Salve! My name is Natalie Carpenter and I am a rising senior studying Mechanical Engineering and pursuing certificates in Sustainability and Engineering Simulation in Design. 

About 4 years ago I traveled to Italy for vacation and on that trip we visited Florence for a day. Though it was only one day, I dreamed of traveling back to this city. While at Pitt I knew I wanted to study abroad and when I saw this program geared towards engineers that also travels to Florence, I could not say no to it!

Initially, I had many questions about this trip and what I will learn. Some academic questions were how did Leonardo Da Vinci create such amazing contraptions? Why is Florence considered a sustainable city? On the other hand, I had many basic questions as well about everyday life living in Florence, some of these included how do the natives stay safe from people pick pocketing? What are the markets like? Is the food better over there and why? I hope I am able to answer these questions while I study and learn the culture.

There are a few I hope to gain personally, intellectually, and professionally while over there. I would like to learn new lifestyle habits from the Italians to better my everyday life, what sustainable practices Florence has in place, and how to communicate with people of different cultures and languages. 

I can not wait to see what lies ahead! I will post again soon to keep you all updated, Ciao!