June 16, 2023 • 45 mins
Studying abroad in Italy is an incredible opportunity for many young people today including our guest Tyla who recently spent 6 months in Milan at a local university. Tyla and her mum Barbara join us to share their experiences and discuss the opportunities and challenges other families considering a study abroad program should consider before embarking on such an adventure.
Read the full episode show notes here > untolditaly.com/178
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The Untold Italy travel podcast is an independent production. Podcast Editing, Audio Production and Website Development by Mark Hatter. Production Assistance and Content Writing by the other Katie Clarke - yes there are two of us!
Read the full episode show notes here > untolditaly.com/178
Support the show
Join our mailing list and get our FREE Italy trip planning checklist - subscribe here | Join us on tour: Trip schedule | Discover our Trip Planning Services | Visit our online store | Follow: Instagram • Facebook • YouTube • Italy Travel Planning Community
The Untold Italy travel podcast is an independent production. Podcast Editing, Audio Production and Website Development by Mark Hatter. Production Assistance and Content Writing by the other Katie Clarke - yes there are two of us!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
This is the Untoldishly Travel podcast,and you're listening to episode number one hundred
and seventy eight. Chawatuti and BenVenuti to one Told Italy, the travel
podcast to where you go to thetownsend villages, mountains, the lakes,
(00:21):
hills and coast lines of Bella,Italia. Each week, your host Katie
Clark takes you on a journey ina search of magical landscapes, history,
culture, wine, gelato, andof course a whole lot of pasta.
If you're dreaming of Italy and planningfuture adventures there, you've come to the
right place. Chawatuti, I hopeyou're all doing well. It looks like
(00:55):
things are super busy in Italy withmany of you traveling right now. I
hope those of you who are onthe road are having a wonderful time and
the rest of you going in thereit will be your turn soon. Today
we are going to cover a styleof travel and experience that I truly wish
that I had been able to takeadvantage of when I was younger. Study
(01:15):
abroad programs we're just starting out whenI was at university and I wasn't really
available to many students these days.It's almost a rite of passage and I
would say the most incredible experience totry if you can. We're going to
take a look at studying abroad inItaly from this perspective of a student and
(01:36):
her mom. Tyler recently completed sixmonths of study in Milan, and she
and her mum Barbara are going toshare their tips and ideas for parents and
students considering a study abroad program inItaly. If you're a regular listener of
the podcast, you may recognize Tyler'svoice from episode ninety three, where she
joined us to talk about her firsttravels in Italy and all the adventures that
(02:00):
they've inspired since. Wow, somuch has happened since we recorded that in
twenty twenty one. During COVID,Tyler truly embraced the Ladotte Vita spirit and
these days nothing will stop her fromspending time in beautiful Italy. There's so
much to tell, but you willhave to listen to the very end to
hear all about what Tyler is doing. Now, welcome back to the Untold
(02:22):
Italy Podcast, Tyler, and greatto have you with us today. Barb
r hi kai hi oh so.Looking forward to learning more about how you
both manage the study aboard program interms of the excitement, all the challenges,
and of course planning trips around theexperience. And as a parent of
budding a telephiles, I have afeeling this is in my future. And
(02:44):
I'm pretty sure there are quite afew people out there as well as parents
and grandparents, hoping their children decideto study abroad in Italy. But let's
take a step back and hear fromyou, Tyler, about why you wanted
to study abroad in Italy. AndI know you were excited. Let's hear
all at why. Yeah. No, first of all, it's so good
to be back, Katie. Ilove talking about Italy as much as I
(03:06):
possibly can, so this is greatfun. But in terms of why I
wanted to go on and study abroad, I'll be completely honest. The only
reason I started my degree was togo on exchange because it was always just
something like from a young age,I was like, I want to travel
and I want to experience living indifferent countries and that sort of thing.
And I'd lived in Italy previously,like just after high school, and so
(03:29):
that kind of experience is what mademe really want to go back and to
live even more. And so basicallyafter starting my degree, my first week
was orientation. My second week,I went straight to the International student's office
and I was like, right,where can I go? What are my
destinations with Italy? The only placethey had was actually Milan, and I've
(03:49):
only been to Milan like twenty fourhours previously, so a taste test,
but I didn't really know what itwould be like to live there and that
sort of thing. But exchange wasalways always on my mind, and I
think just if you're someone who's curiousto travel, to learn a different language,
to learn about different cultures, andif you have a country that you
(04:10):
particularly love or adore, so inmy case it's Italy, you know,
it's just an amazing opportunity to beable to go and live and really soak
up and absorb life in that country. Absolutely, I couldn't agree with you
more and I would take a similarstory except I just up and left.
But I think in Australia we havea really strong drive to travel, and
(04:32):
I think it's because we're exposed towhat's going on in the world and we
just want to get out there andsee it all. And I think for
our American listeners. We've got alot of them listening. It is a
really strong pool for young Australians basicallyto leave when they turn agen. You
see them everywhere everywhere in Europe,everywhere exactly. But did you have any
(04:56):
concerns, Tyler, Were you're worriedabout anything going to study abroad? Yeah,
certainly. I mean it's very easyto get caught up in all the
excitement, and in my case,we didn't know that I would be leaving
until about three months before, soit was all a bit rushed at the
end, so we spent Obviously,because of COVID, things were delayed and
pushed back, so we had thismassive waiting time of just kind of twiddling
(05:21):
my thumbs and being like, Okay, I'll just learn a bit more of
the language, I'll learn a bitmore about the culture, and that sort
of thing got to the point oflike, oh, yeah, it'll happen
when it happened. And then itwas happening, and we had about three
months and I had to organize conmosation, get my visas, get my flights,
get everything. Still had a bitof doubt in the back of my
mind whether or not it would goahead. But it did, so I
(05:43):
think that initial phase was both excitingbut quite stressful. And you know,
we were the first kind of groupto go overseas after everything as well,
so it was a bit like guineapig kind of trying testing things out.
But in terms of actually being onExchange, I think my biggest concern fear
was that I had never lived alonepreviously, so you know, it's one
thing to go from living with agroup of people and having that kind of
(06:08):
community to then being completely by yourselfand in a foreign country. You don't
know anyone, so you know,when things happen, you don't necessarily have
people you can call on or figureout. And I think for my mum
it was very similar concerns in termsof in that, you know, opposite
sides of the world sort of thing. Tyler, how old were you when
you did this program? When youfirst came over? So I went on
(06:28):
Exchange when I was twenty one,but I met a lot of people who
were like eighteen nineteen, and Iwas just like, wow, you know,
you're very very brave, because I'mtwenty one and I'm still scared,
Like, yeah, for sure,and you'd already spent quite a bit of
time initially before, hadn't you.Yeah, yeah, so, I mean
in that sense, it was greatbecause I was already quite comfortable in the
culture and language wise. I couldget around sort of thing. And I
(06:53):
definitely felt that when I went backto Italy with my mom just before,
it was like, you know,just being on the train, I could
understand the announcements and get myself arounda bit, but it was still quite
an overwhelming experience as it is,and that sort of thing. But yeah,
for sure, for sure. AndBarbara, how did you feel about
everything? Well? I was excitedthat she chose Italy, of course,
(07:15):
because you know, it's such adefining time of your life in your twenties,
and the fact that she had beenthere before made me very comfortable.
But also it was like, lookat the adventures she's going to have.
They're going to be amazing getting toknow the country on a whole new level
as opposed to just traveling through.And it was Milan, which where we're
(07:38):
limited too, But at the sametime, it was like, that's exciting
because Milan is, you know,as we found such a progressive city.
I loved Milan more than I everexpected I would I was so excited for
her. To me, it seemedlike a short time because it was only
one semester and our background, youknow, we've moved around Australia a lot,
We've lived in a lot of differentplaces. For me, moving around
(08:01):
was never an issue. Moving tothe other side of the world for Tyler,
for me was not an issue.Like you said, a lot of
Australians travel, and when I wasabout the same age, I actually moved
to the other side of the country, and that was back when we didn't
have internet or email and only rangmy parents a couple of times a month
to check in because phone calls wereso expensive. So in that respect,
(08:26):
I was just super excited for it. Yes, it's a very very long
flight, but I figured if weput enough things in place for her and
she had the confidence to do it, then absolutely go do it because many
many other people have done before andwe'll do after, So why not Tyler,
just go for it. I loveit. I love it. Yeah.
(08:48):
I mean when I left when Iwas eighteen Australia and I went to
study like I did my whole degreeactually in the UK, and this is
before internet as well, and likephone calls back home were super expensive.
It was like hello, bye,love you, I'm still alive. Whereas
(09:09):
now it's you know, like youcan check in and you know, you
know where people are. Yeah,we call every day, so there's not
a day that goes by that shedoesn't know what I'm up doing. But
I am. I love it.Yeah, there's really you know, if
there's a problem, you can gethelp pretty easily. I think these days,
and I reflect on my cousin actuallydid the same thing, and you
(09:31):
know, people were trying to findher, you know, like where was
a family emergency and she was travelingand it was hard. We didn't find
her for a while, you know. So I think these days, you
know, you do have the backupsupport of the technology that can really help.
