Evangeline Ebeyer
Q&A
"Choose a place you want to call home for the next few weeks. Think of their culture and ask if yourself if you want to experience being a local there. With Italy in particular, I would highly recommend it because Italians are very friendly people."
As a Traditional Roman Catholic, and being half Italian, choosing to study in Rome seemed like a no brainer for me.
I enjoyed submerging myself in the culture by speaking in Italian or choosing to spend time with the locals. Even striking up conversations on the train made me feel like a local.
My biggest concern while abroad was certainly finances considering I funded my entire trip myself. I responded pretty well by budgeting out my days and meals; I found the grocery store to be insanely cheap and cooked a lot at home. I also made sure to do my research and avoided foreign transaction fees wherever I could. Everything adds up.
My day would start by waking up, getting ready, and going for coffee and a pastry since it was so cheap. Maybe I would run some grocery errands or hit the market before class. I would be in class for most the day and then after school grab some lunch at some of the many restaurants on my bucket list. I would then check out a museum while grabbing some gelato on the way there. I would either go out to dinner with my friends or make dinner for myself, and then hit the bars to get a feel for the night life. I'd come home late since Italians like to be out late, and then do it all again the next day.
I took Museums class and Italian class and found the courses certainly compared to Berkeley in the sense of work and involvement. But my professors seem much more engaged with us than Berkeley Professors.
I think getting to live in a foreign country abroad is certainly different from just visiting for vacation. I really enjoyed submerging myself in the culture and feeling like a local.
After studying abroad I felt like a more well rounded individual with a better understanding of other cultures. It made me get outside of my comfort zone and pushed me to try new things and experiences.
I would say when studying abroad to choose a place you want to call home for the next few weeks. Think of their culture and ask if yourself if you want to experience being a local there. With Italy in particular, I would highly recommend it because Italians are very friendly people. Just be wise with your surroundings and smart with your budget.