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Photography and Bookbinding

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Drawing, Ceramics, Painting and Creative Writing

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Snapshots of Final Show - Fall 2014

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Students Perspective - Travelling in Italy: slow down and enjoy the surprises

(Hannah Delphine Ayers - Liberal Arts - Fall Semester 2014)

Over the long weekend my friends and I planned a trip to Rome. It was my first time, and as my host mom said “Finally! You are going to Rome!” It seems a little silly to have saved the trip to arguably the most important city in Italy for the last available weekend, but I am so happy with how it worked out.

Rome was chaos. Exciting, fast-paced, overwhelming. My friends and I had to be on top of our traveling game, but all of our previous trips in Italy to Bologna, Venice, Florence, Napoli, and Sorrento prepared us for Rome. By now we have perfected our system of making the most of our time in any given city.

As soon as I stepped off the train I purchase a map. I needed it to navigate to the Airbnb where I was staying for the weekend, and it is also nice to visualize the layout of the city. After checking in at the apartment, we sat down and prioritized what sights we wanted to see. We left our bags at the apartment, which is a simple thing, but it is great to be able to drop your stuff off early in the day. It is much nicer than having to walk around the city with everything you own in your bag (something I have done more than once). Then we were off to experience Rome!

In three and a half days we fit quite a lot in. On Friday evening we explored the city and its shops and then we happened to walk into the Colosseum lit up in the night.

Saturday morning we got up early, and skipped the line at the Vatican Museum because we had made a reservation. We spent the day looking at the Renaissance art we had talked about in our art history classes and saw the Sistine Chapel. On Sunday we rode the metro with crowds of Italians. We joined the masses of people making their way to St. Peter's Square for the Pope's blessing. I saw Pope Francis himself. The excitement in the crowd was unreal. I understood a good portion of Pope Francis's blessing thanks to our intensive italian class. After the conclusion of the speech, we milled about outside the Vatican and went to do some shopping at a market on the street. Later that day I toured the Colosseum, and it was free because we went on the first Sunday of the month. On Monday we made a visit to the Galleria Borghese with our tickets that we reserved online before the trip. The marble statues by Bernini were unbelievable and my favorite part of the gallery. We fast-walked across the city to get to the Pantheon before it closed. I admired the elaborate interior and looked up through the oculus.

It was lovely to be in Rome in December. The weather was still warm in comparison to the winters that I am used to, and the city looked so festive. Christmas lights are strung down the streets, and all the monuments are complimented with beautiful Christmas trees. Around noon we made our way to the Spanish steps. The plan was to get some gelato, sit down, and people-watch for awhile.

However when we arrived in the area we encountered what seemed to be the entire population of Rome crowded in the streets. Unbeknownst to us, Monday was the day of the tree-lighting ceremony and it was only until we asked around did we realize that the Pope was coming. It was such a fun, unexpected thing to be a part of.

The moral of the story is this: traveling in Italy is incredible. Reading up on the place you are visiting, making reservations in advance, and prioritizing the places you want to visit within the city are all important. But equally important for a fantastic trip is being able to slow down, pay attention to the small moments, and above all, enjoy the surprises.

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Students perspective: Madrid, Seville, and Paris all in ten days...

(Danielle Dustin Gagnon, Liberal Arts - Fall 2014)

We went abroad to find new things and Siena continues to prove it was the best choice to satisfy the requirement. Not only does Siena offer innumerable unique opportunities of its own, but it also encourages and, in a way requires, a fall break that is inevitably full of further fresh and undiscovered adventures.

For ten days we all went our own ways to explore new parts of Europe. Some friends and I looked under the rocks in Madrid, Seville, and Paris and found things we both expected and were surprises. Amid new languages, foods, and cityscapes we never knew what we were going to find beyond what was marked on our map.

After spending two days in the Prado in Madrid, an afternoon in the Reina Sofia and drinking in/laugh out loud at art from the Etruscans to today’s contemporaries, we were ready for something off the streets main or at least outside the museums. As a result we found paella and fell in love with sangria and spent hours trying to finish it all.

Seville brought us a new pace of travel. Our map had less brightly circled landmarks and so our days revolved around meals and stumbling upon things we didn’t know where there. Our first day we accidentally found the Plaza de Espana and that it was beautiful.

The warm brick complex was enlivened by beautifully colored tiles and all I could think was, why don’t we use these tiles more often in the States? Now, I think all of us have new blueprint plans for our dream houses.

The last leg of our break was in Paris. There we wanted to circle every landmark but then we would’ve been a whirlwind of rushing. We had our priorities and everyone had their first choice of what to see and from there we tried to take it as it came to us. Our walks to the museums were a part of the day’s sights, and so we stopped for our photos and intake of the little things and let the smaller moments wash over us with the same grandeur of the Van Goghs and Monets.

