Exchange student in Bologna University. Part 2.

The next part of the adventure and study by Alexandra Malakhova, student of the program "Population and Development". She shares her life and study experiences of participating this exchange program with University in Bologna, Italy

Note 2. Date 27/11/2016

The phone rang...
-Hello, Sasha? This Is Anna. Get ready, tomorrow morning meet me at the Central station. Going to live with me...
I did not expect such a gift of fate. Till that moment I was sure that all my journey to Italy was over, I lost the last hope for a continuation of this story. Moreover, the hotel reservation was coming to an end and I had to make check-out at 10 am. The suitcases had already been cased up.

But my mom!!! She always says: "Russians do not surrender"... All our relatives, friends of friends, and colleagues of colleagues were involved into the searching-for-friends process in Bologna. If you or your parents called and were asking if you have someone in Italy – you must know it was someone of her "scouts". Have you heard about the "Six Handshakes Theory"? It is that all the people know one another through six acquaintances. For example, you know a professor of Higher School of Economics, he is familiar with the Dean, the Dean with the Principal, the Principal knows Zyuganov, Zyuganov meets with Vladimir Putin, and he is acquainted with Barack Obama. So, theoretically, if you use your connections, you can get acquainted with the President of the United States. In my case, this mechanism has worked and we managed to find friends in Bologna. Rather, in the suburbs, 40 kilometers away, in the small town of Toscanella di Dozza. There I was driven away from the railway station like a lost puppy by glorious and big-hearted Anna. A young and beautiful woman of forty years.

She has been living in Italy since 18 years. Over the years she's assimilated here, that did not stand out against of the local population: dark-haired, brown-eyed, tanned and fluent in Italian. Anna has 15-year-old daughter Katerina and an Italian fiance Alberto. They live in a cosy two-storied apartment in a small but very pretty village with restaurants, colorful fountains and a winery nearby. The infrastructure of this community is characterized by uncommon modern buildings that quite harmoniously contrast with fruitful fields, vineyards and fruit plantations at the backdrop of a hazy mountain landscape.

It is not the most shining example of the compatibility of modernity and conventionality in Italy. Every day on the way to Bologna I pass a few small towns by bus. Among them there is an impressive one - Castel San Pietro Terme. The symbol of the city is the castle of the XIV century with an affecting clock tower. Another one further along the route - the city of Imola, quite large by Italian standards, that was originated in the year 82. It is replete with historical buildings, including the Sforza Castle of XIV century, magnificent Catholic cathedrals and in one of the museums there is a city map, drawn by the hand of Leonardo da Vinci. There is also an old hospital with its own Apothecary garden surrounded by a high stone wall. And among this idyll of antiquities the Autodrome Enzo e Dino Ferrari is like a speckled band, where 10 years ago the famous Formula 1 races were held. After the "Black Weekend" of 1994, which was marked by the deaths of Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger and the legend of Formula 1 Ayrton Senna, the track has been reconstructed for many years but finely has been closed at all. Nevertheless, during the warm seasons the races of local importance and motto festivals are held twice a month. I was quite fortunate to visit the bike show and it was something out-of-the ordinary: tricks of aerobatics were exciting. But at the same time the sadness and feeling of emptiness wasn't quitting me. Imagine the size of the route: 330 km long, it was designed for 36 thousand spectators – it's almost the entire population of the city. Not far, there is a chain of chic, ultra-modern hotels - alas, most of them are abandoned. And that is all about Italy: impulsive, bright, contrast; where the rich history and traditions are interwoven with modern trends.

So, I live at Anna. It is not difficult to get to the University: I take a bus in Toscanella and it fortunately stops next to the building where I study. Travel time takes about an hour, which by Moscow standards is a mere nothing. I have classes four times a week but this does not mean that I am here to relax and have a rest. The load is considerable in all subjects. The emphasis on theoretical base is really heave, so I have to read a lot. Professors like to question during the lectures, they can randomly address the question for reflection to someone from the students. Fortunately, they do not criticize strictly: they are very friendly and respectful for everyone. I was also requested unexpectedly for a few times and I can say without boasting, I adequately coped with the task. Sometimes I was even the only to know the answers to the teachers' questions. And sometimes I had to "exhale" when the question I did not know the answer to was given to someone else. But enough about me))) The exams are ahead, so I do not want to say something beforehand.

And what is peculiar: the organization of educational process is fundamentally different from ours. I'm talking about the Russian system in general. On the first lesson the professor immediately explains to you the possible ways for the successful completion of the course. As a rule, there are two options: for students attending lectures and non-attending. The difference is the following: for those who have a possibility to attend classes an active learning method is proposed, which includes both classwork and homework. In the final part of the course attending students must prepare oral presentations or essays. In this scenario, a student has the opportunity to take a simplified version of the exam. Non-attending students are exempt from tasks (they just may not be counted), and a list of literature recommended for preparing for the exam increases significantly as well as the complexity of the exam.

The organization of the educational process could slightly vary depending on the faculties. For example, at the faculty of Political Sciences they like to arrange so-called "midterm exam"- something like an intermediate test. The level of complexity and importance is close to the exam, so its failure will result in a serious problem. There is no opportunity to prepare a presentation or to answer at the workshop: you can not earn extra points. 
Exams are basically all oral, but I am lucky as I will take them in a written form. However, in one of the subjects I have to prepare an oral presentation for 45 minutes, which "weighs" as much as 70% of the total possible points. By the way, the specifics of the point system here is also radically different: the maximum rate you can earn is 30 points and the minimum threshold – 18. The attendance itself is not counted, it only gives the opportunity to earn these points during the semester.

Here I am writing all of this and thinking it's time for me to fall to the presentation. Although at the beginning of the study everything seemed so rosy and carefree! It was so easy to learn during the first weeks of the semester and I enjoyed every day walking with friends in Bologna, going sightseeing in other towns at weekends, and I didn't want it to be over one day. During the October the weather was beautiful, it was so warm and sunny, the sky was so blue and the sea was warm. But it turns out that in Italy they know what the "Autumn Melancholy" is. In November the rain came with fog, slush and cold nights, though days are still pretty warm: the temperature varies from 10 to 18 degrees. But for Italians it is cold: "è freddo" – they keep saying. For Russian it is hard to see how they wrap up in coats, that are suitable for our severe winters. And when I begin to tell them about the weather in Moscow, where there first snow fall in October they say... "How do people live there? Cold, no sea, drinking wine on the street is forbidden"-they resent. I would agree to some extend, but in fact, we still do live somehow!

Alexandra  Malakhova
2nd year student