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During my time in Florence, I was lucky enough to go on a lot of excursions and attend exciting events with my CEA program. On weekends we went to the vineyard at Verrazzano, Cinque Terre, and Rome. Within the city, we went on a boat tour on the Arno River, visited museums, and even took a basket-weaving class. One of my favorite outings was a hands-on cooking class at In Tavola that taught us how to make spaghetti from scratch and how to make the most delicious chocolate lava cake I have ever tasted. It is only right that I now share those recipes with you!
Our group’s experience at In Tavola was very enlightening to say the least. I’ve never made pasta from scratch before, and that was one of the things that really opened my eyes about this experience. I never thought it would be so difficult! There were eight of us in this group, with one cook helping us. His name was Alessandro, and he was obsessed with my friend Mary Peyton. He kept calling her “Maria Pizza”, and he pulled her to the side while we were all making the pasta and had her make the chocolate cake. As he was putting the mixture together while she stirred, he turned to her and said, “You like Triple Sec, baby?” and then proceeded to invite her out that night to a club with his friends. Needless to say she was a little weirded out and politely declined, but ever since that night whenever one of us referred to the cooking class, we couldn’t do it without also asking if the audience liked “Triple Sec, baby?”
*Disclaimer: these recipes were written by our friends at In Tavola, who perhaps don’t have the best understanding of the English langauge.I tried to make these recipes as clear and “Americanized” as possible J Also, the pasta sauce and chocolate cake are made with minor amounts of alcohol. Let it be known that Education Abroad Ambassadors and the Office of International Education do not support underage consumption of alcohol.
APPETIZER (ANTIPASTO): Potato Soufflé
300g (10.6 oz) Boiled potatoes
50g (1.8 oz) Grated parmesan cheese
30g (1 ish oz) Butter
1 Egg (white and yolk)
1 Egg (yolk only)
2 tsp Oregano
2-3 tbsp Milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Soufflé cups (kind of like muffin cups)
Directions:
Grease the soufflé cups. Heat the oven to 170ºC (338ºF). Peel the boiled potatoes and mash with a fork. Add oregano, salt and pepper, and mix. Melt the butter in a pan until light brown. Add the mashed potatoes, eggs, and milk to the pan and mix. Pour mixture into cups until almost full. Cook for 18 min.
MAIN DISH (IL PRIMO): Fresh Egg Pasta (Pasta Fresca all’Uova)
2 Eggs
50g (1.8 oz) Durum wheat flour
150g (5.3 oz) Flour type “00”
Salt
Pasta machine
Directions:
Put the flour in a mound on a large wooden pastry board (or counter) and make a divot or hole into the very center of the mound. Break the eggs into the hole. Beat the eggs and add salt, then slowly begin incorporating the flour from the inside of the hole out using a fork. Knead well until the mixture is smooth and elastic. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and let sit for at least thirty minutes before using. Cut the dough into two equal parts. Working with one half at a time, lightly flour, roll flat, fold in three, and roll again. Repeat twice. Using the pasta machine, run the dough through the machines at settings 1, 3, and 5, folding and repeating until the pasta is the desired consistency.
MAIN DISH SAUCE: Fresh Mediterranean Sauce (Sugo Fresco al Mediterraneo)
3 cloves Garlic
5 Medium ripe tomatoes
2 tbsp Capers
1 bunch Parsley
5 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
½ glass White wine
Directions:
Finely chop the garlic cloves. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for thirty seconds, then cool and peel. Chop the tomatoes into cubes. Finely chop the parsley and capers. Add the oil and garlic to a frying pan and fry. Add the capers and cook until the garlic becomes lightly browned. Reduce heat, add the white wine and tomatoes. Add salt, pepper, and parsley and stir until combined, then remove from heat.