Madrid, Seville, and Paris all in ten days was just what we needed for our fall break. And the short time frame only made it clear that we wouldn’t be able to see everything on this first visit, we’ll just have to go back again.

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Students Perspective: "Oh, The Places You Will Go!"

(Krista Menzel - Liberal Arts - Fall Semester 2014)

Every class here is such an adventure! I especially enjoy the photography class. Everyday we are supposed to take at least one picture, this really makes us pay more attention to the special moments in everyday life. 

Last weekend we got to go to the Crete hills near Siena. It was out of this world and everyone enjoyed it. I recall Sophia saying that it was nice to go somewhere just to take photos, no one was rushing us to get to a museum or a restaurant we they do when we go to a new city. On this field trip we just got to enjoy the landscape and be creative.

We are all learning so much and getting better every day. It is exciting to see our skills transform and see the world through a different pair of eyes.

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Happy Halloween! We present to you a true Ghost Story from our Italian student Sofia!!!

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Students perspective - Living with my host family

(Hannah Delphine Ayers - Liberal Arts - Fall Semester 2014)

Living with a host family has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my study abroad experience. Sharing a home with an Italian family has been fascinating, confusing, entertaining, and so many other things. I absolutely love it. Whether it's eating dinner, watching Italian television, or talking about our days together, I am learning so much.

I know that I am extremely fortunate to be able to share so much time with them. We have our separate schedules and it is always interesting to hear what the family has been up to when we are not spending time together. I get to hear about their days at school, their classes, their soccer games, and the events they go to. I get to see their day-to-day lives first hand and enjoy seeing the little things that differ from what I am used to.

We eat dinner at 8 o'clock every night. The food is fresher, and the mother goes grocery shopping multiple times a week. Italians usually have separate clothes that they wear when they are in the house. Italian homes use a lot more natural light than in the U.S. and they never waste electricity. These new ways of doing things were easy to get used to, and this place could not feel more like home.

If I had to choose a favorite memory from living with my host family I don't know if would be from my first few days in the city when the grandfather would walk me to school in the morning. I could pick the time my host mother baked meringues and I could not stop eating them. I also love when we have something new for dinner, and one of the children will run over to the chart on the wall that shows the names of vegetables and fruits in both English and Italian, to explain to me what we are eating. The interactions we have together have brought me a strong connection with this place that I would not have otherwise.

Other bonuses of living with a host family: they will invite you to contrade events, they will take care of you when you're sick, they will give you advice for the trips you plan, they will help you study for your Italian tests (bonus points if you help them study for their english tests). Best of all, they will allow you to see a beautiful culture through their eyes.

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Students Perspective - Under the Tuscan Shade: Demystifying the Romanticization of Tuscany

(Sophia Garcia Sustainability Track -  Fall Semester 2014)

I called shotgun, ran to the car and we were on our way. San Gimignano, here we come. But, as we drove out of Siena, we realized that the car we were following knew the winding roads very well. We also realized that, collectively we were directionally challenged. Strangely the idea of getting lost did not bother me at all. How could I be bothered by where I was when the Tuscan countryside is a wonder of its own. Tuscany is a beautiful place, no wonder countless Hollywood films are shot here.

Even if we got lost I would be perfectly content walking around the hills of Tuscany. Everyone in the car joked, that we did not mind spending more time in the Tuscan, shade? Right as I was going to say sun, we drove through a row of leafy trees. We laughed it off and finally caught up with our van.

The most common phrase I heard before coming to Tuscany was, Under the Tuscan Sun, and yes it is amazing. The sun on my skin feels amazing. But almost two months into the program and the weather still felt like summer. With 80 degree days and at least a 30 minute walk to and from school, I found comfort sitting under the shade of a nice tree, or the shade from a building while eating lunch in the Piazza Del Campo.

The Tuscan sun is Amazing but since this Fall has been unusually warm, resting under a cypress tree is just what the doctor ordered. It is easy to forget that the landscape of Tuscany would not look the same without the trees to line the hills. Olive trees, cypress trees, and hazelnut trees are all native to the Tuscan area and all have a special significance to the people in the region.

Cypress trees are most commonly seen near cemeteries to line them. I learned that Cypress trees are mostly commonly used to notify cemeteries. The long green bushes that reach up to the sky. They are also said to have pollen that calms people down.

The olive tree has to be the most famous tree seen throughout Tuscany. A Professor told me during class, that most people who live in Tuscany do not buy their olives from the supermarket because everyone knows someone who owns an olive grove. You can see their silver leaves line the sides of roads mirroring the rows of the vineyards.

