Submitted by Laura Sandu on the 2020 spring semester study abroad program in Rome, Italy…
I am now in my third week of studying abroad and I have gotten used to my class schedule. My classes are fun and interesting. Being in a class with Italian students is a cool experience because I get to hear about the similarities and differences between how we grew up in the United States and how they did in Italy. I’m already learning a lot about Italian culture just from interacting with my classmates! It was a little intimidating to take an Italian class with students who speak Italian as their first language, but it turns out it can be very helpful. If an American student doesn’t understand something in class, the Italian students help explain it/translate it to them. This helps because it takes the pressure off of feeling like I need to be perfect just because the Italian students are fluent. It is okay to still make mistakes and learn from them. This week was also the start of my on-site classes because last week was just an introduction in a classroom. This week I went to Piazza Campidoglio with my Ancient Rome on-site class. It was so cool to experience learning in a different way. I feel like learning about something that is physically right in front of you is a completely different experience than learning about it in a classroom or reading a textbook. It allows you to really get a feel for what Ancient Rome was like!