Florence Student Newsletter #6

Repubblica Student News from the CEA Florence Study Center

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In This Issue: 2 Life in Italy 3 Courses 4 Trips 6 Activities 8 About Florence & 4 Staff

Photo by CEA Staff

Issue 7, Fall 2014

LIFE IN ITALY The Nanny NICKI BOTZONG

It was only my second week in Florence, and I already had a job offer. I didn’t know what to say at first— I didn’t speak Italian, and I didn’t know my way around the city.

The offer came about when I met an Italian father at a church I attend here in Florence. He approached me with a big grin and spoke to me in broken English. He told me that he has a nine-yearold daughter who he wants to learn to speak English fluently. He asked me if I would like to babysit her weekly to teach her English and help her with her homework.

A word of encouragement: if you are in a new situation in a new country, I encourage you to take opportunities that seem like they could help you grow and stretch your personal comfort zone. You will continue to think you’re incapable of doing something if you never try doing it.

Photo by Nicki Botzong

After meeting the family at their home, I realized that this was going to be a challenge. The girl’s mother did not speak any English, and the little girl could only understand a little bit and respond to simple sentences. Thank goodness Daniele accompanied me when I met the family, or else we would have been babbling like idiots at one another! Even though I knew it would take a lot of responsibility and effort, I decided to become the family’s nanny.

After being a nanny for three months, I have really enjoyed my experience. The main things I have learned are that 1) Kids are kids, no matter the culture. They get fussy, they are hilarious, and they are loving. 2) It is good Italian practice to describe why you didn’t pick up the child at school on time because of various transportation issues (not to mention getting lost and going to the wrong school!). 3) People really want their kids to know English. I was surprised to see that the little girl was studying English in school so early. I realized how lucky I am to natively speak English because it is becoming universal.

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Photo by Jordan Christensen

New Perspective

In the coming days, with this thought floating around my mind, a somewhat slow formation of an idea would occur. There are other cities in the world. There are other people that live in those cities. People among those cities are just like those people in Florence. People among those cities just like us. They have lives. They have interests.

They have personalities. And, there are about a million more cities just like the last. (Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating, but hey, what’s some good, semi-pretentious, college-student speculation without some exaggeration?) So here’s the insight, the revelation, the realization, the anagnorisis (if you’re into the Greeks and all that), the change in perspective: there is a lot more life, culture, and society out there; and it might take objectively viewing another city from outside a church on a nearby hill after having lived in that city for a few months to really understand that.

JEFF ARATA

During a visit to Basilica di San Miniato to hear the Gregorian Chants, a new friend and I were lucky enough to catch the sun set on Florence and the subsequent illumination of the city’s monuments. As we talked of our various travels around Europe and in Italy, the experiences we have had, and the people we have run into, the scene before us helped to catalyze what was to follow. “Take Florence for example,” I began while referencing the view of the city before us, “There are 500,000 people, right here in front of us, all doing exactly what we do back at home: live.” (This, of course, is not exactly what I said, but it gets the point across.) From there, we exchanged comments about how there are probably people just like us here in Florence—with the same interests, the same major of study, and similar lives — somewhere among the 500,000. I believe it was around then that 5:30 was about to strike and so we headed in to listen to the chants.

Photo by Jordan Christensen

Photo by Taylor Wilson

Life in Italy Photo by Jordan Christensen

Critical Perspectives IDBIN ACOSTA

Coming to Italy has been a one-of-a-kind experience. I didn’t know what to expect other than what I had seen in the media and the one-dimensional perspective I gained in the classroom back in Davis. I spent six quarters trying to learn the language from the US, but it was nothing compared to the knowledge I have gained here in Italy. Being immersed in a new atmosphere without any sense of orientation and having to face a language barrier has been a journey full of perplexity and discovery. Much of my intellectual consciousness has been stimulated via the discussions that have been fostered in our Critical Perspectives class. This course has taken my preconceptions and transformed them into a more logical and realistic perception of my surroundings. My faint and blurred image of Italy was beginning to make sense.

The negative and the positive elements of contemporary Italian society were beginning to manifest themselves through my own experiences. The connotations I associated with the mesmerizing facades began to be combined with rich historical context.

The more I read spoke, the more I began to understand and to live. Our professor guided us through different topics such as immigration, the perception of women in Italy, and the corruption that has remained hidden from many people. We learned to disassemble our misconceptions and relate life in Italy to our experiences back home. In this course we took several trips including a visit to the Florence American World War II cemetery and a Vespa museum. We did field studies on Lampredotto vendors, and our kind professor, Valentina Nocentini,

The Great Masters

even treated us to some Minestra di Pane.

