Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Siena Study Abroad- Madison Wilkins- Photo Essay Contest Winner- Student Choice- Best Story


Cooking Class
As apart of my experience I chose to take cooking classes. These classes not only taught me how to cook Italian cuisine, but also taught me to work with people from different countries. Study abroad taught me that meeting people from different countries is a rewarding and interesting experience. It also taught me that that all people have something in common no matter what nationality they are. 


Making Ravioli’s
My favorite thing that I learned in cooking class was how to make stuffed ravioli. It was interesting to learn about the different cooking methods from my culture and Italian culture. I found that Italian food is much more simple then American food. Food connects all different cultures together because even if you cannot appreciate different cultural values you can always appreciate their food.


Arriving in Venice
Study abroad also taught me that seeing the world is an eye opening experience. It is very important to get out of the culture you grew up and experience new things. Study abroad taught me to appreciate other cultures, and to make new friends. This experience will give me an edge in my professional career because I am open minded to change and new cultural experiences.




                        My Italian class
The Italian class I took in Siena had students from all nationalities. Including: German, Japanese, and our Italian teacher. This forced me to use my language skills because the only language I had in common with the other students was Italian. Therefore, not only did this help my learning but it also helped me to understand people from different cultures.



Florence

I spent a lot of time in Florence while I was in Tuscany. In Florence I learned about Italian fashion, food, and art. I have never had an appreciation for art. However, seeing famous paintings in the Uffizi gallery helped me understand why it is such a large part of Italian culture and history. Also, it reinforced how important it is to learn about different cultural values and how they came to be that way.



Last Dinner in Siena

Finally, the most surprising lesson that I learned from study abroad is that it is a wonderful way to get involved at the University of Utah. I made many wonderful friends while on my study abroad. After returning home I learned that I was taking Italian with many of the students who went to Italy, and I see many of them on campus daily. This experience taught me about Italian culture but also got me involved in Italian culture at home.