I was the first person to go on this UMass Boston exchange program to Verona. I wanted to go because my father was born in Italy, and I wanted to better my knowledge of the language.

If you want to really learn a language, you have to go to the country. It’s the actual experience of being there that forces you to learn it. I had a good understanding of the language, but I wasn’t really able to speak it (at home we spoke the dialect of Calabria, which is very different from the ‘official’ Italian).

At first I was shy, since I didn’t go with any friends or family. I knew I had to force myself not to be shy. But I really didn’t have much of a problem, because as long as you put some effort into speaking and learning the language, people are so willing to help you. You hear all these stereotypes that Italians don’t like Americans, but people really welcomed me – they were very warm.

My parents actually weren’t sure they wanted to send me, but I convinced them. And the experience really opened up my eyes in so many different ways. Now I feel more independent and ready to take on the world. You meet so many people there, and you come back having made friendships that can last a lifetime. Traveling also gives you a clearer idea of how the world works, and about different cultures.

I did a lot of traveling, to Rome, to Venice, all the way down to Calabria. When I got there I felt like I had been there so many times before. I had a real connection. I actually met somebody from my dad’s hometown, who’s been living in Florida for 10 years – and we’re getting married in Calabria in September 2007!

Carla Panetta, Italian language and literature
Spring 2006: Verona, Italy