Yes. You read the title correctly. I have decided to withdraw from my study abroad program.
First, I'd like to make it very clear that this was not a decision I made lightly. Those of you who know me well, know that I am not the type of person to who changes plans easily. I think I knew the whole time I was here that this was not the place I should be, but it took me over a week to admit that to myself and to my family and friends. After some long talks with my parents and close friends, I decided that coming home is the best option.
This is also an "it's not you, it's me" situation in regards to my program. The program itself did not do anything wrong. I am just not the type of person that would enjoy it–something that I didn't (and couldn't) know until I experienced it. Many, if not all, of the other students are fully enjoying themselves here, which was my first hint as to the fact that the stress and anxiety I was feeling were not the fault of the program.
I have been horribly homesick (and I've never been homesick before) and sad and anxious and stressed ever since I arrived last week. At first I labeled it as culture shock and jet-lag and tried to force myself to enjoy Italy. It's Italy after all, you're supposed to enjoy living here. But I just didn't... I barely slept or ate anything since I arrived because of how much anxiety I was experiencing, and on top of that I was walking up to 16 miles a day looking for an apartment. All last week I tried to put on a smile and show everyone that I was happy and enjoying myself and having a grand adventure, but that's never how it felt. I was sad and lonely all the time. I put in an effort to make friends with the other students, and while I got along with them fine, we seemed to have very different priorities (I'm not really a big fan of staying up super late or getting drunk, especially in a city I don't feel comfortable in) and I knew that if I stayed I would have spent most of my time in my room by myself reading and doing homework and counting down the days until I could come home.
So, yes, I am coming home. I could not be more thankful for my parents who know me well enough to realize this was a "yes, come home" situation and not a "tough it out, it'll get better" situation. I am also so thankful for the absolute outpouring of love and support I've gotten from friends and family back home. Knowing that my friends and family don't think any less of me and aren't disappointed in me has made this process so much easier.
-Maria
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
The First Few Days
I've been in Bologna for 3 days now. And they have been three VERY jam packed days. When I arrived at the hotel I didn't even have time to move my stuff into my room, because I was immediately rushed by Danielle (one of the people in charge of my program, she's super nice and helpful) to go get an Italian cell phone and Italian sized passport pictures. I'm not really sure how much I slept during my day of travel and my first day here, but I know it was not much.
The next day we met at the University and had a meeting about how to find housing. Since then the housing search has taken over my life. I went to see one apartment today, but it wasn't really what I was looking for. I have 3 appointments for tomorrow and a few more in the coming days, so hopefully they go well. Prayers are much appreciated! I have 9 more days to find an apartment!
The city is amazingly beautiful, and I'm starting to know my way around. I'll get around to posting pictures one of these days. I'll write more once I have an apartment and my life has slowed down a bit.
Ciao!
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Good Morning, Frankfurt!
I'm in Europe! Wow!
Goodbye chicago!
I didn't know how to use the digital map thing at this point in the trip, so here's some random coastline! Maybe Canada? we definitely flew over a lot of Canada.
Frankfurt! It's so pretty!
Besides a small checked-bag snafu and a few sad goodbyes, my travels so far have been very smooth. I had a window seat on the plane and sat next to a nice old man who had obviously flown a lot before and could show me where the headphone jack was, and how to use the in flight entertainment stuff. Next to him in my row of seats was a sweet old lady from Minnesota who has traveled the world and was on her way to a river cruise. When we were landing and I explained that I would be studying in Italy, she told me "be careful for those Italian boys! They'll pinch your you-know-what!" So my trip here to Frankfurt went well. I didn't sleep much, even though I tried, but a lot worse things could have happened so I'm happy.
A few observations about the Frankfurt airport/Europe so far. Frankfurt airport is HUGE. It's at least as big as O'hare. It also looks exactly like a mall in parts. I had to walk through what was pretty much a department store (but with more liquor) complete with racks of clothes and a perfume department to get to my gate, and then BAM you keep walking and all of a sudden you're back in an airport.
