The Story of the Art Monster

It was the last week of our program in Todi, Italy, and we were going to have an art exhibition for our art class. We had been asked to invite our local friends and (host) family members to it. So the day before the exhibition, I decided to remind my host mom about it. But, since my host mom didn’t speak any English and my Italian was really bad, too, I asked my Italian teacher to teach me how to say it. Now, art exhibition in Italian is mostra (with an "a") de arte, but by the time I got home, I had already forgotten half of the sentence. So I went up to my host mom and I said, in my broken Italian, “Don’t forget, mostro (with an "o") de arte tomorrow.” Even before I could finish my sentence, my host mom was laughing hysterically. I knew I had said something wrong, but I didn’t know what. So she quickly ran to the other room, got a dictionary and showed me the meaning of mostro...and, honestly, I couldn’t help laughing either. Mostro in Italian means monster, and what I had been saying was, “Don’t forget, Art Monster tomorrow!”

Posted by Vrinda, Todi, Italy

Fiori di Zucca

Last summer, I studied abroad in Todi, Italy, with 22 other Penn State students. Todi is a picturesque Umbrian town in the heart of Italy, only about 2 hours from Rome and Perugia. For the entire length of the program, we lived with local host families in Todi. My host family's house was situated on a farm surrounded by vineyards, sunflower fields and hills covered with pine trees; and living there was truly amazing!
One of the best things about living with a host family in Italy was getting to eat AUTHENTIC Italian food. My host mom, Gabriella, was one of the best cooks on the program and the great thing was that she would even teach us how to make those dishes. Whenever she was preparing a new dish or a dish she knew we particularly liked, she would call us into the kitchen so that we could see how she was doing it.
One of my favorite recipes from the trip was Fried Zucchini Flowers. Now, I didn't even know that a zucchini plant had flowers, least of all that they were edible. Fiori di Zucca or Zucchini flowers are these bright yellow, almost golden, blossoms that grow on the end of baby zucchinis. They are very perishable and have to be used fresh, the day they are bought. These blossoms, when dipped in a batter and fried, make delicious crispy appetizers. People in Italy eat them in other ways also, like stuffed with ricotta cheese or even as pizza topping.
It's hard to find zucchini flowers at grocery stores here. So when I came back home, after the program, I planted some zucchini in my garden. But I knew that even if I did manage to grow them at home, I wouldn't be able to repeat the experience; and that's something I really miss from my summer study abroad in Italy!
Posted by Vrinda, Todi, Italy

Study Abroad with Friends?

Recently, I encountered students interested in studying abroad together in the same program, even if they both have different interests and are seeking to gain differing experiences during their time abroad. I handled the situation by asking them about their majors and if they wanted to continue taking classes abroad related to their majors. I also asked them preferences about where they would want to travel during their time abroad and tried to highlight certain programs based on their interest of travel. They seemed very set on studying together, and it was hard to accommodate both of their needs into one specific program. I let them know that studying abroad really brings people together and bonds the members of the program, so even if they did study by themselves, they would meet new people easily and make new friends in the program. I was able to recommend certain programs to them, some of the programs being different from each other and others being the same. I wanted them to definitely consider the option of studying on their own and learning to be independent and meet new people, but I also kept in mind that they were interested in studying with each other. In the end, I think I opened their eyes to the possibility of them seeking different programs, because based on their majors, traveling preferences, and other interests, they did desire diverse experiences. However, we did find several programs within Europe that did fit many of both of their interests. Hopefully based on their preferences for their study abroad experience, they will find programs that will help them gain the most out of their time abroad.
The reason why I was interested in this issue was because when I decided to study abroad in Rome, it was my first time being completely on my own without any other familiar friends or family with me. It was at first an overwhelming experience, because I knew that I didn't have anyone to fall back on right away, but after a few weeks of transitioning into the culture and meeting new people, I felt very comfortable with being by myself and knowing that I could rely on the new friends I was making. I became a lot more independent from my time abroad, which was an eye-opening experience for me.

Posted by Jill, Rome, Italy, Spring 2007