It is, without a doubt, evident that podcasts are becoming an essential media source for sharing ideas and knowledge. The Umbra Institute recognizes the need to stay up-to-date with current trends that focus on educational and international experiences. It is with great pleasure that we announce the release of The Umbra Podcast! Our podcast aims to bring the experiences of students studying abroad in Perugia, Italy to listeners across the globe.
In the beginning of February 2023, Umbra staff members brought to life The Umbra Podcast with two main goals. The first is to provide an honest portrayal of the experiences of the students, staff, faculty, alumni, and the local community. The second is to provide students with the skills and experience of podcast creation for academic and professional purposes. The Umbra Podcast is a tool used to engage the current students, provide entertainment, and inform future students about their studies at Umbra and life in Perugia. All students are encouraged to take part in a future podcast to discuss their current adventures and academics or provide advice to future students! We aim to create content by the students for students. As of now, we have released four episodes of The Umbra Podcast that address the life of full Italian immersion students, how to make friends while studying abroad, the experience of an alum, and taking care of oneself while adjusting to life abroad.
By Lucey Walton, Lebanon Valley College, Umbra Rep student
Being in Italy for nearly 4 months sounds like a dream come true to some and a daunting task for others. Going abroad for a full semester is seen in both an overly romanticized and an overly intimidating point of view, making it hard for students to know what to expect. Studying abroad was something that I knew I wanted to do in college for a long time, and it was something that impacted my decisions when applying for colleges. I’m very lucky to come from a family where travelling is very important, having lived in the US and the UK. Growing up, my brothers and I were always told that travelling gives you more of an education than a school ever can.
Although I had a lot of experience in travelling, this was my first trip abroad by myself, without my parents’ help to guide me. I was very nervous about navigating through the airport the most, worrying about the many things that could possibly go wrong. In the end, the airports were not as big of an obstacle, but I was sadly mistaken to think that I was much more prepared for living abroad than I really was.
Students studying abroad are told how this is going to be the best semester that they have in their college careers, and when you first arrive here, it certainly feels that way. At first, it feels like a vacation, wandering about the town, amazed at every sight, with the new experience of living in an apartment for the first time to come back to. But after about 2 weeks everything starts to become real.
Similarly to the few weeks of college during freshman year, it is very easy for anxiousness and overthinking to build up. It can feel much worse than how you might have felt at the beginning of freshman year since you are thousands of miles away from home, with a 6-hour time difference that limits your ability to talk with close friends and family, in a brand-new city that speaks a completely different language with a group of people who you have only met a few weeks prior.
It can be very overwhelming to be worrying about grades, budgeting, navigating a new city, planning new trips, and a million other responsibilities while having fears of missing out on top of it all. With so many emotions building up with limited time to talk with those who you go to first for help, you can feel very alone, even though so many students will be going through the same exact challenges. But just like in the first semester of college, it just takes small steps and time (and a few calls home) to get adjusted to your new life for the next several months.
Writing a blog about this isn’t meant to scare people away from studying abroad. I am still so happy to be abroad this semester and am very thankful to have this experience. Studying abroad is a great step in the direction of independence past college, especially for people who want to travel more or live abroad in the future. Rather, this is to try and paint a more realistic picture of what to expect when being far away from home for months at a time. When preparing to go abroad, it is just as important to prepare your mind and well-being as it is to double-check check you have packed your bag correctly. Realistically, no, not every single day you spend abroad is going to be the greatest time of your life, but every day is not going to be terrible either. The best advice for future students that I can give from my experience so far is to get involved. Just like in college back in the US, I found that being involved outside of just academics, such as attending school-sponsored activities, being an English tutor at a local high school, and being involved in the Umbra Reps program, helped me tremendously to get accustomed to life in Perugia. Find something to keep yourself busy outside of studying for classes and take the opportunities given to you, but know that it’s okay to spend time for just yourself instead of unrealistically trying to make the entire semester feel the same as those first two weeks.
This Spring Semester of 2023, the Umbra Institute has had the pleasure not only of welcoming many new students in our beautiful city of Perugia, but also students who have already experienced our study abroad program and eagerly decided to come back for another semester. In this first part of the “Coming back to Perugia” series, we’ll be sharing the words and thoughts of 2 students, Kenna Haverkamp and Bailey Schiering, who joined our General studies Program last semester. We asked them directly why they chose to come back to Perugia and what their point of view on the Umbra study abroad experience is, and this is what they had to say:
Kenna Haverkamp (University of Colorado, Boulder): Ever since I signed up to study abroad at Umbra last year I knew that I would want to stay for two semesters. And while I may have made the decision to stay before arriving here, I am more and more grateful that I did every day. Reflecting back to last semester, I don’t think that I truly realized how comfortable I felt in Perugia until just before we were leaving. Maybe because of the size of the city and the generosity and kindness of the locals, or the beauty that lies in every side street and alleyway in the city center, Perugia is one of those places that quickly becomes a second home. To feel at home in a place that is so different from where I grew up is truly a rewarding and exciting feeling.
Bailey traveling with other Umbra students
Bailey Schering (Clark University) says: When I came to Umbra during the fall I had no idea it would become my new home. Before this, I had never traveled alone before, especially not to an entirely different country. I was definitely scared, nervous, and wildly out of my comfort zone, but when I got off the plane, I was met by amazing Umbra staff who told me everything I needed to know and introduced me to my new friends. From there, it became easier and easier to take the next steps. Umbra staff hosted events that helped us meet new friends, they brought us on trips to explore Italy, and they were there every step of the way, asking “ciao, how can I help?”. The students, my new friends for life, were all just out of their comfort zones as me, and we easily found things to bond over. I decided one month into my stay that I needed to return to Umbra Institute, as it started to feel more like home than Massachusetts did.
Kenna with Umbra friends
On making friends while in Perugia, Kenna also says: “…the friends that I met while at Umbra have been one of the best parts of my study abroad experience. I met truly amazing people who I became closer to than I ever imagined I would. While it was difficult to part ways with them at the end of the semester and to watch many of them return to their respective lives, coming back to Perugia itself for the second semester felt like coming home to an old friend- and if I could do it a thousand times over I would.”
Bailey around Perugia
As for the city of Perugia, Bailey states: “The views just steps away from the school are jaw-dropping, and the small city of Perugia feels welcoming and inviting. The classes here are interactive, between making pottery and creating my very own bread, I feel engaged and eager to learn. The location is authentic, yet easy to navigate and I can’t imagine a better place to spend my junior year. I strongly encourage anyone and everyone to give Perugia a try … you’re destined to fall in love with it the way I have.”
Kenna by the Porta Sole view
Kenna says about the city: “Because of its relatively small size, you may think of life in the center of Perugia as quiet and uneventful. This is far from the truth- the city has a vibrant and dynamic feel to it, and I was never at a loss for new places to explore or new things to try. That being said, I found that what I missed most during the semester break was my routine of frequenting the local spots that I love and have become familiar with, and the slower pace of life that the city encourages you to take on.”
On another interesting and important aspect such as traveling, Kenna also states: “Other aspects to studying abroad at Umbra that have made my experience here so rewarding are the friends that I made and the opportunities to travel to new and exciting places. The travel that I have done while abroad has been some of the most fulfilling and valuable experiences that I have ever had, and I have been able to travel to places that I both never expected to find myself or always dreamed of visiting. I am so thankful to have another semester to experience more opportunities like these.”
Thank you Kenna and Bailey for sharing your thoughts on your study abroad experience here! If you enjoyed this topic, stay tuned for more in the upcoming weeks with Part 2 and check our website at: https://www.umbra.org/blog/
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