Strangers are just friends waiting to happen

Author: Nayeli Ortiz | Major: International Business

During the Spring semester of 2022, I found myself going out of my comfort zone and studying abroad for the entire semester. I chose Italy for my International experience. Although I was excited to be traveling, I was also frightened because this would be the first time I traveled on my own. I am extremely picky with food so thinking about going to a country for 3 months with food I was not familiar with had me concerned. The program I chose was CIMBA, which was located in a small town called Paderno Del Grappa. The classes were very small and something I found to be very interesting was the fact that my exams were all in open response format. I did not have any multiple-choice exams; this was a difficult adjustment because I had to rewire my brain to think differently, and I had to study differently. During the semester I went through a program called LIFE. This program was a completely life-changing experience! Through this involvement I was able to get close to the other students who were in my program and learned so much about myself. This program taught me how to be a better follower, I was always taught the importance of being a leader but thanks to LIFE I was able to learn the benefits of also being a good follower. In CIMBA I also got the opportunity to go through Kepner Tregoe training and received a certificate of completion. This training consisted of being able to do a decision analysis, situation appraisal, and a potential problem analysis when things go wrong in either a business or in a legal situation. From this training, I am now more aware of how I can combat potential problems that I will encounter and how I can overcome them. I chose CIMBA because I wanted to study abroad somewhere in Italy and because this program had all the classes that I needed for my International Business major, and they all transferred back. I also chose this program because they offered a legal studies course that would transfer back for my minor and because I wanted to learn more about the legal system in Italy.

One of my favorite classes that I took at CIMBA was my Intro to Legal Studies course. I enjoyed how the professor would make sure we all spoke in class, and he kept us engaged by actively asking us questions. I also liked how at the beginning of class he would ask us if we had any questions for him and he would end up sharing something personal about his experiences and tie it back to the subject we were discussing in class. Later on, he told me that the reason he started every class with us asking questions and then him sharing something personal was for us to see that he was being vulnerable and so that we too would feel the want to share and ask questions.

Before studying abroad, I had only lived in Arkansas and Mexico. Going abroad was a life-changing experience. The cultural shock was something I constantly thought of before leaving. A couple of months before leaving for Italy I started doubting my decision and wondering if I would be able to go abroad for three months to a country that was like nothing I knew. I booked my plane ticket like a month before leaving, simply because I did not want things to feel real but pushing myself to go to another country was the best thing that I could have done for myself.

When I arrived at CIMBA it felt very strange, it wasn’t until my second week at CIMBA that the cultural shock finally began to wear off and I got into a routine. I no longer questioned my decision of traveling abroad. I would travel every weekend and towards the middle of February, I would look forward to going home to CIMBA after a weekend of exploring a new country or another part of Italy.

One of my favorite trips, while I was abroad, was when I went to Prague with a group of friends. While being in the Czech Republic I got to see the Charles Bridge, the Prague Castle, the Prague Astronomical Clock, and many more fascinating things. The architecture here was astonishing and it was interesting seeing the type of currency. During my spring break, the last week of February and the first week of March my mom and my sister came to visit me, and we visited four different places. We went to Florence, Rome, Paris, and Venice. We first went to Florence, we went to see the Duomo and it was beautiful, it looked as if it was made out of paper, this was one of our favorite places we visited. We also went to Rome which is a place I will be going back to visit. This trip was definitely my favorite memory because I got the opportunity to explore different places in Italy with my family. Although I do not recommend visiting four different places in 10 days, it was exhausting.

I never thought that studying abroad could be such a life-changing experience, but it is. I learned so much about myself in just three months. Going to CIMBA and being in a small town gave me a sense of what the lifestyle of a true Italian was like. By doing this program I was able to fully immerse myself in the Italian culture, I was also able to pick up on some Italian. I learned the importance of critical thinking, how to be more independent and how valuable it is to be a good follower and not just a good leader. Something I wish I knew before studying abroad is that there is no need to overpack. If I could take back time I would have not packed as much clothes as I did. There were so many cute clothes in Italy that it was hard not to do some shopping therefore, I came back with way more things and that was a pain.

Overall, I enjoyed my study abroad experience and would encourage everyone to get outside of their comfort zone and be open to new experiences and change. Studying helped me interact and become friends with students I would have never met. This was worth my while, and I know that I will be able to stand out when applying for jobs because of all the things I learned while being abroad.