#IPEsummer23
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Abendessen, Fußball, Monschau, und Berlin :ö
Dinner, football, Monschau, and Berlin !
This past week has been WILD in Aachen. A lot of good fun has taken place. Research has been busy and straightforward. Firstly, Valerie and I cooked a penne pasta dish with tomatoes, feta, and garlic. The oven started to smoke as the oil in the dish burnt. We managed to rectify the situation.
Visual reference of the ultimate comeback!
Deutschkurs is going well! We learned how to order and bargain in German in Monday's class. Pictured here is the exercise featuring Olisename's groceries.
On Tuesday night, we went to a Germany vs Colombia soccer game in Essen. Colombia won 2-0. There were so many Colombian fans which is surprising but very cool.
The UROP program took a trip to Monschau this past Wednesday. Monschau is a quaint town on the Belgian border and is known as one of the prettiest German towns. It was quite beautiful and felt like a mountain town. I got to explore Monschau for a couple of hours and enjoyed some schnitzel nom nom.
This weekend I traveled to Berlin. I was able to see many historical sites such as the East Side Gallery, the Berlin Wall Memorial, Checkpoint Charlie, and the Jewish Museum. On Friday, I went to the Pergamon, Altes, and Nues Museums.
Checkpoint Charlie was the best-known border crossing between East and West Berlin. American and Soviet Union tanks faced each other at this checkpoint.
Here are pictures of an exhibit in the Jewish museum and the East Side Gallery, respectively.
Not only was Berlin a historical experience but an international one. I met people from all around the world at the hostel I stayed at. I'm so glad we chose to stay at a hostel compared to a hotel or air bnb.
That's all for this week my people. Bis in einer woche!
Kendall Biggs ~ Civil Engineering ~ RWTH Aachen
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Week 0: Pre-Entrepreneurship In Porto
Hi everyone!
My name is Joe Restivo and I'm a senior studying chemical engineering and mathematics. Then after the next three weeks, I'll know a lot more about entrepreneurship too! A little bit more about myself -- I love music and I play drums, guitar, a little little bit of piano, and I sing; I have two dogs, a pug and a beagle, who I will miss more than anything; and, I took this past semester off to go work at an engineering firm in Cleveland!
I arrived in Porto, Portugal yesterday Friday 7/14 and now I should get used to writing the date the way most of Europe does: 14/07/23. The program doesn't officially begin until this Sunday, so we had some time today to go out and explore the city! There were so many things I was excited about before we went out. Porto is known for its incredible diversity of restaurants and unique architecture that makes for some very pretty pictures (I also love photography!). Also like I implied, I didn't explore the city alone! In some of the pictures below are a few more Michigan students here with me: Brooke, Emilia, Alex, Logan, and Abby. But we also found some new friends: Annalise, Tedra, Calli, and Blazej.
We had an amazing day exploring each and every little street! One of the program participants also decided to host a networking/mixer event at a very cool bar venue downtown. We all had a great time and met so many new friends from all over the world including countries like the UK, Brazil, Spain, Finland, France, and Ecuador.
Finally, we finished off an amazing day by watching the sunset from the top of the Luis I Bridge. My jaw dropped when I made it to the bridge and took just one look out over the city with the blazing orange ball of fire slowly sinking below the clouds and horizon making for the perfect ending to a perfect day.
I am already deeply in love with the city and I've barely even tried the food yet! However, everything will be different starting tomorrow because the program actually begins tomorrow and we have to form our teams. I'll be posting an update after week 1 to talk all about the start of the program and I'll introduce the team that I'll be working with for the next three weeks! Até Breve!
Joe Restivo
Chemical Engineering
Entrepreneurship in Porto, Portugal
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ich liebe Kichererbsen
Hello, my people! One component of the program is a German class twice a week. It's made me realize how much I miss learning a language. Living in a country while learning the language is incredibly beneficial. I've been able to learn vocabulary naturally: through billboards, street signs, and menus in addition to using my context clues. I'm also learning the various situations in which people say different phrases. Although I have SO much work to do, I've learned a lot of German this past month in Aachen.
Although my research has been a slow process, I can actually use what I've learned in my civil engineering classes for my project! For example, I'm using a program called "Aramis" to analyze crack widths in concrete samples from a tensile test. I can apply my knowledge of mechanics to an actual data set which is pretty cool.
Here is a diagram of the crack widths produced by Aramis.
Now onto the amazing sights! This weekend, the UROP group planned a trip to Rursee (aka the Rur Reservoir), a lake belonging to the Eifel National Park. This massive manmade lake was formed from the construction of the Rur Dam in 1939. It was quite a strenuous journey to reach the hostel, especially when you miss the train like I did AHH.
The chickpeas (Kichererbsen) really stole the show in this picture.
We went kayaking, hiking, and swimming! I loved being able to get away for the weekend and spent quality time with friends. Rursee reminds me of the upper peninsula in Michigan. It was incredibly beautiful.
All that hiking calls for group yoga at the Düren Hauptbahnhof 🙌🙌 Athough I'm having less German food than expected, I've tried some new foods. Pierogis and sour cream = the ultimate duo.
Okay one last chickpea post...