JORDAN CHRISTENSEN These opportunities have shown me what food means here in Italy. This course has While in Florence, I taught me how important it is to not only took an art history course read about a topic, but to also live it, analyze called The Great Masters: it, discuss it, and reflect upon it in order to Leonardo, Michelangelo, understand a culture. and Raphael.

Our Photo by Jordan class focused on High Christensen Renaissance art and architecture in Florence, Rome, and Milan.

We only met in the classroom a few times.

Most of our class sessions were held in churches, museums and palaces so that we were able to learn about famous works of art while in their presence. We would learn about an artwork in the classroom so that we understood its importance, and then we were able to see it in real life. It was fascinating to realize how much more you can understand a painting or sculpture when you are standing in front of it. It is one thing to be told about the use of perspective in da Vinci’s Annunciation while looking at a photo on a screen, and it is another to actually face the painting from different angles in the Uffizi gallery.

COURSES

Photo by Jordan Christensen

Throughout the semester, each student got to present a work of art on site. Students spoke about artworks in the Uffizi, the Bargello, the Pitti Palace, and more. I gave my presentation on the death of Michelangelo, some of his final works, and the design of his tomb while standing next to his tomb in the Basilica of Santa Croce.

Researching the story of Michelangelo’s death and then seeing his grand tomb in person was exciting, and I had a lot of fun sharing my knowledge with my peers.

Frescoes painted by CEA students during The Great Masters class held at the Palazzo Vecchio

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Photo by Hillary Teichman

Photo by CEA Staff

TRIPS

Photo by Jordan Christensen

Photo by Jordan Christensen

Photo by Molly Sackles

Photo by CEA Staff

Photo by CEA Staff Photo by CEA Staff

Turin

IDBIN ACOSTA

Every day is a new adventure for students at CEA. From the beginning, students marked their calendars for several trips provided by the program. One of these trips was a twoday trip to Turin. The trip was a success and gave students a glimpse into what northern Italy has to offer. The best way to make this distinction is through culinary exploration and that’s exactly what we got. After several hours of traveling and checking into our hotel, we were treated to a delightful lunch.

Half of us went to Ristorante da Mauro and the other half went to Locanda da Betty.

The main dish was a Turin specialty: vitello alla Milanese. The rest of the afternoon was filled with tours including a look at the Royal Palace of Turin. The following day, students arose and started the day with an Photo by Jordan Christensen

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Italian breakfast at the hotel. Everyone was ready to embrace the long day ahead, which included a visit to the Turin Cathedral and a tour of the National Museum of Cinema. The afternoon culminated with a wonderful view of Turin from the top of La Mole. Students returned to Florence with a new understanding of cinema, a reflection on the contemporary ambience of Turin, and a rich knowledge of Italy’s first capital.

Photo by Jordan Christensen

Bologna

Brussels

In September, CEA offered a day trip to Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre means “five lands,” and it consists of five small towns on the coast of Italy. Have you ever seen that photograph of dozens of colorful houses on a hilltop overlooking the sea? That’s Manarola, one of the five towns of Cinque Terre! On our trip, we were able to spend the day exploring each town, relaxing on the beach, swimming in the sea, hiking between towns, and eating amazing food.

Cinque Terre is known for its pesto, and I can report firsthand that it is delicious!

Bologna! Coming to this city all I could think of was the Oscar Mayer song, although I know that is not an accurate representation of the city. Once we got to Bologna, I was really excited for the walking tour. I love learning about local history, even if the information doesn’t always stick. Going to the Archiginnasio, once the main building of Europe’s oldest university, was neat. Seeing all of the crests from the students that went there was amazing— they were never-ending. The anatomy room where the students would dissect bodies was also very interesting. It looked like something out of a movie. After the tour, the whole group went to lunch. I was excited to try the mortadella. Some people back home had been telling me I had to try it while in Bologna. It was good, but it was nothing like I expected since I had no idea what it was going to be like. Lunch was nice, even though Daniele forgot to order the tiramisu. It turned out fine since there was a chocolate festival in town!

One of my favorite places I traveled this semester is Brussels.

From the start, the trip was an adventure. My travel buddy, Morgan, and I had to figure out how to get to our bed and breakfast in Brussels, but we flew into the Charleroi airport (south of Brussels) to save money. We quickly figured out that not many people in Brussels speak English, but they are all more than willing to help you find your way. Morgan and I had to use our (broken) Italian to speak to the taxi driver who also spoke very broken Italian to find out the best route. He said we could take a taxi to a train station, then a train to the main train station, then a tram to our bed and breakfast. To make the taxi ride cheaper, we decided to share a car with four other people who were trying to get to the same place. Once we arrived to the first train station, a very kind young man helped us figure out which train would get us to the main station. The next step was finding our tram, which is much more easily said than done. While I was looking lost the middle of the street, a man came to lead Morgan and I to the tram we needed to take. He snuck us into the station because he insisted that no one would check our tickets and the €2.50 tickets were overpriced. We finally made it onto the tram, but we had no idea where to get off! Morgan and I obviously seemed very confused, so a gentleman who spoke English told us when to get off and pointed out exactly where our bed and breakfast was located.