But yeah, it is still tomove to another country and maybe not
(09:52):
speak the language fluently. I thinkit's such a big undertaking and it just
takes a lot of energy, wouldyou say, Tyler, Yeah, definitely,
definitely. It is like very muchlike swings high and low. You
know, you've got those moments ofoh my god, I can't believe this
is my life. You know,that's the duomo in Milan, or that's
the ponte Vecchio in Florence. It'samazing to the Okay, so what do
(10:16):
I do if I get sick,Like, you know, Mom's not gonna
make me soup. I've got I'vegot to manage it myself. But it
is a very kind of incredible timein your life, just because you're in
this weird like in between child dependenceand responsible adults. So you've got like
the freedom of an adult, butyou don't have the responsibilities. So you
(10:37):
kind of just like catching up withfriends, going out and traveling on the
weekend, exploring all these places.And as Australians being in Europe, like
for us, it's not a bigthing to you know, go and visit
all these countries because everything is soclose, or to travel a lot,
which I'll be completely as are theyou know, particularly Europeans thought we were
crazy. They were like, whyare you traveling so much? But we're
(10:58):
like, we've got limited time.We have to make the most of it.
You don't realize how big Australia is, so for us it's quite quite
an adventure. Yeah, it's actuallytwo hours flight to the capital city of
our state, so it's a twoday drive from our home and we've lived
remote from our families for Tyler's wholelife really, so that's actually something that
(11:22):
probably stands her in good stead becauseshe knows what it's like to create that
small network of support around you andknow that supports a very long way away.
If you're relying on family. That'sjust our lifestyle. You know,
other people have their family members aroundthe corner and so something like that,
but we've never had that because we'vemoved so much around Australia. For Tyler
(11:46):
growing up, her grandparents have lived, you know, a two day drive
away and the other lot a threeday drive away, so it's very different
to if you've grown up with familysupport in the town. So in that
respect, Tyler was a little bitprepared for moving to the other side of
the world without everybody. And Ithink I was just reflecting, like the
(12:09):
difference between your home to island Townsvilleand Milan. It's probably you couldn't really
get that much different, really,could you. No, No, it's
a bit embarrassing. But in Australiaor even in towns Will it's a bit
more regional remote, so like publictransport never used to it. No,
(12:30):
you've never been on a bus,have you No, I've never been on
a bus. We don't have trains, no, So going to Milan,
like the only way you're getting aroundis metro. So like when we because
we were traveling for about four weeksbeforehand in Switzerland and Italy, but once
we got to Milan, we weren'ttourists anymore. We were like, you
know, setting up shop and tryingto like figure out where the closest grocery
(12:52):
stores were, and like just figuringout my route from my apartment to university
and like, you know, whatdo you do when there's a when there's
a public transport strike, because theyseem to happen quite a lot in Milan.
But yeah, that was all partof the adventure. And now it's
eight nine months later and I've beenon all sorts of probably chance for all
across Europe. So things that werelike challenges or new in the beginning,
(13:16):
you're like, you know whatever nowadayslike thought, so you definitely like have
experiences and grow up when you're studyingabroad. Absolutely. So you know when
you got the call because I rememberbecause you wrote me an email and you
were a little bit sad about Katie. I got work for you anymore,
because I'm going to Italy. Shewas. There was a bitter sweet moment.
It was more sweet than bitter foryou. I figured if anyone was
(13:39):
going to support it, it wouldbe you. Thank you. But yeah,
so after you were going, So, how did your plan? Like,
what was your plan when you weregoing there? Because you didn't have
much time, you knew you weregoing to land in Milan. Let's let's
help some of our listeners out ifyou know, if they're in a similar
situation, what did you do?Yeah, So for us, we went
trying beforehand. So for some peoplethey flew straight into Milan and just started
(14:05):
studying a lot of people did comeand travel beforehand because it was summer.
The semester started in September, sowe were in Switzerland and then we went
into Italy and spent some lovely timein Florence and a week in Verona,
went to Bologna, Lake Garda,Lake Como, and then we got to
Milan. And so for us itwas like almost two separate things. It
(14:28):
was like we were tourists and inthe beginning we were just so excited to
one be out of the country andback in Europe. I think we heard
church bells and we were just like, oh, Europe. And then we
kind of like as we were movingcloser and closer towards Milan, which was
the final destination, the style oftravel changed because we were no longer tourists.
(14:50):
It was about me moving here,living here, and you know,
being in a city and having thatrealization of hang on a minute, I'm
not going to get on a flightand leave in a couple of days.
I'm actually staying here. So thatwas really exciting. But then equally for
me, like I'd spent four anda half weeks traveling with my mum full
(15:11):
time. We were with each otherfor twenty four hours of the day,
So to go from that to thenessentially her leaving me being completely on my
own was quite like an emotional mixup, especially in the very first days
of being in Milan, where itwas all like exciting but overwhelming at the
same time. And I mean Iremember distinctly crying into my bowl of pots
(15:35):
a couple days before she was goingto leave, and I was just like,
what am I going to do?I don't know anyone here, and
I've talked to so many other peoplewho were on exchange and they had very
similar experiences. But yeah, justlike what do I do this? I
don't know anyone. And my momwas just like it's okay, girl,
like you're going to meet people atorientation. You'll be fine, Like don't
even you worry. You'll be basicallylike throwing me out the door. And
(15:58):
I was like, no, that'snot true. Fast forward twenty four hours.
I made this amazing group of friendsand basically like I was crying one
night, went out with them thenext night, and then the day later,
I was like putting my mom onthe train to the airport and I
was like, okay, by mom, I'm going to Venus with many friends.
Oh that must have been company thoughfor you. But I'm sure it
(16:19):
was because Tyler came home from theorientation and she was like, oh,
I met these great girls and I'mso excited for my exchange. And I
was just so happy because, likeyou know, literally the night before it
was like I can't believe you're leaving. I'll miss you so much. And
I knew it would happen. Shedid put herself out there, like she
introduced herself to people, and that'show she met people. Within a very
(16:42):
short period of time. And thenyou know, I met the girls.
They all decided to go orientation week. Of course these parties. They decided
that they would all go to theparty, and Tyler had her apartment was
nearest the cities at the most central, so they all actually met at the
apartment before they went out. SoI got to meet all these lovely girls
(17:03):
from all different countries, and thenthey went out to their party. Tyler
was like, but what if Ileave you at home? And I was
like, no, you have togo out. You only get one orientation
week, you only get one chanceto do this. You have to do
it. I'll be fine. Soyou know, I just sat there.
I think I just netflix a glassof wine and off ours. And she
(17:23):
did not get home until very verylate in the morning. And the funny
thing was the next day, becausethis was my last day. I think
Tyler got home somewhere between three orfour in the morning, wasn't it.
And then last at my last dayin Milan, we had planned to do
Milan in the day Duomo climb firstup in the morning, coffee and we
(17:45):
booked for like nine o'clock or something, So I had about four hours sleep
and then we finished with the lastsupper and then we met the girls for
a per of ti Vo down inthe Lye and that was my final night,
and at a par of TiVo inNeville, we were planning their trip
to Venice. Yeah, and it'slike these girls had only literally met in
(18:06):
the last what thirty six hours.Yeah, we knew each other for three
days and then decided to go toVenice together for three days. But those
are the things you do in exchangethough, you know. So it sounds
like the university had they had someorganized activities and then you kind of like
met some people from there and didthe university put some structure around how you
would settle in. Yeah, Sothe university I was at Catolica in Milan
(18:30):
actually did a fabulous job at organizinglike events for people to get together and
meet. And then there's also theErasmus network that organizes a lot. Basically
every city that is a university cityhas like an Erasmus group that you can
join and just get access to allthese events. And being Milan, like
there was a party and get togetherat a social idea every single night of
(18:53):
the week, whereas I knew peoplefrom other cities in Europe and they didn't
necessarily have that network. For us. It was like we all went to
orientation on the first day and itwas about a half day introduction and everyone's
kind of sitting around really nervous,and no one's talking to each other because
we're like, I don't know whatto say. And it happened to me
(19:14):
where I just kind of turned tothe person next to me and was like,
what's your name? And then wejust started chatting, and then I
was like, I'm really nervous,and then she said I'm also really nervous,
and then the person behind us waslike, oh, me too.
So like everyone's in that similar boatin terms of the emotions they're going through
and that sort of thing. Soit is easy to make friends in those
first days especially, But yeah,the activities, just go out and be
(19:37):
part of them and meet people.You know, you're not going to love
everyone, that's life, but youwill make some amazing connections because you're all
on this experience together and it's avery unique time to form those friendships from
all over the world. Amazing.And did you do much studying, Tyler,
because I'm concerned that you were overthere to do your university. So
let's be serious here for a littlebit. If you asked my home university,
(20:02):
yes, yes I did. Shegot the required points. I got
the required points. So for Australianstudents we are on a past fail system.
