June 2019 – DEV – The Umbra Institute – Study Abroad in Italy

Rocco Catrone (right) and some students after their art therapy clinic at the Umbra Institute

An article by Rocco Catrone— adjunct faculty and Behavior Analysis practitioner at Elmhurst College, visiting professor and alumnus of the Umbra Institute.

It has been 7 years since my life changed in ways I never thought possible.

Some days, it feels like a lifetime ago but in even more ways, it was as if it only happened yesterday. In the Fall Semester of 2011, I studied abroad at the Umbra Institute in Perugia. A fairy-tale dream of a medieval town in Central Italy – a place you most likely never heard of beyond those delicious Italian chocolate kisses called Baci. Little did I know that the stone walls, warm welcome from the community, Italian lifestyle, and excellent education would leave me wanting to come back.

So I did.

This summer, I am teaching a course called PSYC 260: Radical Communication which looks at how language affects the way humans behave in politics, education, and religion. Each week, we learn our topics and then apply this to the community through observations in schools, participating in clinics, or simply being integrated in the town we call home for this time.

During one of my favorite observations, my students and a local high school class were able to talk about and compare different idioms used in each of their cultures. The differences between “break and leg” and “into the mouth of the wolf” having the same functional meaning which is not immediately clear just looking at the words. My students and the high schoolers enjoyed this activity so much that we were asked to come back and further look at cultural differences through interviews to learn more about the differences and similarities in Italian and USA culture. This information was learned first-hand and not in some textbook.

The nuances of a culture are more apparent when you are directly living there, surrounded by others who did not grow up in your own cultural context. This is something, which was taught to me during my time here, that I try to bring to my students. We learn in class lectures and class activities how to be more culturally competent – How are choices made? How does different learning histories affect this? How does language factor in all of this?

Perugia is a perfect classroom to learn these topics as it is unlike the more popular Naples, Florence, Milan, or Rome. You live here and are a part of the community. We live in apartments in buildings with other local Italians – not dorms. We learn Italian by ordering food at the grocery store and connecting with the local merchants in the giant open-air markets. Evening walks with friends down the main drag while enjoying gelato. All of this without being glued to a phone or computer.

Perugia has its hold on me and a piece of my heart will always be here. The Umbra staff have been instrumental in my coming back and I thank them every day for giving me this opportunity to do so. I hope to return next year and every year after that to share this wonderful place with my students.

Be sure to check out my students blogs posts during their experiences here tying what they learned in class to the observations!

Click here to learn more about Umbra’s Multicultural Psychology Program and opportunities to study similar topics during a semester abroad.

by Teresa Cutler-Broyles

Perugia has won.
And it didn’t even know it was in a contest.

When I arrived in 2014 for my first year of teaching at the Umbra Institute I had no idea what to expect. I’d never been to this city; in fact, I’m not sure I’d ever been to Umbria. Not
intentionally, anyway.

My first visit to Italy was to Rome in 2000 and I fell in love. With all of Italy as a concept, of course, but with Rome itself. I spent six weeks in the city wandering its streets, discovering its secrets, learning all the dos and don’t and ins and outs, and filling my heart with its beauty, and its not-so-pretty aspects. The noise and the tourists (which for some reason I didn’t think I was) and the unending rush were all part of the reason I loved it, and I couldn’t imagine another city capturing my heart in the same way. Every time I came back to the country after that, I spent as much time as possible in Rome while I explored south to Naples and north to Venice—bypassing Umbria on the way via train.

Then I discovered what I’d been missing.

I arrived in Perugia on the same day—in fact, on the same bus—as my students that first year, having spent two weeks in Rome beforehand. The staff had met them at Rome’s airport as I’ve since learned they do every year, having traveled down the day before to be up long before dawn to meet the early arrivals. My students, jet-lagged and frankly terrified were gathered up with the other arrivals and we were all settled in for the ride north.

Most of them slept. I watched the countryside go by. As we rolled into Perugia I took a deep breath, excited to see a new city and the school, and the lovely little apartment they’d found for me, where I’d be spending my next five weeks.

And that right there is the key. The fact that I got on a bus and showed up in this lovely town without a worry. That I knew my students would be taken care of and that I’d have a place to live with windows that overlooked something amazing. And sure enough, it all worked like clockwork.

