Sunday, July 3, 2016

Cultural Comparisons


The study abroad program taught me how different the cultural differences are between the US and Italy. The food was great I have always had a love for Italian food, pizza was one of my favorite foods while growing up, however I learned that in Italy Pizza is way different for instance it is uncommon for them to use pepperoni as one of their toppings, some pizza’s only contain tomato sauce, seafood such as tuna is a common pizza toping and their crust is thin unlike the US. Another food custom I learned is that Italians drink wine or water with most of their meals. Water Fountains are not common for instance we tried to look for one at the university but they said they only use bottled water. The water served at restaurants comes in a glass container and is very pure. The transportation was also new to me growing up in a small town we don’t experience different types of transportation other than vehicles. In Milan however there is a wide variety of transportation such as the underground metro, trains which we rode to Venice and back to the Malpensa airport, bus, we also saw people use motorcycles, bikes, and European cars are very small. The education environment also differs from the US in that for one the price to attend is a university is cheaper, the environment is more relaxed, for example many students smoke on campus, and they do not have a dress code, students are allowed to use their cell-phones during class and exams, teacher’s are not allowed to take a student’s cell-phone because it is considered their private property. The teacher’s go by their first name and are not called a Mr. or Mrs. On one of our field trips we went out to eat with our professor Guido and he stated it was common for students to have lunch with their students. I enjoyed learning about all their cultural differences and it was easy to adapt to them also. I forward to returning back to visit someday. 

Friday, June 24, 2016


Language Issues

Today is our last day of our study abroad program it was sad to say goodbye to our mentor Ilaria and our last instructor Antonio who taught us about fashion and design. The first week at IULM we had the opportunity to learn Italian language with Fillippo and Massimo. I would definitely say they were both my favorite instructors. We learned so much that first week they’re English was really good considering they did not think so. Even though we learned Italian and had the opportunity to practice it with the locals it was not sufficient to carry on a conversation or understand them at times given that they are fluent therefore they spoke it a lot faster and had an accent. Google translate was a lot of help when it came down to ordering food, asking for directions, shopping, and paying. I definitely did experience a language barrier at Voda phone which is a well known cell phone company in Italy.  I went in to the store to request help with the service on my sim card for my phone as it was not working and even though the sales representative spoke English there was miscommunication in which he did not understand me or was refusing to help me. Another downfall to not knowing the language was when locals asked for help and I was unable to help them. An experience like this has given me the opportunity to understand the burdens foreigner’s have when they come to US not knowing the language. Learning the Italian language is essential in everyday life in Italy, being fluent in English and Spanish helped me learn the language as most of the Italian is very similar to the Spanish language. I hope to keep the little bit of Italian that I learned while being here by practicing it with my new Italian friends I made so it won’t be forgotten.

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Academic life

Attending IULM University has been a great experience. The university is within walking distance from our hotel. The atmosphere is great, I like how the building it is structured so that we get to our class easy given that our class is on the fourth floor. The first week we learned Italian language our professor’s Fillipo and Massimo were both wonderful, the very first day we learned the basics such as proper greetings, and replying. I use what I learned that very same day today on the streets with the locals. The course was so intense we learned so much in five days. I am thankful for the class as it provided the basics foundation to communicate around the city and meet new people. It was exciting to try to start conversation with the Italians. The second week we learned about cultural economics that provided us with background in music, cinema, architecture, gaming, and included a visit to the Triennale art museum. The trip to the museum was very unique I saw art in a different dimension from what I have experienced. The experience I have gained in the past two weeks is unforgettable. The topic I enjoyed learning about the most was gamification it was very interesting to see the background perspective. It showed me how the goal was to make something boring and turn it into something fun. Tomorrow is our last week I’m extremely excited to learn about fashion and design it has always been a dream of mine to work in this field and luckily I will have the opportunity to begin tomorrow so I plan to take advantage of this course. I hope other students are encouraged to have this amazing experience to study abroad. The culture, food, and education experience have taught me so much. 

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Daily Life

     Daily life in Milan has been quite the experience. I really love it and have learned so much already the first week I have been here. I have learned Italian language is very similar to Spanish which has helped me learn the language. I have also adopted the different means of using public transportation using the metro and bus. At first it was kind of hard to get around but I have got used to it now and feel comfortable doing it. Our tutor Ilaria has been so helpful with everything and anything that we may need. She is super friendly and kind. The first day I arrived my bank locked my account even though I personally walked into the bank and informed them I would be traveling to Italy and provided the specific dates. Ilaria was there to help me call my bank and then walked me the ATM right after so I could get cash. She has also been included in our face book group and she is my friend on my personal face book account. We have had lunch with her and am glad she is always there to help. I am also thankful we were provided with a breakfast voucher and it is very convenient it is right across the street also. The people working there are super friendly and greet us with a kind smile everyday. On Saturday we has our sight seeing and it was very interesting to learn about the history I was amazed by Duamo it was more than what I expected. I have also had the chance to do some exploring we went shopping at Corso Buenos Aires and loved it. They have stores that are affordable. We also got to go to Erasmas Prom at limelight and that was so much fun. I never expected to attend any type of prom after high school so it was very interesting and unforgettable night. Today I had the chance to go to Assago to a Latin Amrican Festival and got to see other latinos which I didn’t expect to see in Italy. So far everything has been great.