I studied abroad in Perugia, Italy for ten weeks this summer. Studying in a small Medieval city with limited tourism allowed me to practice my Italian through true language immersion. I also got to take classes in a variety of other subjects as well!

This Summer made me realize how much I missed taking courses in and focusing my attention towards areas unrelated to my main academic focus, and having experiences that ignite interest in a new area. I had the opportunity to study the Anthropology of Food and Eating, the History of Food and Culture in Italy, and ceramics while in Perugia. I love my major here at Ohio State, criminal justice, and had forgotten how much I appreciate really diving into other subjects and interests as well. It was really fun to get to use parts of my brain I feel like I haven’t used in a while.  

               Practicing my Italian on a daily basis felt like I was constantly exercising a muscle in my brain that had been weak. There was definitely never ending trial and error in my abilities to communicate and follow custom.  It felt like there were a lot of unspoken rules, and any slip-ups led to potential eye rolls or smirks from locals. These experiences, while frustrating at times, also allowed me to have growth opportunities in practicing my Italian to ask for clarification or help if confused. 

               In the classroom, I’ve never taken a hand building ceramics course before this summer, and I really enjoyed that experience as well. It even inspired me to find a studio here in Columbus where I can continue! The condensed summer schedule led to long classes each day, which allowed me to really slow down and catch my breath while working with the clay which I appreciated. 

               The anthropology and history courses that I also took have completely changed how I view my relationship with food/the relationship we have with it as humans. Food carries so much historical and cultural significance that it’s often easy to forget when ingredients have become so mainstreamed. I found the readings and class discussions really interesting and would like to continue learning the history of food.

               This experience has been a wonderful reminder that while I’ve been entirely focused on my major for the last few years, my interests truly are vast and I can and should always access them regardless of what I’m doing in my professional life down the line. I will continue to stay curious and seek out experiences and opportunities that can help me understand myself and the world around me more. I am fortunate enough to have the resources to learn about nearly anything I want to in this world with a simple Google search at the very least, and I need to take advantage of that.