The Intercultural Communication Course Blog (Prof. Christian Tarchi)
Written by: Rachel Bimonte (RWU), Julia Carter (RWU), Courtney Lehn (UConn)
There are many ups and some downs of studying abroad but we hope this post will help squash some of your fears while being abroad or if you are thinking about studying abroad.
Jet Lag
One of the struggles that a lot of students who study abroad run into when they first arrive is jet lag. When you first arrive in a time zone that has an eight to ten hours difference from what you are used to, you would normally get to your room and fall asleep right away. If you fear that you may fall victim to jet lag when either arriving in another country or going back home, here are some useful tips. When I first got to Florence, I dropped my stuff off in my room and went right out into the city to explore. Doing this forced me to adjust to the time zone more quickly. So being one of the major things that is required of a study abroad student to adjust to upon arrival, I suggest not to go right to bed and be adventurous as soon as possible. It will be worth it in the end.
Homesickness
If you are feeling homesick, which is normal for a study abroad student away from home, there are definitely many options Florence has to offer to stay distracted! One of my favorites is to take a walk to Piazzale Michelangelo and watch the sunset. You could grab a small bite of gelato and sit on the bridge across from the Ponte Vecchio and people-watch or you could do my ultimate favorite and shop! At night there are many American styled bars where you will find countless study abroad students, which is a nice feeling of your home university. “Artigianale” is my favorite coffee shop right behind school where they have iced coffee and play great American music! These are just some of my favorite things to do that remind me of home, but don’t forget to enjoy the local sides of Florence because, before you know it, we’ll be back in the United States!
Getting Pickpocketed
If you are worried about getting pickpocketed, fear not! Here are a few tips and solutions for staying on top of your game. Make sure you never leave valuables in your back pocket, which is easy access for anyone who is walking behind you. Always keep a bag that has either a flap or a zipper, or both – this will make it harder for the pickpocketer to access you and he or she will just target someone with a more open bag. Last but not least, always keep your guard up: walk like you know where you are, look like you are aware, and be aware! If you are still nervous, I always keep a hand over my bag and “assume the position.”
Getting Lost
If you think you are going to get lost in the first few weeks you are abroad, or even several months in, some good ideas can be to carry a map, learn some of the native language, and look up directions on Google Maps before you leave Wi-Fi. I know that up until about 1 week ago, I had no idea where I was going. Then – it just clicked with me. Suddenly, the entire city made sense to me! However, in the weeks leading up to my epiphany, I was nervous all the time about getting lost. You may think that you do not know how to use a map but trust me, desperate times call for desperate measures: if you have to use a map, you will figure it out! If not, make sure you know directional terms in Italian; that way, if you need to you can spot out a friendly face and ask for some directions. Try not to do this too often because it will be your comfort zone that you can’t break. Finally, my best bet was looking up directions on Google to where I needed to go while I was still in a Wi-Fi zone, I took a screen shot of the map, then followed the directions, it works.