One challenge I did not expect to encounter while in Sydney were the hours of
operation for restaurants and businesses. In the United States, many grocery
and convenience stores, restaurants, etc. open early and close late - many
staying up until after midnight. But in Sydney, most businesses did not open until
10 am, and often closed at 5 pm. The latest restaurants stayed open until 10 pm
- so the only midnight snack available to me was at McDonald's! Because of this,
I had to shift my entire schedule to eat a late breakfast and an early dinner,... Read More
Pitt Global Experiences Students' Blog
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Before studying abroad in Sydney, I thought of Australian food as “meat
pies” and “vegemite.” And while I did get to try these famous classic
“Aussie” foods, I learned that Australian cuisine encompasses much more,
and similar to the United States, Australia is a country with cuisine coming
from all around the world! My two favorite places to eat routinely was North
Indian Cuisine on George Street (which gave me the largest vegetable
samosas I have ever eaten!) and Miso Japanese in the World Square (I just
couldn’t help coming back for their... Read More -
Every morning was new and exciting during my time in Sydney. Especially during
the weekend, I never knew what I would do and where I was going next!
However there were a few routine places I would go to, for food and classes.
First every morning I would wake up, get ready for classes, and talk to my family.
In Australia the time zone is very different from back home - Sydney is 14 hours
ahead of where my family lives in New England! I would often be having
breakfast while they were having dinner; or be going to class when they were
sound... Read More -
First of all, make sure to pack lightly! You will definitely want to bring home
souvenirs. On your first day in your study abroad program, you will definitely feel
jetlagged and tired - try not to relax or sleep until the local evening time. You want
to remain as active as possible, to decrease the effects of jet lag and to make the
most of your trip meeting new people, exploring a new city or country, and trying
new cuisines and learning about a new culture. Even if you are on a low budget,
try to go on as many excursions as possible! Some study... Read More -
Ciao! It has been six weeks since the beginning of my program “Pitt in Florence” and it has been the experience of a lifetime. This program offers six weeks, two 3-credit courses, and consists of 120 undergraduate students from around the United States. Six weeks ago, I moved to Florence, Italy without knowing anyone in the program, in the city of Florence, or honestly what to expect from this experience itself. While this experience has been overall one-of-a-kind, there were obstacles I had to overcome throughout my six weeks. Along the way, I had many ups and many downs, downs that... Read More
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Italian cuisine makes up the Italian identity and culture. It is amazing to see how much their cuisine impacted their daily lives and the traditions they have in Italy. While studying abroad in Italy, I made the most of my experience by trying different foods that represent the Florentine culture, as well as cooking different traditional dishes to connect with their culture. I adapted to the eating habits in Italy in hopes to feel like an actual Florentine and to connect to my family heritage to see how they used to live their lives. Food reflects the Florentine culture, as it does in all... Read More
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Ciao! I am officially one week into my study abroad experience through the “Pitt in Florence” program, a program that spans six weeks, and two 3-credit courses. I decided to do this program without knowing anyone else from Pitt in the program, but I have already met so many students from my university and so many others. I chose to live in a shared apartment over the option of home stay, so the program situated me into an apartment with roommates from all over the US. In the apartment there are four Pitt students, three UC Boulder students, and one student from Purdue… a total of eight... Read More
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For my Food Studies Program in Florence, Italy, I was able to live in a home with five other students in my program from the University of Pittsburgh. I loved the house I stayed in and I am grateful for having such a great landlord and the ability to make amazing friends. Although we faced some challenges living in this house a couple of times, there were many positives about living there and I had such a great time.
I stayed with five other people from the University of Pittsburgh in a three-story house within a nice neighborhood, 30 minutes away from our campus.... Read More -
During my Plus3 study abroad program in Augsburg, Germany, it was way easier to interact with locals than I had expected. It was my first time leaving the country, so I initially expected there to be a huge language barrier between us students and the Germans. Turns out, many of them spoke English.
Dr. Feick, our program professor, told us before we left Pittsburgh that all the students and faculty at the University of Augsburg that were participating in this program all spoke English very well. I had some doubt about if this was true, but I was immediately proved... Read More -
While in Germany during my Plus3 study abroad program, I was nonstop eating food. One of the main things I heard you had to do when abroad is try new food, and so I constantly was trying new food during every meal.
Germany is famous for all their different kinds of meats, so it was a perfect environment for me. I first had to try the famous Schnitzel, which is fried pork. Every single restaurant we ate at had Schnitzel on the menu, so I had it multiple times. It is always served with french fries and German potato salad, and every time it was really good. Then,... Read More