Never would I ever have believed all of the things this program has allowed us to experience. Today, we went to a local school to talk and interact with kids of different ages. Walking up to the school, we were a little skeptical as to how this would work (partly because we didn’t know how well they spoke English and partly because the hike to the school is treacherous) and if this would even be fun. It turned out to be the best experience! They speak English so well and they were so fun! The kids made me want to learn another language as fluently as they knew other languages. Talking to kids, not that far from our age about what they like and how they live, was such a more interactive way to learn about culture than sitting in a classroom.

We also knew coming to Italy meant that we would see an opera. Who goes to New York City and doesn’t see a Broadway show? That is how important operas are in Italy. Finding out that the whole opera would be in complete Italian was a bit daunting because how were we supposed to sit through a three hour opera that we cannot even follow? So, what better way to understand an opera than to act it out ourselves? We all had a role in the opera and acted it out. It was so funny and such a fun way to let loose with each other and understand the opera. It helped so much once we were at the opera to have a good grasp as to what was going on. The opera itself was so entertaining and did not disappoint!
These past 7 weeks have been the craziest, most fun, most tiring, and most rewarding weeks of my entire life. I have learned so much not only about the Italian culture and history, but about myself as well. This has, no doubt, been one of the best decisions of my life.
Ciao,
Jessica Mizell