Alright, bis später. Keep up the great work everyone.
Kendall Biggs ~ Civil Engineering ~ RWTH Aachen
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Sunrise to Sunset à Montmartre: underrated Paris art destinations
Paris is known for some of the world’s most fabulous art destinations, and my second week in the city certainly paid homage to the fact.
My friends and I started off the week with a visit to the Louvre following Monday’s class. Prior to coming to the museum, I hadn’t realized just how vast it truly was: the Louvre holds over 35,000 works of art, representing 5 out of 7 continents and over 25 centuries’ worth of human creativity. Another thing I hadn’t realized was that there would be a line just to see the Mona Lisa up close(?????). Tired after having seen so much art, my friends and I opted out of this wait on Monday and chose to instead revisit Friday morning. Thanks to the existence of our study abroad students IDs, visiting the museum both times was free, so I did not mind returning solely to see the Mona Lisa.
Tuesday, we continued the week’s ‘art’ theme by visiting the Musée d’Orsay, Paris’ train-station-turned-impressionist-museum. This museum houses Claude Monet’s Water Lilies as well as several other notable works from the Impressionist, Neo-Impressionist, and Post-Impressionist eras. I enjoyed the more focused perspective this museum provided in comparison to that of the Louvre and found the stylistic changes from era to era interesting to observe.
My favorite thing I did this week, however, was not found within the walls of any of Paris’ art museums, but in the heart of one of its most vibrant villages: Montmartre. Montmartre is located in Paris’ 18th arrondissement and most famously houses the Sacré Cœur. In addition to the allure of its beautiful basilica, the atmosphere of Montmartre is unlike that of any other part of Paris. The artists’ quarter of the city, there is no shortage of street artists selling their work or drawing portraits as souvenirs, all while live music from neighboring restaurants fills the air. In the past week I visited Montmartre 3 times, all at different times of day, and found each to be enjoyable. The environment is always lively, and its restaurants and shops seem to be open for longer than those of anywhere else.
Another of the village’s assets I’d like to highlight is its city view. As indicated by the “mont” in its name, Montmartre is an elevated hill providing a breathtaking look at the city below. My roommate and I took our first visit to Montmartre at sunset, where we observed the city all lit up at night. We enjoyed this so much that we (willingly!!) woke up at 4:45 a.m. this Saturday to see the view once more, this time at sunrise.
Montmartre is just one example of the many underrated art stops outside of Paris’ most touristy ones. Today, my roommate and I visited another of its lesser-known stops, Petit Palais. This fine arts museum holds art from the reigns of several of the king ‘Louis’s, in addition to numerous sculptures and religious works. Unlike that of the Louvre or Musée d’Orsay, the line to enter was short and it took less than 5 minutes to get in. Additionally, entry is free for all visitors, another perk.
After appreciating its artwork, we made our way to the museum’s garden area. The weather today was beautiful, sunny and perfect for appreciating the ornate building and its landscape. We also enjoyed some drinks and pastries from its café/restaurant, which I'm sure we'll be revisiting to take advantage of its meal combo deals (entrée + dessert for a very reasonable price) and outdoor seating.
Some other inspiring stops from the week:
-Walking and enjoying the stalls along the Seine, where you can find a variety of posters, pins, and other unique souvenirs
-A trip to une brocante, a flea market, near the métro Bastille, where I found some cool vintage jewelry
(For anyone studying in the area who may be interested, a TikTok user I follow suggested this website to locate upcoming brocantes: Brocante et vide-grenier Paris (75000) - Brocabrac)
-Brazilian coffee at Brigadeiro d’Alis, a South American-style coffeeshop on our way to class
All in all, as I’ve started to run out of the more “touristy” things to do in Paris, I’m enjoying becoming more creative and present in my daily planning. Paris is far from boring, and I’m finding that there’s so much more to do and see than its most popular attractions. I can’t wait to see where this mindset takes me in the weeks to come!
As for classes, my second class starts tomorrow, so wish me luck and expect an update next week!
À bientôt !!
Hannah Bernardi
First-year Engineering
Engineering in Paris, France
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Preparing for Aachen!
Kendall Biggs ~ Civil Engineering ~ UROP at RWTH Aachen, Germany
AHH, I'm so excited to travel to Aachen, Germany for Summer research. This will be the first of many blog posts to come, detailing my German adventures. So welcome everyone and please buckle up for the ride. As my flight approaches, I am excited and nervous about Aachen. I’ve only traveled internationally once before, and that was on a school-sponsored trip to Peru. I feel quite unprepared for this trip. I guess that is a good thing. No nineteen-year-old should be prepared to live in a foreign country for 10 weeks. In fact, the logical response is to feel a bit apprehensive about the venture. Anyways, I’m pretty excited to travel abroad and meet my fellow RWTH students and research mentor. I will be working on a project called, “Self-healing of Textile Reinforced Concrete under pore and crack water pressure.” Concrete is one of the building blocks of all modern-day infrastructure! So, super exciting stuff for aspiring civil engineers such as myself. Concrete works extremely well to combat compressive stress but crack easily under tensile stress. In recent years, much development has been made to better reinforce concrete. Therefore, accounting for its poor behavior under tensile stress. In addition to the research, I’ll also take a German language class. Which is good, since I know very little right now. Overall, I am so excited to learn more about this project and develop my knowledge of concrete.