I know for a lot of Americansand any European students their grades accounted
and translated directly, Australian students arepast fail, which is probably why we
travel a lot when we're on exchange. But for me, also like I
(20:25):
did fun subjects, so I hadused up all my required subjects, so
I just had electives. There wereother subjects, you know, finance,
accounting, those more serious, strenuoussubjects, whereas I was in subjects like
cooking one oh one and Italian luxuryand fashion, and I did to publishing
like these were all very fun andenjoyable subjects that required engagement and learning,
(20:52):
but not necessarily strenuous strenuous study.Was it an academic experience, Yes,
yes, it was cultural studies.What's your final degree? What's your degree?
So it's a Bachelor Business in InternationalBusiness, which I did not do
any business when I was in Milan. I was too busy cooking and taste
(21:15):
testing, which is a fantastic cause. But I remember when you were looking
at subjects in the beginning, Tylerwas very serious about the subject choices and
I said to her, these areyour electives. You've done everything you need
to do. Balance it out witha couple of options. And when I
saw the Cooking and Cultural class,I was like, oh my gosh,
(21:36):
that would be amazing. You're inItaly, it's a cultural experience. So
I think she kind of went,well, that's not a serious subject,
but as it got closer, shechanged her mind and did it. And
honestly, I think was that yourfavorite class? It was the best.
And you ask anyone who went toCatholica and took that subject, it's like
it's the best subject. Also,the applications closed really quickly on that subject,
(22:02):
so everybody else had the same idea. It's crazy. They opened and
within five minutes the classes were full. So if you want it, you
have to be in super super quick. Right. Well, that's a good
tip, Like I think, it'sreally interesting. I think as well,
when we're in our early twenties andwe're looking forward to a career, we
get very serious about everything and youknow, I love your story, Tyler,
(22:23):
because just to relax a little bitand enjoy the ride, you're probably
going to have more valuable experience forit. And I can say that,
you know, I've been known youfor a while now, and of just
what you blossom and just in yourconfidence and just what you're capable of doing
is incredible and I'm really proud ofyou as you know, as your boss.
(22:48):
Thanks Katie. But also you know, it's really great to see that
parents. You know, we've gota very academic family. But I really
do think that it's really important tojust just take a step back because you
will taking on a lot when you'regoing overseas, especially to a country where
they don't speak your language, definitely, the pressure could be immense, immense.
So I think that was the changein mindset. And my mom and
(23:11):
I we talked about this the wholetime we were traveling through through Italy.
It was like, this is,you know, a very special time.
Just enjoy it. Just soak itup because like everything else, it will
pass and you'll get to the endand it all just be memories. So
soak it up while you can havefun, laugh, make mistakes, fall
on your face, but get backup again. Yeah, it's just that
(23:33):
incredible time for learning and growth andhaving fun. Well while you're on that,
what are some of the mistakes thatyou made that others could probably learn
from? Oh? Interesting question.I think in general I did most things
that I wouldn't change. But like, for instance, in Milan, accommodation
is very, very difficult to comeby, and so it's one of those
(23:56):
things where so you usually like youhave to organize your acommodation before you arrive
in order to get the visa.But the thing with Italy is most things
are offline, so in terms offinding accommodation, it's really really difficult.
So I think I would have Imean, I ended up with a fantastic
place. It was absolutely perfect,but the road to getting there was a
(24:18):
bit stressful, and I think,you know, had I had someone that
I could have contacted or asked,or had I reached out to certain people,
maybe it would have made that processa bit smoother. In fact,
I had people who had gotten myname or my social media handles through the
university page because there was a reelthat went out and I was tagged in
it, and different places who weresending me messages being like, I see
(24:38):
that you're on exchange in Milan.You know, tell me what's the situation
with housing? And so you onlyknow what you know. So I think
had I taken the initiative to maybeask a few more people, it just
would have made it a bit easierthat sort of thing. Ah, the
old asked the question. Yeah,it's so true, isn't it. Sometimes
(25:02):
we think we have to figure everythingout on our own, but there's usually
someone that's done it before. Yeah, I'm surprised that the university didn't offer
much help in that regard. No, that was the one thing in terms
of Milan. I'm not sure ifit's all universities in Italy, but my
university, particularly because Milan is sucha competitive housing market and there's so many
(25:25):
students. There's like four or fivedifferent universities in Milan, so you've got
students, you've got business people,and of course, being the economic hub
of Italy, prices are just somuch more than what you're going to find
it in other Italian cities as well. But yeah, no, the university
was not particularly helpful in that.So that is something to be aware of
(25:45):
and to get onto. If youare thinking of going to Milan specifically,
Yeah, no, And I thinkthere's different rental rules in Italy as well,
and so some people might have arrangedaccommodation, which is probably going to
make things a little bit easier forthem. And I know our colleague Olivia,
she's done some study in Bologna andthey provided accommodation as a home state.
(26:07):
So there's lots of different options.But if I think if you're looking
for straight out sort of medium termrentals, it is a bit of a
challenge. So I would get ontoit early. Yeah, and ask anyone
that you can who's lived there before, Anyone who has a friend or a
cousin who's lived there before, becausejust to have that insider knowledge, you
know, I knew people who showedup and didn't have housing and then they
(26:29):
only found housing through their friends,roommates, cousins, brother, uncle who
had an apartment that was free.To let you know, like, that's
that's Italy for you, that thisis how it works. You've got to
know someone who knows someone who knowssomeone, and yeah, amazing magical things
happen when you do that. Justbuy everyone is spirits and dope for the
best. Yeah, just network andget to know people and slipping in a
(26:53):
conversation I'm looking for a place orthat sort of thing, and yeah,
it's amazing. What'll happen amazing.So for both of you, what was
some of the highlights of the experience. Maybe Barbara you can say, you
know, you're watching it from adistance and you also had a little dip
into the experience as well, whatwere your highlights? Seeing Tyler just like
(27:15):
literally grow up when I say seeher. Because we do talk each day,
and we do FaceTime each day,you know, it was almost like
she was here, because each dayhere at home, you know, we'd
have a conversation, and by havingthe chats daily, it was almost like
while I'm sleeping, she's having thisadventure or dealing with this issue or something.
(27:36):
And then by the time I wakeup, you know, there's all
these messages. And sometimes they werereally good and really exciting because they were
amazing things happening. And other timesit was like a couple of times she
got sick and so she wasn't feelingso great, the weather was really gray
or whatever, and that compounded andit was like, okay, so we
were managing that so watching her navigateall of these things on her own on
(27:56):
the other side of the world,and I think she handled like a complete
boss. I'm really really proud ofus. You know, she hasn't lived
away from home. She was planningto go earlier. COVID happened and that
changed her plans. She handled that. And just to see her navigate this
stuff. And you know, beingthe parent of four children who are now
all adults, are I go,you know, what is adulting? And
(28:18):
it's just dealing with all the challengesthat come up, isn't it. It's
like whatever it is when your kidsare too that it's a different challenge you're
dealing with to when your kids aretwenty And so when you're moving out on
your own for the first time,what are the challenges that come up?
Well, how does this oven work? Could be one of them? You
know I've had the same issue indifferent airbnb and places that I've stayed.
(28:42):
Is like I'm standing there looking atthe oven, going, oh, I
haven't seen one like this before.Is there a switch on the wall?
I don't know about. So you'rejust navigating the different challenges that pop up,
and watching Tyler navigate that on herown terms really, because honestly,
I have seen her coloring in mapsof the world since she was little in
(29:03):
primary school, and she has beendetermined to travel her whole life. So
watching that happen for her and shemade it happen, honestly, couldn't be
prouder. And you know, Ithink it's so funny, it's so true
about all these appliances. They alwaysget you. The appliances, don't there
there's nothing like an induction cooktop,and then you've got some pan that doesn't
work on the induction or the washingmachine, Oh my goodness, all the
(29:29):
different washing machines and all the airbnbs, And is there an instruction book?
No, and if there is,it's an attack. Thank goodness for the
Internet again, we're now looking uponline how to operate this particular machine.
It's like a life changer. AndI think, you know, it sounds
to me like the time difference actuallyworked in your favor, because if you
hadn't been in the same time zone, you probably would have been figuring some
(29:52):
stuff out for her. But becauseyou were there, she had to do
it herself, absolutely, and someof the messages came through like that.
I would start reading the messages andit would be like, oh, drama
okay. And as I keep readingthe messages, it's like, oh,
she solved it. Yeah, Nowall I have to do is say so,
Prittie babe, keep going there.She's like my sounding board, Like
(30:14):
I just send her just the wholesequence of events. And there are some
very entertaining stories in our chat thread, especially on travel days. Travel days
always have the most crazy stories ofjust things going wrong and stop coming up
and happening, and yeah, ohthat's amazing. It's such a bonding experience
for you too, because you're partof it, but you're a little bit
(30:36):
detached, and I think it's it'sa beautiful thing. Well, even on
the weekends, because Tyler was goingto classes, she was meeting people and
then trying to you know, getto the grocery store and cook and things
like that. So she'd tell methat, you know, the girls and
I going to Portofino for the weekendor we're going to nice or whatever it
(30:56):
was, and I sitting at home. You know, I'm coming home work.
