SAI Study Abroad at Syracuse Academy (Sicily, Italy)

Syracuse is a smaller town on the east coast of Sicily, about 45 minutes south of Catania. I felt very immersed into the culture as I was easily able to meet locals through my daily activities and my internship. The locals are super friendly but most people don’t speak English so it really pushed me to learn Italian faster. By the end of my 8 week internship and 4 week intensive Italian course, I was able to carry a very basic conversation in Italian. There were many opportunities to meet other Americans as well, I even met one of my closest friends in Sicily! The smaller coastal town feel really made Syracuse feel like home quickly and I got to know some of the locals who worked at the local cafe very quickly which really gave me a sense of community. Syracuse also isn’t super touristy so the cultural immersion was very authentic and happened quickly. I also received an amazing internship that had me shadow photoshoots around southern Sicily which was amazing. I recommend studying abroad in Sicily if you truly want to be fully immersed in Sicilian culture.

Most people visit Rome or one of the big cities when visiting Italy. I must say it was very unique and I feel very blessed for being able to experience Sicily and the wonderful city of Siracusa and its beautiful island of Ortigia only steps away from where I was staying. I truly feel that my Italian speaking ability increased significantly and it was so interesting to learn about the distinctive Sicilian culture and to communicate with it's people in their native language. It was so nice being in Italy as well, where I was able to travel to other Italian destinations on the weekends with just a quick flight. I really feel like a got as much as possible out of what felt like such a short time abroad. I would love to travel back to Italy someday and see the rest of the country, so hopefully I will have that opportunity. Regardless, as an Air Force contract at Texas A&M University, I am looking forward to a life full of travel upon graduation and I think this was a great first step in my global citizenship. Thank you SAI !!!

Studying abroad in Siracusa, Sicily was unlike any of the other three study abroad experiences I have had. Siracusa (or Syracuse in English) is a 2,700 year-old city located in the southeast corner of the island of Sicily and it boasts amazing history, cuisine, culture, and more. I would highly recommend students to consider this program because there is not a better place to be in the summer than studying on an island in the Mediterranean surrounded by so many locals, ancient ruins, great weather and food. The classes I took were so interesting and we went on really unique field trips where we actually got to see, touch, smell, and experience the things we were learning about as opposed to sitting in a lecture every day. Outside of the classroom, I found it incredibly easy to mingle with locals, practice the language, and immerse myself in Sicilian culture. Prior to studying abroad in Sicily, I had never left the United States. SAI made my experience so easy that I decided to study abroad with them two more times in Florence and Sorrento because when I came home from Sicily I thought to myself, "I just had the most incredible personal and academic experience of my life and SAI made it so easy- I need to do it again"!