I hail from the tourist beach town of Ludington, MI. I grew up swimming, biking, running, and skiing as much as possible. Ludington is a great place to grow up, but since it was such a small town, it wasn’t the most challenging. That is one of the main reasons I chose to come to the University of Michigan. I wanted to be pushed outside my comfort zone and meet people all across the country and the world. Both of my older sisters went to Umich so I was given the opportunity to explore Ann Arbor and witness the school culture. They showed me the Michigan experience through countless Cottage Inn pizza trips and walks through the diag. I remember my sister’s uncontrollable reaction as she pointed out the Chemistry building to me. She recounted the horrific memories associated with its cold and looming exterior. Good thing I am not in chemical engineering! This research abroad experience is analogous to my chemistry experience; it will push me outside my comfort zone for the better.
So, as I think about this trip, I am left with many questions. I will leave you with a couple that crosses my mind. How is the food in Germany? Will I come home on a hunt for sauerkraut? Will I meet any German dogs? Will I make any German friends? How difficult is the language barrier going to be? Will this experience teach me any technical skills for a post-graduation career? I guess all these questions amount to “What do I hope to gain from this experience?” I know I will be challenged and pushed outside of my comfort zone all while meeting new people and experiencing a new culture. To ultimately learn and grow as an individual. Thank you guys for reading this first blog post!
I strategically added some pictures below for visual reference of my life ;)
me climbing! my picturesque hometown
Skiing and hikes with Wally!
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Sorrento Study Abroad Recap
It has been a couple days since my program ended and I still can’t believe it. These past months have been life changing in every way. From traveling, studying, and working, there has been so much to do. To sum up my experience abroad I wanted to leave you with a list of my favorite things and recommendations I wish I knew before coming to Sorrento.
Favorites During My Time in Italy
Clothing Store : Daphnes or any of the alley way stores
Food : Pasta alla Nerano or any Naples Pizza
Restaurants : Casa Mia (bit pricey but worth it) , Taverna Azzurra (salmon pasta or crab ravioli is to die for!)
Desserts: Lemon Delight (Amalfi Coast Staple) , Gelato - definitely try Raki’s (pistachio, coffee, salted caramel, orange mango, strawberry), David’s Gelateria (lemon sorbet)
Sandwiches : A’Marenna , Market IL Salumaio (located 5 min from the school!)
Groceries : Dodeca, Conad (for meat)
Beaches : Bagni Regina Giovanna, Ieranto Bay (a 45 min bus and 40 min hike but soo worth it!!)
Islands to Visit: Capri, Ischia
I also wanted to leave you with some tips before going to Sorrento!
Transportation: You can get from Naples to Sorrento by shuttle, taxi, or train. Because Sorrento is isolated, it can be tough to transport from one place to another especially since every time you go to the airport you need to take a shuttle (so be prepared and plan trips in advance). The trains from Sorrento to Naples are around 2.50 euros and bus tickets can be bought at the train station for 1.40 euro each. The trains can sometimes run a little late so make sure you leave 2-3 hrs of space if you are catching a train in Naples to your destination. While it seems scary, DO NOT be afraid to use public transportation. It has definitely taught me a lot more about the Campania area during my time abroad and I felt more like a local when using it! Also most bus drivers are willing to lead you in the right direction if you tell them where you want to go.
Healthcare : While the hospital in Sorrento is not the best, Sant’Anna does offer a doctor that comes in every week if you get sick or need medical assistance. Also most pharmacies are able to give you some medicine to help you if you walk in and explain what is wrong. My friend also had to go to a doctor and to get it covered by GeoBlue, she just registered her visit in the app.
Overall, studying abroad anywhere is an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone. It has been great to experience Italian culture and even get accustomed to an Italian workplace. It was also great that I had time to travel around Italy and outside the country! These few months in Italy have taught me how to handle different cultures and be more flexible when dealing with people from other areas. It was also great to make new friends from UMich and other colleges. Thank you for keeping up with my Italian adventures this summer and I hope this will convince you to study abroad. Ciao ciao!
Josefia Frydenborg
Environmental Engineering
Engineering in Sorrento
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Last Week in Sorrento
These last few weeks have flown by and my time in Sorrento is coming to an end. Studying abroad in this town has been a great experience. From getting to know some locals and learning how to cook true Italian food, I would not have traded this program for any other one.
My last week started off with a bang as there would be fireworks for the Sant'Anna festival at Marina Grande. The Sant'Anna institute sets up a party with food and music so students can catch the show on the terrace. On the terrace you could see how packed the marina was on the final day of the festival. The firework show was amazing and they even had a part that coordinated with music!
The next day I had my last physics class. The professors, Gennaro and Paolo, made the class so fun! It was interesting to hear from them about Italian education and how different their college experiences are compared to the US. Later that night, the whole physics class went out for dinner with our professors to thank them and to commemorate the first physics class taught at Sant'Anna. We went to a place a little farther away from town called Ristorante 'da Filippo' and the food was so great!