I don't have girl chats here anymorebecause I'm in a house full of
boys, and so I'm like,oh, I might just look up what's
it in Portesino? So I lookup in Portesino and I okay, oh
okay. You know, the girlswon't have time to find this because they're
too busy doing the unique thing onthe other side of the world. And
it's like, oh, by theway, did you know about this and
(31:18):
this? And here's a great blogpost to read about that. And they
would often read these messages while theywere actually traveling to the location, and
Tyler was like, great tips,mom, thank you so much. She
be like she was like my minitravel agent. And every time, so
once we kind of got acquainted asa group, they'd be like, so
Tyler's planning, the trip will comebecause whenever I was organizing like a trip
(31:41):
somewhere, whether it be Lake Comoor Tien or something like that, they
knew that my mum was sending methese like emails with like tips and hints,
and so we never missed the goodstuff basically, and like having the
most magical day on Lake Como andgetting to go to like Villa Bardamiello,
which one hundred percent would have missedbecause as twenty something year old, we're
(32:04):
just like, oh, here havingfun. Look at that building, Look
at that building. Ha ha hasprits. But you do miss those things.
So to have my mum, who'smuch wiser in her years, is
able to say like, oh,make sure you don't miss that, and
go check this out. And youknow, this is the best cathedral,
the best you know, place tobe in this town or city. And
(32:25):
it was amazing, like the thingsI saw. And then I'd take photos
and I'd send them back to mymum and be like, amazing recommendation and
all my friends were like, oh, it's it's Tyler's mum, travel agent
Bob, Like she's making our tripshappen for us. So yeah, it
was great. Yeah. I alwaysthink it's good to get a different perspective
on things that you would like.I remember when I was trolling, when
(32:45):
I was your agent. Yeah,Like, it was definitely a different style.
So it's really amazing that you're opento those suggestions, Tyler, because
you know, not everyone would listento their mom. But maybe that's the
message of this podcast. He's listenedto your mom. Yeah. I think
we do have a very unique relationship. I mean it's essentially you know,
(33:07):
best friends. Sometimes we do slipin some mum and daughter roles and we
have to be like, okay,okay, let's just you know, sort
through that and get back to beingbest friends. But yeah, it is
a very unique relationship. But it'swhat's allowed, you know, our love
for Italy to be shared between us. And I don't know, you know,
if it was me or her first, or you know, if we
kind of both fell in love withit at the same time. But having
(33:29):
that, actually I think Italy hasbonded us, would you agree, Mom,
Yeah, yeah, definitely, becauseyou know, I went to Rome
for three days the first time intwenty eleven, and I remember Tyler was
like, I so want to dothat. And then you know, when
it came to year twelve, therewas an amazing trip on offer at the
school to go to New York andI said to Tyler, well, you
(33:52):
can do that trip or we couldgo to Europe at the end of the
year be your graduation, and shewas like, right, that's if I'm
going to Europe. And you know, from then that trip and then you
know, honestly, through the COVIDlockdowns, Katie, I have to say,
thank you, what a life saverof this podcast. Has been that
really kept us going. Oh,your podcasts saved us. Seriously. Every
(34:19):
time a new episode came out,we'd be walking your bike, riding around
our usual circuit and we'd stop atpoints we'd be like, oh did you
hear that? Did you get thattip? Where are you up to?
Oh? Excellent, I'm going tolisten to another one now. We'll note
that for the next trip. Becausewe had lots of time to plan because
we were going to travel in twentytwenty, and you know, our trip
was planned for July twenty twenty,and I know you were traveling in March.
(34:43):
We were wondering if it was goingto get canceled, and you know,
as it got closer, yes,it all got canceled and changed,
and you know, then we're inlockdown for so long. And it was
like we had plenty of time thento work out what would we do on
the next trip, what would itlook like. And then when it came
to being onto the exchange, itwas like, well that changed it too,
(35:04):
because this wasn't just let's go andsee everything. This was like,
well, let's go back to theplaces we really love and no, just
check that it's all there and it'sall okay after COVID, but also,
you know, let's see some newplaces and then let's settle you into a
new home, so to speak.And I honestly couldn't have been happier with
our trip that we planned and thetime that we took, because you know,
(35:28):
like you mentioned, Australians travel alot, and when we do go
to Europe, we usually go fora long time. I took leave without
pay to be able to do itbecause a two week trip is just it's
a very long flight for two weeks, and so I took some leave without
pay to be able to do it. And I just knew it was the
right thing to do for Tyler,because again, you don't you don't get
your twenties back, you know,you don't get to be twenty one and
(35:52):
traveling through Europe or on exchange again. And it was just like this is
too important. I'm now old enoughto know you do not get these times
back. So it's like take themwhen you get them. Yeah, one
hundred percent, well done. Youknow, Like I feel like this is
I don't think this is a travelpodcast today. I feel like it's a
it's about Italy, but not aboutItaly. Yeah, it's really important because
(36:15):
of the experiences that I've had inItaly have changed my life, and I
know I agree the same for you, and in the most positive and amazing
ways. So let's wrap it upby do you want to share a couple
of tips for parents whose children arethinking of studying abroad, Barbara, and
then we'll row over to you Tylerand you can give your perspective. I
(36:37):
would say, be really interested inwhat the kids are doing subject wise,
because I think that was really importantfor us to have some chats, because
I do know Tyler was leaning moretowards all business type subjects, whereas I
was very much of their mindset.Like I just said, you don't get
your twenties back, and these areelectives, so you know, enjoy the
(36:58):
experience because it is a short periodof time. It might feel like a
long period of time when you're initiallylooking at whether it's a semester or even
a year, but when you dolook back, it will not be a
long time. So you know,take the time to understand what the kids
are studying and get involved. Forme personally, I think the best thing
I did was being engaged with youknow, what are your girls planning to
(37:22):
do next? You know, andthey changed their minds. Sometimes they would
say, oh, you know,we're looking at going here, and then
you know, I'd go off andexcitedly, you know, look at that
location, and then they go,oh, I no, we've decided to
go here. And I got that'sokay because now I know all of this
stuff about this location, and it'slike, okay, now I'll go and
you know, look up the nextlocation. And so I had so much
(37:44):
fun doing that, and it helpedme when Tyler would say, oh,
you know, we did this,It wasn't just like they were off doing
stuff I didn't know about it.I almost felt like I was there in
some way. So because I didthat research for the girls, which was
to help them out, honestly,it made me feel so connected to what
they were doing. And I thinkthat was a real game changer for me
(38:06):
and has really allowed me to beaway from my girl for so long without
missing her too badly. Yeah,amazing, amazing. I think it's so
hard to let go, you know, I think and it sounds like you've
you've done this in the most elegantand just you know, gentle way,
(38:27):
but it just is supporting Tyler withher dreams which she's had from a very
young age and is so fiercely determinedto get there and experience it. How
about you, Tyler, what aresome of the things you would suggest?
I would just say that, youknow, if your dream is to go
on exchange and to travel, likejust make it happen. You know,
(38:47):
there are so many ways that youcan make it happen, and just like
talk to people about it, askquestions about it. Go to your university
department for international studies or study abroadand ask the question because you may think
that it's not possible, but thereare so many ways that you can make
it possible. Also, when you'reon exchange, like just live in the
(39:08):
present, soaked up every moment becauseyou know, I remember being there and
having those times of like this isall going to be over soon, Like
you know everything is going to beover, but right now I'm here in
this moment. You know, putyourself out there and make friends, go
have amazing trips away and experiences,and just savor it. Really, I
(39:30):
mean, like it's amazing how fastthe time has gone. But yet,
you know, if I think backto a very specific day or a very
specific event or thing we did.You know, I remember just being so
present and just soaking it all up. So just do it Number one and
two. Just enjoy it. Basically, it's amazing and you'll never have a
(39:52):
period of time like that in yourlife. Again, there's a reason why
people who go on study abroad neverstopped talking about study abroad. It truly
is such a unique and defining momentin your transition into adulthood and whatever you
do afterwards. And that's the otherthing. You never know what doors will
open through, what experiences you have. And I don't think I would be
(40:14):
here right now had I not goneon exchange, had I not gone to
Italy. And yeah, so foreveryone that's listening, Tyler finished her causing
you, and then she just waslike, I'm not going home. Yeah,
so she's currently doing the Schengen visatop around europarn't you? And yeah,
good for you, Tyler, it'samazing. Now, Tyler and Barbara,
(40:37):
if people want to reach out toyou with questions, because you know,
like I can imagine there's a fewpeople with questions out there about your
experience, would that be okay?And if so, how can they go
about doing that? Yeah, soabsolutely. I'm always happy to answer questions
and give out advice, especially whenit's related to Italy Exchange, living in
Milan and travel that sort of thing. So for me, the best place
(41:00):
to contact me would be through myInstagram so at Tyler Tyla JCG is my
handle and would love to help anyoneout with the experience of just going on
exchange and going to Italy. That'swhat I love about you. Tyler is
so open to new experiences and newpeople. It's and it's an absolute credit
to you, Barbara to be honestbecause she's delightful. Thank you, and
(41:23):
I will never forget that evening wewent around Rome on the vesper. It
was fun, wasn't it An absolutehighlight, an absolute highlight of my time
in Italy. So so special.Oh so Gratti, Mela, Tyler and
Barbara, thank you so much forcoming on the podcast today and sharing this
inspirational story. I do hope itinspires other people to just go, yes,
(41:45):
I'm going to Italy and have themost amazing times that you have.
