EF Language Year Abroad in Italy

I have stayed 6 months in Rome, with the EF school here, and it is hard for me to find the right words to describe this journey! Today I am so incredibly happy that I made this choice, and my stay in Rome has been amazing, fantastic, unique, "veramente bellissima!" I recommend you all to do the same as I did! I am 27 years old, but you are never to old to explore and to follow your dreams! My dream was Rome, and I don't regret following it a second! Today I have friends all over the world- i have homes all over the world, i can speak italian with italians and I have tasted the real italian cuisine, and I don't want to go back! With the help of wonderful teachers here at EF, I feel that i have finally cracked the "italian-code" and I am in love with this language! The staff at the school is always there to help you, guid you, teach you, comfort you (when you feel a bit homesick) and motivate you! After this experience I have decided to continue my journey in Rome, and I am moving here when i finish school. Thank you so much, EF-Roma, for this wonderful experience! Un grandissimo abbraccio!

I stayed 6 months at EFRome and I'm now in my last week here. I came to have a gap year to decide if I would change my university major or not, and at the same time to learn a new language. It was much more than I expected, I really have nothing negative to say. First, the staff is amazing and very welcoming. I also had the best luck with my host family, and even though the house is 40 minutes away from school, I didn't mind doing this everyday since both the school and my home are great places. I also made a lot of amazing friends I wasn't expecting to meet and that I'll never forget. I came without knowing anything of Italian and now I can talk to any Italian, read many books in the language and understand music and TV, thanks to the teachers. Rome is also a beautiful city and even after all this time there's so much I haven't seen yet. I really enjoyed my time here and would love to came back!

TRANSLATION:

I went twice to Rome to learn Italian at the EF school, the first time in August 2014 for a month and the following year from summer 2015 for another eight months. It was one of the best experiences of my life. During my stays in Rome I was able to meet exceptional people from all over the world and I learned many things, not just Italian. As I learned Italian from exceptional teachers, my Italian improved even more. As I learned it from them, I was very happy. And I especially learned gratitude because many people helped me. After school or weekends, I was able to make many deep friendships by participating in some activities.

Now I'm studying painting in the Academy of Fine Arts in Perugia. The experience that I bought in Rome for me is very significant because it was an important step towards my dream that is to paint happy in Italy. That's why I'm grateful. Sometimes I miss this sweet period of Rome so much !!

ORIGINAL:
Sono andata due volte a Roma per imparare l'italiano alla scuola EF, la prima volta nell'agosto 2014 per un mese e l'anno seguente dall'estate 2015 per altri otto mesi. È stata una delle esperienze più belle della mia vita. Durante i miei soggiorni a Roma ho potuto conoscere persone eccezionali provenienti da tutto il mondo e ho imparato tante cose, non solo l'italiano. Siccome ho imparato l'italiano dagli insegnanti eccezionali, il mio italiano migliorava sempre di più. Mentre lo imparavo da loro, ero molto felice. E ho imparato soprattutto la gratitudine perché molte persone mi hanno aiutato. Dopo la scuola oppure il fine settimana participando qualche attività ho potuto fare molte amicizie profonde.

Adesso sto studiando pittura in Accademia di Belle Arti di Perugia. L'esperienza che ho acquistato a Roma per me è molto significativo perché era un passo importante verso il mio sogno che è quello di dipingere felice in Italia. Per questo ne sono grata. A volte mi manca tanto questo dolce periodo di Roma!!

TRANSLATION:

I went twice to Rome to learn Italian at the EF school, the first time in August 2014 for a month and a year from summer 2015 for another eight months. It was one of the best experiences of my life. During my stay in Rome I have known exceptional people from all over the world and I have learned so many things, not just the Italian. Since I have learned Italian by outstanding teachers, my Italian improved more and more. While I was learning from them, I was very happy. And I learned above all the gratitude that many people have helped me. After school or on weekends, I made deep friendships through extra activities.

Now I'm studying painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Perugia. The experience I acquired in Rome for me is very significant because it was an important step towards my dream is to paint and be happy in Italy. For this I am grateful. Sometimes I miss so much this sweet period of Rome!!

I have had an amazing time during my study at EF Rome. I went to Italy for 6 months hoping I would come back speaking fluently Italian. After my course I can say that I am satisfied with the progress I made.

The school is located in the centre of Rome which makes it easier visiting several places nearby the school. The building is not that big and the quantity of students is around 60, which makes you able to make friends quickly. As well the classrooms are small divided groups and the lessons are often given in an interactive way. They barely give you any homework but still you will make progress quickly because you live the language by listening and speaking. The teachers are really sympathetic and helpful. There is also an activity office, which organizes trips to all different kind of cities in Italy. To give an example, I have been to Venice, Florence, Orvieto, Assisi and many more. Local stores (for example: bars, hairdressers, restaurants) offer discount when you show your EF Student card. In my opinion that has also its benefits.
You can choose living in a residence or in a Hostfamily. I highly recommend living in a host family if you want gain more knowledge about the language and the Italian culture. As well you build up a strong friendship with you roommate from a foreign country. My two roommates were from Japan and Costa Rica and at the end of our course we saw each other as brothers.

Overall, it is a unforgettable experience to learn a new language and make friends who come from all around the world

I can't say enough great things about this program and this school. My goal ever since I was four years old was to learn a second language and in 8 months I went from not being able to speak a full sentence, to conversing with Romans all over the city! I can't count the number of times that an Italian had asked me how long I had been speaking Italian for, and when I answered "only 7-8 months" their jaws would drop and they would reply "E parli così bene?" (And you speak this well?)

I had been to Italy before this trip and found the Italian people so welcoming, kind, helpful, and it really felt like home. The school's location made going sightseeing before or after lessons very easy as well; it is only five minutes to the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and Piazza Venezia! The school is small, but very well maintained and very modern, so you can expect to watch films, listen to music, and use the internet during classes as well; making the learning experience well-rounded, and helping with your immersion into the culture!

Of course, the best thing about this program are the teachers. They are not only incredibly talented and intelligent, but caring, fun, and helpful. I was as much friends with them as with my fellow classmates and am looking forward to staying in touch with them all!

I can still hardly believe that in only 8 months I was able to go from a level A1 student (a beginner on the CEFR language scale) to a C1 student (intermediate-advanced)! I was also given the opportunity to take the official CELI language exam in the middle of my course to be internationally certified in Italian!

EF Roma gave me the experience of a lifetime. I can't recommend this school highly enough. If you want to learn a second language, immersion classes through the EF program is the way to learn!

In bocca al lupo a tutti!