Sarah Mednick

My experience in Florence was everything I hoped it would be and more. My main goal was to expand on my language skills in Italian. I can confidently say I am conversationally fluent. I made a deep and lifelong connection with my wonderful host mother (and her dog and cat), whom I still text regularly. My host mother, Laura, has truly become a second nonna to me, although I doubt she would appreciate the elderly connotations that the word implies. She is extremely intelligent, down-to-earth, and absolutely hilarious. I looked forward to our dinner conversations every night, which ran the gamut from frivolous conversations about the differences between Italian and English names to deeper conversations about politics and the death of a beloved pet. Gelso and Arno, her cat and dog, made my roommate and I feel comfortable from the moment we first met. I miss them all so much and cannot wait to see them again!

There were a few cultural differences in Italy that initially surprised me: the first thing is that when you walk in the streets, people make direct eye contact with you but rarely smile. I suppose it’s because people are curious, but smiling at passersby’s faces is not typical in Florence. Another thing is that if you order coffee to-go, you are not supposed to sit in the cafe; it would be an additional charge. Another thing I was surprised at was that many people do not pick up after their dogs in the street, and there are lots of dogs! My experience would not have been the same without my Drawing from Observation class taught by Jamie. The field trips we took as a class to various museums, convents, gardens, and even the Venice Biennale were so eye-opening and incredible, and I really valued the opportunity on Monday and Wednesday mornings to just relax and draw or paint in my sketchbook and talk to Jamie and my friends. My favorite days were when we would meet at the dog park by the Arno for coffee and sketchbook time in the sun. I’m so grateful to Jamie for the opportunities she gave us in her class and for her kindness and engaging conversation.

My honors thesis will be an illustrated word book in Italian and English that takes place in Florence, based on my favorite places in the city and inspired by my time abroad. I fell in love with the city of Florence, with its historic appreciation for the arts, its beautiful gardens, and the people who were patient enough to speak with me and share a bit of wisdom or a kind word. I will return there one day without a doubt!