Goal Setting

In the beginning of the semester I reflected on a few important goals:

One personal goal I have while studying abroad in Rome is maintain good health. I have always had a weak immune system and it often stops me from enjoying things as much as I could. To maintain good health I want to have a healthy lifestyle and stay active by walking and running here in Rome as well as eating nutritious foods. One professional goal I have is to work to find a position either as an intern or paid working with children with hearing and speech language disorders for this coming summer. I have researched a few options but have not made any connections yet and by the beginning of March I hope to have contacted all of the establishments on my list. One academic goal I have for this semester is to do well in school, meaning achieve mostly A’s in my classes. I realize balancing school, travel, and life in a new place can be a difficult task but I am willing to take it on.  In order to do this I will need to keep organized and stay ahead of my school work and assignments. There are plenty of resources such as my professors, fellow classmates, and the library. Knowing who I can approach for each subject I may need help with will help me achieve my goal. I need to set aside specific time to study and remember to take things one assignment at a time. One cultural goal I have is to immerse myself in Italian Language so I am able to communicate with the local people on the street and in the super market. I am often approached by people on the street or in the markets that mistake me for Italian and ask me questions but I cannot help them because I don’t understand. In order to achieve this goal I will need to devote extra time to learning Italian as well as being confident in my speaking so I am able to try to converse.

I think that these are all attainable goals and with the help of my roommates and family at home I will be able to achieve them. My roommates will be able to encourage and motivate me the most because I actually live with them and they see my living styles and habits and how these could get in the way of attaining my goals.  I will also hold myself accountable. For me this is easy to do as long as I have written things down and set specific goals which I have done. Now I will be able to help keep myself on track as well.

 Looking Back on some of these goals I am able to say that I am proud of myself for working towards and reaching many of these goals. Two goals I specifically achieved where attaining a summer intern position. I am scheduled to start working as a volunteer intern through Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh (UPMC) where I will be working in the Speech Language Department. I also believe that I have achieved the highest grades possible. I worked hard all semester and knew when I needed to devote more time to certain subjects. Although not all of my grades have been officially turned in I was organized all semester and kept track of how I was doing so I am confident in the results of my hard work. I also believe I acquired enough Italian language to communicate with the locals such as in the grocery store or in a restaurant and also maintained good health. Looking back, I am proud to say I have been able to achieve my goals it gives me a very worth while feelings.
Studying abroad will definitely contribute to my future both professional and personally.  I feel that I have gained a lot of communication skills that will be valuable in the work place and also learned how to communicate on a professional level. Personally, I feel more comfortable dealing with public transportation as well as stressful situations such as being lost. I have gained a lot of confidence in my self and believe that this will be a great help in the future.

Benefits of Online Discussion Forum

The online discussion forums throughout the semester were very interesting. Not only did it give me an opportunity to reflect on some of my own experiences but I was able to relate to others studying abroad in various places. I was also able to gain some insight on what it would be like to be studying in a different country. When I decided to study abroad I considered many different places and it was interesting to see what possible experiences I could have had if I had chosen a different place to study abroad. Although some of the experiences discussed seemed different, some seemed very similar. In one discussion we talked about some difficulties and I found i had encountered similar situations to some other students.  I responded to the discussion:

I think living in a foreign culture has definitely helped me to understand my abilities better. Like someone mentioned earlier, everyday life tasks in Rome can easily turn into an all day adventure. Simple things at first were often a great task. Things like laundry without dryers, going to the open air market or a special shop instead of a one stop shopping super center like Wal-mart and even getting to school or going to dinner with friends was often a huge ordeal at first. It was difficult for me to understand the transportation and timing of things as well as manage my time correctly.  Learning to navigate a public transportation system as extensive as Rome’s has shown that I underestimated my abilities. I observe in an International School here in Rome and have to take 3 different buses (or a the tram and then 2 buses) which at first was a daunting and almost seemingly impossible task. I thought I would never be able to figure it out but have come a long way since then and basically have the bus and tram routes down to science.

Other situations, such as registering for classes, signing up for housing, communicating with advisers, and applying for summer positions have also showed me that things are not as easy as I thought they would be when I am abroad. I thought that with the technology of e-mail all of these tasks which is usually fairly easy when in the states would have been similar while being abroad because most of them are centered around e-mail. I have recently been proven wrong as I have found it very difficult to stay on top of these types of tasks because it often involves extensive e-mailing. Also, many summer positions, both intern and volunteer, expect me as an applicant to be available by phone but once again I must rely on e-mail. Once again, I thought I would not have the organizational skills and patience for that matter, to keep all of these matters in line but I surprised myself. I have kept up with dates and deadlines for things such as a job for next semester when I thought I would not be able to because I am so far away

Both of these situations have showed me that with enough concentration and will power I can often exceed my beliefs in myself and I think that is one of the most valuable lessons I have learned while studying abroad.

Many students related to the second part of my statement. It was often difficult adjust to how difficult  some tasks were because had I been in the United States they would have been simple and routine. the online discussions helped me realize I was not the only one who felt this way, which was very comforting.

