Even with my short six month stay in Italy, my time abroad brought with it an incredible amount of cultural exposure which would have been otherwise impossible to recreate at my home university. Living in the Italy meant speaking with locals on a daily bases, surrounding myself in the Italian cuisine, and delving head first into a foreign culture (fashion, body language, even language expression unique to Bologna like “Dammi il tiro” which is a funny way of asking to be buzzed into the building). These experiences simply cannot be replicated or prepared for in a classroom.
My time abroad brought an incredible amount of cultural exposure which would have been impossible to recreate at my home university. Living in Italy meant speaking with locals on a daily basis, delicious Italian cuisine, and diving head first into Italian culture: fashion, body language, and expressions unique to Bologna like, “Dammi il tiro,” which is a way to ask to be buzzed into the building. These experiences simply cannot be prepared for or replicated in a classroom.