CET Italy

This summer in Siena with CET was everything I could ask for and more. Siena is a great place to be, especially during the summer. It's a small enough city that I was able to feel adjusted in only two months without running out of new places to explore. I loved being a part of the preparations for Palio, including a contrada dinner and tour organized by CET. My professors were great and I especially enjoyed the excursions part of my Sienese Art and Architecture class. My Italian class helped me reach a new level of confidence speaking Italian and taught me a lot about the culture of Siena and Italy. I loved being able to travel on the weekends and even got to connect with some relatives in Italy. My Italian roommate Giada is the sweetest person ever and it was great having the opportunity to learn about each other's cultures.

CET Florence gives its students the perfect opportunity to grow as adults but also offers support when necessary. Whenever I asked for help from the CET staff they were overwhelmingly helpful and informative. I hope that anyone who participates in this program takes special care to spend time with Elena and Laura. They were amazing to talk with on the CET trips to Rome and Venice and I highly recommend getting to know them.

Leaving my business focused university for a semester in Siena could not have been a better decision. In Siena, I took classes on cultural topics that were a huge change from my classes in the USA. I experienced the art, language and culture everyday in and out of class.

The everyday pace of life was also such an important change. It is easy to get wrapped up in the due dates and academic piece of college, but being able to slow down and enjoy life in Siena was wonderful. The food is fresher, there are fewer cars, the history is richer...

This experience did not, however, make me resent my school back in America; it gave me a better perspective. I am now back at school and I keep pieces of Siena with me. Whether it is walking down the street a little slower without looking at my phone, taking the time to cook a fresh meal, or joining the Italian club at school. CET Siena has given me a better perspective for which I am forever grateful.

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.