IL DIPARTIMENTO
You decided to work during your year abroad rather than study. Do you feel like this was the right decision? Do
you think it was better for your language skills?
It was definitely the right decision for me personally;
it really suited me. I wanted to try and do something
different and I had the opportunity to do that. I worked in
a vineyard which was great and it gave me an experience
that I don’t think I would have got elsewhere. Working in
a Pisano school was also a great way to improve my Italian
and to get to know the town a bit more. Even if you don’t
want to be a teacher, I’d recommend it. By being part of a
school, you’re part of the real culture of the town because
you’re working with kids who have grown up there. I’m
sure I would have really enjoyed studying but this way I
got to see a different side of the country, a very true side of
it. Everybody suits different things, though.
As for the language side of it, I think the best thing you
can do for that is to live with someone from the host
country, regardless of whether you study or work. The
problem is that this is a lot easier said than done! I lived
with an Italian student in Italy which meant that I spoke
Italian all the time. It’s exhausting at first but it’s the best
thing you can do. The year abroad is really fun but it’s
easy to fall into a trap of speaking more English than you
do Italian, especially if you’re in a city with a big Erasmus
community. My Italian housemate in Pisa loved living
with Erasmus students but I never thought to pass on his
details. If I’d had a medium through which to share that
information, someone else could have had as good an
experience as I did. At Viveras, we want to share information like that so that more people can have these good
experiences – and avoid bad ones as well!
What is your most important piece of advice for people
about to go on their year abroad?
I would say the most important thing is to prepare. As
exciting as it is, it never hurts to get a bit of a head start.
Look for accommodation in advance and try to get in
touch which people who’ve been to where you’re going
and know the city. It can be a daunting experience. I travelled for a year before I went to university and felt I had
the experience and confidence to be happy being thrown
into a new environment but it was still tough. The year
abroad is a brilliant experience but there are definitely
difficult aspects to it, like culture-shock and struggling
to adapt to a new environment. The more you prepare
beforehand, the more people you’ve met and the more research you’ve done, the easier it will be to deal with those
things and the more you’ll be able to just enjoy yourself!
“ The year abroad is a brilliant
experience but there are definitely difficult aspects to it