Week 4 Reggio Emilia: Gianna Calderon

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Gianna Calderon

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Gianna Calderon

<i>"Hello" in your host country's language:</i> Ciao <i>Home Institution (your U.S. University/College):</i> University of Iowa <i>Expected graduation year:</i> 2024 <i>Destination city & country:</i> Reggio Emilia, Italy <i>Program provider:</i> USAC <i>Major/minor:</i> Nursing <i>Demographics:</i> Hispanic/Latinx, Caucasian/White <i>Future career aspirations:</i> Within my future career in nursing, I plan to stay motivated and determined to do my best. I would like to maintain positive communication with my patients while remaining culturally competent and aware of their personal traditions. Additionally, I plan to improve patient care and encourage others to chase their dreams. I want to be able to showcase that it is possible as a first-generation minority student to attend college, obtain a degree, and study abroad. I will provide words of encouragement and a safe space for every person I encounter. <i>Top 3 goals for your time abroad:</i> While I am studying abroad in Italy, I want to assimilate into their culture. This will allow me to learn new cues and nonverbal methods of communication in an unfamiliar cultural context. The aspect of improving my language skills is important for campus life and my future career because I will be able to curate the skills needed to communicate with people of different cultural backgrounds. I will further my ability to become more culturally competent, and I will experience appreciation for a new culture and way of life. Also, I want to be able to learn a new language, which will be Italian. This will aid in my memory function and enhance my educational experience. Lastly, I would like the opportunity to become more independent by traveling on my own. I will be able to gain leadership skills that will help me transition from being a teenager to a real adult.

Ciao da Reggio Emilia!

In my Italian cuisine course, we made melon with prosciutto, caprese, mussels, spaghetti, potatoes, and panna cotta! On Thursday, June 2nd, Italy celebrated their national holiday, which is called Republic Day. So, I did not have classes on Thursday or Friday. My friends and I decided to book a long weekend getaway to Genova and Cinque Terre.

In Genova, we were able to visit a couple beaches and enjoy a relaxing break. The main beach is called Boccadasse (Spiaggia di Boccadasse). We were able to encounter amazing focaccia and gelato as well. Additionally, we watched a beautiful display of fireworks in honor of the holiday. The buildings were all lit up with the famous Italian colors: green, white, and red!

Cinque Terre is a territory of five different seaside villages. Did you know that the Disney movie Luca is based in Cinque Terre? I have never seen the movie, but it is definitely on my future watch list! There was lots of promotion for this movie in this area. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I could not visit every village. But, I did go to Monterosso, Vernazza, and Manarola. Each village was easily accessible by train. The views were surreal, and I learned that the ocean is super salty! Thankfully, I did not see any sharks either.

On June 9th, I was able to visit Consorzio Vacche Rosse on a class field trip. It is a factory that makes Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. It was intriguing to see the workers mixing the cheese and feeling the consistency by hand. It was also amazing to see all of the cheese lined up on shelves. We were able to see cheese that dated all the way back to 2003, when I was only two years old! Of course, we got to taste test Parmigiano Reggiano that ranged from one to three years old.

On Friday June 10th, my friends and I traveled to Venizia (Venice). It is known as the, “Floating City” or the “City of Canals.” There are absolutely no cars in Venice! The main sources of transportation are water taxis or water buses. (There is a train station to arrive in as well). The following day, we were able to go on a gondola. The gondolier played my favorite Italian song, “Gianna.” He also stated how I had the same name as his mom!

On Saturday June 11th, my friends and I booked a train to Rimini. We had a connecting train in Bologna, in which we were able to get a little taste of home by stopping at a “KFC.” Honestly, it was fresher than the chains at home, and it helped relieve a little bit of my homesickness! Rimini is a coastal town known for their beaches and nightlife. We woke up early Sunday morning to watch the sun rise, and we spent the day lounging on the beach.

Thank you for tagging along my journey so far! I can not wait to share more exciting updates and photos!