CAPA is aware of the incident in London this morning. We are checking in with all students but have no reason to believe any of our students are involved. Our hearts go out to all who have been affected.
In this week's post, Payton talks about visiting her friends over fall break in Madrid and Paris, and shares what their study abroad and daily experiences are like over there compared to hers in Florence, as well what she has learned about herself thus far.
Ciao! I just got back into the swing of things after an amazing fall break spent visiting Paris, Amsterdam, and Madrid. I absolutely loved exploring, but, of course, started to miss Florence, and was ready to come home after a long week away. I stayed with friends that are also studying in Paris and Madrid, and it was really interesting to see how their experience differed from mine. Although there were a bunch of awesome things to appreciate about studying in those cities, it made me realize everything I love about CAPA and Florence, and why it’s such a perfect fit for me.
In this week's post, Connor takes advantage of another CAPA excursion and goes on a day trip to Siena and San Gimignano, discovering sights like the medieval baths, trying the world's best gelato, and learning more about the local traditions of these two Tuscan cities.
Ciao! This past week CAPA invited all of its students here on a day trip to Siena and San Gimignano. Transportation was already paid for and we were even provided with tour guides. It was a no-brainer to go.
Michaella Estevez is an official CAPA vlogger, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Marketing major at University of Massachusetts Amherst, she is studying abroad in Florence this semester.
In her last post, Michaella recaps her time studying abroad in Florence and shows us some of her favorite moments from the experience.
In this week's post, Connor compares his school life and classwork at CAPA Florence to that of his at University of Pittsburgh back home in the US.
Ciao! This past week was midterm week for me and my peers at CAPA, so it was a week full of studying and tests. There are a lot of pre-conceived notions about classes while studying abroad. In this blog I am going to discuss classes, teaching styles, assignments, and the tests a typical CAPA student might get while abroad.
A main difference about class structure I have had here compared to the University of Pittsburgh is the length and occurrence of my classes. At the University of Pittsburgh, and most universities in The States, classes meet 2-3 times a week for either 50 minutes a class or for 75 minutes a class. In Florence, my classes are once a week and they meet for 3 hours. There is usually a 15-minute coffee break in the middle of each class as well. This was certainly different than what I am used to back home. It can be difficult to stay focused class for 3 hours consecutively, but it is nice because each student generally only has one class a day. The rest of your day can be spent catching up on work or exploring the wonderful city of Florence.
In this week's post, Payton shares her initial concerns about not knowing any Italian when she moved to Florence and talks about the different ways she's begun to work on her Italian, leveraging her Ganzo! family, friendly locals, and even her past knowledge of Spanish.
Ciao! I’m currently taking a break from studying for my Italian midterm tomorrow-- my last test before fall break!-- and I figured I’d write a bit about what my experience living in a country where English isn’t the dominant language has been like so far.
Italian is a very beautiful and interesting language, but since it’s only spoken in Italy, it’s rare to find Italian classes in American high schools. I took Spanish as my required language class, which I loved, but figured wouldn’t really do me any good when I decided to come here. When I arrived, I felt a bit rude coming into a foreign country without the ability to even say “please” or “thank you” to the locals in their own language. However, I learned very quickly that, not only is Italian relatively easy to pick up on, but that the locals are very kind and keen on helping you learn.
Michaella Estevez is an official CAPA vlogger, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Marketing major at University of Massachusetts Amherst, she is studying abroad in Florence this semester.
In this today's post, Michaella shows us how she starts off a day in her life as a study abroad student in Florence as she makes her way to class.
In this week's post, Connor highlights a CAPA Florence program called 'FriendMe' in which local high school students from Florence meet with CAPA students and swap stories about what it's like to growing up in Italy vs the US.
Ciao! I just got back to my flat from one of the best experiences I have had so far while studying abroad. Set up by CAPA, I was able to meet and hangout with local Florentine high school students with my peers. The program is called 'FriendMe'. This was an amazing way to meet locals around my age and make new friends.
I was initially kind of nervous about the program. I did not know what I had in common with students from Florence. I know very limited Italian so I did not even know if we would be able to understand and talk to each other. However, these concerns went away very quickly.
In this week's post, Connor highlights three great places to visit that are a easy train ride away from the CAPA Florence Center.
Ciao! Since being in Florence, I have been to so many historic sites and places within the city. However, one of the many great things about living in Florence is the accessibility to travel to different locations in Italy. It is easy to do day trips or weekend trips without spending too much money on transportation. Buying train tickets is simple and quick process. I have purchased tickets at the train station or bought them online beforehand. I would recommend buying tickets online beforehand just to look at different prices and train times, but either way is easy.
Since being in Florence, I have traveled to Venice, Lake Como, and Livorno Beach. All of these places are close to Florence, so the trips were not too expensive and we did not spend too much time on the train.
With the company of her visiting boyfriend, Payton spends a long weekend exploring her host city. From rooftop sunsets and a quick trip the Chianti region, to free museum day and gelato, get inspired by this perfect stay-cation itinerary!
This weekend, I was lucky enough to have a visitor in Florence! My boyfriend, Wylie, who is also studying abroad this semester in Madrid, came by for a few days to check out my new city. Staying in Florence for the weekend to show him around and enjoy the place that I’m calling home for the semester was a nice and much-needed rest from all the weekend traveling that I’ve been doing. Don’t get me wrong, I love that I am able to explore so many parts of Europe so easily while I’m here, but constant traveling can start to take a toll on your energy levels. Florence is also such an amazing place, it deserves it’s fair share of my time, too! And what better way to appreciate where you’re at than with the people that you’re closest to.
Michaella Estevez is an official CAPA vlogger, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Marketing major at University of Massachusetts Amherst, she is studying abroad in Florence this semester.
In this today's post, Michaella takes us on a trip to Capri and shows us the beautiful nature and scenic views of the island.