I did some last minute souvenir shopping and of course had to stop by one of favorite clothing stores called Daphne. The ladies who work the store are so sweet and will alter any clothes that may not fit you quite well. I also stopped at Miele, a cute jewelry store, to buy a Cornicello necklace for some family. The horn (can also be a chili) is meant to give good luck to whoever wears it, but you can’t buy one for yourself or you will earn bad luck!
On Thursday, CIS abroad had organized a farewell party at Masseria. This amalfi style villa was stunning and it was so refreshing to get into a pool. We stayed there till late and then went out for one of our last nights in town.
Sant’Anna also organized another farewell party for everyone in the institute at Bagni Sant'Anna. It was so nice to take in the view of Vesuvius on our final night.
The next morning everyone was leaving for the airport. For CIS abroad students, transfers were organized depending on what time your flight was on. My friend and I had ours at 10 am so we grabbed our last iced cappuccino at our favorite bakery. We sat outside and took in the views of Sorrento one last time before leaving. I’ve definitely had some great memories here and am so sad to leave my summer home.
Arrivederci Sorrento :(
Josefia Frydenborg
Environmental Engineering
Engineering in Sorrento
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Post-Entrepreneurship In Porto
Hello one last time friends.
It's time to give one last little reflection on my time abroad in Portugal. My flight was cancelled so I had one extra day to think about this post. To anyone considering whether or not they should apply for this program with European Innovation Academy: Do it. I cannot recommend this experience enough. It's uncomfortable. It's exciting. It's challenging. It's interesting. And the part I'm feeling right now, it's heartbreaking when you know you're about to leave it all behind and continue on. So with the newly acquired last hours in Porto after my canceled flight, I spent night with just me and watched the sunset and the lights of Ponte Luis Bridge as I happily photographed every inch of the city with camera. I love you Porto and I'm sad to you leave you behind. But I'll be back. Please enjoy these shots I got of the city. They make me smile as I sit here at the airport both the saddest and the happiest I've ever been. I'm excited to see my dogs and my guitar and my family. And I'm also excited to plan my next world trip to visit my new friends. And I'm excited about moving forward. If you read this far, again, you are an amazing human and I appreciate you. Goodbye everyone.
Joe Restivo
Chemical Engineering
Entrepreneurship in Porto, Portugal
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Week 3: The Grand Finale
So this is it. The last week here in Porto has come and gone. It felt so far away when I arrived on the first day. But I really don't want to just lament that it's the end: I really want to talk about everything I did this week just like the past two weeks.
This week was really stressful for lots of teams. It was the culmination of the last two weeks: intellectual property and pitching. My team and I spent lots of time in mentor clinics, workshops, and customer validation checks to learn about intellectual property law and the art of pitching your business. Each team on Friday would have to pitch their team to investors. I was designated as the pitch person for my team. It took a little bit of practice and editing but eventually, we all agreed on the pitch and created the pitch deck. Finally, Friday arrived. We all dressed up in our Sunday best and prepared ourselves to blow the investors away. And the pitch went well! We were prepared and I think they liked our pitch. Even though we weren't one of the top ten teams, I could not be more proud of myself and my team for all the work we did. It was hard, it was fun, it was an experience that you simply cannot find in a classroom setting. I am eternally grateful to my team and it makes me very sad knowing that I won't be seeing them for a while. But it's not goodbye and it's nowhere near the end. This is just the beginning of some life-long connections.
And now there's the rest of the final week. There was nothing really planned out for the last week because everyone had different flights home so it was hard to coordinate any big group activities. However, my friends and I did finally make it to a Portuguese beach. We went to two of them actually: Matosinhos Beach and Praia do Molhe. They were just as incredible as I thought they would be. Fair warning though if you ever want to swim in Portugal -- the water up north near Porto is FREEZING. I mean it bone-chilling cold to the point where there's actually not a ton of people in the water like there are at some other beaches down near Lisbon. We saw some amazing sunsets and ate some yummy yummy fresh seafood.
Then I spent my final hours in Porto doing something less exciting but it also might've been my favorite part of the trip: sitting around outside near the pool in a couple chairs with some pizza, some melon, some snack and drinks, and hanging out with all of the wonderful and amazing and talented friends I made during my time here. And even after just three weeks, it's difficult to imagine my life without meeting all of these awesome people. I know this post is a little bit shorter but the truth is that I'm very very happy with my time here and wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world. I laughed and I cried and I swam and I drank and I learned and now I'm going to have a really hard time saying good-bye. But again, this is far from the end. I have a couch to stay on in at least 4 other countries now and I know my friends know they're always welcome with me. What a finale.
Joe Restivo
Chemical Engineering
Entrepreneurship in Porto, Portugal
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Week 2: Best Week Ever
Welcome Welcome Welcome back!
This week was intense. Educationally, emotionally, physically, and drinking-ly (drinking-wise?). The theme for the program this week was marketing and prototyping and let me tell you something: it can be very difficult to create a prototype of a product when you have very little money, resources, and expertise. And I suppose that is the point -- start-ups do not have a lot of money or resources so it is essential to be as efficient as possible with the resources you do have. At least I'm pretty sure that's what the point is: otherwise we're just spending money. However, I digress. Let's get into this week.
