I am in Italy.
Did you get that?
I, Emilia Gambardella, am in Italy. This makes me a lucky person. And I’m not just here for a vacation. I am here until June 2013, if not later than
that. This makes me an incredibly lucky person.
Allow me to elaborate. I am spending my junior year of college in
Florence. Smith College, in addition to
the multitude of impressive programs and offerings, happens to have the oldest
American study abroad program in Italy, and I am participating this year. Back in high school, I wasn’t sure of exactly
where I wanted to go to college. All I
knew is that I wanted to study abroad in Italy.
I come from an Italian-American family (my dad was born and raised in
Naples, and my mom’s paternal great grandparents came from Italy a long while
back). It always felt like the right
thing to do- to go back to the place where my family came from, and to learn as
much as I can about it. So I thank God
for guiding me to the school with the oldest and perhaps most unique study abroad
program in Italy.
The program, in
addition to being long standing, has many other merits as well. Unlike a lot of other study abroad programs,
every class I take this year (some through Smith, some through the University
of Florence) will be in Italian, and they will all count towards my GPA. I will be living with a host family in
Florence, and many aspects of my life this year will be those of a typical
Florentine college student.
Throughout this
year I will update this blog with stories, pictures, my thoughts and
experiences. It’s a lot easier than
writing a bunch of emails and letters home, and it will help me to remember as
much as possible. Feel free to share it with
whom you like.
I have no doubt
that my year in Florence will be indescribably beautiful. But first, Napoli.
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