DESSERT (IL DOLCE): Chocolate Cake (Torta al Cioccolato)
150g (5.3 oz) Dark chocolate
90g (3.2 oz) Butter
20g (0.7 oz) Corn starch
50g (1.8 oz) Sugar
3 Eggs, separated
Cake pan, individual ramekins, or foil cups
Directions:
Preheat oven to 180ºC (390ºF). Grease the pan/ ramekins/ cups. Melt chocolate and butter in a water bath or double boiler until smooth. Remove from heat and add starch and yolks. Whip egg whites, adding sugar gradually, until firm but not stiff. Fold mixture into chocolate mixture. Pour batter into pan/ ramekins/ cups. Bake for 15-17 minutes.
*All recipes from In Tavola, Via dei Velluti 18/20R, Firenze, Italia. +39 055 217672
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Name: Eva Hall
Location: Germany
Program: Academic Exchange Program through the Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies at UGA
Date Published: 12/05/2015
Link: http://bambergstudyabroad.blogspot.de/
Saturday, December 5, 2015
New Friends/New Family
When I imagined my life in Germany back home, I envisioned having a circle of friends consisting of Germans. However, since I am surrounded by Erasmus and foreign exchange students, my friend group consists of people from all over the world. While this is not an ideal situation for getting better at German (since we speak English), I am so grateful for the international family that I get to be a part of. Never in my life will I be able to say that my best friends are Canadian, Hungarian, British, French, Finnish, and Taiwanese. I have learned so much from my friends, but have realized most importantly that relationships are much more important than learning a language. Since I was raised in a very monocultural society in southern Georgia, being placed in an environment where so many mentalities and beliefs come together has been a fundamental factor in my personal growth. This experience is teaching me to relate to people who are completely different from myself and to challenge or confirm the values and beliefs that have been instilled in me throughout my upbringing.
If I could give future "study abroaders" two pieces of advice, it would be;
1) Don't feel like you can't be friends with people who don't speak the language of your host country. Remember, you will learn life lessons that are much more important than the language.
2) Challenge yourself! Don't assume that everything that has been taught to you by your home society is ultimate truth. Use the opinions of others from other countries to confirm your beliefs or challenge them.
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As a rising senior at UGA, I am more than satisfied with my decision to graduate a semester late in order to participate in the Portuguese Flagship Program. Through this program, I’m spending almost a year in Brazil studying for the first semester and interning for the second. And to make the experience even sweeter, I received a very generous grant to pay for the long list of expenses associated with studying abroad.
Before arriving in Brazil, not only was I nervous to leave my family and friends behind but also nervous about how I would fit in here. Being someone who is more timid in the beginning of forming relationships, this contradicted with the openness and outgoing nature of most of the Brazilian I have met. However, my current roommates welcomed me with open arms, and I have formed an undeniable bond with these girls. When I leave Brazil, it will be as if I’m leaving my friends and family to return home to my friends and family in the states. All in all, the situation is bittersweet.
But how could I talk about my study abroad experience without talking about the country itself? I don’t think I could have chosen a better country to visit for my first time leaving the United States! Yes, I have had my moments of culture shock and times when I wanted to go home, but there is just something about Brazil that makes me want to stay. From the everlasting, hilly mountains in Minas Gerais to the calm, blue seas in Rio de Janeiro, this country has a lot to see and experience. From the famous pão de queijo (cheese bread) to brigadeiros (a typical desert in Brazil) to cachaça to the music, I have fallen in love. Yes, that sounds cheesy, and probably every study abroad student has said this at some point, but Brazil was so easy for me to fall in love with. However, one thing I will say I was not expecting was that Brazil actually gets cold! I thought that it was going to be all sunshine, shorts, and havaianas; however, that is not the case. In the state of Minas Gerais, especially in São Joao del Rei (the city where I’m currently living), I would say that the Fall here is comparable to Spring in Georgia. The weather just can’t make up its mind. Hot during the day and almost freezing cold at night. Well, freezing to me considering I never liked the wintertime.