This week, in addition to prototyping your product, the team was also tasked with formulating a marketing strategy. So we decided our best bet was social media: everyone is on it all of the time and our target audience is college students and young adults. That being said, please follow @theloungepopup on Instagram! The bio has a link to our website so please check out if you're interested!
We also continued experimenting with mocktails this week and we had a breakthrough! Our favorite recipe so far according to our team and everyone who has tested it: the gorgeous mocktail "Mama Knows Best". It's amazing what some college students can create with orange juice, orange syrup, sprite, mint, pomegranate juice, and black currant syrup. Behold:
We debuted this drink at the business expo on Friday where all the teams had the chance to walk around and see other teams projects and practice pitching their start-ups to friends and staff members at EIA! Our team had a great day and everyone loved our mocktail. So it was amazing week for business but it doesn't come close to the fun we had outside of business this week.
This weekend we spent exactly 24 hours in the city of Lisbon, Portugal which is about a 3 hour bus ride from Porto. Lisbon was a massive city and had a very different energy from Porto. We arrived at 10:30 pm Friday night and proceeded to head out to Bairro Alto: a half-mile square block of streets filled with bars and nightclubs and is well-known as Lisbon's nightlife district. Unfortunately I didn't take a lot of pictures in Bairro Alto, only lots of drunken videos that are over a minute long so I want to spare everyone reading here but trust me it was one of the best nights out I've ever had.
Then we spent the rest of Saturday in the beautiful town of Sintra which is about a 40-minute train ride from Lisbon. We really enjoyed the gorgeous little town and then explored the castles that Sintra is famous for!
Finally, we arrive at my favorite part of the Porto trip so far. On Sunday, my friends and traveled with a tour guide to Peneda-Geres National Park. I cannot say enough how this tour was one of the best experiences of my life and I've never seen or done anything quite like it. We hiked and then swam in the azure blue and green lagoons of the park before having the most delicious traditional Portuguese lunch at restaurant with scenic views of the mountains. I could talk for hours about how amazing this place was but instead I think I'll just drop a bunch of pictures and let them speak for themselves. That's all of the updates I have for this week so if you actually read this far, I appreciate you and hope you're doing well. Hopefully these pictures are motivation enough to make you want to visit Porto and Portugal! See ya next week!
Joe Restivo
Chemical Engineering
Entrepreneurship in Porto, Portugal
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Week 1: The Lounge
What. a. week. The first of three weeks is now over and it went by in the blink of an eye. This week was a couple of things: more touristy exploration, the first week of actual "classes", and the week I've had the least amount of sleep in recent memory. BUT this loss of sleep was of course not because I was up late doing homework or studying. Here in Portugal, the night really is young pretty much all night. Anyway, let me start at the beginning of the week.
Sunday July 16 was day 0 of the European Innovation Academy's program here in Porto and it was crazy, fun, slightly (maybe very) stressful couple of hours. After some introductory speeches from the program leaders in the morning, it was time to start forming teams. Anyone who had an idea for a product or a service or some business was able to write it all out on a poster board and try to recruit 4 other people to their team (so 5 people total on each team. So if you didn't have an idea, like I did, then you had to around to lots of different poster boards and try to get yourself on a team! I got pretty lucky... I found an idea I really liked pretty early on in the day and I also loved all the people on the team.
So allow me to present our business: The Lounge. The business, as envisioned by our CEO Taylor, is a non-alcoholic cocktail pop-up and drink service. The idea is that the non-alcoholic options offered at most events and venues are very boring and bland like soda or water and so it's very easy for college students to feel pressured to drink when they go out or they may not go out at all because of the presence of alcohol. And that's the problem we're setting out to solve! If instead, people had the option of having a beautiful, colorful, delicious "mocktail" then everyone will feel more included.
Our pitch of course is a little more involved than this but that's the foundational idea behind what we're trying to do! So the five of us worked hard all week. We had keynote presentations from 10-12 and then independent work from 2-5 and sometimes even later. The pace is fast but I think we're keeping up pretty well so we'll see what we're able to create in these three weeks. Already this week, we started experimenting with some mocktail recipes! Nothing has been an absolute hit yet but we're close.
Now when I wasn't working I was either a) eating b)drinking c)drinking and eating d)exploring downtown e)taking a wine tour through the Douro Valley. Okay, that last one is really a one-time thing but I'm going to focus on it anyway. The Douro Valley is breathtaking and not only did we get to taste some amazing port wines and tour the vineyards but we got to take a relaxing and scenic boat ride down the Douro River.
One of my favorite things that I did often this week was find new restaurants and new places to watch the sunset. It is still just mind-blowing every time I watch it. Then afterward my friends and I would go look for a new gelato place or go get pastel de nata (the best thing in the world). This is pretty much the entire update for week 1 so I'm going to dump so cool pictures here and get excited for week two! Ciao Ciao!
Joe Restivo
Chemical Engineering
Entrepreneurship in Porto, Portugal
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Sorrento Week 11: End of an Era
I can’t believe my study abroad experience has come to an end. These two months have been some of the most memorable in my life and although I am ready to go home, I will definitely miss all the fun times I had. I will also miss sharing my experiences with others through this blog. For this last post I want to give some final thoughts on my experience and advice for future study abroad students!