JORDAN CHRISTENSEN

DANIELLE LUNGREN

EMILY ROBINSON

Photo by Jordan Christensen

I enjoyed the day in Cinque Terre so much that I decided to return to during fall break. The views of the colorful buildings, the sea, the hills, and the beaches are simply breathtaking. Whether I was hiking, walking through a town, or lying on the beach, I was constantly in awe of the beauty surrounding me. I think my favorite part about Cinque Terre is its relaxing atmosphere. No one is in a hurry. Everyone sits back and is able to take in the magnificence of the landscapes and towns. During fall break, my days consisted of hiking and sightseeing, and my evenings were spent enjoying long dinners and sipping wine by the sea. I am so happy that CEA opened my eyes to such a special, unforgettable place.

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! The chocolate festival in Bologna was awesome!

I think that my favorite stand was the one with all the Disney characters. Although, the stands with the shoes and cameras were cool, too. It was all so much; I was chocolated out by my second purchase. But, it was really fun to walk around all the stands and see what people make with chocolate.

There was everything, from hot chocolate to chocolate jam to chocolate beer. Lots of chocolate, everywhere; the stands just kept going.

Photos by Jordan Christensen

Photo by Jordan Christensen

Jordan, Nicki, and I stayed the night in Bologna, and the city is totally different at night. It was really pretty all lit up! As we were walking around looking for a place to eat dinner, we passed a street performer. He had a small dog with its own microphone, and the dog would howl when the singer held a note. It was adorable! After wandering for a while, we came across a restaurant that we thought would be nice, and it turned out to be good! Staying the night in Bologna was very nice. It’s a great city and has a lot to offer. I look forward to seeing more of the city in the future.

Trips

Cinque Terre

The young lady who hosted us was the sweetest person ever! She told us some must-see places and each time we left the bed and breakfast, she gave us directions to where we were headed (both the quick route and the scenic route). On Saturday, Morgan and I spent six hours— SIX HOURS— at the Christmas market. This Christmas market was huge and amazing! If you ever get the chance, this is one place I would say you have to go. I would love to go back.

While walking around, we stumbled upon the Town Hall, and just moments later, an amazing light show started. On Sunday, we saw the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart (Koekelberg Basilica), Porte de Hal (a castle), Mont des Arts, and the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula.

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ACTIVITIES

Photo by CEA Staff

Photo by CEA Staff

Photo by CEA Staff

Photo by CEA Staff

Language Exchange TAYLOR WILSON

While in Florence, all CEA students enroll in an Italian language course, at levels ranging from beginning to intermediate.

Classes are held four days a week for at least an hour each day. We have a native Italian speaking teacher who also knows English that introduces many opportunities to better learn Italian. One activity we participated in was a language exchange with local Italian high school students.

These students were in the 11th grade and had been learning English, along with a variety of other languages, since they were in the 6th grade. The class came from Volta high school, a little outside of Florence in Bagno a Ripoli.

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Photo by CEA Staff

In October, the Italian students visited our campus for a two-hour language exchange.

There was almost an even ratio of Italian to CEA students, so we split into small groups with a list of questions in case we ran out of things to say. This exchange allowed us to practice speaking Italian to them, and they spoke English to us. Having only studied Italian for a little over a month by this time, it was a bit difficult to keep conversations going. There was a mutual understanding of how difficult communication was going to be using the different languages, but we worked together. There were many times where we had to fill in blanks for the each other for lack of a word. It helped by laughing, doing hand gestures, and using Google Translate in order to figure out what we were trying to say. Throughout the

Photo by CEA Staff

Photo by CEA Staff

Photo by CEA Staff

conversation, I was surprised by how much we actually could understand each other and get to know the students. The experience was very enjoyable.

A month later, several classes of CEA students visited the Italian school to give presentations on the other culture’s holidays: Halloween and Carnevale. It was nice to see the students again and this time it felt like seeing old friends. Each class presented about a holiday, and then we broke into small groups again to ask questions. By this meeting, we knew a little more Italian so we could talk some more.

Overall, the experience of meeting Italian students was an experience I will never forget.