Thank you, Katie, Thanks foreverything you do. Thank you, Katie.
Loved it. It's been so good. Gratzimla ch'a wow. What an
adventure. Tyler and her family comefrom a remote city in Australia, which
in a lot of respects could notbe more different than her experiences in Italy.
(42:09):
But as you heard, she's avery determined young woman. No doubt,
the study abroad experience in Milan hasbeen an absolute joy and an incredible
time for her, and one she'llnever forget. I recently read an article
by young woman who, unlike Tyler, did not seem to enjoy her study
abroad experience in Florence, and whatI noticed was that perhaps she didn't seem
(42:31):
to have a support network or theright research and plan to make the time
in Italy successful. If you knowfamilies considering this option, I would love
you to share this episode and theshow notes with them. Tyler and Barbara
have such a positive attitude and theywanted to share their story to help others
be more comfortable helping their own youngpeople have a similar experience. All the
(42:54):
sites and places that they mentioned arein the show notes at Untold Italy dot
com forwards one hundred and seventy eight, so you can find details of the
services that they mentioned there. Andthere's absolutely no doubt in my mind that
if my children want to study abroadwhen they're older, they'll get all my
support, especially if they decide tostudy in Italy. Now that would be
(43:15):
handy, wouldn't it. I wantedto end this episode by letting you know
how many doors the study abroad programhas opened for Tyler. Before she went
to Milan, Tyler was part ofthe Untold Italy team, helping to moderate
our Italy travel planning community on Facebook. Now she's taken a big step up
and he is looking after our socialand media accounts from Europe, where she's
(43:37):
maximizing her stay in Italy on theninety day Shangan visa and moving to non
Shangan countries as required. I'm sovery proud of her and absolutely respect her
determination to learn Italian, travel thecountry and meet new people and have an
open mind to new experiences. Brava, Tyler, You're it's such a wonderful
(43:58):
inspiration to many young people and myself. Thank you, Gratzia to all our
wonderful listeners for your ongoing support ofUntold Italy. I hope you enjoyed today's
show. If you did, thenit would be amazing if you gave us
a rating or review in your favoritepodcast app. If you're using Apple Podcasts,
then you need to go to theshow page for Untold Italy, not
(44:21):
the episode page, and scroll downuntil you see ratings and reviews. You
can leave your five star review andmessage there. We'll love to read them.
One next week's episode, we're talkingabout sparkling Italian wine, and I
don't mind telling you that's a favoritetopic of mine. But until then,
it's chow for now. The UntoldItaly podcast is an independent production podcast editing,
(44:45):
audio production and website development by MarkHatter, Production assistance and content writing
by the other kg Clark. Yesthere are two of us. For more
information about Untold Italy, please visitUntold Italy dot com. The movie
This is the Untoldishly Travel podcast,and you're listening to episode number one hundred
and seventy eight. Chawatuti and BenVenuti to one Told Italy, the travel
podcast to where you go to thetownsend villages, mountains, the lakes,
(00:21):
hills and coast lines of Bella,Italia. Each week, your host Katie
Clark takes you on a journey ina search of magical landscapes, history,
culture, wine, gelato, andof course a whole lot of pasta.
If you're dreaming of Italy and planningfuture adventures there, you've come to the
right place. Chawatuti, I hopeyou're all doing well. It looks like
(00:55):
things are super busy in Italy withmany of you traveling right now. I
hope those of you who are onthe road are having a wonderful time and
the rest of you going in thereit will be your turn soon. Today
we are going to cover a styleof travel and experience that I truly wish
that I had been able to takeadvantage of when I was younger. Study
(01:15):
abroad programs we're just starting out whenI was at university and I wasn't really
available to many students these days.It's almost a rite of passage and I
would say the most incredible experience totry if you can. We're going to
take a look at studying abroad inItaly from this perspective of a student and
(01:36):
her mom. Tyler recently completed sixmonths of study in Milan, and she
and her mum Barbara are going toshare their tips and ideas for parents and
students considering a study abroad program inItaly. If you're a regular listener of
the podcast, you may recognize Tyler'svoice from episode ninety three, where she
joined us to talk about her firsttravels in Italy and all the adventures that
(02:00):
they've inspired since. Wow, somuch has happened since we recorded that in
twenty twenty one. During COVID,Tyler truly embraced the Ladotte Vita spirit and
these days nothing will stop her fromspending time in beautiful Italy. There's so
much to tell, but you willhave to listen to the very end to
hear all about what Tyler is doing. Now, welcome back to the Untold
(02:22):
Italy Podcast, Tyler, and greatto have you with us today. Barb
r hi kai hi oh so.Looking forward to learning more about how you
both manage the study aboard program interms of the excitement, all the challenges,
and of course planning trips around theexperience. And as a parent of
budding a telephiles, I have afeeling this is in my future. And
(02:44):
I'm pretty sure there are quite afew people out there as well as parents
and grandparents, hoping their children decideto study abroad in Italy. But let's
take a step back and hear fromyou, Tyler, about why you wanted
to study abroad in Italy. AndI know you were excited. Let's hear
all at why. Yeah. No, first of all, it's so good
to be back, Katie. Ilove talking about Italy as much as I
(03:06):
possibly can, so this is greatfun. But in terms of why I
wanted to go on and study abroad, I'll be completely honest. The only
reason I started my degree was togo on exchange because it was always just
something like from a young age,I was like, I want to travel
and I want to experience living indifferent countries and that sort of thing.
And I'd lived in Italy previously,like just after high school, and so
(03:29):
that kind of experience is what mademe really want to go back and to
live even more. And so basicallyafter starting my degree, my first week
was orientation. My second week,I went straight to the International student's office
and I was like, right,where can I go? What are my
destinations with Italy? The only placethey had was actually Milan, and I've
(03:49):
only been to Milan like twenty fourhours previously, so a taste test,
but I didn't really know what itwould be like to live there and that
sort of thing. But exchange wasalways always on my mind, and I
think just if you're someone who's curiousto travel, to learn a different language,
to learn about different cultures, andif you have a country that you
(04:10):
particularly love or adore, so inmy case it's Italy, you know,
it's just an amazing opportunity to beable to go and live and really soak
up and absorb life in that country. Absolutely, I couldn't agree with you
more and I would take a similarstory except I just up and left.
But I think in Australia we havea really strong drive to travel, and
(04:32):
I think it's because we're exposed towhat's going on in the world and we
just want to get out there andsee it all. And I think for
our American listeners. We've got alot of them listening. It is a
really strong pool for young Australians basicallyto leave when they turn agen. You
see them everywhere everywhere in Europe,everywhere exactly. But did you have any
(04:56):
concerns, Tyler, Were you're worriedabout anything going to study abroad? Yeah,
certainly. I mean it's very easyto get caught up in all the
excitement, and in my case,we didn't know that I would be leaving
until about three months before, soit was all a bit rushed at the
end, so we spent Obviously,because of COVID, things were delayed and
pushed back, so we had thismassive waiting time of just kind of twiddling
(05:21):
my thumbs and being like, Okay, I'll just learn a bit more of
the language, I'll learn a bitmore about the culture, and that sort
of thing got to the point oflike, oh, yeah, it'll happen
when it happened. And then itwas happening, and we had about three
months and I had to organize conmosation, get my visas, get my flights,
get everything. Still had a bitof doubt in the back of my
mind whether or not it would goahead. But it did, so I
(05:43):
think that initial phase was both excitingbut quite stressful. And you know,
we were the first kind of groupto go overseas after everything as well,
so it was a bit like guineapig kind of trying testing things out.
But in terms of actually being onExchange, I think my biggest concern fear
was that I had never lived alonepreviously, so you know, it's one
thing to go from living with agroup of people and having that kind of
(06:08):
community to then being completely by yourselfand in a foreign country. You don't
know anyone, so you know,when things happen, you don't necessarily have
people you can call on or figureout. And I think for my mum
it was very similar concerns in termsof in that, you know, opposite
sides of the world sort of thing. Tyler, how old were you when
you did this program? When youfirst came over? So I went on
(06:28):
Exchange when I was twenty one,but I met a lot of people who
were like eighteen nineteen, and Iwas just like, wow, you know,
you're very very brave, because I'mtwenty one and I'm still scared,
Like, yeah, for sure,and you'd already spent quite a bit of
time initially before, hadn't you.Yeah, yeah, so, I mean
in that sense, it was greatbecause I was already quite comfortable in the
culture and language wise. I couldget around sort of thing. And I
(06:53):
definitely felt that when I went backto Italy with my mom just before,
it was like, you know,just being on the train, I could
understand the announcements and get myself arounda bit, but it was still quite
an overwhelming experience as it is,and that sort of thing. But yeah,
for sure, for sure. AndBarbara, how did you feel about
everything? Well? I was excitedthat she chose Italy, of course,
(07:15):
because you know, it's such adefining time of your life in your twenties,
and the fact that she had beenthere before made me very comfortable.
