Websites, Apps and Blogs...Oh My!

Oh my gosh I can not believe that I finally embark on my journey in 7 days!!! This morning I was in bed and I looked at my countdown and I could not believe how quickly this past month has flown by. I feel like the moment I received my acceptance to Lorenzo de' Medici was just last month, not October. With everything trickling down to just days, i'm starting to get everything prepared for departure. I thought it would be a good idea to write about some useful tools I have been using to get prepared for my trip!

Websites:

The internet is a beautiful thing, especially in this day and age. You can virtually find anything you need and is a blessing for those studying abroad. Check out these websites below and in my last post to help you maximize your experience abroad!

Life in Italy

If your studying abroad in Italy or plan on visiting, this website is a great tool to find out what is happening. This website covers everything from food to news and even includes a section on learning Italian! It is insanely helpful and should definitely be used by anyone who will be in the beautiful country of Italy. 

Student Rate

As an avid pinterest user, I obviously follow Studentrate! Not only do they post great pins, but there website is super helpful. Srtrends has information about basically everything, including links to about every great blog on studying abroad. Just type in study abroad in their search engine for their site, and you'll have an array of information at your fingertips, all organized in one great spot. (My favorite so far is the one on planning weekend trips!)

Apps: 

Like most students who study abroad, I am going to a country where they speak an entirely different language. Besides some slang words and common sentences, I do not know much Italian. I'm required to take an Italian class while in Florence, but I've been using these apps daily to teach myself before I get there! It is never too early to start preparing. 

Duolingo

Why I love it: Not only is this app FREE but it is fun (yes fun) and easy to use. Unlike most free apps where you repeat things and is more like an online dictionary, this is a game that targets different areas of learning a language. Not only are you translating sentences yourself, but you are even have to speak into the app yourself! I think its great that this app test you on how you are even pronouncing words, because most free apps don't include that much. 

Available for: iPhone & Androids. Also, you can download this app for either Spanish, English, Italian, French, Portuguese and even German! 

Molto Bene

Why I love it: Another FREE app to help you learn a new language, this app is very easy to use! It includes different types of courses and sub-courses which makes it easy to learn a vast amount of vocabulary for no cost. In the course 'Beginner' alone, it includes 20 free lessons ranging from Greetings to Talking about Languages. Some aspects of this app aren't free and involve an upgrade of a one time payment of $9.99 but I don't think it is necessary considering you can access a majority of the app for free. 

Available for:  iphone and Android devices, and you can download other versions of this app for Spanish, Portuguese, French and German 

Blogs:

One piece of advice I am constantly hearing is to research the country you are going studying in. Every country is different whether it is because of their language, culture, major religions or even geographical location. Instead of reading long articles, a fun way to research your country is by searching blogs of other people who have studied abroad! It is an interesting way to see the perspective of students our age and all of their experiences. Here are some of my favorite blogs I have been following!

Blair Blogs

An avid blogger, Blair always posts great tips! I found her on Pinterest and made sure I checked her blog to read her experience on studying abroad. Even though she did not go to Italy, she included great posts on her journey in Spain. This specific link will bring you to a guest blog post that was on her site and there you can find the link to her blog about studying abroad experiences. I found it very helpful!

University Foodie

Since I was a young girl, food has been a part of my culture. Not just on my Italian side, but my Spanish as well. I love trying new foods and experimenting in the kitchen! So you can only imagine my excitement when I found this blog about the BEST places to eat in Florence. I was so excited, I called my dad in to go over each place. This list is filled with amazing places that will make your mouth drool with excitement. I can't wait to try each one!


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