One of the main things I wanted to touch on in my final post was transportation in Sorrento. The buses and train systems may seem a bit daunting to navigate at first but they are truly helpful to travel around and relatively cheap. I remember in the first couple of weeks when I was in Sorrento I walked for 40 minutes to get somewhere when I could have just used a bus to get there in half the time. Also, most people are always willing to help so I would definitely recommend asking someone.
I also wanted to mention my experience with GeoBlue insurance since I did have to use it once. When I was in Milan for a weekend I got an infection in my ankle that needed immediate attention from a doctor. Emergency rooms in Italy are a mess with wait times over 4 hours often so I was unsure what to do but I was able to connect with an individual doctor through the GeoBlue app and he was able to give me an appointment for the next morning. In addition, the doctor happened to be an American living abroad which made my experience much smoother. After the appointment, the doctor’s office was able to file a claim for payment and I didn’t have to pay anything out of pocket except for the antibiotics which were only 20 euros. The appointment itself turned out to be 300 euros but since I was covered by GeoBlue (as required by IPE) it was very convenient. As a study abroad student, if you ever need medical attention I would recommend using the features offered on the GeoBlue app to find providers.
I also want to share some of my favorites in Sorrento/Italy throughout the time I’ve been here (credit to Reganne for the idea)
Favorite Restaurant: Taverna Azzurra - the salmon pasta is to die for
Favorite Desserts: Coffee gelato at Raki’s and strawberry + nutella crepes - I think I had gelato almost every day whether it was at Raki’s or David’s Gelateria and sometimes if I was feeling even more hungry I would get a crepe from this one place near the dorms (I don’t remember what it’s called)
Best Drink: Aperol Spritz - you either like it or hate it
Favorite City in Italy: Rome - you have to see the Colosseum
Most Beautiful Place: Capri - I really wanted to visit again after I saw it the first time but I unfortunately did not have enough time to.
Most Underrated: Ieranto Bay and Herculaneum - Ieranto Bay is about an hour bus ride from Sorrento and it seems like a lot of people don’t know about it since it is a bit secluded and you need to hike to get there. I highly recommend visiting if you’re visiting the Campania region. Herculaneum is an ancient city similar to Pompeii in that it was buried under ash during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius but it was preserved much better than Pompeii. I didn’t even know about it until I was in Sorrento but it is definitely worth visiting.
Honestly, I don’t think one blog post is enough to talk about all the amazing experiences I’ve had since I have been in Sorrento. There was so much to do and I feel like there is still more I would like to explore in Italy. I will definitely be returning in the future to see everything I missed. Most importantly, the exposure to new culture and lifestyles was definitely enriching and interesting to be a part of. There’s just so much to learn when traveling to a new place and I could not have asked for a better summer. And lastly, I made so many new friends (both from UofM and other universities) that I will cherish forever. Alla prossima!
Satwika Tattari
Space Sciences and Engineering
IPE: Engineering in Sorrento
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Sorrento Week 10: Last week in Sorrento!
I honestly can’t believe that I have already reached my last week in Sorrento! I feel like I have been here for an era but at the same time it feels like I just arrived last week. For my last week, I shopped for family and friends back home. I bought my dad a wine cork and a small Sorrento bowl for my sister. I also bought a Sorrento magnet for my fridge back home since my family always collects magnets when we visit a new place.
On Tuesday, our physics professors invited everyone in our class for dinner so we went to a local place they recommended. I got to try Panzanella (left pic) which is a dish that has bread soaked in water and then mixed with other ingredients - we had beans, tomatoes, and some other vegetables. I was surprised I hadn’t already had it while I was in Italy but it was really good. They even got a dessert board with a bunch of different cakes and other sweet treats. Also, our physics professors put umich stickers on their Vespas which was really funny to see.
My friend Marisa and I went to Ieranto bay for the last time where we went kayaking, snorkeling, and swimming again. This time I took a water-proof disposable camera so we got to take pictures underwater. There were so many fish in the water and the water was crystal clear. However, the current was much stronger this time so I was much more exhausted than when I snorkeled last time. I got to swim in the blue cave (first pic below) like last time and was able to show Marisa since she hadn’t been before. We also cleaned up the beach again since there was a lot of new trash washed up.
We had a farewell pool party held by CIS (study abroad third party program) which was also really fun. It was held at a beach club and we got to swim and have really good pizza. I will definitely miss the CIS on-site coordinator, Frankie, who was always a great help throughout the 10 weeks any time I needed something.
For our last night in Sorrento, we had a farewell event held by Sant’Anna Institute at a restaurant in Marina Grande that had a pretty view of the water and Mount Vesuvius. I took a lot of pictures with my friends and said bye to some of the staff who worked in Sant’Anna. I am definitely looking forward to going home but I will also miss all the fun times I had here.
Satwika Tattari
Space Sciences and Engineering
IPE: Engineering in Sorrento
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Sorrento Week 9: Work Experience in Punta Campanella
Hey everyone!