But also it was like, lookat the adventures she's going to have.
They're going to be amazing getting toknow the country on a whole new level
as opposed to just traveling through.And it was Milan, which where we're
(07:38):
limited too, But at the sametime, it was like, that's exciting
because Milan is, you know,as we found such a progressive city.
I loved Milan more than I everexpected I would I was so excited for
her. To me, it seemedlike a short time because it was only
one semester and our background, youknow, we've moved around Australia a lot,
We've lived in a lot of differentplaces. For me, moving around
(08:01):
was never an issue. Moving tothe other side of the world for Tyler,
for me was not an issue.Like you said, a lot of
Australians travel, and when I wasabout the same age, I actually moved
to the other side of the country, and that was back when we didn't
have internet or email and only rangmy parents a couple of times a month
to check in because phone calls wereso expensive. So in that respect,
(08:26):
I was just super excited for it. Yes, it's a very very long
flight, but I figured if weput enough things in place for her and
she had the confidence to do it, then absolutely go do it because many
many other people have done before andwe'll do after, So why not Tyler,
just go for it. I loveit. I love it. Yeah.
(08:48):
I mean when I left when Iwas eighteen Australia and I went to
study like I did my whole degreeactually in the UK, and this is
before internet as well, and likephone calls back home were super expensive.
It was like hello, bye,love you, I'm still alive. Whereas
(09:09):
now it's you know, like youcan check in and you know, you
know where people are. Yeah,we call every day, so there's not
a day that goes by that shedoesn't know what I'm up doing. But
I am. I love it.Yeah, there's really you know, if
there's a problem, you can gethelp pretty easily. I think these days,
and I reflect on my cousin actuallydid the same thing, and you
(09:31):
know, people were trying to findher, you know, like where was
a family emergency and she was travelingand it was hard. We didn't find
her for a while, you know. So I think these days, you
know, you do have the backupsupport of the technology that can really help.
But yeah, it is still tomove to another country and maybe not
(09:52):
speak the language fluently. I thinkit's such a big undertaking and it just
takes a lot of energy, wouldyou say, Tyler, Yeah, definitely,
definitely. It is like very muchlike swings high and low. You
know, you've got those moments ofoh my god, I can't believe this
is my life. You know,that's the duomo in Milan, or that's
the ponte Vecchio in Florence. It'samazing to the Okay, so what do
(10:16):
I do if I get sick,Like, you know, Mom's not gonna
make me soup. I've got I'vegot to manage it myself. But it
is a very kind of incredible timein your life, just because you're in
this weird like in between child dependenceand responsible adults. So you've got like
the freedom of an adult, butyou don't have the responsibilities. So you
(10:37):
kind of just like catching up withfriends, going out and traveling on the
weekend, exploring all these places.And as Australians being in Europe, like
for us, it's not a bigthing to you know, go and visit
all these countries because everything is soclose, or to travel a lot,
which I'll be completely as are theyou know, particularly Europeans thought we were
crazy. They were like, whyare you traveling so much? But we're
(10:58):
like, we've got limited time.We have to make the most of it.
You don't realize how big Australia is, so for us it's quite quite
an adventure. Yeah, it's actuallytwo hours flight to the capital city of
our state, so it's a twoday drive from our home and we've lived
remote from our families for Tyler's wholelife really, so that's actually something that
(11:22):
probably stands her in good stead becauseshe knows what it's like to create that
small network of support around you andknow that supports a very long way away.
If you're relying on family. That'sjust our lifestyle. You know,
other people have their family members aroundthe corner and so something like that,
but we've never had that because we'vemoved so much around Australia. For Tyler
(11:46):
growing up, her grandparents have lived, you know, a two day drive
away and the other lot a threeday drive away, so it's very different
to if you've grown up with familysupport in the town. So in that
respect, Tyler was a little bitprepared for moving to the other side of
the world without everybody. And Ithink I was just reflecting, like the
(12:09):
difference between your home to island Townsvilleand Milan. It's probably you couldn't really
get that much different, really,could you. No, No, it's
a bit embarrassing. But in Australiaor even in towns Will it's a bit
more regional remote, so like publictransport never used to it. No,
(12:30):
you've never been on a bus,have you No, I've never been on
a bus. We don't have trains, no, So going to Milan,
like the only way you're getting aroundis metro. So like when we because
we were traveling for about four weeksbeforehand in Switzerland and Italy, but once
we got to Milan, we weren'ttourists anymore. We were like, you
know, setting up shop and tryingto like figure out where the closest grocery
(12:52):
stores were, and like just figuringout my route from my apartment to university
and like, you know, whatdo you do when there's a when there's
a public transport strike, because theyseem to happen quite a lot in Milan.
But yeah, that was all partof the adventure. And now it's
eight nine months later and I've beenon all sorts of probably chance for all
across Europe. So things that werelike challenges or new in the beginning,
(13:16):
you're like, you know whatever nowadayslike thought, so you definitely like have
experiences and grow up when you're studyingabroad. Absolutely. So you know when
you got the call because I rememberbecause you wrote me an email and you
were a little bit sad about Katie. I got work for you anymore,
because I'm going to Italy. Shewas. There was a bitter sweet moment.
It was more sweet than bitter foryou. I figured if anyone was
(13:39):
going to support it, it wouldbe you. Thank you. But yeah,
so after you were going, So, how did your plan? Like,
what was your plan when you weregoing there? Because you didn't have
much time, you knew you weregoing to land in Milan. Let's let's
help some of our listeners out ifyou know, if they're in a similar
situation, what did you do?Yeah, So for us, we went
trying beforehand. So for some peoplethey flew straight into Milan and just started
(14:05):
studying a lot of people did comeand travel beforehand because it was summer.
The semester started in September, sowe were in Switzerland and then we went
into Italy and spent some lovely timein Florence and a week in Verona,
went to Bologna, Lake Garda,Lake Como, and then we got to
Milan. And so for us itwas like almost two separate things. It
(14:28):
was like we were tourists and inthe beginning we were just so excited to
one be out of the country andback in Europe. I think we heard
church bells and we were just like, oh, Europe. And then we
kind of like as we were movingcloser and closer towards Milan, which was
the final destination, the style oftravel changed because we were no longer tourists.
(14:50):
It was about me moving here,living here, and you know,
being in a city and having thatrealization of hang on a minute, I'm
not going to get on a flightand leave in a couple of days.
I'm actually staying here. So thatwas really exciting. But then equally for
me, like I'd spent four anda half weeks traveling with my mum full
(15:11):
time. We were with each otherfor twenty four hours of the day,
So to go from that to thenessentially her leaving me being completely on my
own was quite like an emotional mixup, especially in the very first days
of being in Milan, where itwas all like exciting but overwhelming at the
same time. And I mean Iremember distinctly crying into my bowl of pots
(15:35):
a couple days before she was goingto leave, and I was just like,
what am I going to do?I don't know anyone here, and
I've talked to so many other peoplewho were on exchange and they had very
similar experiences. But yeah, justlike what do I do this? I
don't know anyone. And my momwas just like it's okay, girl,
like you're going to meet people atorientation. You'll be fine, Like don't
even you worry. You'll be basicallylike throwing me out the door. And
(15:58):
I was like, no, that'snot true. Fast forward twenty four hours.
I made this amazing group of friendsand basically like I was crying one
night, went out with them thenext night, and then the day later,
I was like putting my mom onthe train to the airport and I
was like, okay, by mom, I'm going to Venus with many friends.
Oh that must have been company thoughfor you. But I'm sure it
(16:19):
was because Tyler came home from theorientation and she was like, oh,
I met these great girls and I'mso excited for my exchange. And I
was just so happy because, likeyou know, literally the night before it
was like I can't believe you're leaving. I'll miss you so much. And
I knew it would happen. Shedid put herself out there, like she
introduced herself to people, and that'show she met people. Within a very
(16:42):
short period of time. And thenyou know, I met the girls.
They all decided to go orientation week. Of course these parties. They decided
that they would all go to theparty, and Tyler had her apartment was
nearest the cities at the most central, so they all actually met at the
apartment before they went out. SoI got to meet all these lovely girls
(17:03):
from all different countries, and thenthey went out to their party. Tyler
was like, but what if Ileave you at home? And I was
like, no, you have togo out. You only get one orientation
week, you only get one chanceto do this. You have to do
it. I'll be fine. Soyou know, I just sat there.
I think I just netflix a glassof wine and off ours. And she
(17:23):
did not get home until very verylate in the morning. And the funny
thing was the next day, becausethis was my last day. I think
Tyler got home somewhere between three orfour in the morning, wasn't it.
