Umbra Student Hannah Forster, who also volunteers for UNICEF’s Pigotta Project (for which an UmbraViews video was recently made) has been writing a blog throughout her time in Italy.
The blog, titled “longlivethewallswecrashedthrough” chronicles her travels throughout Europe (think Paris, Denmark, Lisbon, Seville, Portugal, Prague, London, and more) and Italy (think hot springs, Rome, Florence, Venice, Cinque Terre, and more) and her experiences as a student in Perugia. She’s learned to cook (aided by her grandmother’s care package of recipes and to speak Italian. Reading it gives an excellent idea of what an American student studying in Perugia experiences on a day-to-day basis.
Here’s an excerpt from one of her posts, which was posted near the beginning of her time in Perugia:
It’s funny how quickly a new place can be thought of as “home.” Home is not a definite word. The house you grew up in, or the house you have a mortgage on, is not necessarily your only “home.” I remember my first week at Gustavus, already telling my mom that I would need to go back home (to Gustavus) after certain events. Well it’s been two weeks here in Perugia, and there is no doubt in my mind that this is my home. We went on our first weekend-long trip this past weekend, down the coast to Sorrento, Naples, Pompei, and the island of Capri.
It was unbelievably beautiful, we got great tans, swam in the Tyrrhenian Sea, and had delicious full-course Italian meals….but by Sunday night, on our bus ride back up to Perugia, all we wanted was home. We got off the bus in Piazza Italia, in the center of Perugia, looked at each other and said “It is SO good to be home.” I found comfort walking through the streets that I have come to know as my own, stopping by my school (even though I just started there two weeks ago) and finally coming home, with all of my roommates, to my comfy, food-less, potentially mosquito-infested apartment. It is SO good to be home. Home sweet Perugia.