kids a lot on grammar and pronunciation. Goofing around also helped me make connections to the students.

Living with an Italian family during my stay in Florence has been rewarding in so many ways. Nothing beats a traditional, home cooked Italian meal, and my host mother, Gabriella, is an amazing cook! This is just one of the perks of choosing the homestay option when studying abroad. Enjoying long dinners and practicing your Italian language skills with your Italian family over glasses of vino is an experience that you’ll treasure forever. It is so comforting to have an Italian family to ask advice or input on any Italian cultural aspect. Also, living in a neighborhood outside of the center of Florence opened my eyes to a different perspective on Italian culture. My commute to school each day exposed me to the daily lives of Italians without being surrounded by tourists. Having a warm home and a welcoming family to return to each day made my stay in Florence that much more comforting and enjoyable.

By: Lindsay Puppolo

One of my best days at the school was April Fools’ Day, when the kids taught me how in Italy, instead of putting “kick me” signs on people’s backs as a prank, they put drawings of fish. So instead of learning, we spent the class making fish and pasting them sneakily on one another’s backs.

I also got to celebrate Carnival with them when they all dressed up in fun costumes for the day. Volunteering at the school made Tuesdays my favorite day of the week and gave me an experience I will never forget.

By: Daisy Mardian

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Our Trip to Rome By: Kelly Spagnola At the end of January, we participated in an overnight trip to Rome scheduled for us by CEA. While the weather wasnʼt great (it was pouring rain most of the time), we still managed to enjoy ourselves. Rome is an incredible city with an overwhelming amount of history and numerous sites to see. The first day we arrived at around 10 a.m. and split up into groups with CEA professors as tour guides, who led us through Saint Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums. The next morning we began the day at the Colosseum and Campidoglio (Capitoline Hill) and ended at the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps. Each location was more beautiful than the next and it was fun to travel there as a group.

Siena: History, Culture and Great Company By: Jenna Modi While studying abroad in Florence, it is imperative to take advantage of our free weekends by traveling around Europe, as well as traveling around Italy as much as possible. In late February, CEA planned a day trip to Siena, a small city south of Florence, allowing us to explore and learn more about the life and culture of Tuscany. Once there, we went on a guided tour and learned about the different districts or contrade, within the city.

It was interesting to see a city run by 17 contradas, each named after an animal or symbol. During our tour we also learned about the Palio di Siena, a horse race held twice a year where 10 of the 17 contradas are represented with jockeys who ride bareback twice around Piazza del Campo. It is common for the race to become ferocious when a few of the jockeys are thrown off their horses while making the turns around the Piazza.

In addition to learning about Siena’s history and culture, we discovered the beautiful architecture of the buildings and enjoyed a great lunch followed by dessert at a delicious, quaint Trattoria.

We sat happily in Piazza del Campo, where the Palio is held each year, while soaking in the atmosphere and the sun on the first sunny day of the semester. Before departing, we captured one last beautiful glimpse of Siena and the surrounding countryside by climbing the Mangia Tower.

Being able to tour around Siena with other members of our program allowed us to become more acquainted with the country that we are living in. We learned so much about Siena’s history and culture, which we brought back to Florence. The Siena day trip was a great experience - it allowed us to explore more of Tuscany on a beautiful day with great company!

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Family Ties - Assisi By: Mike Pansolini On October 3rd, 1226, in the small village of Assisi, a boy was born into a very wealthy family of silk merchants. This boy became the patron Saint of Italy, and his name was Francesco. Saint Francis is best known for his legendary ability to talk to animals. He was the leader and founder of the Franciscan Order of Friars and when he preached, birds would flock to his side and perch upon his shoulders and outstretched hands. One amazing story that my grandfather, Giorgio Pansolini, used to tell me was how St. Francis tamed the Wolf.

It always began the same way,

“A long time ago there was an enormous and ferocious wolf that was terrorizing the countryside. The wolf would prey upon animals as well as people, causing people to flee the small city. Saint Francis did not fear this wolf, and set out to find him. He approached the wolf, making the sign of the cross and commanding the wolf to come to him and hurt no one.

With that, the wolf closed its jaws and lay at the feet of St. Francis. ‘Brother Wolf, you do much harm in these parts and you have done great evil,’ said Francis. ‘All these people accuse you and curse you...But Brother Wolf, I would like to

make peace between you and the people.’ And so, Francis led the wolf into town where the people were. He explained to the people that the wolf had done this evil out of hunger, and did not mean any harm to come of the people. The people then made peace with the wolf, and agreed to feed the wolf regularly, and so the wolf agreed to stop preying on their flocks.”

When I was a child, my grandfather told me this story many times. However, it wasn’t always clear what he was saying because the only language he could speak was Italian. My grandfather knew the story very well because he had grown up in Saint Francis’s town, Assisi. Our visit to Assisi was therefore especially significant to me.

The CEA excursion to Assisi united me with family members I had never met before. It also gave me the opportunity to see the place where my father spent the first eight years of his life.

From the beautiful frescos in the Basilica di San Francesco to the majestic pink stone of Monte Subasio, I was enchanted by both the personal and recorded history of Assisi. I will never forget the joy with which I was received by my relatives. Having not seen my grandfather in almost 60 years, they were ecstatic as they looked upon my face, seeing the shadow of my grandfather, or as they called him, “the professor.” He earned this nickname because he was the only one of the family who had received secondary schooling, as most of the family was required to work once

they came of age.

My grandfather, Giorgio, remains today a source of light in my life. I remember spending summer days with him in his garden in Hackensack, NJ, picking tomatoes and zucchini and helping him prepare them for my grandmother to cook. At a young age with a child to look after, Giorgio took a great leap of faith and immigrated from Italy to the United States, where though hard work he made a life for himself and his children.

