IES Abroad Milan - Business Studies : Testimonials (Milan)
The following program testimonial responses have been selected for publication by Office of International Programs
We want to hear about your experience!
Why did you choose this program?
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I wanted something completely different than what I was used to. I am from Spartanburg, go to school in Spartanburg, and only know English. Therefore Milan was the perfect place for me to live in a big city and learn a new, beautiful language. The program had the business and government qualities that helped me stay on track for graduation along with the living arrangements conducive to the experience that I wanted to receive.
— Ellen Richardson, Spring 2014 |
What was your favorite aspect of this program?
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I loved learning the language. Moreover, I loved the fact that my Community Assistant wanted us to spend time with her and her friends. I got to know a lot of local Italians and therefore was more exposed to the language, contributing to my rapid progress in learning Italian. I made connections and lifelong friendships with these people and I will always cherish that aspect of my time in Milan.
— Ellen Richardson, Spring 2014 |
What was your housing situation like?
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I lived in an apartment with 4 other Americans and 1 Italian who served as our Community Assistant. All the Americans were around my age and the Italian was about 24 years old. She was wonderful and it was nice to have someone to take us to the phone store to get our phones, teach us colloquial Italian phrases and the culture. This, I think, is the most important thing about the housing in this program. We got lucky because our apartment was the nicest apartment in the program, and the largest. It was about a 30 minute tram ride to the IES Center, so that was a little frustrated but also expected since the commute time in larger cities, in Europe particularly, is longer.
— Ellen Richardson, Spring 2014 |
What was your favorite class and why?
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My favorite class was Italian, because I loved the language so much. But my favorite academic class was my History of Fascism and Anti Semitism in Italy class. THe professor was very knowledgeable and we were studying the history of Italy and we got to visit a transit camp and talk to people who were directly affected. This was my most interesting class. I already had a base knowledge of the holocaust but this class took my understanding and knowledge further and made my love for the subject grow inexplicably.
— Ellen Richardson, Spring 2014 |
What did you gain from studying abroad?
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I think to list what I learned abroad is impossible because the experience was so vast and had a million different aspects that I learned from. That being said, some things I did learn was how to travel. I traveled a lot on the weekends and am therefore very savvy in an airport, on a train, in a taxi etc, all in countries that I am not familiar with. I also learned a lot about myself. Putting yourself outside your comfort zone yields the opportunity to grow and learn about yourself in a way you never thought possible. I also learned that Italians are very emotional people who show their emotions externally. I learned the language. I have a better understanding of why Italians are the way that they are, and this is why I fell in love with the people and the place. I learned a lot about living in a big city, especially a city of great commerce. I learned how businesses in Italy are started and run, and I learned about the working culture from my internship. I learned how to cook amazing Italian food. I learned about the modern art in Italy and in various parts of Europe. So you see, its hard to put into words and in a list everything that I learned in Italy, but these are some of the things that I find important to my time abroad.
— Ellen Richardson, Spring 2014 |