Cinque Terre
Author: Jackson Wollscheid | Majors: Economics, Political Science | Semester: Summer 2023
I landed in Venice at midnight disoriented and lost after a 30-hour travel day across 7 time zones on May 12th. I was immediately greeted with Italian and still needed to find my way to a hostel that was nowhere near the airport. After gaining some semblance of direction, I exited the airport and flagged down a taxi where I had to use a mix of google translate and google maps to tell him where I needed to be.
This initial culture shock after a long travel day was a struggle, but relief came when I got to Paderno del Grappa where I was studying for the month. Paderno was a small town in Northern Italy in the Veneto region with a view of absolutely magnificent mountains. I had chosen the CIMBA program for its quaintness as it would allow me to focus on my studies without the atmosphere of a big city enticing me to spend every moment exploring. The program also allowed me more chances to practice the Italian I was learning in class. While some English was spoken by the locals, most conversations took place in Italian. Being able to put into practice what I was learning in my class led to a greater learning experience compared to the Spanish classes I had taken previously as it was a necessity to use the language I was learning in my day-to-day life both on campus and during my trips across Italy. My Global Economics class also proved incredibly beneficial in a different way as the class taught me a lot about trade and trade barriers. I got to see firsthand the differences in prices in Italy compared to the United States along with how travel between countries in the EU is different from traveling between countries in North America. Being able to practically apply and experience what I was learning in these classes allowed me to better understand these concepts in a way I would not otherwise be able to.
Every week saw me taking 4½ hours a day of class divided between my studies in Global Economics and Italian. The courses were rigorous and moved quickly as there was much to cover in the 4 weeks we were there; however, the professors were incredibly understanding of this and made sure to offer clear instruction as well as offer as much help as we needed. The professors also were incredibly caring for us as they wanted us to get the most out of our time in the country, so while we worked hard all week, the professors allowed us to travel unburdened by homework on the weekend. The professors also did their best to facilitate networking between us students as they assigned group projects where we never worked with the same group twice to allow us to meet and befriend as many people as possible. It was in this way that I made some of my best friends in the program from those also from the South to those in the Midwest. Professors in the program truly wanted students to make the most of their time in both academics and application in their travels.
While my academics and classwork were my priority, traveling was also instrumental to my experiences. Throughout the 5 weeks I was abroad, I traveled to 5 five different countries all in different parts of Europe. These trips proved incredibly enlightening as I got to take in the culture and architecture of many different parts of the continent from the Baroque stylings of Prague and Augsburg, Germany to the more Gothic architecture in Dublin and Vienna. This blended with the myriad of different types of food such as the calamari on the coast of the Mediterranean, the pasta of Rome and Venice, the fish and chips in Dublin, and the schnitzel and brats of central and eastern Europe. Everywhere I visited had its own unique cultural atmosphere that showed me how wide the world truly is.
Joining the CIMBA program and deciding to study abroad proved one of the best decisions I have ever made and is one I highly recommend looking into. Through the program, I became incredibly close with people I would not otherwise have. Throughout my time abroad, I learned a lot, but no lesson was better than learning to say “Yes” to experiences that I was anxious about. Putting myself out there and doing things and going places I would not otherwise think of ever doing led me to some of the best experiences I have ever had in my life. Being abroad can be stressful, but accepting that this is a certainty and realizing you can only control certain things led me to be resilient in the face of every problem and situation I faced abroad. Problems are sure to arise while traveling abroad, but facing them in a calm fashion and knowing everything will work out is the best way to face them.