Meet Alexander Proia
"I am in my final semester of college at UPenn, majoring in Real Estate and minoring in Italian. I grew up in Gainesville, FL and my dad's side of my family are all Italian-American. I grew up eating Italian food, but this is my first time in Italy. I love sports, and specifically soccer, basketball, tennis, and golf."
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Posted on October 9th, 2024
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" A bar in the center of Bologna, intentionally lit on fire. " - Alex |
"A picture of the moon from my apartment complex. I live outside the city so the lack of street lights makes the moon and stars very visible. " - Alex 
Posted on October 1st, 2024
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"My classes have only just started this past week, but I am already working hard. My class at UniBo is extremely challenging, but I feel like I am understanding more and more every class. My week has been mostly centered around preparing for job interviews that I have tomorrow for when I get back to the States, but I have still been able to spend time with friends for meals and Saturday night (see the picture from the bar). When I got here, I knew I would be working hard and my ability to speak and understand Italian would be tested, but it has been harder than I expected. Everyday it gets better and better and I learn words and terms that help me to piece together future conversations, but there is still that missing 10% of the conversation that I do not understand that prevents me from fully grasping conversations. That said, I now feel very comfortable navigating around Bologna and can have conversations with people at store counters, restaurants, etc. I signed up to be challenged, and I have been challenged. Now I need to go read my textbook for my UniBo class." - Alex
"For my Bologna Consortial Studies Program class on Advanced Italian Language and Culture, we visited the Medieval History Museum here in Bologna. You can see my professor unintentionally mirroring the massive golden statue of a young pope as he explains the significance of the statue" - Alex
Posted on September 25th, 2024
"I arrived in Bologna just over 2 weeks ago, and the last couple weeks have been some of the best weeks of my life. I have made many friends, both American and Italian (and from other countries). I've had aperitivi, incredible meals, and have been adjusting to the different meal times in Italy as compared to the states. I've already done trips to Zurich, Florence, and Ravenna. I had my first class at the University of Bologna today, and it was challenging but I think my Italian will improve drastically throughout the class. Bologna is an incredible city. I have only scratched the surface of the history throughout the city. All of the buildings are incredibly old and beautiful. It is a long walk from one side of the city to the other, but less than an hour and totally doable – I’ve done it multiple times already. The program I’m in, the Bologna Consortial Studies Program, is full of Americans with the same goal as me: try to be as fluent as possible and to push ourselves to take difficult classes (all in Italian)." -Alex Posted on September 18th, 2024
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