Category: Umbra Blog

“Studiare in una lingua diversa dalla propria è una grande, bellissima sfida”

Ormai da diversi anni un certo numero di studenti Italiani dell’Università di Perugia e dellUniversità per Stranieri ha l’opportunità di studiare per un semestre presso Umbra Institute, un istituto che opera a Perugia dal 2000 come filiale italiana di diverse università e college americani. Umbra Institute offre corsi di scienze politiche, economia, letteratura, cinema, e di numerose altre discipline, insegnate da docenti internazionali in un contesto tipicamente americano: le classi sono formate da studenti provenienti da tutti gli Stati Uniti e le lezioni, ovviamente in inglese, si ispirano a una didattica partecipativa molto comune negli atenei d’oltre oceano.

Visto che il bando per lo Spring 2017 è aperto adesso, abbiamo cercato una risposta alla domanda: Ma, che pensano gli italiani della loro esperienza all’Umbra?

Lavinia Amenduni, studentessa italiana di Umbra nel Fall Semester 2014 e Spring Semester 2015:

“È stata un’ottima opportunità per arricchire il mio bagaglio di conoscenze e per mettermi alla prova. Studiare in una lingua diversa dalla propria è una grande, bellissima sfida, e i corsi all’Umbra mi hanno aiutata a consolidare il mio inglese, sia a livello accademico che relazionale: infatti non si è trattato solo di seguire delle lezioni, ma di confrontarsi costantemente con altri studenti con un background molto diverso dal mio.”

Shirin Hosseinzadeh, che ha studiato a Umbra nello Spring Semester 2015 e che adesso frequenta la Grand Valley State University in Michigan, dice: “L’Umbra è una sorta di microcosmo a parte, rispetto a Perugia. E saper adattarsi a queste novità può sempre tornare utile nel lavoro, specie per uno studente che mira al settore internazionale.”

Anche gli studenti del semestre in corso ci hanno risposto:

Giorgia Galiano, studentessa di Lingue, descrive la sua esperienza dicendo che la sua esperienza è stata e continua ad essere positivissima: “sono entrata a far parte della loro cultura e della loro mentalità. A volte, non c’è bisogno di andare lontano e viaggiare per il mondo per incontrare persone e culture diverse da noi.”

Inoltre Daniele Severi, un altro studente di Lingue, ha aggiunto:

“studiare materie diverse da quelle che di solito studio all’Università, ha reso tutto molto più interessante e mi sento veramente arricchito da quest’esperienza. Mi sento più fiducioso del mio inglese, in grado di parlare con chiunque e, studiando in modo diverso, riesco ad essere molto più produttivo anche nel mio corso di studio.”

Per chi è interessato a questa opportunità multiculturale, il Bando per lo Spring 2017 sarà aperto fino al 2 dicembre per studenti dall’UNIPG. I corsi inizieranno a gennaio e continueranno fino ad aprile; la frequenza è obbligatoria. Seguici su Facebook per saperne di più e per informazione riguardo i bandi di future opportunità.

Per qualsiasi domanda, contattate Marco Bagli ([email protected]) o Cristiano Ragni ([email protected]).

Every semester, the Umbra Institute invites students to volunteer with the local UNICEF Pigotta Project, a project that became a national tradition more than 20 years ago. Umbra volunteers create Pigotta dolls which are “adopted” for 20 Euro each. The funds raised pay for vaccinations and lifesaving medical assistance provided to women and children affected by poverty. Each doll symbolically represents a mother and her child who are aided by its adoption. 

Yesterday, Umbra volunteers celebrated the completion of this semester’s project with UNICEF. The organization’s local volunteers excitedly displayed their passion for the cause and their appreciation for student’s work as they presented certificates of participation to the Umbra students. They also shared that the organization celebrates 70 years of service this year, after it began providing aid to European children after World War II, in 1946. One local volunteer even described her memory of the arrival of UNICEF volunteers when she was a young girl and how their work had inspired her to dedicate her time and energy to UNICEF.

This year, ARCW 350: Introduction to Ceramics students are also contributing to UNICEF through the creation of Christmas ornaments that will be sold as a fundraiser.

If you know a student currently studying at Umbra, contact them today to reserve and “adopt” your Pigotta doll and contribute to the UNICEF cause.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF.
Click here to learn more about volunteer opportunities at the Umbra Institute.

Students take an oath to speak only in Italian for two days.

This week’s SoloItaliano Challenge pushed 72 students out of their comfort zone and into full linguistic immersion. This voluntary initiative began with eager participants swearing a solemn oath to speak only in Italian – even outside of the classroom – for two days. Participants were given a blue bracelet to wear as a reminder of their pledge and to inform other students, staff, and professors of their participation.

