My experience in Pisa and the Mediterranean Language Institute was very unique, and it opened my eyes to a new world. When my Italian teacher in the US spoke to me of an opportunity to go to study and live alone in Italy for two weeks, I was immediately interested because I had never done such a thing in my life as a student. After finishing the examination AP, I thought about how I could improve my knowledge of the Italian language even more than in previous years. So, when my teacher said to me: “Oh, Philip, you know that scholarship to study abroad, you’ve won it!”, I was pretty excited to say the least. Then, after “some time, and then a little more”, I simply could not stop thinking of Pisa.
After a period that seemed to last ten years, missing only one week at the beginning of my time in
Pisa, and I noticed that in combination with the anticipation, I was very nervous. I could not wait to start, but at the same time it was my first time in life to get out of my own comfort zone. The day before we began, I met my hostess, a very kind woman during my time with her has shown me that even strangers can become mentors. My first day was full in every sense. Full of culture, lessons, and entertainment. That day, I met people from all over the world who immediately showed me to his culture. It’s been well all day, learning something new in the classroom, and out. At the beginning of the class, I thought I already knew Italian in its entirety, but in reality, the teacher at the institute helped me understand that Italian was a language like any other, and that personal discussions must be customized with the right choice of verb tenses for each context. This level of conversation was very advanced and new to me.
The perhaps most key parts of my experience were the moments that I could achieve with the fellow students of the school. Spending days at beach, to go see the “Game of Bridge” (The historical inter-city game of Pisa), I never felt alone. Pisa setting was perfect for my first time “alone”, a very friendly but also fun and lively. Altogether, my time spent in Pisa was enjoyable, exciting, and memorable
