What I Hope to Gain from This Experience:
The trip is a sort of pilgrimage for me in the sense that Italy is one of the most culturally and historically rich places in Europe, and Florence in particular is a huge artistic and historical center. Of almost any other city in Europe, I think it is most important for me to visit here as many of my passions (art, architecture, history, food, and wine) all sort of converge in this gorgeous city. I hope to take in as much wine and Italian dishes as my stomach can handle and to visit as many museums and historical cites (which is basically the whole city) as time will allow. Also, plan to use my intern experience to fulfill my SPE requirement as well as the Intercultural Dynamics core requirement.
Maximizing My Experience:
I want to learn more about Renaissance history and Italian culture (a very broad, all encompassing category I realize) while I am abroad, as I have a general but shallow knowledge of both. Also, I want to learn as much Italian as possible both before I leave and when I get there so that I can have the best experience abroad as possible (which will depend on how well I am able to interact with my environment and its people)
Fear and Excitement:
I am afraid I will feel uncomfortable at first if I don’t get a good handle on the language, but that’s only a secondary fear as I have been in that position before (three years ago when I visited Germany without having a very extensive German vocabulary). I am most afraid of being sick during the trip and missing many potential experiences and doing poorly in my classes. However, the overwhelming, euphoric excitement for the experience far outweighs any negative feelings I may have.
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