As the challenge begins, it is normal for students to feel nervous and to struggle with sentence structure and vocabulary acquisition. However, by the end of the second day of the challenge, students were more motivated than ever to continue speaking Italian. They realized that part of immersion and language acquisition is making mistakes in your everyday speech, and that everyone makes mistakes when speaking a new language, no matter their level of study. An anonymous student added, “I learned that learning a language is the best way to immerse yourself in a culture and you learn more when you put yourself outside of your comfort zone.”

During the Tandem event at the end of the challenge, students were asked to anonymously vote for who they thought had shown the most valiant effort during the challenge. The winners were Lynn Diorio (Italian 110: Intensive Elementary Italian) in first place, and Sinarely Minchala (Italian 310: Advanced Italian) in second place, both students from Arcadia University.

Lynn commented, “It’s not always easy, but sometimes you just need to try new things, especially when you don’t think you can.”

Sinarely added, “SoloItaliano was such a fun and exciting experience, but also a very helpful one! It helped me to realize what I do know and what I still need to work on, while also giving me the opportunity to interact with other participants in a way I haven’t been able to before.”

The Umbra Institute looks forward to continue pushing limits with the SoloItaliano Challenge during future semesters.

Click here to learn more about Italian Language and Culture Studies at the Umbra Institute.

What is it like to study abroad during a U.S. election? This is a question we asked our students this week as the pending 2016 election inspires a great deal of discussion overseas. Every election cycle is considered to be “the most important of its time”, especially for first time voters. Here is some feedback from our students about how they feel about the impending election:

A number of students shared that, no matter where they travel to (Croatia, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Hungary, locations in Italy), people ask about the U.S. election. “The elections seem to matter so much to these countries. As soon as I say I am American, they want to know who I’m voting for,” said Hannah Norwood (Wake Forest University), as she described a conversation with a Scottish taxi driver that she had met, “They see it as a two party system and don’t understand how anyone can be in between.” Hannah also shared that Italian newspapers seem to always have American election news in the headlines as she passes the newsstand on her way home from class every day.

Sometimes it is difficult to explain the American electoral system, especially since some rules vary from one State to another. Lynn Diorio (Arcadia University) said that Italians have engaged her in numerous conversations not only about presidential candidates, but about the election process itself, “Everyone asks so many questions. They seem to think that if you are from the U.S., you must have answers but, sometimes, I feel as confused as everyone else over here.”

“It’s interesting to see that not all students follow the elections,” shared Paul Zink (University of Denver). “At Tandem, Italians want to know what’s going on in the U.S. and it was cool to be able to explain things since I try to keep up to date on new information using reliable sources from back home.  

“I have to stay up late to watch all of the debates, since I watch them live,” contributed Bridget Lavender (Davidson College). “It is such an unpredictable election.” She then shared that she was President of College Democrats on her home campus and has been using that experience to help her roommates in Perugia register to vote and send in their absentee ballots.

Europeans are not only commenting on American candidates, some are taking the chance for political discussion to share their country’s political climate with curious students. Bridget shared that she went to a wine tasting last week, in Perugia, where she met a few couples from the U.K.. “They compared the Brexit to our election,” explained Bridget, who is always eager to discuss political perspectives.

Umbra has worked hard to make sure that all interested students were able to cast their vote using an absentee ballot. Now, the staff will be hosting an Election Night Screening to allow students to come together and watch the election results roll in.

Perugia’s sister-city, Grand Rapids, MI sent representatives to share American culture

Cultural festivities are key contributors to the study abroad experience. Perugia offers a host of festivals, such as the educational Journalism Festival that takes place in April, and this month’s Fiera dei Morti (Festival of the dead).

Fiera dei Morti is a fair that lasts from November 1^st through the 6^th. The modern fair includes numerous activities for children as well as a seemingly endless international market, allowing for the purchase of items and foods from authentic Venetian Murano Glass to Slovakian chimney cakes. Even Perugia’s sister-city, Grand Rapids, MI sent representatives to share American culture and sweets such as artisan maple syrup and caramel corn.

For centuries, the festival has served to stimulate the local economy as it has been an important stop for merchants and artisans seeking to sell their craft. The history of the Fiera dei Morti goes back to medieval times, when it was once called Fiera di Ognissanti (All Saint’s Festival), since the festival begins on All Saint’s Day, an Italian national holiday. The festival’s name change is relative to the fact that November 2^nd was historically a day dedicated to prayer for deceased family members, a day for the dead. It now serves as a traditional event that signifies the cycle of life and death as winter approaches.

Current students may explore the festival throughout the historic center of Perugia and also by taking a bus or minimetro down to Pian di Massiano, where they will find miniature amusement park rides and a sprawling market.

Similar festivals hosted in Perugia include October’s Eurochocolate Festival and an extravagant Christmas market from the first week of December through January 6^th.

Haley Donathan demonstrates pumpkin carving during the Borgo Bello Halloween Bash.