Meetings With the Resident Staff

As part of the Connecting Across Cultures class I met with Jenny Petrucci throughout the semester. in the beginning she explained many of the activities we could participate in throughout the semester. After choosing an activity she assisted in setting those activities up in accordance with our class schedules. Later on in the semester we met again to discuss the benefits and disadvantages of the activities which helped me as a student to better understand how the activity helped me adjust. I believe the feedback was also valuable to Jenny and the rest of the Connecting Across Cultures staff because there were many aspects that could be improved.
I also met regularly with the Student Life Office Staff at American University in Rome. They were extremely helpful in assisting me with daily life obstacles and housing problems as well as advice on different activities in Rome. If I ever had a question about transportation, school, our apartment or even something as simple as "Where can I find a Tailor?" they were more then happy to help which helped me adjust to my new culture.

Weekly Engagement Activity

Italian Culture Class
Participating in the weekly Italian Culture Class at American University in Rome gave me the opportunity to learn hands on about Italian culture. The class was lead by a resident student who has been living in Rome for a few years and has a very good idea of how the culture works. We took weekly excursions to different markets, areas, or parks in the city that I had not previously seen. This was extremely beneficial in the beginning of the semester because it helped me get acquainted with the city. It was also extremely helpful because I was able to build relationships with resident students who made my experience more enriching. Since these people were actual students instead of adviser's or professors they were able to give me a different outlook on the city and aspects of Italian life.
Along with the Italian Culture Class I also worked in an international school which was truly a rewarding experience. Once a week I traveled to Marymount International School where I observed in an eighth grade classroom. Some students came from Italy but many came from other places throughout the world. It was interesting to see the way they interacted and wanted to learn about American literature but also each others cultures. Many of them had been residents in Italy for three or four years and were able to give me good insight about teenage life in Italy. Many of their interests were similar; to those of American teenagers but they also were able to explain to me many aspects of the culture that I had not previously considered.

Cultural Excursion and Film

Excursion: Apertivo

One of the most interesting cultural activities I participated in here at my first month in Rome, Italy was the tradition of Aperitivo in a new neighborhood called Trastevere. Trastevere is the neighborhood located next to mine but is less residential and is more up and coming. It is filled with quaint bars, café’s and restaurants and the streets are lined with apartment buildings that have laundry lines stretching across the street to the adjacent window. Trastevere is the epitomy of what you think a “typical” Italian city neighborhood would look like with people lounging around near the fountain at the Piazza center and couples strolling and eating Gelato.  This has since become one of my favorite neighborhoods in Rome.

In the beginning of the semester some fellow students and I ventured there for a traditional Italian event called Aperitivo. This event takes place anywhere from around seven to ten at night and happens before dinner. In most places, you pay for one ticket which includes a drink and a table of appetizers to choose from but it is mostly based on the social experience. The majority of the time before dinner is spent talking and socializing. I particularly enjoyed Aperitivo because it was one of my first experiences with some traditional Italian food. I had obviously experienced Italian foods such as pizza and pasta before but at Aperitivo I was able to experience some of the smaller less known foods such as fresh mozzarella and tomato, a cheese and sauce dish similar to lasagna but with less noodles and Pasta Carbonara which is a pasta in an egg and bacon sauce.

This event also gave me an opportunity to realize that although many people think Italian culture is very “food centered”, exactly the opposite is true. The meals are not very large and the point of Aperitivo is not to eat or drink for that matter but to socialize and spend time with friends. This Italian tradition has really given me a better sense of Italian life and was an eye opener to the endless possibilities available here in Rome.

Film: Baciami Ancora

After viewing Baciami Ancora which is an Italian film following the intertwined lives of a group of friends I was able to a different aspect of Italian life I had not previously been exposed to. Banciami Ancora means “kiss me again” and the film is a follow up happening ten years later showing the troubles and difficulties a group of Italian middle-aged friends are going through. The film showed the aspects of divorce, a small family of only one or two children, and also adults living with their parents longer then what is acceptable in the United States. My Italian class has discussed all of these aspects as a part of Italian culture that varies from typical American cultural values and it was interesting to see them displayed on screen.

One of the main differences in the film was how the characters viewed divorce and adultery. Because Italy is a catholic country there is typically a low divorce rate and this held true in the film. The characters tried harder then what I would have expected to keep their marriages together. They also expressed great frustration and angst over leaving their significant other where as in American films it almost is expected that a character or two will get divorced, and almost with ease.

                Not only were cultural difference portrayed but I was also able to see a lot of similarities.  The movie was very entertaining in the fact that it had a lot of the same elements that an American film would have, which I was not expecting. I realize that a lot of interests are the same but I was thinking the movie may focus on different aspects than a typical American drama film. I was wrong. The movie, like any American drama, was filled with divorce, cheating, suspense, past relationship problems and anger towards ex-lovers. Also, like any typical American drama, the group is brought together despite their problems over a friend’s death. Overall, I enjoyed the movie because it had a good story line and showed the Italian language and culture in a beautiful way but I was also to draw cross cultural comparisons from the film which is always interesting as well.