The Castagna, or Hazelnut in Italian, tree can be found all around the Fortezza in Siena. The nuts are protected in a spikey shell that is alarming when you sit on it. Inside the spikey shell is the nut with its’ hard smooth surface. They are slightly larger then a walnut and much harder to crack. As a child growing up in California, roasting chestnuts on an open fire was never an option but I had higher hopes when I saw the grounds of Italy littered with this nut. And one day on my walk home I saw a man roasting chestnuts on a pop up stove. It was not an open fire, but they were very delicious.

The Tuscan sun may be better known, but the shadows of Tuscany have a lot to offer as well.

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Students perspective: Learning Italian is one thing...

(Stephanie Brown Liberal Arts - Fall Semester 2014)

Learning Italian is one thing; learning how to use your Italian to initiate conversations with locals is another. But if studying abroad does anything for you, it gives you confidence to conquer foreign situations without ever breaking a sweat. It gives you the confidence to fully immerse yourself in a city that is not your own.

A couple of weeks ago, a few friends in my photography class and I passed a store with a man working on a loom inside. We all stopped in front of the store, mesmerized by his actions. In an effort to immerse myself in the Sienese culture, I told my friends I was going to go inside to ask the man if I could take a photo of him at work.

My friends followed me into the store and we began to photograph him and his store full of handmade scarves, jackets, and hats. We eventually started up a conversation with the man, Antonio, and his wife who both own the store. After talking with them a bit, he gestured at me to sit on the bench to work with the loom. I carefully slid onto the bench as he started to explain to me, in full Italian, how to use it. I understood enough to accomplish stringing together a few lines of the material. I now not only have more confidence to initiate conversations with Italians, but I learned a cool new skill! You may never know what Siena has to offer you without some confidence, a little Italian, and the willingness to fail, try again, and succeed.

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Students perspective - Immersion: but in what exactly? Everything, so learn some Italian first

(Danielle Dustin Gagnon, Liberal Arts - Fall 2014)

The term full immersion is thrown around a lot in the preparation process to study abroad and it begins to take on a blurry all-encompassing form that loses meaning. Now, more than a month after arriving in Siena, it’s apparent we dove into a sea of art, food, and language. And for me, I was less equipped in terms of language skills than I might have hoped. Here are the top five phrases we use regularly and make all the difference.

1) Dove il bagno? Where is the restroom?

That’s the first. Just learn it, you’re going to ask for it a lot in bars and cafes. Public restrooms are rare and free ones are even harder to find.

2) Mi piace/ Vorrei I like/ I would like.

These are perfect beginnings to sentences and you instantly feel so proud of yourself when you can express to your host mother what kind of foods you like and what you would like for breakfast. On that note, look up how to say some of the foods you like. And don’t rely on other romance languages you know to carry all the weight or you’ll find out why you’ve been having so many beans when you learn legumes and legumi are not direct translations.

3) Che significa? Come sei dice? Non capito? What does this mean? How do you say this? I don’t understand. 

These also have made their way onto my most frequently used list. But that’s ok, and these phrases have been infinitely helpful and make me feel better than only being able to shrug my shoulder and look confusedly mute.

4) Parli inglese? Io parlo un po' di italiano. Do you speak English? I speak Italian a little. There are going to be times in a stores, particularly the phone stores where you know you aren’t going to be able to navigate your way through a conversation of cell phone plans. They probably guess that’s the case but you get brownie points for asking in Italian.

5) Il cibo è molto buono! This food is good!

This is a must know. At meals your host family will look at you expectantly, watching for your reactions as you try the food. I at least got self-conscious with that many eyes watching me, so having something to say really helped. Your host mother will love it.

So before you leave for Siena, grab a phrase book and teach yourself some of these helpful phrases. You’ll be able to skip some of the language shock and go right to enjoying everything around you!

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Students perspective: Studying while Traveling

(Krista Menzel - Liberal Arts - Fall Semester 2014)

Traveling to different cities is one of the great things about studying in Italy, because each city is very unique. This past weekend the Art History 2 class got to visit Florence. Being in the presents of the art we are learning about makes this Art History class more memorable and enjoyable than any other Art History class I have taken before. It was amazing to be able to see two of the most famous “David” sculptures one by Michelangelo and the other by Donatello. There were many other fantastic works of art that we admired.

When in Florence we were able to learn about the masterpieces we were standing in front of. We also got to experience the city. We saw David and the Duomo, bought wine off of a cart pulled by oxen, walked across the Ponte Vecchio, and of course ate gelato.

Florence and the other cities we visit are always exciting, but at the end of the day, we are all glad to be living in beautiful Siena.