As expected during my passport check the large german man checking my documentation looks up at me and smirks and say *read this in a thick manly german accent* "Are you aware of what your last name means?" It was bound to happen I guess.
Other random observations:
-European guys seem to all wear super tight pants and leather shoes
-Their newspapers have WAY more nudity than the US ones do
-Their TVs show soccer games instead of whatever weird reality show was playing at O'Hare
-I'm very glad I know English, seeing as it's the only other language on signs here besides German.
I need to figure out when I board, so that's all for now! Here's to hoping the jet lag and sleep deprivations doesn't hit too hard. But that's what all that delicious Italian espresso is for, right?
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Tomorrow
Way back when I was a soon-to-be freshman I journeyed to Madison for a few days in summer to enjoy the lovely event that is SOAR (please understand that that comment is drenched in sarcasm. No one, I repeat, no one enjoys SOAR.) For those of you who didn't attend this event, freshman go to SOAR to register for their classes for their first semester at UW-Madison.
I knew going in that I wanted to study a language, and having taken four years of latin in high school I was ready for something that I could actually speak. I also knew that whichever language I chose would determine where I went if I ever traveled abroad. So I sat at SOAR looking through a handbook about languages offered at UW, toying with french or german or italian. I talked to some advisors and began looking at the actual classes and lo and behold! Italian offered an advanced intro course open to people who had already taken four years of a romantic language. Knowing that my goal was to become fluent by the time I was done with college, it just made sense to me that I would take the language that I could get the best head-start in. I enrolled and began my italian studies.
It seems strange that a course I enrolled in almost on a whim would come to be such a huge part of my college career. In less than 24 hours I will be on a plane headed to a place where I will know no one and be in a culture I've only ever read about. It is still very surreal for me to think about, and it will probably continue to feel surreal until I hand the taxi driver in Bologna my address and say all'hotel Regina, via dell'indipendenza per favore!
While I did take that advanced italian class freshman year and have consequently taken the equivalent of 5 semesters of italian classes over the past two years, I am the first to tell anyone that my language skills are far from perfect. That will be the first hurdle to overcome in my new home. But I am so excited to immerse myself completely in italian culture and language. Hopefully my enthusiasm will make up for my lingual ineptitude.
Goals I have (as of now) for my time abroad would be:
Maria Schlecht
I knew going in that I wanted to study a language, and having taken four years of latin in high school I was ready for something that I could actually speak. I also knew that whichever language I chose would determine where I went if I ever traveled abroad. So I sat at SOAR looking through a handbook about languages offered at UW, toying with french or german or italian. I talked to some advisors and began looking at the actual classes and lo and behold! Italian offered an advanced intro course open to people who had already taken four years of a romantic language. Knowing that my goal was to become fluent by the time I was done with college, it just made sense to me that I would take the language that I could get the best head-start in. I enrolled and began my italian studies.
It seems strange that a course I enrolled in almost on a whim would come to be such a huge part of my college career. In less than 24 hours I will be on a plane headed to a place where I will know no one and be in a culture I've only ever read about. It is still very surreal for me to think about, and it will probably continue to feel surreal until I hand the taxi driver in Bologna my address and say all'hotel Regina, via dell'indipendenza per favore!
While I did take that advanced italian class freshman year and have consequently taken the equivalent of 5 semesters of italian classes over the past two years, I am the first to tell anyone that my language skills are far from perfect. That will be the first hurdle to overcome in my new home. But I am so excited to immerse myself completely in italian culture and language. Hopefully my enthusiasm will make up for my lingual ineptitude.
Goals I have (as of now) for my time abroad would be:
- become conversationally fluent in italian
- make friends, both in my program and outside of it
- travel! (Florence, Venice, Munich, and Cinque Terre are all on the list as of now)
- learn a lot about food and wine
- enjoy every moment I have in such a beautiful city and never forget how blessed I am to even have the opportunity to study abroad
I know I will learn so much during my time in Bologna and can barely believe that it all begins tomorrow!
