I entered this summer with one goal in mind: to see parts of the world I have never seen before and have fun while doing it. Both New Zealand and Italy were absolute whirlwinds, I can confidently say that I do not regret either study abroad experience. The two were vastly different: not only was I on two different continents, I was on two different types of study abroad programs offered by UA, with my New Zealand study abroad being a faculty-led program and my Italy study abroad being through an affiliate program, ASA. This meant the two programs had a different structure, which in turn affected my experience in the two countries.
My first stop this summer was New Zealand as a part of UA in New Zealand: Adventure in Literature. As a faculty-led program, I found a pretty detailed travel itinerary that told me where we would be and when. All travel within the country was taken care of, and I especially appreciated the educational opportunities built in to the program. Through the carefully-crafted itinerary, I got to explore so many parts of New Zealand outside of the big cities. I got to see the Milky Way in Lake Tekapo, visit the Waitangi Treaty Grounds up in Paihia, and even feed a baby llama at Sheepworld. I was able to experience all this and more thanks to the structure provided by the faculty-led program. Even during our pockets of free time, the faculty helped shape my time in New Zealand. Since they had been to New Zealand year after year for the same program, the faculty could give advice on restaurants to try or other places to hit outside of the itinerary. One faculty member enjoyed hiking, and he would guide a group of us to hikes with the most stunning views – hikes I likely would not have found on my own.
For all the structure the faculty-led program had, I found the exact opposite in Italy with ASA. I was based in Florence, and while ASA gave me all the necessary information about housing, travel, my classes, and even had a site coordinator I could reach out to at any hour with questions, I found that I was free to spend my time however I wanted outside of class. This meant I had to figure out travel logistics on my own. If I wanted to visit Venice and Rome in one weekend, it was up to me to figure out a) how to get there, b) where I would sleep, and c) what I would eat. I enjoyed the flexibility I had in Florence and feel like my independence grew during my time there. How I spent each day was entirely in my hands, and I was the one who got to decide what museums or landmarks I wanted to visit. While I appreciated the comfort and ease that came with the faculty-led program, I am nevertheless glad I tried my hand at exploring a foreign country alone.
After my return from Florence, people often asked me which country I liked more. However, given how different the two programs are, I find that to be an impossible question. Thanks to the itinerary curated by the faculty for the New Zealand program, I found my experience rich with cultural exchanges, including opportunities to talk to locals and students across middle school, high school, and college. Given the faculty’s familiarity with the country, I got to eat at hole-in-the-wall spots and hike where the locals like hiking. In New Zealand, I didn’t feel too much like a tourist. On the other hand, I most definitely felt like a tourist in Florence. When I took day trips to Pisa, Cinque Terre, Rome, and Venice, I had to go off of whatever I could find on the Internet using the Google search, “best things to do in [blank].” But making my own itinerary came with plenty of pride, and my confidence had strengthened significantly during my time in Florence versus my time in New Zealand.
The bottom line? Both countries were wonderful and afforded two very unique, incomparable experiences that I would not trade the world for.