For my STEP signature project, I decided to study abroad in Siena, Tuscany. I was there for 6 weeks, and I had the opportunity to take classes in the Italian language and immerse myself in the Sienese culture. Along with this I was also given the opportunity to do service opportunities as well.
When I was beginning my step project, I had a lot of anxiety going into it. What was the culture like and how did I plan to handle that? Will my host family like me, and what will my environment be like? All these worries were put aside when I was thrown into the program right away. From experiencing the program in this way, with the full immersion aspect, I was able to trust the coordinators and take each day one at a time. One of the largest ways this helped me and showed me a new way in which I could grow was the trust aspect of it all. Before we had flown over the other members of the program, and I were told that we would get no information about our host families and that we would not be able to contact them until we met them in person the first day. This made me so worried, and I never thought that I would allow myself to accept something like this. On the contrary, I still pushed myself to go and give it all a shot. From doing this I had surprised myself and I realized that I was more capable than I thought. Another way this experience has taught me to grow is that it has taught me to have an even greater appreciation for the differences between my culture and that of Italy’s. From being in a culture that treats time differently for example, I have learned, and I have had more opportunities, to take my time and to not let small things worry me.
When it comes to the usage of time, one of the best experiences that I had in Italy had to do with this. The experience is based on the Palio. The Palio is an annual horse race in Siena that is one of the most important traditions that was kept from medieval times. During the time when the horses and the riders were being paired up, my class and I went to go watch. We had arrived early and were waiting for it to start, but it did not start for 3 hours. This experience showed me how different our cultures are. I really enjoyed how there are more important things than just time and getting things done. Things like, spending time with others and, just enjoying an experience for what it is, really do show a difference between how people view the meaning of spending your time well. The way time is seen is more wholesome compared to the American culture, and I have come to know that time is precious and that we should use it to the best of our abilities.
Another experience that challenged me a lot that I would like to dive deeper into is my host family experience. Through my interaction with my host family, I was given an opportunity to get an immersive experience to be surrounded by the culture. From seeing how they interact with each other to how they handle different situations my eyes were shown yet again how different our cultures are. While I was in Italy, I was given a large opportunity to practice my patience. This had a large part to do with my host family, and a small piece was that I did not have Wi-Fi in the house of the family I was staying with. This factor would not have tested my patience and understanding so much if I was able to get reception within the house, but I was sadly not able to. I understood that it was during the time of the Palio, and during this time everything stops for people. They truly did run on different time schedules. My host family was upset that I still did not have access to the internet, but it pushed me to use my problem-solving skills. It made me anxious, but I was able to put that aside and figure out a solution with the school. For the last week I was there I had Wi-Fi and I was able to laugh about it later, but I am grateful for this experience and how far it pushed me into situations I had to figure out how to resolve.
One last way that my trip challenged me was not just in the tangible factors, but also in the relational factors as well. From having the chance to meet so many people from different parts of both Europe and The United States I was able to see more cultural differences than just those between the United States and Italy. The way that the program was set up was that there were multiple universities and colleges that they partner with. There were students from multiple colleges in Ohio and some from New York and Georgia. It really opened my eyes to how big the United States is. It sounds funny to say, but I have made so many friends from these different states and I never realized how different cultures are even within the United States. For example, I knew that there were so many differences between the northern and southern parts of Italy. Even the central part of Italy is different from the north and the south, but from being able to form friendships and relationships with people from these different states I came to this realization. It was very enjoyable to meet so many different people from the United States. From these relationships too I was able to go out of my comfort zone and relate to people from my country too. I was also to form a friendship with a girl from the Czech Republic which made my experience a lot happier as well.
All these changes have honestly changed me in such a positive way. I have gained so much more confidence in my language skills and my relational skills as well. It reminds me of the intercultural competence idea that we learn about in all my language classes at OSU. I remember someone saying that learning a language change who you are, and even though I have been learning Italian for many years, this was the first time I have been fully immersed. I have come back, and I can say that it is true, and I am very grateful for it all. My understandings have expanded and the way that my experience has allowed me to thrive will forever be a part of me.
