Final Week at CIMBA

June 10th

I cannot believe the 4 week summer program is almost over! Tomorrow I have my last final in the morning and then its CIAO CIMBA!

This week has been great. On Monday my class went on a field trip to a local TV news station where they talked to us about Italian reporting and laws on Italian news. It was extremely interesting and relevant to the subjects we have studied all semester. Then, the Italian news anchor wrote an opening script and let a few of us read the script to open the TV show…in Italian!! That night they used our American students to open the news! Although the news men spoke broken english and we spoke no Italian, they liked us because we showed an interest and tried to learn. I think that is one of the most important lessons I have learned about adapting to another culture: it is okay not to fit in, but it is important to show respect for the other culture and at least TRY to adapt. When in Italy, do as the Italians…

On Tuesday we had an etiquette class to prepare us for the formal dinner on Wednesday night. At the formal dinner all the students and teachers mingled over appetizers before enjoying a wonderful three course meal. In ettiquette class we learned about the proper time and style to toast so students kept treking up to the microphone to toast to memories, staff, and Italy. Here is a picture of my wonderful dinner group!

June 11th

The last night at CIMBA was a sad celebration. It’s crazy that I keep meeting new people from the CIMBA program. Its been great getting to know everyone and I will miss this campus. But….it is kind of nice to be done with class and now I have two weeks to travel the rest of Europe!

The last night at CIMBA