Spain shares many of the same cultural markers of success as the United States. These include pursuing and excelling in higher education, having a successful career, earning a high income, and starting a family. However, unlike the United States these markers do not seem to obstruct from or come at the cost of living a…
Tag: Spring 2025
Hablando en España
Before starting my semester abroad in Madrid I was not very worried about communication differences because I grew up listening to and speaking Spanish and have travelled to Spanish-speaking countries before. Having consumed media from Spain, I felt pretty confident I would understand the Madrileño accent. Over the course of my semester, however, I came…
Creating a New Home: My Semester in Spain
Hello! My name is Adeline and I am a rising senior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in economics with a minor in political science and a Global Studies Certificate. This spring semester I studied abroad in Madrid, Spain, and alongside my first semester freshman year, I would consider it a period in which I…
The Art of the Element of Surprise of the Art of France
“We saw the Mona Lisa yesterday.” “The what?” The French call it La Joconde. It’s a neat fact that may make you fun (to avoid) at parties, but it gave me a wake up call. It reminded me that the hisory we know is taught differently in other cultures. It also foreshadows how differently the…
Life in France: Not as Different As I Thought, But Still Pretty Different
I’ve now completed my semester abroad and am back home. Now that I’ve gotten a refresher on the American lifestyle, I’m ready to compare college life in Cergy to the one in Pittsburgh. When planning my semester abroad, I always heard people waxing poetic about charming streets gushing with charm and daily markets with farm-fresh…
Settling into Life in Kyoto
As this is my first post on the Pitt Honors Blog, I’ll start off by introducing myself. My name is Ella Homa, and I am currently a second-year student majoring in Ecology and Evolution and minoring in Japanese language. I am also currently enrolled in an exchange program with Ritsumeikan University, and as such am…
Get Up, Get Out, Explore
I’ve been home for a few weeks since my incredible semester studying abroad in Australia, and I’ve had time to decompress and understand everything that happened as well as look back and see my highlights and lowlights. The one thing I have to say for certain is, if you have the chance, take it! Studying…
Où est-il? Dominic est à Paris!
Hello again! My name is Dominic Spatola, and I’m from Springfield, Pennsylvania. I am in my sixth semester and studying computer engineering. I am also pursuing concentrations in autonomous systems and software engineering, a minor in economics, and a certificate in product design. I enjoy discovering how new digital technology influences the design process and…
Ciao for Now Florence!
I have officially been back home for a bit over a week now, and I have most of my time digesting my study abroad experience. Most days, its hard for me to believe that past four months really happened — it feels like a different version of myself was studying in Florence. However, even though…
Cultural Conversations
During my time in Florence, I have noticed some communication differences and preferences. One positive cultural communication norm that stood out to me right away is the custom of greeting people with a “buongiorno” or “buonasera” when entering stores, cafes, or even elevators. It creates a warm, respectful atmosphere and sets a tone of politeness…