Ali's Story

Ali taught human physiology and anatomy (skeletal, circulatory, digestive, etc.), environmental sciences, renewable and non-renewable resources, fossils and overall chemistry.  She found it hard to teach topics she was unfamiliar with, so she had to teach myself a lot of the time and  pre-prepping for classes, because if  one of her lessons went really fast then she had to teach on the fly. Her recipe for success involved pre-prepping lessons and clearly communicating with the teachers.

The most valuable things Ali taught her students/teachers were “how” to learn. In Italy, they mostly learned and taught straight from a textbook, so she introduced a ton of new technology with PowerPoint alone.

Living with her host family significantly improved Ali’s experience. She loved her family and the experiences they gave her. The food was always made from scratch, and Ali got along with her brothers, cousins, and host parents (aunts, uncles, grandparents, all AMAZING). Additionally, living with a family gave her the opportunity to pick up some Italian and really be immersed in the culture. Ali’s  town was very small and did not have a lot going on, but the community was close-knit, everything was walking distance and  she had everything she needed. Her suggestion? "Definitely bring warm clothes if you are going to be in San Giorgio del Sannio, and be sure to go into all of the shops and food places to get a sense of the area! Don’t be afraid to explore; just because the town is so small, it still has wonderful features. Be open minded, and try as many new things as possible!"