Study Abroad in Perugia at The Umbra Institute

Language barriers, for me, happened all the time. If I could go back in time and slap myself over thinking I could easily study abroad in a country that I didn’t know the language in, I would. Before going to Italy, I had never taken an Italian language class. Although I had taken Spanish in high school, which proved helpful at times, I learned within the first week how valuable some Italian studying would have been.

My program offered an immersive, week-long course introducing us to the basics of the language and Italian customs, as well as how to get around the city. This was extremely helpful. If your program does not offer this, I would recommend asking a teacher or faculty member to give you the lay of the land in the beginning of your semester. This not only helped me travel to other cities and get to flights on time, but also gave me an insight into the culture in Perugia and the local landmarks, cafes, restaurants, etc. that were a must!

The best place I visited outside of Italy was probably Greece. Coming from the Ocean State, I am a beach bum at heart so Greece was right up my alley. To save on expenses, we flew in to Athens and stayed in Piraeus, which is right near the Port. Though our hostel wasn’t the chicest, it was 15 euros a night and was in walking distance from great restaurants, bars, and the port. The transportation was easy to figure out, and the first few days were spent exploring the ruins and getting to know locals and their cuisine (I became a bit of a foody abroad).

The best thing about Greece beside the views? The prices. Everything that we did, found, tasted, etc. was so cheap in comparison to other popular destinations. Also, traveling to smaller islands was easy and cost effective as well. We spent the remainder of our trip traveling to Aegina and Hydra islands, which were both less than 2 hours by boat (definitely the best idea, instead of spending tons to see Santorini and Mykonos). You can easily walk around, take donkey rides and find ruins (which are free for students). Everyone that we met was so nice, inviting and willing to help point out directions whenever we needed it. A must see, in my opinion!

I believe one of the most incredible aspects of study abroad is that personal reflection and growth continues after returning home. We had one fantastic student, Max, who had never taught in a school before but had decided on a whim to sign-up to volunteer in the classroom to help teach English. On the first day, he was so engrossed in the classroom activities that he missed the bus home.

The next day, he recounted the adventure of getting back using his elementary Italian to ask for directions. He was beaming at how resourceful he had realized he was when the need arose. A few months after his semester at Umbra ended, I received an email from him in which he shared his plan to apply for a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English because, looking back, volunteering at the school was the most rewarding thing he had done while abroad. This is just one example of why I love my job coordinating these community engagement opportunities!

Although I had never studied a foreign language until studying abroad, I was always intrigued by the power language has to open up a new place and a new people to you. It acts as a key to understanding another way of thinking and feeling and expressing oneself. Umbra requires students to take an Italian language course which demonstrates how valuable we view language learning for students abroad.

The importance of being able to succeed in everyday tasks such as ordering food, going to the post office, and speaking with local people is priceless and empowering. It gives you a sense of daily accomplishment with every encounter. Even today, after years of living abroad, I still feel this way; I can connect with the people through Italian that I may not have been able to communicate with otherwise