This experience was amazing to say the least and life-changing to say the most. Through my in-classroom experiences, I gained knowledge about ancient and modern Italian culture. I learned about the Roman Forum while strolling through it and followed Sanremo while it was happening live. Through my out-of-classroom adventures, I immersed myself in cultures across Italy and beyond. With four-day weekends every weekend, I was in Venice one weekend and Vienna the next. Capri then Copenhagen. Sicily then Stockholm. It was an opportunity to abundantly immerse myself in multiple cultures and then proceed to compare and contrast them.
With the Harvey Scholarship, I was given a generous grant that left me to be able to explore as much as time allowed. This section of the blog post will go more in-depth on some of my experiences and takeaways. I could simply explain what I saw, but there are photos for that. What I value most that came out of my semester abroad was learning about the culture! The history! The humanity!
On a multicultural level, living in a country where English is not the national language was eye-opening and humbling. I have never felt so confused in so many social situations in such a short amount of time, but it was valuable for me as an American. I was a visitor and I needed to adjust my behavior to respectfully interact with the world around me. Embarrassingly, it was a reality check that the world doesn’t revolve around English and American culture.
One of the largest takeaways was comparing different regions and countries to each other as I traveled to them. For example, southern Italy is considered the most relaxed and pleasure-seeking of the whole country whereas the north is more uptight, and business-orientated. I can say from experience that I can agree with those stereotypes. In fact, in many European countries, the southern half of the country is more easy-going while the north is more formal. I saw that in Germany, France, and Italy most specifically. Additionally, across the whole continent, the southern countries are more outgoing and spontaneous–think Spain and Italy–where the north is shyer and organized–think Sweden perhaps.
Overall, while I explored the world, I also explored “my” world as in learning about what I value and who I want to become. Through various trips that were both in groups and solo, I discovered that I love museums, regional food, and cultural experiences the most when visiting a new place. I developed a deep trust of strangers by staying in hostels but also got more cautious of them at the same time since on multiple occasions people tried to pickpocket me. I found my voice and learned to lean into the discomfort -knowing that it signifies growth. I learned to value myself first and speak up when I found something to be off. I gained a deep sense of gratitude to the Harvey Scholars Program and Mines in general because I really missed the community I created in Golden, CO! To anyone who has the chance to study abroad, in whatever large or small way: go for it! You won’t regret it.
Below is a link to the blog I kept for my McBride practicum as I was in Italy. I updated it week to week as I traveled from place to place. If you are curious about the specific places I traveled to, this is where you can find all that information!
https://bensonkayla.wixsite.com/rome-abroad/blog