It now has been five days since arriving in Paderno del Grappa, Italy. I have already experienced and learned so much. Now that I know some do’s and don’ts of what to pack as well as how to better prepare I have some very important advice to share with any future Cimbians who may be reading this blog.
First, plan on having no service as soon as you leave the States. Even students who bought international plans with their service provider didn’t have service and only sometimes have service. The Italian sim cards most people have bought take a long time to be activated and most are still waiting for it to work. The internet connection here works well but getting it to connect is sometimes a challenge. Also, the WIFI in the European airports didn’t work either.
Second, if you want to study in the Spring, make sure to bring a lot of warm clothes. The dorms here get super cold even with extra blankets. Also, there is tile floor so bringing fuzzy or warm socks is a really good idea.
Third, make sure to bring all your toiletry essentials! This is an important point because the program said to not bring lots of products and buy them here instead. So, I thought we would be going to buy toiletries the day we got here on the way to campus. That was not the case, and I was stuck without deodorant, toothpaste, conditioner, body wash and so on, which I ended up borrowing from other people or buying at the very small convenient store with very few options and strange deodorant.
Fourth, pack at least one outfit in your carry on just in case your checked bag gets lost. This happened to two CIMBA students this semester and they had to only rely on what they had in their carry-on’s the entire week.
To make it simple, here are the takeaway points:
- Update your phone before you leave
- Plan on having no service and poor internet connection
- If studying in the Spring bring lots of warm clothes and fuzzy/warm socks
- Pack all essential toiletries, travel size mostly
- Pack a few clothing items in your carry on just in case your checked bag gets lost which may indeed happen.
Overall, my first impression of CIMBA is that it is an amazing program. The people here and the other students are very nice and are enthusiastic about traveling. The classes are with CIMBA students only and are small which is great for learning. The food here is good and having a single room is very nice. There is a very cute café/bar on campus which serves really good cappuccinos for under two euros, which I love. Though I have been very cold and getting the internet to work has been troublesome, this week has been a dream come true. I am so excited for the weeks to come.