Since the second session for the 10 week study abroad started at the beginning of July, I have been participating in a practical work experience at the Punta Campanella Marine Protected Area. When I applied to study abroad in Sorrento I had the option to either take 11 credits or take 8 credits and participate in a work experience. I thought doing a work experience would be fun since I would get to work with people from different cultures and work styles.
Once I got into the Sorrento study abroad program I was contacted by the Sant’Anna Institute Internship coordinator who asked me about my interests and eventually matched me with the Punta Campanella MPA organization. It was only a 5 week program so I started during the second session (July). The work experience was twice a week for 5 hours but occasionally I worked extra hours if I had to miss a day.
The project I worked on had the goal of bridging the knowledge gap on fishing between the scientific community and locals in the Campania region in Italy. Since this region of Italy is on the coast, a lot of families depend on fishing for money but there are a lot of protected areas and endangered species that people aren’t aware of. To help this issue, two of the other interns and I worked on a template for a powerpoint that could be turned into a pamphlet to distribute to locals to inform them on local fish populations and types of fishing in relation to these fishes. There were other volunteers that worked with local fisherman to get data on their daily fishing which will eventually be used in the pamphlet. The project is still ongoing but I am glad I could contribute to the beginning of it.
The other part of my work experience was actually going to the Bay of Ieranto which is part of the marine protected area. The bay is an hour bus ride away from Sorrento but is definitely worth the journey. The bus takes you to Ieranto and then you have to hike for about 30-40 minutes to actually get to the bay. It is a protected area so most boats aren’t allowed and fishing is illegal. However, this does not stop a lot of people from still bringing their boats to fish for sea urchins and other species to sell for a huge profit. Because of this, there are always volunteers in kayaks monitoring to make sure boats don’t enter the bay unless authorized.
While I was there I got to explore the bay in a kayak, clean up the beaches which were unfortunately filled with washed up trash, go swimming, and even snorkel for some time! I got to see an underwater blue light cave which was definitely memorable. There was only some sunlight able to enter the cave which caused the water to look super blue/turquoise. I was definitely a bit scared to swim into the cave but it was worth it. I am so happy about my work experience and for anyone wanting to study abroad in Sorrento I recommend requesting to work here!
Satwika Tattari
Space Sciences and Engineering
IPE: Engineering in Sorrento
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Sorrento Reflections: An Unforgettable Summer
Ciao!
I wanted to spend some time reflecting on my time in Sorrento. After spending two and a half months here (crazy!) I wanted to leave with some of my favorites as well as advice for those studying abroad so this blog post is going to be long.
A Summary of My Favorites From My Time in Italy
Places in Sorrento: Raki for Gelato, Dodeca for groceries, A’Marenna for sandwiches, Nunu's Not Just Kebabs for non-Italian food
Gelato: Dark Chocolate or Salted Caramel from Raki, Crema Veneziana from Gelateria Gallonetto in Venice
Foods: Pizza Fritta, Margherita Pizza, Gnocchi alla Sorrentina, Cuoppa
Cities I Visited: Ischia, Venice, Naples, Rome
Museums: Museo Archaeological Natzionale di Napoli, Capitoline Museums in Rome, Basilica di San Clemente in Rome
Archaeological Sites: Herculaneum, Pompeii, Roman Forum
Some of my favorite photos from my time abroad
I have so much advice regarding studying abroad that I wanted to mention below. Some of these are more Sorrento specific, but I think they can be applied to any program.
Say YES to things! I wouldn’t have gotten to have so many cool experiences if I’d said no or talked myself out of things. While boundaries are very important, take advantage of all the things you have access to while abroad.
Don’t be Afraid to Explore on Your Own! It can be intimidating, but sometimes solo exploration was more fun for me. There are so many places I wouldn’t have seen if I’d tried to wait or follow a group and I have no regrets about the day trips I did on my own. Be safe and share your location with a friend.
Ask Your Professors/Staff for Advice! The professors and staff are super passionate about Southern Italy and also super knowledgeable, the vast majority of them were born and raised in the Sorrento area. I wouldn’t have considered trying Pizza Fritta without my Religions of the Classical Antiquity professor suggesting it, which was one of my favorite things in Italy.
Try ALL the Foods! As my one professor said, “Food and street food are the foundation of Neapolitan culture” so you have to try them while you’re here! It’s a really great way to explore local culture while also being super delicious. This goes for places outside of Naples/Sorrento but is especially true in Naples.
Take Time to Relax! While I definitely suggest getting out and exploring, it was also nice to just relax some days and stick around town or in the dorms. There are nice gardens you can sit in, streets to wander around, and absolutely stunning views of Vesuvius. It’s also exhausting to travel long distances every weekend.
Explore Beyond Instagram! While Instagram and TikTok are great for getting ideas about places to see, I highly recommend trying to explore more off the beaten path places as they’re often less crowded but just as interesting and pretty. I often used google maps to find places to eat and check for tourist traps.
Plan, but Don’t Over-Plan! I personally find that the only way to actually see everything that you want to see is to plan ahead. Have ideas of what places you want to visit but don’t hyperplan out every detail to allow for spontaneity. Definitely get boat or train tickets ahead of time and entry tickets to popular monuments like the Colosseum or museums to save time.
