October 26, 2016

UWRC 2016-2017 Intern Emma Smith Shares Her Experience

“I can’t believe that almost 5 months have gone by since I first arrived in Italy! The experiences I have had as an intern here have been both personally and academically challenging yet growthful. In the last months I have had the incredible opportunity to work with students from the UW Creative Writing, LSJ, Honors, Studio Art, Cinema, Design, Anthropology, Architecture and Business programs. I am now beginning my own independent studies, focusing on contemporary cinema, poetry translation, and literature written in Italian by non-native Italian speakers who share their stories of immigrating to Italy.

My favorite experience in Italy so far has been sharing and learning with the friends I have made from every corner of the world. We often cook each other traditional meals from home, share photos and stories, and go on our own adventures together in Rome. Everyday my Italian is improving, and so is the English of many of my new friends. Language exchange has been a unique part of living abroad and a definite highlight.

I look forward to traveling on weekends throughout the next 3 quarters, meeting new people, and absorbing every bit of Italian life and culture that I can while I am here. My next stop in Italy will be to Sicily and Puglia, and I am very excited to spend time with 2 of my amazing Italian friends and their families for the holidays- Italian style!”