Students taking part in ESUS 310: Placemaking: Creating Sustainable Urban Spaces and Communities have joined the local community as part of their study abroad experience in Perugia, Italy. As they continue work, through the C.A.R.O. Vicolo Project, on the terrace of Via del Cortone, the class has been finding new ways to involve the community.

Placemaking is an innovative approach to urban design that involves designing a public space according to direct input from locals who live and work in that space. The project began with discussions with community activists and volunteers, in Fall 2015, but this semester’s students are reaching out to children for innovative ideas that emphasize the importance of play and empower the younger generations to take an active interest in the evolution of their neighborhood.

Last night, the ESUS 310 class hosted a Borgo Bello Halloween Bash. Young children and their parents came dressed in their best costumes to learn the American tradition of pumpkin carving, and trick-or-treat for cupcakes. Fresh bruschetta toasted over a fire was served as the community bonded in its newly renovated common space. The class and their professors, Ray and Viviana Lorenzo, used the event to advertise their upcoming workshop to local families. The Coloriamo di idee la terrazza del Cortone (Let’s Color the Cortone Terrace with Ideas) Workshop will take place on November 8th in the neighborhood’s puppet theater. It will be designed with a number of children’s activities so that they can creatively share their ideas for the kind of space that they feel will encourage them to play with their friends and family.

 

Click here to learn more about the semester and the terrace project through the eyes of Placemaking students.

Paige McNeil is a Hospitality Management Major at the University of Denver, currently enrolled in Umbra’s Food and Sustainability Studies Program. This semester, Paige has become an active contributor to the Umbra Voice, Umbra’s journalism and communications club that hosts a student blog. The blog is meant to reflect the experiences of Umbra students, providing them with an outlet to share their experiences, while also providing a source of valuable travel information for current and future students.

Paige is the author of the new Umbra Voice section, Monday Mangiamo, a section in which she highlights her favorite food of the week. Paige’s articles share a mix of recipes, her travel locations, and information about the local cuisine she sampled in each place. Paige presents the historical and cultural significance of Croquettes and patatas bravas tapas in Spain, and mouth-watering descriptions of “spaghetti with white wine butter sauce, steamed mussels and clams, and cherry tomatoes”.  

“The tastes, textures, and flavor combinations amaze me every time I try something new,” shared Paige. “I love trying new foods and learning about the cultures that they come from.” Paige is passionate about food and hospitality. She decided to write for the Umbra Voice to gain new experience as a writer and has described her work as “a great opportunity to share my many food experiences while I am exploring Italy and Europe.”

Are you interested in contributing a piece to the Umbra Voice? Contact Ashley at [email protected].

As many have expressed concern for the Umbra community, we would like to report that the city of Perugia and the Umbra Institute were unaffected by this morning’s earthquake in Italy.

The location primarily affected was the area around Norcia, about 100 km south of Perugia. 

We appreciate all of your kind thoughts and prayers.

As many have expressed concern for the Umbra community, we would like to report that the city of Perugia and the Umbra Institute were unaffected by this evening’s earthquake in Italy.

The locations primarily affected are in the Region of Marche, not the Region of Umbria (where Perugia is located). 

We appreciate all of your kind thoughts and prayers.

ANFS 370:Anthropology of Food students explored the notion of food as cultural heritage by visiting two sites in Città di Castello: the heritage orchard “Fondazione Archeologia Arborea”, and the Research Center and Museum of Folk Traditions or “tradizioni popolari”. Below is a reflection written by one anthropology student, Gerard Pozzi:

“Our class field trip to Città di Castello provided me with both an authentic and colorful glimpse into the history of rural life. The orchard has the goal to preserve heritage species of fruits (that would otherwise disappear). I found particularly interesting the emphasis on the preservation of tradition and heritage, occuring simultaneously with the incorporation of modern scientific and agricultural techniques. The curator of the orchard, Isabella Dalla Ragione, taught us the tremendous history behind each fruit, and the unique tastes and recipes that are uncovered when (excuse the pun) digging — though, rather, picking — bits and pieces from the past.

The heritage farmhouse was an enriching experience, engaging all of the senses to experience what life in this farmhouse once resembled. I was interested in the agricultural and household equipment, from old tractors to (what was then) innovative kitchen tools. My favorite room, I (unsurprisingly) have to say, is the kitchen. The immense hearth in the center resonated with me, as it put emphasis on the process of making the local version of torta al testo, ‘ciaccia.’

The visit and tour of Isabella’s property and the heritage farmhouse in Città di Castello was informative and inspiring. It reminded me of the importance of preserving heritage and tradition in a way that does not distance us too much from the past. In my opinion, it is important, even today, with modern technology and innovation constantly in flux, to expose younger generations to the past, antique ways of life. Perspective on both the past and the present is eternally useful”