Submitted by Kaitlin Michels on the 2019 winter session study abroad program in Siena, Italy sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures…
I have been in Italy for a little over two weeks now and I have finally settled into Siena and living with my host mom. Living with her and going to school every day feels normal now, as if I’ve been doing this for years which surprises me. During the weeks leading up to this program, I thought I was going to feel uncomfortable in another person’s home in a completely different country. However, now that I know my way around the city and I have started building a friendship with my host mom, I feel completely at ease and comfortable. I have also realized that Siena is a beautiful city with a lot of history and culture. To be honest, before this program, I had never even heard of Siena, so I was only really looking forward to visiting cities like Rome and Florence. Living in Siena, I am realizing that it has just as much beauty and history as every other big city in Italy, so I am really appreciating it.
This past weekend, we also took a trip to Venice, which was amazing. So far it has been my favorite city because of how gorgeous it is. One thing that felt strange there, but that I have come to like, was that there were no cars there. Everyone travels by boat since there are canals everywhere. I loved this because in every other city you must be very careful while walking around because the streets are narrow and drivers are pretty reckless. Also, since Venice is made of many different islands connected by bridges, to get to Venice we had to take a boat. This boat ride was a great way to start our time in Venice because we were able to see the landscape and buildings like the Palazzo Ducale from the water. It was really beautiful. The only thing I didn’t like about Venice was the birds. Seagulls and pigeons were everywhere and if you had food in your hand, you had to be very careful. It felt similar to being at the beach in the U.S., just without sand and with huge, beautiful buildings and towers around you.
Overall, Venice and Siena are both beautiful cities with rich culture, interesting history, great people and good food. I have been loving exploring and learning about these cities and I can’t wait for more experiences and the memories I have yet to make.