And then last at my last dayin Milan, we had planned to do
Milan in the day Duomo climb firstup in the morning, coffee and we
(17:45):
booked for like nine o'clock or something, So I had about four hours sleep
and then we finished with the lastsupper and then we met the girls for
a per of ti Vo down inthe Lye and that was my final night,
and at a par of TiVo inNeville, we were planning their trip
to Venice. Yeah, and it'slike these girls had only literally met in
(18:06):
the last what thirty six hours.Yeah, we knew each other for three
days and then decided to go toVenice together for three days. But those
are the things you do in exchangethough, you know. So it sounds
like the university had they had someorganized activities and then you kind of like
met some people from there and didthe university put some structure around how you
would settle in. Yeah, Sothe university I was at Catolica in Milan
(18:30):
actually did a fabulous job at organizinglike events for people to get together and
meet. And then there's also theErasmus network that organizes a lot. Basically
every city that is a university cityhas like an Erasmus group that you can
join and just get access to allthese events. And being Milan, like
there was a party and get togetherat a social idea every single night of
(18:53):
the week, whereas I knew peoplefrom other cities in Europe and they didn't
necessarily have that network. For us. It was like we all went to
orientation on the first day and itwas about a half day introduction and everyone's
kind of sitting around really nervous,and no one's talking to each other because
we're like, I don't know whatto say. And it happened to me
(19:14):
where I just kind of turned tothe person next to me and was like,
what's your name? And then wejust started chatting, and then I
was like, I'm really nervous,and then she said I'm also really nervous,
and then the person behind us waslike, oh, me too.
So like everyone's in that similar boatin terms of the emotions they're going through
and that sort of thing. Soit is easy to make friends in those
first days especially, But yeah,the activities, just go out and be
(19:37):
part of them and meet people.You know, you're not going to love
everyone, that's life, but youwill make some amazing connections because you're all
on this experience together and it's avery unique time to form those friendships from
all over the world. Amazing.And did you do much studying, Tyler,
because I'm concerned that you were overthere to do your university. So
let's be serious here for a littlebit. If you asked my home university,
(20:02):
yes, yes I did. Shegot the required points. I got
the required points. So for Australianstudents we are on a past fail system.
I know for a lot of Americansand any European students their grades accounted
and translated directly, Australian students arepast fail, which is probably why we
travel a lot when we're on exchange. But for me, also like I
(20:25):
did fun subjects, so I hadused up all my required subjects, so
I just had electives. There wereother subjects, you know, finance,
accounting, those more serious, strenuoussubjects, whereas I was in subjects like
cooking one oh one and Italian luxuryand fashion, and I did to publishing
like these were all very fun andenjoyable subjects that required engagement and learning,
(20:52):
but not necessarily strenuous strenuous study.Was it an academic experience, Yes,
yes, it was cultural studies.What's your final degree? What's your degree?
So it's a Bachelor Business in InternationalBusiness, which I did not do
any business when I was in Milan. I was too busy cooking and taste
(21:15):
testing, which is a fantastic cause. But I remember when you were looking
at subjects in the beginning, Tylerwas very serious about the subject choices and
I said to her, these areyour electives. You've done everything you need
to do. Balance it out witha couple of options. And when I
saw the Cooking and Cultural class,I was like, oh my gosh,
(21:36):
that would be amazing. You're inItaly, it's a cultural experience. So
I think she kind of went,well, that's not a serious subject,
but as it got closer, shechanged her mind and did it. And
honestly, I think was that yourfavorite class? It was the best.
And you ask anyone who went toCatholica and took that subject, it's like
it's the best subject. Also,the applications closed really quickly on that subject,
(22:02):
so everybody else had the same idea. It's crazy. They opened and
within five minutes the classes were full. So if you want it, you
have to be in super super quick. Right. Well, that's a good
tip, Like I think, it'sreally interesting. I think as well,
when we're in our early twenties andwe're looking forward to a career, we
get very serious about everything and youknow, I love your story, Tyler,
(22:23):
because just to relax a little bitand enjoy the ride, you're probably
going to have more valuable experience forit. And I can say that,
you know, I've been known youfor a while now, and of just
what you blossom and just in yourconfidence and just what you're capable of doing
is incredible and I'm really proud ofyou as you know, as your boss.
(22:48):
Thanks Katie. But also you know, it's really great to see that
parents. You know, we've gota very academic family. But I really
do think that it's really important tojust just take a step back because you
will taking on a lot when you'regoing overseas, especially to a country where
they don't speak your language, definitely, the pressure could be immense, immense.
So I think that was the changein mindset. And my mom and
(23:11):
I we talked about this the wholetime we were traveling through through Italy.
It was like, this is,you know, a very special time.
Just enjoy it. Just soak itup because like everything else, it will
pass and you'll get to the endand it all just be memories. So
soak it up while you can havefun, laugh, make mistakes, fall
on your face, but get backup again. Yeah, it's just that
(23:33):
incredible time for learning and growth andhaving fun. Well while you're on that,
what are some of the mistakes thatyou made that others could probably learn
from? Oh? Interesting question.I think in general I did most things
that I wouldn't change. But like, for instance, in Milan, accommodation
is very, very difficult to comeby, and so it's one of those
(23:56):
things where so you usually like youhave to organize your acommodation before you arrive
in order to get the visa.But the thing with Italy is most things
are offline, so in terms offinding accommodation, it's really really difficult.
So I think I would have Imean, I ended up with a fantastic
place. It was absolutely perfect,but the road to getting there was a
(24:18):
bit stressful, and I think,you know, had I had someone that
I could have contacted or asked,or had I reached out to certain people,
maybe it would have made that processa bit smoother. In fact,
I had people who had gotten myname or my social media handles through the
university page because there was a reelthat went out and I was tagged in
it, and different places who weresending me messages being like, I see
(24:38):
that you're on exchange in Milan.You know, tell me what's the situation
with housing? And so you onlyknow what you know. So I think
had I taken the initiative to maybeask a few more people, it just
would have made it a bit easierthat sort of thing. Ah, the
old asked the question. Yeah,it's so true, isn't it. Sometimes
(25:02):
we think we have to figure everythingout on our own, but there's usually
someone that's done it before. Yeah, I'm surprised that the university didn't offer
much help in that regard. No, that was the one thing in terms
of Milan. I'm not sure ifit's all universities in Italy, but my
university, particularly because Milan is sucha competitive housing market and there's so many
(25:25):
students. There's like four or fivedifferent universities in Milan, so you've got
students, you've got business people,and of course, being the economic hub
of Italy, prices are just somuch more than what you're going to find
it in other Italian cities as well. But yeah, no, the university
was not particularly helpful in that.So that is something to be aware of
(25:45):
and to get onto. If youare thinking of going to Milan specifically,
Yeah, no, And I thinkthere's different rental rules in Italy as well,
and so some people might have arrangedaccommodation, which is probably going to
make things a little bit easier forthem. And I know our colleague Olivia,
she's done some study in Bologna andthey provided accommodation as a home state.
(26:07):
So there's lots of different options.But if I think if you're looking
for straight out sort of medium termrentals, it is a bit of a
challenge. So I would get ontoit early. Yeah, and ask anyone
that you can who's lived there before, Anyone who has a friend or a
cousin who's lived there before, becausejust to have that insider knowledge, you
know, I knew people who showedup and didn't have housing and then they
(26:29):
only found housing through their friends,roommates, cousins, brother, uncle who
had an apartment that was free.To let you know, like, that's
that's Italy for you, that thisis how it works. You've got to
know someone who knows someone who knowssomeone, and yeah, amazing magical things
happen when you do that. Justbuy everyone is spirits and dope for the
best. Yeah, just network andget to know people and slipping in a
(26:53):
conversation I'm looking for a place orthat sort of thing, and yeah,
it's amazing. What'll happen amazing.So for both of you, what was
some of the highlights of the experience. Maybe Barbara you can say, you
know, you're watching it from adistance and you also had a little dip
into the experience as well, whatwere your highlights? Seeing Tyler just like
(27:15):
literally grow up when I say seeher. Because we do talk each day,
and we do FaceTime each day,you know, it was almost like
she was here, because each dayhere at home, you know, we'd
have a conversation, and by havingthe chats daily, it was almost like
while I'm sleeping, she's having thisadventure or dealing with this issue or something.
(27:36):
And then by the time I wakeup, you know, there's all
these messages. And sometimes they werereally good and really exciting because they were
amazing things happening. And other timesit was like a couple of times she
got sick and so she wasn't feelingso great, the weather was really gray
or whatever, and that compounded andit was like, okay, so we
were managing that so watching her navigateall of these things on her own on
(27:56):
the other side of the world,and I think she handled like a complete
boss. I'm really really proud ofus. You know, she hasn't lived
away from home. She was planningto go earlier. COVID happened and that
changed her plans. She handled that. And just to see her navigate this
stuff. And you know, beingthe parent of four children who are now
all adults, are I go,you know, what is adulting? And
(28:18):
it's just dealing with all the challengesthat come up, isn't it. It's
like whatever it is when your kidsare too that it's a different challenge you're
dealing with to when your kids aretwenty And so when you're moving out on
your own for the first time,what are the challenges that come up?
Well, how does this oven work? Could be one of them? You
know I've had the same issue indifferent airbnb and places that I've stayed.
(28:42):
Is like I'm standing there looking atthe oven, going, oh, I
haven't seen one like this before.Is there a switch on the wall?
