I studied in Florence, Italy, from September 2019 to March 2020. My time there sadly came to an early end due to the onset of COVID-19 as I flew back home 5 days before the national lockdown there. The entire experience, especially towards the end, was definitely a surreal and memorable one in the best and most challenging ways possible.
Italy is as charming and magical as anyone would assume. Old window shutters, sculptures set up around town, pasta and espresso coffee everywhere, and beautiful architecture. Florence, or Firenze, itself seems to be stuck in time. You can almost picture yourself in the Renaissance with the narrow, cobblestone streets, centuries-old trattorias (common restaurants using only local goods), leather artisans, and of course the mesmerizing Duomo Cathedral marking the town center. Florence is very accepting of foreigners who come to immerse themselves in Italian culture.
I decided to study abroad because of my passion for travel and immersion in other cultures. Every culture I have encountered, including those from the honors trip to Malaysia and Singapore, has taught me the value of having an open mind to the aspects of different world views. We are all a minority somewhere, and getting to figure out how to accommodate and live amongst other lifestyles so different from your own is a powerful experience I will be forever grateful to have had.
I specifically chose Italy to learn Italian as my third language and as an opportunity for me to study music there being that I am a music major. I helped start a collaboration between the ACA Villa Aurora school and the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory of Music in Florence. After a year and half of communicating across seas, this was the first year the program was in full effect, and it was so exciting to see it come to life. Along with some friends from La Sierra and Oakwood University, I was able to take lessons with Italian music professors specific to our instrument/vocal studies, had access to lecture classes on their campus, enjoyed performance opportunities with their orchestra and chamber groups, and participated in collective student recitals. Unfortunately, not all of our plans came to fruition as some were scheduled for April/May. However, we still took new, valuable insights with us back home as learning classical music in the European environment presented a different approach to our previous studies. Although it was cut short, I had a wonderful experience in Florence.
- Isabel Serrano (Class of 2021, Music)