If you'd like to contact me, facebook, my email (mschlecht@wisc.edu), and google hangouts (schlecht.maria@gmail.com) would work the best until I have my phone plan sorted out over there.
Otherwise if you'd like to send me mail or packages it can be sent to:
Maria Schlecht
c/o Indiana University - BCSP
via Malcontenti 3
40121 Bologna – Italy
Arrivederci for now! As the classic soundtrack from the 1977 animated hobbit movie says, The greatest adventure is what lies ahead! (Those of you who don't know this wonderful song can click here and enjoy the catchy tune.)
via Malcontenti 3
40121 Bologna – Italy
Arrivederci for now! As the classic soundtrack from the 1977 animated hobbit movie says, The greatest adventure is what lies ahead! (Those of you who don't know this wonderful song can click here and enjoy the catchy tune.)
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
The Basics
As most of you already know, my name is Maria Schlecht, and I am a Junior at UW-Madison studying English Literature, History, and Italian.
In just 5 short days I will be boarding a plane in Chicago, which will take me first to Frankfurt, Germany for a short layover and then on to Bologna, Italy where I will be living for the next four months (August 30th-December 31st). I will be studying at the Università di Bologna–the oldest university in Europe (founded in 1088). The university is so old that it boasts alumni such as Thomas Becket, Copernicus, and Dante, just to name a few. Needless to say, the history major in me is excited.
I will be studying through Indiana University's Bologna Consortial Studies Program (BCSP). Many other universities partner with Indiana to take part in this program so I will be with students from all across the country. I am one of two UW-Madison students going, so hopefully bonding over culture shock and struggling to speak/understand a foreign language will be a good way to make friends with some of the people in my program. Classes don't start until the beginning of October, so for the first month I will be taking pre-session classes in Italian language, history, and culture with the rest of the people in my program, as well as going on a few weekend excursions to different places in and surrounding Bologna, such as Ravenna and an adorable vineyard just outside the city.
When I first arrive I will stay for 10 days in a hotel while I find an apartment in the city with other non-American students at the university. The program will help me with some things, like choosing which classes to take and giving me basic information about how to survive abroad. For the most part, however, I will be on my own. This means I'll have to shop, cook, travel, make friends, and generally survive in a culture (and language) different from anything I've ever experienced. It will be a challenge, but I couldn't be more excited to begin this new adventure!
In just 5 short days I will be boarding a plane in Chicago, which will take me first to Frankfurt, Germany for a short layover and then on to Bologna, Italy where I will be living for the next four months (August 30th-December 31st). I will be studying at the Università di Bologna–the oldest university in Europe (founded in 1088). The university is so old that it boasts alumni such as Thomas Becket, Copernicus, and Dante, just to name a few. Needless to say, the history major in me is excited.
I will be studying through Indiana University's Bologna Consortial Studies Program (BCSP). Many other universities partner with Indiana to take part in this program so I will be with students from all across the country. I am one of two UW-Madison students going, so hopefully bonding over culture shock and struggling to speak/understand a foreign language will be a good way to make friends with some of the people in my program. Classes don't start until the beginning of October, so for the first month I will be taking pre-session classes in Italian language, history, and culture with the rest of the people in my program, as well as going on a few weekend excursions to different places in and surrounding Bologna, such as Ravenna and an adorable vineyard just outside the city.
When I first arrive I will stay for 10 days in a hotel while I find an apartment in the city with other non-American students at the university. The program will help me with some things, like choosing which classes to take and giving me basic information about how to survive abroad. For the most part, however, I will be on my own. This means I'll have to shop, cook, travel, make friends, and generally survive in a culture (and language) different from anything I've ever experienced. It will be a challenge, but I couldn't be more excited to begin this new adventure!
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