Activities Photo by CEA Staff

Photo by CEA Staff

Photo by CEA Staff

Photo by Danielle Lungren

Photo by CEA Staff

Photo by CEA Staff

Photo by CEA Staff

Paper Workshops EMILY ROBINSON

One of my favorite CEA activities was the book binding class with marbled paper. I liked this activity so much I Photo by Emily Robinson attended it three out of the four times it was offered! It was fun because each time we went, we made something different. The first time, we made journals. The second, we made boxes, and the third time we smaller journals. I enjoyed the paper classes not only because I like making crafts at home, but also because you are able to leave with a wonderful souvenir or gift for someone special that is handcrafted by you! It is also a great way to get to know the other CEA Photo by Emily Robinson students and just hang out. While I am a crafter, anyone can do this activity. The artisan who led the workshops made it very easy to follow her directions. I advise future students to sign up for as many activities as possible— it is a great way to de-stress and socialize.

Corri La Vita IDBIN ACOSTA

In an effort to support breast cancer research, several students and CEA staff members participated in this annual event in the heart of Florence. Corri La Vita raises funds by inviting participants to register to run or walk one of two routes which both move through the city center and across the Arno River. On the morning of September 28th, Piazza del Duomo witnessed thousands of people eager to participate and help this great cause. People of all ages walked the streets of Florence with their gray shirts and yellow identification tags (including their beloved dogs dressed in the same attire). The crowds were welcomed by open venues and gardens as well as small hydration stations and snack booths.

The CEA students were able to enter several gardens and follow the procession while conversing and having a good time.

What better way to spend a Sunday than

with good company and being active in the Florentine community! This event was a time to reflect not only on the future of this global issue, but also on friends and family members that have undergone a struggle with cancer in their lives. It is just as important and prevalent overseas as it is back home.

The 5K walk made a grand return to Piazza della Signoria where the crowd was greeted and praised for their efforts. Every year Photo by CEA Staff Corri La Vita brings people together and fosters an awareness for breast cancer. It demonstrates the collaborative efforts of a community willing to support a cause and create a consciousness that is both empowering and prosperous. It is amazing to see our fellow CEA students and staff be a part of such an event.

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Since the era of the Grand Tour, Florence has been a place of higher learning—study abroad, you might say— for individuals with the means and the interest to broaden their horizons beyond their own country and to learn from the past. Those who participated in a Grand Tour visited locations in France and Italy to learn about the great art, architecture, and other contributions that these cities and their citizens created and left for posterity.

It should, therefore, be no surprise that today Florence attracts thousands of North American study abroad students on a yearly basis. CEA is proud to facilitate so many students’ experiences in Florence by offering academic programs and hosting faculty-led programs in the fall, spring and summer. Our professors strive to make Florence a living classroom, bringing students outside our Study Center to learn about what Florence has to offer and what its place is in the world. Classes held within the Center walls provide students the tools they need to digest, decipher, interpret, and appreciate what they see, hear, experience and learn of a different culture. Our staff makes every effort to assist students in their

FLORENCE, STUDY academic and personal journeys during their time abroad.

ABROAD, AND CEA EMILY SCHIAVONE

Florence is an extraordinary city. It’s inspiring to study in the same town that produced some of history’s greatest artists (Leonardo, Michelangelo), authors (Machiavelli, Dante), architects (Brunelleschi), and scientists (Galilei). It’s exciting to study in buildings that predate the founding of the United States. But Florence is not only about history. This is a bustling international city from which students can take home important lessons to apply to their future lives and careers.

Florence is the city many fashion houses call home, and where Italy’s premier fashion shows take place twice a year. It is also the city General Electric has chosen for its European base, recruiting some of the world’s best engineers. It’s a place from which one can even observe, ponder, and question first-hand everyday events that are

important to any country in the 21st century, such as immigration matters and gender roles. While being able to hold on dearly to its small-town feel, Florence has maintained international importance for centuries.

Florence is a lot of things to a lot of people: a place of learning, a place of growth, a place of comfort, a place to vacation and enjoy food and wine, a place to do business—even a place to call home. While all of our students venture beyond Florence to discover Europe (and even Africa or the Middle East), Florence is the base to which they return, where they reflect upon their encounters, and where they grow. Through our students’ experiences, achievements, and development, CEA attains its goals.

CEA FLORENCE STAFF Emily Schiavone PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Bruno Grazioli ACADEMIC DIRECTOR

Caroline Elo

ACADEMIC COORDINATOR

Letizia Ialini CAMPUS LIFE ADVISOR

Daniele Bini

STUDENT SERVICES ASSISTANT

Photo by Jordan Christensen

Front: Letizia Ialini, Emily Schiavone; Back: Daniele Bini, Caroline Elo, Bruno Grazioli

Connect with us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/CEAStudyAbroadinFlorence

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Repubblica 6, Issue 7 Jordan Christensen & Idbin Acosta