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Students perspective: Top 5 things to bring with you in Siena

(Hannah Delphine Ayers - Liberal Arts - Fall Semester 2014)

I have only been in Siena, Italy for a short while, but I am already growing accustomed to the wonderfully slower pace of life. Time is different in Siena. The city itself has aged gracefully, and I can only assume that Siena will get even better with age. I have already learned more that I could have imagined about the rich Sienese lifestyle. The people, the food, and the surroundings are the greatest aspects of the city, and getting to discover all of these things is so exciting.

Whether you are planning a trip right now, or daydreaming about traveling to Siena in the future, there are a few important things that will make your time in this city a perfectly positive experience. These are things that I am quite pleased I brought with me, and my friends and I agree that every Sienese adventure should include:

Good walking shoes!

Every single shoe you bring should be a good walking shoe. Keep in mind that you will want a variety of footwear, but each shoe you pack has to be comfortable for at least a two mile walk.

Scarves!

A scarf is a good way to dress up an outfit among the stylish Italian crowd. Scarves are light items to pack, and a scarf is an easy layer to take on or off depending on how the weather changes during the day. You can also use scarves to cover up when you go into churches.

A water bottle!

Don't forget your favorite water bottle! All of the walking and exploring you will be doing everyday will make you thirsty. Staying hydrated is healthy, plus you will save money on not buying drinks everyday.

Snacks!

Most people in Italy do not snack, but the one thing I have missed since moving here is snacking. Having a little something to eat between meals will help you transition to eating dinner at 8 o'clock. If you bring some small snacks with you, you can use it on your first few days in Siena while you pick your favorite place to grocery shop. Also it will make layovers in the airport more bearable!

A good backpack!

This is so important. Your backpack should be comfortable and big enough to fit your books, laptop, lunch, umbrella, jacket, etc. Usually, you will be carrying everything that you will need all day, with you all day. This bag is also quite useful to take on weekend trips. Another nice quality of backpacks is that they keep your hands free for taking photos and eating tons of gelato!

These are all smart decisions to make, but the best decision of all is deciding to study at the Siena School for Liberal Arts!  

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Students perspective - Day one: Sweet satisfaction!

(Sophia Garcia Sustainability Track -  Fall Semester 2014)

I knew the word for pasta, pizza and the environment. That was it. All I knew about Italian culture was that their food is amazing, the people were loud and the country has more historical landmarks then they knew what to do with.

Coming to Italy I did not know what to expect. I had never been out of the Americas, I did not know the language and I was going to live in someones home. But when I sat down to dinner on my first night in Siena, I knew the Slow Food Movement was alive and well.

The mother gestured me to sit down at the table, which lay right in the middle of the kitchen. Wonderful smells radiated from the oven and on top of the kitchen counter. For dinner we had cabbage and potato soup with a dollop of chili, cracked black pepper and a thin layer of grated Parmesan cheese. Perfection. The soup was as thin as water but held the flavor of the simple ingredients.

Once I was finished my bowl was taken away and a plate lay underneath. Slices of pork wrapped in Sienese bread and bacon, roasted vegetables and cut tomatoes in olive oil and a pinch of salt were placed on my plate. A bread basket was passed my way and red wine was in my reach. I waited to see how my host family ate the food and dove right in after them. I could not understand the mother but we had a common language, food.  A wide smile gently humming and wide eyes could only mean one thing. Sweet satisfaction. And this was only day one.

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Dreaming your study abroad in Siena, Italy? Meet us at your campus!

This Fall our program representative Anya Maslack is participating in several Study Abroad Fairs! Find the dates out here and make sure to come and meet us when we are at your campus! Sept. 18th - from 11am to 2:30pm Brandeis University - GO AWAY! Levin Ballroom, -  Usdan Student Center. Sept. 22nd -  from 4pm to 6pm Amherst College - Study Abroad Fair Keefe Campus Center Sept. 23rd  -  from 6pm to 8pm  Mount Holyoke College - College Study Abroad Fair Chapin Auditorium  Sept. 24th - from 11am to 3pm Williams College - Study Abroad Fair  Lasell Gymnasium Oct. 2nd - from 4pm to 6:30pm Oberlin’s College - Annual Study Away Fair Lobby of Peters Hall Oct. 8th -  from 1pm to 3pm Clark University - Study Abroad Fair Tilton Hall, Higgins University Center at Clark University Nov. 4th -  from 10am to  2:30pm  Swarthmore College - Study Abroad Fair Upper Tarble, Clothier Hall Swarthmore College's Off-Campus Study Office

(Photo: Kara Johnson, Spring Semester 2014 student)

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TEN YEARS TOGETHER!!!

The Siena School for Liberal Arts is celebrating our ten year anniversary! Help us tell the story of the amazing adventures we've had together. Post on our fb page your favorite photo from your study abroad experience in Siena and share with us your most treasured mementos from your time here!

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Orientation Trip to Colle di Val d'Elsa