Another week of this unique experience has passed and everything
seems to be going well.
Class is going perfectly fine. My Art class is a lot of fun,
although it involves a lot of walking. Also, I can say that
my Italian class is probably the best language class I have ever
taken. My professor has taken a different approach than
any other teacher I have ever had. Rather than starting the
class and speaking in English, he chooses to speak slowly, but not
too slowly, in Italian. If at any point we get lost in what
he is trying to say, he speaks very briefly in English to explain
what he is saying or asking.
Besides our classes, St. John’s makes sure that during the week
students have other activities to keep us occupied. Every
Wednesday, Dominico (one of the study abroad leaders) holds soccer
games for the students. He also takes the students on a tour
of different national monuments once a week.
One notable thing I have done took place last weekend when a few
friends and I visited Venice. I have to say I was pretty
excited to visit Venice, but somewhat disappointed that after all
the sightseeing was over, there really wasn’t anything else to
do. Don’t get me wrong, Venice is a beautiful city with a lot
of things to see, especially since their main method of
transportation is by ferry and various other boats. I guess I
kind of overestimated what my experience in Venice was going to be
like. The one thing I really disliked about it was that,
unlike Rome, everything in Venice, such as shops, restaurants,
etc., closes early. There are also curfews for hotels that
state if you’re not in the hotel by a certain time then you can’t
get in! But overall, I’m glad that I decided to go to
Venice.
Next week a few of my friends and I will be visiting Florence and
from what I hear from other students, Florence will be a lot of
fun. I’m excited and looking forward to it!