Ciao everyone!
Wow, so far school has been much better than expected… Only because I was so nervous about my Italian language skills, thinking no one would talk to me, and thinking I would get lost and be late to every class and I would be “That Canadian Girl” who couldn’t get anything right. Thankfully, this was not the case.
When I first went to school it was into a giant lecture room already full up with students in their seats, which left me staring at the back few rows of broken seats for students who had better things to do than listen to the history of dead architects. The doodles of future houses or tic-tac-toe reinforced my initial impression, so I sat down in a chair who’s armrest still functioned and so it began.
I didn’t understand a word she was saying for the first thirty seconds. Maybe it was because I wasn’t really listening. I was taking in my new environment and scanning the backs of everybody’s heads, trying to figure them out. All brunettes, go figure. I guess they are Italian after all. Was it like university in Canada? I guess so, since BCIT isn’t like most universities. Do students actually take notes? Do they listen to the teacher or do they just text each other about after school plans or the boy in the front row?
Luckily I had the other two Canadians beside me who were probably thinking the same things as me, and were probably just as lost. The professor went through the slides and after a few went by, the words from her mouth started to match the words on the screen and I found myself able to depict the pronunciations of the strings of symbols in front of me. I guess my French classes during high school were useful after all because I started seeing familiar words and some of it actually made a little sense.
Out of the entire lecture I think I maybe understood about 15%, not bad for the first day. After talking with the teacher I found out the lectures are posted online… hello Google translate!
This past week has gone by much more smoothly than the first. I have now attended at least one of each class and I am acquainted with the majority of my classmates. By acquainted I mean I shook everyone’s hand once, but the names are a bit of a jumble. I did get invited out the bar with one girl after class one day, which for me has to be the ultimate success for the “new girl”.
In two of the three classes I am attending (yes, BCIT has up to 9 classes per semester, but these two classes are HUGE, I promise)… I am in groups with other students, so I am really excited to see what different points of views they will bring. The classes are Architectural Studio where we are designing a multi-use commercial and residential mixed building, and Urban Planning Studio where we are re-zoning and re-creating the immediate area around Ferrara’s (my city in Italy’s) train station and post-industrial area.
My groups have both Italian students and also students on exchange from Romania… Bonus! I can’t wait to see what they have to say about our projects because we can all offer such different opinions. I have already had so many conversations with my teams about our home universities and it seems like BCIT is right up there with the University of Ferrara, which is one of Italy’s top Architecture Schools. Such a great feeling knowing that I am prepared enough to work internationally amongst other students. One thing I do notice already is the creativity and connection to the site you are designing for with BCIT students. So far my teacher in Italy is trying to push students to connect with their surroundings, but he did mention that us Canadians are beyond grasping the idea and he loves to see how we are using the spaces around us.
Alright, it is time to work on homework for the first time since I arrived here in Italy… Noooo more free time wandering the streets, watching people live their unfamiliar lives and eating more pasta than my body can handle. Pictures of my first project are sure to follow!
Ciao!!!