That hard work and dedication rubbed off on my father, Fabio Pansolini, who today, along with my mother Rosanna, has paid for to travel throughout Italy -- to discover where I am from and the reason I am who I am today.

It is a difficult feeling to convey, but on the path to understanding myself, my parents, my grandparents and my culture, this was the biggest step I had ever taken. Although apprehensive at first, I am glad that I took it. If there is any piece of wisdom that you can take away from this story, it should be that no matter how far away, how difficult or how much money it may cost, you should make the trip to the place that your family used to call home. It will change your perspective and bring you closer to your roots than you could ever imagine.

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Staying Fit in Florence By: Lindsay Simon Upon your return to America from studying abroad for a semester, it is typically assumed you will bring back with you tons of pictures, stories, gifts, and, of course, a few extra pounds. This does not have to be the case though. Many students who participate in a semester abroad use this time as an excuse to eat much more than they normally do, and skip out on exercising for four months.

Although this is supposed to be an enjoyable and relaxing time in your life, there is no reason to make your body pay for it.

Since you have so much free time while abroad, it is easy to fill some of it by going to the gym. By making the effort to go a few times a week, you won’t be giving up more than an hour

5 TIPS TO STAYING of your free time, and will feel much better about splurging on your favorite pasta dish later that night for dinner. If you don’t want to spend the money on the gym, there is also the option to go for a run outside a few times a week. When else will your runs consist of a view of the Ponte Vecchio or a backdrop of the Duomo?

Staying in shape may not seem like an important priority while studying abroad, but if you can find a way to fit it into your life while away, you will feel so much better both physically and mentally. This will especially be the case when you are able to forget those extra pounds in Europe that were expected of you upon your arrival home.

FIT IN FLORENCE: How should I stay fit during my stay in Florence? Here’s how!

1. Join the gym or go for a run in your free time 2. Eat in and make yourself a healthy dinner a few times a week 3. Eat salad for lunch instead of pizza at least once a week 4. Have water with your meals instead of wine 5. Walk instead of getting a taxi

Finding Your Fashion Style in Florence By: Lauren Dzikowski

Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada are just some of the fashion designers we, as CEA students, walk by everyday on our way to class. While living here in Florence I’ve noticed many different fashion styles. Before coming here we were given suggestions about what not to bring. Sneakers, workout attire and baggy clothing, to name a few, were not on our suggested packing list.

My style has changed a bit since being here. I’ve become more adventurous with my wardrobe. When I go shopping at stores such as Zara or Brandy Melville, my personal fashion becomes more diverse. Florence is a melting pot of people with different style and fashion ideas that allows anyone to get away with wearing whatever he or she wants.

Living here for four months, I’ve seen many people wearing baggy clothes and sneakers. Many local women do wear baggy sweaters and shirts. There are so many study abroad students and tourists wearing sneakers and workout attire that if you choose to wear these items, you won’t stand out like a sore thumb.

On the other hand, Milan is the fashion city of Italy, represented greatly with chic fashion. One sees Celine bags everywhere, women wearing Prada heels like they are their everyday shoe and men wearing full Armani suits.

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Forza CEA! Go CEA!

By: Daisy Mardian

Blood, sweat, and tears were shed on the fields for the international school futbol cup this semester for CEA. Joining the CEA soccer, or calcio, team was such a great decision. We got to meet students from other international programs and get a great workout. While CEA’s team was smaller than others, that didn’t stop us from bringing our best to each game and climbing our way up to the semi finals!

There isn’t a better place to play soccer, and the inspiration is all around you in Florence. Joining the CEA soccer team is just one more way to immerse yourself in the culture, the games at the stadium are also a blast! Forza CEA and Forza Fiorentina!

Rooting for the Home Team at the Fiorentina Game By: Morgan Raphael Of many of the “bucket-list” things to do in Florence, attending a Fiorentina Soccer game was among my top priorities. While I have attended various sporting events in the United States, I had never attended a professional soccer match, nonetheless a European one! Not wanting the weather to be too cold, or rainy, my friends and I picked a date in the beginning of March, and hoped for the best. Coincidentally, we were also celebrating the birthday of one of my roommates and a fellow CEA student, Jacqueline Intili. Earlier that day, we prepared for the evening festivities buy purchasing purple shirts, scarves, and other spirited pieces.

game was only an hour and a half long, and I was shocked! I had never been to a game that was so short, and I was disappointed that the excitement ended so soon.

My first Fiorentina game was one of the many nights that I will hold as a sacred memory from my abroad experience. Although I am a sports fan at home, nothing compares to the feeling I had with my friends, clad in purple, at the live soccer game on the night of March 2nd.

Hopefully when I return to Florence and the Fiorentina stadium, the team will reign victorious.

Thankfully, the weather held up and it was only a little bit brisk outside. We walked all the way from the Duomo area toward the stadium, Stadio Artemio Franchi. When we arrived I was shocked by the size of the stadium, but noticed how similar the environment was to a baseball game I would go to at home. The streets were painted purple, lined with vendors selling fan gear. The crowd was roaring, the Lazio fans across the stadium were extremely aggressive, loud, and were waving their flags. Ironically enough, the aggressive behavior reminded me of Philadelphia or Penn State fans. Despite this, we felt safe and remained engage in the match.

Play after play, we were watching the fast-paced sport, and before we knew it, the game was over. Florence lost 0-1 to Lazio. The

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Meet the CEA Staff

Photos contributed by Diana Pietrzyk

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