Studiying in Italy

[italianstalian]

Does anyone have any experince in studying abroad? Im going to south italy for 6 months to study italian and im just wondering if anyone has any comments about what they did when they went?

[night_vision]

Sorry I have no experience either. Studying in Italy's been my dream for years, I've even taught myself Italian to about an intermediate level. I'm not going any time soon though, it costs so much. Anyway I'm interested in hearing what people have to say too though.

 

Italianstalian, do you know where in southern Italy your going?

[italianstalian]

Calabria.......the cities name is Tropea

[night_vision]

I'M SO JEALOUS!!!! Calabria is where my moms family is from, in the small town Grimaldi.

 

I've read plenty of books at the library all about studying abroad in Italy. They're worth a trip to library I think, and better than nothing if no one has experience to share. Anyway, good luck, I'm sure you'll have lots of fun!

[darkblue]

Excellent experience for you to put on a CV.

The fact that are willing to travel to another country to study would jump out at a potential employer, and shows you as cultured and suave.

[justpaisley]

I've done it - I lived in the South of France for 4 months as an exchange student when I was 17.

 

It was terrifying at first. I had no idea how different the culture would be in a Westernized country. Teenagers are largely different, school is different, families are different. It's also terrifying because although I was the queen of French at my highschool (could have practically slept through French and passed), I had a very hard time understanding there. People had to speak very slowly to me, and I wasn't used to being treated as if I had some inferior mental capacity. I had an awful time at school, but it wasn't a problem, as my grades there had no effect on my grades here.

 

Having a very supportive and patient and worldly host family really helped. Journaling helped a lot too. I wrote in my journal every day except for one, when I slept at a friend's house. I still read it occasionally, and there were days that I spoke in French in my journal. And, as stupid as it sounds, watching "Friends" on TV there helped my language skills. I guess it's because the dialogue isn't that intricate or complicated, and I could basically glean from the scenery what the story line was about, and guess what words I didn't know.

 

It got a lot better after about a month. I had a lot of friends, went to movies a lot, and was able to participate in intelligent conversations. I still remember piping up in a Whitman vs. Thoreau debate and having everyone at the table stop and stare at me.

 

In the end, I don't suppose it paid off, because I'm not using my French as I should. 9 years later, I still keep in contact with my host family, and that's the best experience with the language that I have. (Well, one friend's husband is from Paris, and insists on speaking to me in French, but he speaks like 6 languages and wants to encourage me to speak the language I love so much.) While it definitely didn't add up to a career plan for me, it gave me a life experience that's been priceless and memories that are amazing. Not to mention a free place to stay any time I want to visit the Mediterranean. That's mighty priceless, if you ask me. I also gained quite a bit of maturity - leaving your family and friends behind you will do that. Moving out of my parents' house after I graduated was minor compared to moving thousands of miles away.

 

I don't know what experience you have with speaking the language, but a good start is looking through the DVDs you have and seeing which ones have language tracks in Italian. Don't watch with subtitles, it's not the same.

 

If you're going to highschool there, know that people take schooling a lot more seriously outside of the States. There was very little goofing off, and little to no back talk in the classes I attended. Also, everyone in my school (and I do mean EVERYONE) was what would be considered a nerd here. Forgetting a pencil was just outside of the norm.

 

I believe this is the longest post I've ever left here. Good luck to you!

[italianstalian]

im actually not gonna be an "exchange student"...atleast i think im not...im going to take intensive italian courses for 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 6 months.....so im gonna be with all ppl that dont know italian or know very little

[arwen]

I studied in Bologna, Italy for 6 months. I was in an exchange program (Erasmus-- it's a scholarship for European Union residents). I took Italian classes as a part of that, but it was in fact part of my research for my MA thesis.

 

There are a few things you should be able to do from here:

* take care of finding a home through university housing (if you are enrolled in a university, that is)

* prepare at least some Italian for the first period, in small towns people really don't speak English. It's practical to know things when you are in shops, etc.

 

Through the network of International Students, it's easy to find other students. I have to admit, I met more people from other countries there than Italian people. That was because I was living in a residence of the university that was specially intended for international master students. I have had the greatest friendships there, and met enough Italian people to learn the language quite well.

 

I am so jealous... I am so in love with Italy, I have been there so many times, and a part of me will always sort of 'stay' there.

 

Ilse