September 2010 – Page 2 – DEV – The Umbra Institute – Study Abroad in Italy

This past weekend Umbra students were put to the test: does Perugia have more nooks, or more crannies? Staff member and Urban Engagement Seminar prof Zachary Nowak took a group of thirty students on a ramble around the city’s historic center, using anecdotes and what Italians call storielle (literally “little stories”) to recount the history of Perugia.

Given Nowak’s well-known allergy to “Great Men Building Great Buildings” history, the tour focused instead on social history. Students heard about the orphanage in Via Alunni, all of whose orphans were given the last name “Alunni”…meaning that Perugia’s phonebook is full of this last name. They also visited Perugia’s marketplace and learned about “the Little Sirs of the Ranieri family”, two piglets who provided street-sweeping for the city of Perugia in the Middle Ages. Last stop on the tour? Piazza Felice Cavallotti, named after an Italian politician who died after his thirty-third (and final) duel.

The tour was the first in a series of extra-curriculars, the next of which is wine-tasting next week on Thursday.

Side-by-side, Arcadia students and volunteers of the Orsini family’s eco-friendly farm became a pasta making factory. The tradition of pasta making came alive as students kneaded, rolled, and cut the dough made of eggs and flour. However, the day was much more than feasting on tasty, farm fresh Italian cuisine; students toured the self-sustaining farm where facilities were constructed of materials from the earth- hay and dirt. Recycled plastic and glass bottles in the walls cleverly transformed the sunlight into a stream of color. Arches of growing vines formed a picturesque terrace.

The location of the farm in Passignano also provided a postcard worthy backdrop as students and Arcadia staff discussed orientation information to ensure a safe and exciting semester. At the end of the day, students were rewarded with the pasta they had made to bring home to Perugia and share in the fruits of their labor.

Perhaps the most important aspect of Umbra students’ first week in Perugia is the intensive “survival” Italian course. Working with Umbra’s Italian faculty members, they start first in the classroom learning basic vocabulary like cucchiaio,forchetta, and coltello (spoon, fork, knife). They then proceed into the community, interacting with workers at the grocery store or macelleria (butcher shop) as professors walk them through the important aspects of adapting to Italian life.

Although living in a different culture with a different language can be challenging, preparation and a learned familiarity with the situation can help enormously. The best part? Since the students will be using their newly-learned Italian nearly every day, the retention is incredible. A tip would be to listen to those around you to figure out different ways to ask questions and throw a little variety into your daily interactions. To ask how much a purchase is, for example, one can say, “a quanto viene,” “quanto è,” “quanto costa,” or “quanto ti devo.”

>If flying into Rome’s hectic Fiumicino airport and the move into Perugia are the first hurdles students have to jump, Orientation would be the second. The past two days have been an alternation of Orientation meetings on various themes (housing, the permit to reside, and academic matters) and open houses at the main Umbra building in Via Bartolo. Students attending the last of these meetings today–held in Perugia’s fifteenth century “Hall of Notaries”, no less–featured Officer Michele Canneschi, an inspector with the Italian police in Florence.

Canneschi’s forty-five minute long speech made clear, in a serious-yet-animated way, that the same rules for safety and security apply in Italy as those in the United States. Canneschi’s part in Umbra’s orientation schedule has always been important in student feedback.

Welcome to Perugia, Class of Fall 2010!

With a breathtaking summer sun setting over the green hills of the Umbria region, Umbra Institute staff member Zach wrapped up his “Nooks and Crannies” tour of Perugia for the newly arrived Full Immersion students. The walking tour provided students the opportunity to explore the city’s centuries with a modern day twist, dispelling age-old rumors while creating a mental map of the narrow and winding streets. Students laughed along as Zach cracked a few of his infamous jokes and snapped some photos of what has become their new home. As the Full Immersion students wake up to their third sunrise in Italy, they are prepared to embark on an unforgettable and educational adventure abroad.