Home Institution: Elon University
Umbra Semester: Spring 2008
Currently: “Finding my place in the world…”
Advice for Future Students: “When I returned home to the United States from my semester in Perugia, I was trying to put into words what I loved about that little university town. I came up with these words:
‘What is it about Perugia, Italy that is so captivating? Perhaps it is the fact that you walk instead of drive and are able to appreciate things one otherwise may have overlooked. Perhaps it is the fact that everything from a single cobblestone to an aqueduct at the foot of 210 stairs has a unique history or past. Maybe it is the magic in the language or the fact that people still hang their laundry out their windows to dry and grow gardens on their rooftops. But what I think it really is in Perugia that you will relish the simplest things in life; and those simple things you come to find are what make life beautiful in the first place.’”
“Speak Italian; it gives such a sense of fulfillment to arrive speaking English and leave conversationally bi-lingual. Explore the city and find your own special place that only you know about. Go on Zach’s “Nooks and Crannies tour”. Go on the Tuscan getaway. Horseback ride and go to a wine tasting. Make friends with the Italians who want to get to know you. Enjoy the culture of slow drinking and slow living. Bask in the sun on the stairs of Piazza Novembre. If you get a chance, ride a Vespa. Run up the 210 stairs of Via Appia without stopping. Go to the Perugia markets and look at the books, jewelry and antiques; observe the people behind those market tables and smile at them. Eat Nutella. Taste the wild gelato flavors. Don’t carry your passport with you. Live the Italian culture. Make friends with the staff. Get sandwiches from Parma. Stay off the internet as much as you can. Ride the mini-metro. Soak in all things good, all things beautiful and all things where you even remotely see love.”
Contact Katherine with even more suggestions for a semester abroad in Perugia: keblack4@gmail.com