One of the funnier things I have experienced is trying to explain my very common, American name. My name went from Brittney, to being pronounced as Britchney to eventually just being cut short to Brit (pronounced as Britch). My roommate’s mother completely gave up and gave me the nickname Linda, which means beautiful in Portuguese. One lady even thought my name was spelled Bridge and pronounced it as Bridgee. What’s even funnier is that all of my American friends call me Britch, and being called Brittney simply doesn’t even sound right anymore.
Overall, studying abroad can create plenty of memories, such as when one of my roommates said “Brittney fez arte” (I made art) when I flooded half of the apartment, or when I broke our shower (more than once), or the time I locked myself in the house because the locks work differently. Studying abroad has shown me that life is a constant learning experience. You have to realize that everything isn’t done a certain way, and that the “American” way isn’t always the right way. My heart is torn between leaving Brazil to stay with some of the amazing people I have met and returning home to my friends and family. All I can really say is that study abroad is what you make it, and I refuse to miss out on this opportunity because I’m too scared to step outside of my comfort zone.
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Name: Robert Karnick
Location: Beijing, China
Program: Peking Exchange- Terry
Date Published: 3/16/2016
Link: https://medium.com/@BigBobInBeijing
My First Weeks at PKU
It’s been three weeks now since I began classes at Peking University, and so far it’s definitely been a fascinating transition. Although at first I was overwhelmed by the environment and all the new challenges it had to offer, over time I’ve come to realize that college over here in China isn’t so different from college in the U.S. after all. Though the campus, student body, and even the local language may be different, at the end of the day we’re all just students looking to expand our minds
My favorite part of attending PKU so far has been the class format and schedule. Back in the States, my classes were all between 50 and 75 minutes long, and I almost always had several per day. Over here at PKU, however, the classes are all 3 hours long, and only meet once a week. This new format, though hard to adjust to at first, has ended up giving me much more free time than I had back at UGA. By condensing a week’s worth of material into a single lecture, I don’t waste nearly as much time getting to class and commuting between classes. Now, I have all the time I want to get acquainted with the campus, explore the city, and involve myself in extracurricular activities.
On the other hand, there have definitely been some major challenges since I arrived here, and the greatest of those would have to be the language barrier. I understood before coming to China that the general populace was not conversational in English, but it still amazes me just how difficult it is for me to carry out everyday tasks using my limited Chinese. Even university staff members and fellow students here at PKU don’t all speak perfect English, but with a little patience and a lot of translation help from my bi-lingual classmates, I’ve managed to survive over here so far. If anything, these experiences have made me extremely respectful of anyone who makes the effort of moving to a foreign country and learning a new language. It’s truly difficult to empathize with this struggle until you’ve done it yourself.
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Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Program: UGA en Buenos Aires
As a part of the UGA en Buenos Aires Spanish language immersion program, I take two courses through UGA with Argentinean professors, one service learning course and one course through our host university, Universidad de Palermo. My favorite aspect of my host university has been the quality of the classes. I am enrolled in a sports journalism course focused on tennis, rugby and golf. About two weeks ago I found out that the professor for the class has been a sports reporter with FOX for over 15 years. Before discovering this information, I always knew he was well versed on the course content and had very high expectations for his students. However, after seeing him on television applying the concepts he teaches his class, it solidified my respect and interest in the course. The fact that I am being taught by the best of the best from Argentina is an honor and definitely one aspect I appreciate about the university.
In addition to the course content, the professor is very accommodating to my level of Spanish. Though he speaks fast during the course, he said that I should not hesitate to ask questions and is always available after class. This allows me to enjoy the course and relax a little bit, knowing that he will help me to fill in any gaps.
One of the most challenging adjustments with the university is the city location. Since I live in a suburban area in the states and attend UGA, which has a secluded campus feel, it has been a huge adjustment for me to get used to navigating the city. I had to get adjusted to the bus and subway system since my host family’s apartment is not in walking distance from my classes. However, I think it’s been a rewarding challenge because I’ve always wanted to learn how to navigate through a city. At this point I know most of the streets by name, and where a lot of the buses go. I’m starting to become a true porteño (the name for a native of Buenos Aires)!
