Mi Piace Italia

I loved studying abroad at NYU Florence. The campus was incredibly beautiful and was much more of a community than NYU New York. The staff is incredibly supportive and involved. There were events almost every night such as La Pietra Dialogues Educational talks and Cupcakes and Color. NYU Florence also brought us on trips around Italy! My favorite was to Cinque Terre, where we went hiking with our resident assistance, Eduardo. My professors were very involved, knowing every student on a first and last name basis. They were extremely concerned with using Florence as a platform for learning. I took Cultural Foundations III and Social Foundations III while abroad. I got to study text about the culture and history of Italy while being able to directly visit and seeing the pieces and places. I had Elementary Intensive Italian three days a week with Monica Merli, who was incredibly understanding and kind; she did an amazing job of teaching us a brand new language. I volunteered at Casa San Felice, taking care of babies for women who were domestic violence victims. I struggled with communicating in Italian, but there was a lot of support from both the NYU Florence community and native Italians. I lived in an apartment near the Duomo on Via Ricasoli. It was a beautiful apartment and I would always hear music and crowds of excited tourist from the street. Living in Italy was a big change for me; I'd never left New York before and it was my first time on a plane. At first it was incredibly scary, but you start to make a home of the city. Italy is a beautiful place and very easy to fall in love with. The culture is different- but that doesn't mean that it isn't worth learning or experiencing. My favorite memory was in the south of Italy, in a small town near the Amalfi Coast called Vietri Sul Mare. There were no tourist, just me and two girl friends. We spent all day on the black sand beach with natives. I spent hours watching a father and his baby daughter chasing after their puppy near the shore. It was my favorite moment because the sun was setting and disappearing behind the mountains, the lights in the houses flickered on, and it felt like pure peace. In Italy, I experienced the kindest of individuals. It really is a beautiful, loving culture, and I've learned a lot from it.

A big tip is to remember that you are in someone else's country, someone else's home. They do not owe you anything- you are there to learn and respect them. Remember to keep your valuables to yourself because there are a lot of pick pocketors. Use GoEuro for transportation and Italo and Transitalia have special train deals on the weekends!