Umbra itself is located in a centuries-old building right in the main piazza with its gorgeous fountain. Classrooms are equipped with all the amenities we’d expect from the 21st century while maintaining their medieval character in the ceiling arches and the traces of doors and windows beneath the plaster on the walls. The library where computers for students reside is filled with heavy wood bookshelves and filled with research material anyone with a love for Italy would want to get their hands on—and students can (and do) spend hours in there working on their projects.

As an instructor at Umbra my job is to get students here, offer them an exciting and educational experience two days a week, introduce them to as much Italian history and food as possible, and then help provide them with guidance as they need it to negotiate their way through the city and the country on their own on the days we’re not together. Generally, they need me for about three days… after that, due almost entirely to Umbra staff and their ongoing and tireless support, students get it all figured out and they’re off into Italy to fall in love with it just as I did so many years ago.

And Perugia is easy to fall in love with. Its main piazza is alive with people at all hours, its food is exquisite and quite unique—Umbria has dishes that are found nowhere else in Italy, and while it does have its tourist restaurants, it also has fabulous gems hidden in nooks and crannies at every turn—and its museums and churches scattered throughout are as stunning as anywhere else in Italy. Twisty medieval streets, ancient Etruscan arches and walls, and one of the largest collections of in situ paintings in a nearby church are just a few of the reasons I keep coming back.

Which brings me back to the beginning. I don’t know when it happened, exactly, that my heart shifted from Rome to Perugia, or when I began looking forward to being in Italy without thinking immediately of how much time I’d spend in the Eternal City. This year will be my sixth one teaching with Umbra. And I’ve been in Italy since March 6 this year.

And I haven’t visited Rome once, because Perugia won’t let me go.

By Kate Donati, College of William and Mary and Spring ’19 Umbra Rep

If you’re like most students who come to study here, you have never heard of our little city before. I bet you a Turan Café cappuccino that you couldn’t tell me what region Perugia is in without peeking at a map. You’re definitely not alone! I had no idea that this place, that I now call home, even existed before clicking ‘apply’ all those months ago. And this is secretly one of the most beautiful things about Perugia. It’s a town relatively untouched by the waves of tourism that (some claim) have taken over Florence and Rome. Perugia is a university town that is not only used to an influx of students but welcomes them with the all the warmth of an authentic Italian grandma.

There are so many reasons to choose Perugia I don’t even know where to start…

The classes and staff at Umbra!

Reasons to study abroad vary from student to student but even though you might think you want nothing more than an extended spring break, the academics of your program should be near the top of your list. Umbra offers a wide range of class subjects, from ceramics to international marketing to psychology to contemporary Italian culture. There is something here for every major — yes, even the bio majors can find time in their rigid scheduling to study abroad. There’s no better place to study Renaissance art, the fine art of cooking and sustainability, or European Union market regulations than in Italy, and the small class sizes at Umbra mean you can really delve into the subject with your professors and on field trips to every part of the peninsula. You can also be assured of your professor’s interest in not only their subject but in helping you to succeed, and you’ll definitely be on a first name basis with the entire staff. (This picture was taken on my class trip to Pisa and Siena — after you spend the night in Pisa, you wake up leaning like the tower.)

The authenticity of Perugia!

While studying in Florence or Rome can be comforting, knowing you’ll be surrounded by a buffer of other English-speaking foreign students. If you’re looking for the most authentic “Italian experience” you can find, it’s the smaller cities you’re looking for. You will not only be able to witness the Perugini going about their daily lives, you actually get to participate in their customs and interact with locals. In the fall, Perugia is host to a huge chocolate festival and you get to bask in the gorgeous Christmas decorations. Spring semester brings the festivities of Carnivale, Easter, and the International Journalism Festival. The summer brings Umbria Jazz and the best opportunities for people-watching. The Umbra Institute hosts plenty of cultural exchanges with Italian students who want to practice their English, but beyond the walls of school, you can’t help but interact with native Perugini. The cafés, bars, clubs, restaurants, and gelaterias are all locally-owned and just bursting with opportunities for you to practice your Italian.

The people you meet along the way!

