CET Italy

I would never stop talking if I tried to cover all the amazing stories and memories that I have from studying abroad with CET in Siena. The people involved with the program made all of these memories possible, and I will never forget the impact that they have had on me and as cliche as it may sound, I am a changed person because of this summer. The food, the friends, the teachers, the events, all contributed to my ever growing love of Italy, which now could be deemed as an unhealthy obsession. However, one day in particular will always stick with me as the most incredible day of my life. Myself and three other girls ventured to a castle for a wine tasting early in the morning, which had the most breathtaking view of the tuscan countryside (Castello di Poppiano). After a blissful morning there full of great wine and appetizers (including home made cantucci, which you will love if you go), we took an impromptu trip to Florence to stop in a leather store called Sabani. Marco, the shop owner, immediately offered us wine as soon as we walked in the store, which just added to the intoxicating smell of leather. After 5 hours of what was supposed to just be a quick "stop-in", we left with copious amounts of beautiful leather goods, full from tons of free pizza, more wine, some espresso, and a beautiful new friendship. This is and always will be my paradise, but not just because I was treated like a princess, but because this day truly represents everything I love about Italy: the generous and friendly people, the amazing food and wine, and Italians' love of life and spontaneity. I only got to experience my paradise because of CET and the unforgettable people I met, so all I can say is go, and find your own paradise.

My time studying abroad was incredible to say the least. The city of Florence was so different from anything I had experienced in the US and it was so fun to learn about and experience a new culture, especially one as renowned as Florence's. One of my favorite parts about the CET program was the housing. I had considered other study abroad programs in Europe that had a home stay option, but ultimately chose CET because I liked that I would live in an apartment that was a 10-15 minute walk from the program center, was in a central part of the city so I could easily explore, and that I would be living with other students in the program. CET did an amazing job finding apartments that were central, comfortable and had great amenities. Where you live and its convenience and comfort level play a key role in your time abroad and I think that CET does a great job acknowledging and responding to that factor.

Halfway through the semester, there was a clear planner of our group of friends and that person was not me. At the same time as the "planner" of our group went to Oktoberfest with another group of friends, my favorite professor abroad mentioned an island her and her family enjoyed visiting. Thus, I became the interim planner and a fairly spontaneous and unorganized one at that - having decided to go only a couple days before leaving. Waking up for a 5:30 am train ride and then a 15 minute transport on a boat, the four of us made it to Elba Island. As unplanned as this trip was, it was equally as perfect. We stayed in an Air BnB overlooking the ocean, met locals who were willing to lend us their bikes, experienced rocky instead of sandy beaches and even went scuba diving (for me) and snorkeling (my friends). We may have been the only ones on this island who's first language was not Italian and it was a truly beautiful glimpse into an undisturbed region of Italy.

CET Siena was an amazing, extremely unique experience. My homestay was the best part of my four months in Italy-- I lived with a single grandmother and she was amazing. All of the people in my program were EXTREMELY happy with their homestays and I highly recommend doing a homestay. HIGHLY. LIKE DO IT. DO IT!

My program was very small, unfortunately. There were only five of us-- but this isn't always the case. Next semester there are 17 people! Yet Siena is definitely small. This means that compared to the programs in Florence you will actually learn Italian and use it every day! It also means you can walk everywhere, and that at times, the social scene isn't that big or easy to find. It's also hard because there are very few Americans studying abroad in Siena, so most of the people you meet will speak only Italian.

The CET staff was great, very helpful and always there to help out with all questions. The teachers were overall pretty good-- some of the classes are long (like 3 hours), but the homework wasn't overwhelming. The Italian teachers are AMAZING, the best language teachers I've EVER EVER had.

This program will most likely not greatly improve your Italian language skills as a beginner. The Italian lanuage class is only twice a week for an hour and a half. Because I already knew Italian I made a commitment to talk to people on the street only in Italian which helped. However for a beginner this can be difficult. Also the language class was not heavily focused in grammar, instead we mainly talked during class. I was the only one in my program who had prior experience with Italian so it was a one on one language course. All of the other people in the program said that they could not speak Italian after 4 months.

There is nothing I could say badly about this program. I was placed with my good friend from school In a home stay, with Stella, the most amazing Italian woman and basically my second mother at this point. The food was incredible, the wine delicious, the people were wonderfully friendly, and the city is remarkably beautiful. The group of students becomes very tight-knit and we would do everything together. We traveled on weekends, relaxed In the piazza, or just did our homework or had Italian movie nights together. The professors all deeply cared about not only our academic progress but our personal comfort and happiness as well. We would often meet them outside of class just to grab a snack or to chat about current events. Siena is a vibrant city with so much local culture and history to offer if you're open to branching out and experiencing it. Not to mention, they have some of the best pizza and pasta I've ever had in my life.. If you're presented the opportunity to study here, do not say no.

During the summer of my sophomore year in college, I decided to study abroad in Florence, Italy for two months. Being that I had a struggled with an eating disorder for eight years, I hoped that, being around a culture that embraces spontaneity, creativity, flexibility, art, freedom, and food would change me.
I remember Italy clearly, there were many ups and downs; it was a journey to say the least, one that I needed to take, and I do not regret it. For a few days, I was living the dream as I climbed the Duomo, visited the Baptistery, went to authentic restaurants with incredible food, went to famous museums where I saw breathtaking works of art, and just explored this fantastic city of Florence while taking college courses at The University of Florence and learning about this incredible place.
I had some incredible and enlightening moments in Italy that I will never forget, and these moments were the ones that truly motivated me to change. Turns out that I met another young woman in my study abroad group who had also suffered from an eating disorder; what are the odds, right? She confided in me one day, and this time, instead of running away and shutting her out, I listened, hoping to gain some insight into how to beat this disorder by listening to someone who was fully recovered. She told me about intuitive eating, a new concept that I had never heard of before, but something that I always dreamed of, being able to listen to your body and know what it needs in terms of nourishment, whether it be through food, spirituality, movement, etc. It is that crucial mind and body connection that the eating disorder severs, and therefore, in order to break free from my disordered mindset, I had to start listening to my body again, which is what this beautiful culture emphasized.
Overall, what I had learned from my journey to Italy was that life is a journey, and therefore, we must choose to make the most of it by living in the moment. I truly believe that Italy was a step in my recovery that I needed to take in order to get to the place that I am at now, and that is, living a balanced life.

Overall, I was pretty satisfied with my study abroad experience through CET Florence. Many of the classes offered (such as Renaissance Art and Food & Culture) allowed us to study aspects of the local culture in situ, through museum and market visits.
However, there were some classes and activities listed in the program description that were not actually offered as a part of the program. One main example would be the opportunity for language partners. I would have really appreciated a native Italian to meet and converse with on a regular basis to help practice my Italian even more. It also would have been great to have been able to meet more locals through CET-organized activities.
I would also not recommend this program to non-Vanderbilt University students. As someone who does not attend Vanderbilt, I was of a very obvious minority on the program. And as the program continues to grow, this factor will become even more overwhelming. CET needs to do a better job of advertising the fact that their Florence program is co-hosted by Vanderbilt, so applicants are aware that almost all participants will come from the same school and already know each other. This is not the study abroad experience that most students expect.
However despite all this, CET did a great job of making the program enjoyable and enriching. The program included group visits to both Rome and Venice (although the <2 day trips were extremely quick), where we were able to have guided tours of almost all of the important sites. They also tried their hardest to come up with group activities that related to the local culture, such as aperitivos or a mafia-themed movie night. The staff and teachers were extremely friendly and helpful, so they definitely made the experience much more positive overall. It was clear that they wanted us to have the best study abroad experience possible.