Offline in Siena, Italy

Submitted by Kasey Rhead on the 2016 winter session program in Siena, Italy sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…

This past Saturday, we arrived in Siena to meet our host families. As we approached our destination, everyone on the bus slowly became more giddy and nervous. Would they like us? Did they speak any English? I learned pretty quickly that my host family, a couple in their seventies who had been married for 52 years, did not speak one lick of English. However, that only seemed like a small obstacle when my two roommates and I learned that they had no internet connection in their home. How would we contact our families at home, do our homework or make plans with our other friends on the program if we were unable to contact them?

Almost immediately, we scoured the town for cafés and gelaterias with an internet connection. After a while, we found a nice little outdoor café that overlooked the Piazza del Campo, and most importantly, had free Wi-Fi. I figured it would quickly become my favorite place to go in my spare time, and for a while, it was. But then on Monday, school started and I got used to living with a host family. Though I missed having access to the internet all the time like I was accustomed to in America, I found myself caring less and less as the days went by. I cared more about spending time with my new friends in my group and getting to learn more about Italian culture from my self-proclaimed Italian grandparents. I feel extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to distance myself from social media and life at home and allow myself to get lost in the experience in Siena.piazzasmsienasmpiazza 2sm