Explore Locally! While it’s tempting to be lured by far away cities, there is so much to see and do just around Naples and Sorrento. I really enjoyed getting to know Naples a little better and exploring all the archaeology sites around Mount Vesuvius. The only real regret I have is not trying to explore more of Naples and the Campania region.
Save Money by Cooking and Eating Street Food! I think the easiest way to save money for traveling is to cool your own meals. I found that I could get really good food at the grocery store often for around €50 a week and I cooked all my meals during the week (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). To not break the bank when eating out, try street food and takeaway meals as they’re often less than 10 euros a meal. I’ve gotten street food for less than 5 euros and it was so good plus it’s what the locals eat.
More of my favorite photos from studying abroad.
The best piece of advice I have is to study abroad! I seriously can’t explain just how much fun I’ve had and how many memories I’ve made that will last a lifetime. I‘ve not only gotten more confident in my ability to travel and navigate alone, but I’ve really learned so much about both American and Neapolitan culture. I think that this study abroad experience helped put my own life and experiences into perspective and I got to know myself better. Although it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, I’m sad about leaving Sorrento and Naples behind. I'm definitely considering studying abroad again, or at least looking for a job that allows for international travel.
Thanks for reading my blog posts!
Ciao!!!!
Reganne Watts
Aerospace Engineering
Engineering in Sorrento, Italy
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Sorrento Week 10: Exploring Naples and Wrapping Up
Ciao!
I can’t believe that my time in Sorrento has come to an end. I’m not gonna lie, at first I was hesitant to study abroad in Sorrento because I’d never never heard of the place and assumed there wouldn’t be that much to do. I was, however, completely wrong and there is so much you can see just in the areas near Sorrento! While traveling from Sorrento isn’t always the easiest (blame the Circumvesuviana) it’s still super doable as long as you plan ahead and factor in travel time.
Photos from various trips on the Circumvesuviana, far from the most glamorous train in the world, it does have great views of Vesuvius and the bay of Naples.
This past weekend I decided that I finally had the confidence to explore the city of Naples. I’ve heard travel bloggers describe it as “Beautiful Chaos” and honestly I completely agree. I’ve actually been to Naples twice now, once to visit the Archaeological Museum and once to visit the Ipogeo dei Cristallini as part of my class. While Rome and Venice are romanticized and try to hide their chaos, Naples embraces it. The first place I visited was Castel Sant’Elmo which is a castle with absolutely incredible panoramic views of Naples, Capri, Ischia, and the Sorrento coastline. I took the train to Naples and then hopped on the metro and used google maps to navigate to the castle itself. The best part was admission was only 3 euros but the views were incredible.
The castle had 360 degree panoramic views of Naples and the surrounding areas. The pictures don't do it justice as it was so pretty!
After Castel Sant’Elmo, I hopped back on the metro and headed to the monastery of Santa Chiara which is a beautiful monastery in Naples. Before getting there, I stopped and grabbed a Fanta and a Cuoppa, a traditional neapolitan street food of a paper cone filled with various fried foods, filled with mozzarella bites. I then spent some time walking around and exploring Spaccanapoli which is one of the famous streets of Naples. Here I really got to see the “beautiful chaos” of Naples with the narrow streets and street vendors. I really enjoyed wandering around and looking at all the stores. I also popped into a super beautiful church while I was wandering around that was beautiful and free.
Photos from the church I went into (top) and various photos from around Santa Chiara with its beautiful tiles and bathhouse ruins, included in the cost of entry (bottom)
One thing to know is that SSC Napoli is super big both in Naples and the surrounding areas. It’s also a huge deal because they won the most recent Italian championship (2022-23) which is only the 3rd one they’ve ever won. Hometown pride is huge in Italy, especially in Naples. Also everywhere in Naples there are photos of Diego Maradonna who is a famous Argentinian soccer player who led Naples to their first and second Italian championship in the late 1980s. I think it’s probably fair to say that while San Gennaro is the on-paper patron of Naples, but Diego Maradonna is the true patron of the city. I really love that Naples has this unique, vibrant character to it. Although it’s definitely not as glamorous as Venice or Rome, it’ll always have a special place in my heart and I highly recommend you get out there and experience it if you're in Italy.
The decorations in Sorrento from when I first arrived, they've been taken down now (top left). The rest are recent photos that I took around Naples showing the city pride in SSC Napoli and Diego Maradonna.
Besides adventures in Napoli, I had a bunch of assignments to get done during the week but also a ton of wrap-up dinners at various restaurants around Sorrento. One thing I’ve loved about studying abroad is how good (and relatively cheap) the food is here. If you’re willing to make your own meals, you can eat for less than 50 euros a week. Also when you get out of the touristy areas, the street food can get super cheap and you can spend less than 6 euros on a whole meal. I’m gonna miss all the amazing pizza, pasta, and bread I’ve had here when I go back to the US.
I’ll be back soon (aka tomorrow) with a wrap-up blog talking about my time and reflections on the experience.
Ciao,
Reganne Watts
Aerospace Engineering
Engineering in Sorrento, Italy
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