You’ll probably hear an echo of this same sentiment from every study abroad program, and to a certain degree, it’s always true. No matter where you choose to study abroad, you will find your tribe of people that just get you. Your travel partners, going-out squad, classmates, and flat mates are the only people who truly understand how profound (in any sense of the word) of an impact your time studying abroad has on you. You will find these people wherever you go — I’ve found, however, that the bonds just feel even stronger in Perugia. Maybe it’s because it’s a smaller program, or maybe it’s the hills we have to climb together, or maybe it’s something else entirely — something about this program that attracts people that tend to just fit together.

Ultimately, you come to Perugia for the program, for the classes, and for the cultural immersion. You’ll come back for the people and the memories you make here. (And the chocolate.)

By Gerardo Moceri, Arizona State University and Spring ’19 Umbra Rep

Studying abroad in a smaller town in a foreign country can be a scary thought at first, as the language barrier can sometimes be a lot. However, the experiences you gain from going along with them are well worth it. It is easy to become culturally immersed in a smaller town like Perugia, which makes learning and speaking Italian much more fun. There are many students from all around the world here with whom you can meet and practice Italian. The Umbra Institute also has many opportunities to allow us to practice with other local students. Along with the, living in a smaller city like Perugia, we get to practice our Italian a lot with the locals, and since it is a very popular university town, locals are very open to speaking with you.

I signed up to take Italian 310 at the Umbra Institute because I really wanted to challenge my skills in Italian. I had only one year of experience in Italian before, so I was a little nervous that I would not score well enough on the placement test to remain in the class. However, the test went well and after meeting and speaking Italian with Aimée and Francesco, my professor, I knew I would be ok. There are only six people in our class, so we have gotten very close and the small class helps us be more engaged. It also forces me to get out of my comfort zone, which makes speaking Italian in public easier. I have not only improved my Italian grammatically, but also learned fun expressions that make me feel closer to the culture.

One way in which Umbra helps us better our language skills outside of the classroom is by offering conversation partners who are fluent in Italian. Along with two other Umbra students, we meet with our conversation partner, Pietrina, and she is great in helping our language skills develop. We meet at least two hours a week, playing games, exploring Perugia or going out to dinner, speaking in Italian and learning more about the culture of Perugia. It has definitely been one of the best experiences so far and it has improved my Italian.

About every other week, Umbra hosts an event called Tandem, which allows students from Perugia to meet with Umbra students in a language exchange opportunity. The Italian students get a chance to practice their English, while we get to speak Italian. It is a very open and comfortable setting, making it easier to not be afraid of making mistakes and to speak freely. We help each other out and even make some pretty good local friends. One friend in which I met offered to take us to one of the local Perugia soccer matches for Perugia’s Serie B squad. It was really fun, as he took us to the supporter’s section so we could get the real experience of being a fan of AC Perugia. It also gave us a chance to continue practicing Italian and learn the soccer chants for the team.

I have really loved being involved in the local community here and meeting new faces. There is a local track that I usually go running at in Perugia and there I met some locals who always let me train with them. They are very patient with my Italian and they even like the chance to practice some of their English as well. One of the first times I ran there, a couple saw me running and when I was done they asked what my workout was. They were just getting started with their run though, so I ended up running another thirty minutes with them just because they were very friendly and it was a great chance to meet some locals. The next time we ran together, Alessandro and his wife invited me out to pizza! Another time, they introduced me to some very good runners and I joined in on their workout of running four 1500 meter runs. At first, I could keep up with the runners and we would practice my Italian sometimes as we ran in between breaths. However, towards the end of the workout, my consistent diet of pasta and pizza caught up to me and they ran much quicker than me. Nevertheless, we all had a good workout and got to learn more about each other. I used to be a runner and the track felt like a common home between Perugia and Arizona. Making friends at the track then helped Perugia feel much more like home to me. It also made me learn that no matter what language you speak, smiling and being kind to new people you meet is a true common language we all share. After realizing this, speaking Italian to anyone became much easier. So if I were to offer any advice to students traveling to Perugia, it’s too just go for it when you speak Italian. The more mistakes you make while speaking, the faster you learn and the more immersed you will feel into this welcoming community.