I don't know about. So you'rejust navigating the different challenges that pop up,
and watching Tyler navigate that on herown terms really, because honestly,
I have seen her coloring in mapsof the world since she was little in
(29:03):
primary school, and she has beendetermined to travel her whole life. So
watching that happen for her and shemade it happen, honestly, couldn't be
prouder. And you know, Ithink it's so funny, it's so true
about all these appliances. They alwaysget you. The appliances, don't there
there's nothing like an induction cooktop,and then you've got some pan that doesn't
work on the induction or the washingmachine, Oh my goodness, all the
(29:29):
different washing machines and all the airbnbs, And is there an instruction book?
No, and if there is,it's an attack. Thank goodness for the
Internet again, we're now looking uponline how to operate this particular machine.
It's like a life changer. AndI think, you know, it sounds
to me like the time difference actuallyworked in your favor, because if you
hadn't been in the same time zone, you probably would have been figuring some
(29:52):
stuff out for her. But becauseyou were there, she had to do
it herself, absolutely, and someof the messages came through like that.
I would start reading the messages andit would be like, oh, drama
okay. And as I keep readingthe messages, it's like, oh,
she solved it. Yeah, Nowall I have to do is say so,
Prittie babe, keep going there.She's like my sounding board, Like
(30:14):
I just send her just the wholesequence of events. And there are some
very entertaining stories in our chat thread, especially on travel days. Travel days
always have the most crazy stories ofjust things going wrong and stop coming up
and happening, and yeah, ohthat's amazing. It's such a bonding experience
for you too, because you're partof it, but you're a little bit
(30:36):
detached, and I think it's it'sa beautiful thing. Well, even on
the weekends, because Tyler was goingto classes, she was meeting people and
then trying to you know, getto the grocery store and cook and things
like that. So she'd tell methat, you know, the girls and
I going to Portofino for the weekendor we're going to nice or whatever it
(30:56):
was, and I sitting at home. You know, I'm coming home work.
I don't have girl chats here anymorebecause I'm in a house full of
boys, and so I'm like,oh, I might just look up what's
it in Portesino? So I lookup in Portesino and I okay, oh
okay. You know, the girlswon't have time to find this because they're
too busy doing the unique thing onthe other side of the world. And
it's like, oh, by theway, did you know about this and
(31:18):
this? And here's a great blogpost to read about that. And they
would often read these messages while theywere actually traveling to the location, and
Tyler was like, great tips,mom, thank you so much. She
be like she was like my minitravel agent. And every time, so
once we kind of got acquainted asa group, they'd be like, so
Tyler's planning, the trip will comebecause whenever I was organizing like a trip
(31:41):
somewhere, whether it be Lake Comoor Tien or something like that, they
knew that my mum was sending methese like emails with like tips and hints,
and so we never missed the goodstuff basically, and like having the
most magical day on Lake Como andgetting to go to like Villa Bardamiello,
which one hundred percent would have missedbecause as twenty something year old, we're
(32:04):
just like, oh, here havingfun. Look at that building, Look
at that building. Ha ha hasprits. But you do miss those things.
So to have my mum, who'smuch wiser in her years, is
able to say like, oh,make sure you don't miss that, and
go check this out. And youknow, this is the best cathedral,
the best you know, place tobe in this town or city. And
(32:25):
it was amazing, like the thingsI saw. And then I'd take photos
and I'd send them back to mymum and be like, amazing recommendation and
all my friends were like, oh, it's it's Tyler's mum, travel agent
Bob, Like she's making our tripshappen for us. So yeah, it
was great. Yeah. I alwaysthink it's good to get a different perspective
on things that you would like.I remember when I was trolling, when
(32:45):
I was your agent. Yeah,Like, it was definitely a different style.
So it's really amazing that you're opento those suggestions, Tyler, because
you know, not everyone would listento their mom. But maybe that's the
message of this podcast. He's listenedto your mom. Yeah. I think
we do have a very unique relationship. I mean it's essentially you know,
(33:07):
best friends. Sometimes we do slipin some mum and daughter roles and we
have to be like, okay,okay, let's just you know, sort
through that and get back to beingbest friends. But yeah, it is
a very unique relationship. But it'swhat's allowed, you know, our love
for Italy to be shared between us. And I don't know, you know,
if it was me or her first, or you know, if we
kind of both fell in love withit at the same time. But having
(33:29):
that, actually I think Italy hasbonded us, would you agree, Mom,
Yeah, yeah, definitely, becauseyou know, I went to Rome
for three days the first time intwenty eleven, and I remember Tyler was
like, I so want to dothat. And then you know, when
it came to year twelve, therewas an amazing trip on offer at the
school to go to New York andI said to Tyler, well, you
(33:52):
can do that trip or we couldgo to Europe at the end of the
year be your graduation, and shewas like, right, that's if I'm
going to Europe. And you know, from then that trip and then you
know, honestly, through the COVIDlockdowns, Katie, I have to say,
thank you, what a life saverof this podcast. Has been that
really kept us going. Oh,your podcasts saved us. Seriously. Every
(34:19):
time a new episode came out,we'd be walking your bike, riding around
our usual circuit and we'd stop atpoints we'd be like, oh did you
hear that? Did you get thattip? Where are you up to?
Oh? Excellent, I'm going tolisten to another one now. We'll note
that for the next trip. Becausewe had lots of time to plan because
we were going to travel in twentytwenty, and you know, our trip
was planned for July twenty twenty,and I know you were traveling in March.
(34:43):
We were wondering if it was goingto get canceled, and you know,
as it got closer, yes,it all got canceled and changed,
and you know, then we're inlockdown for so long. And it was
like we had plenty of time thento work out what would we do on
the next trip, what would itlook like. And then when it came
to being onto the exchange, itwas like, well that changed it too,
(35:04):
because this wasn't just let's go andsee everything. This was like,
well, let's go back to theplaces we really love and no, just
check that it's all there and it'sall okay after COVID, but also,
you know, let's see some newplaces and then let's settle you into a
new home, so to speak.And I honestly couldn't have been happier with
our trip that we planned and thetime that we took, because you know,
(35:28):
like you mentioned, Australians travel alot, and when we do go
to Europe, we usually go fora long time. I took leave without
pay to be able to do itbecause a two week trip is just it's
a very long flight for two weeks, and so I took some leave without
pay to be able to do it. And I just knew it was the
right thing to do for Tyler,because again, you don't you don't get
your twenties back, you know,you don't get to be twenty one and
(35:52):
traveling through Europe or on exchange again. And it was just like this is
too important. I'm now old enoughto know you do not get these times
back. So it's like take themwhen you get them. Yeah, one
hundred percent, well done. Youknow, Like I feel like this is
I don't think this is a travelpodcast today. I feel like it's a
it's about Italy, but not aboutItaly. Yeah, it's really important because
(36:15):
of the experiences that I've had inItaly have changed my life, and I
know I agree the same for you, and in the most positive and amazing
ways. So let's wrap it upby do you want to share a couple
of tips for parents whose children arethinking of studying abroad, Barbara, and
then we'll row over to you Tylerand you can give your perspective. I
(36:37):
would say, be really interested inwhat the kids are doing subject wise,
because I think that was really importantfor us to have some chats, because
I do know Tyler was leaning moretowards all business type subjects, whereas I
was very much of their mindset.Like I just said, you don't get
your twenties back, and these areelectives, so you know, enjoy the
(36:58):
experience because it is a short periodof time. It might feel like a
long period of time when you're initiallylooking at whether it's a semester or even
a year, but when you dolook back, it will not be a
long time. So you know,take the time to understand what the kids
are studying and get involved. Forme personally, I think the best thing
I did was being engaged with youknow, what are your girls planning to
(37:22):
do next? You know, andthey changed their minds. Sometimes they would
say, oh, you know,we're looking at going here, and then
you know, I'd go off andexcitedly, you know, look at that
location, and then they go,oh, I no, we've decided to
go here. And I got that'sokay because now I know all of this
stuff about this location, and it'slike, okay, now I'll go and
you know, look up the nextlocation. And so I had so much
(37:44):
fun doing that, and it helpedme when Tyler would say, oh,
you know, we did this,It wasn't just like they were off doing
stuff I didn't know about it.I almost felt like I was there in
some way. So because I didthat research for the girls, which was
to help them out, honestly,it made me feel so connected to what
they were doing. And I thinkthat was a real game changer for me
(38:06):
and has really allowed me to beaway from my girl for so long without
missing her too badly. Yeah,amazing, amazing. I think it's so
hard to let go, you know, I think and it sounds like you've
you've done this in the most elegantand just you know, gentle way,
(38:27):
but it just is supporting Tyler withher dreams which she's had from a very
young age and is so fiercely determinedto get there and experience it. How
about you, Tyler, what aresome of the things you would suggest?
I would just say that, youknow, if your dream is to go
on exchange and to travel, likejust make it happen. You know,
(38:47):
there are so many ways that youcan make it happen, and just like
talk to people about it, askquestions about it. Go to your university
department for international studies or study abroadand ask the question because you may think
that it's not possible, but thereare so many ways that you can make
it possible. Also, when you'reon exchange, like just live in the
(39:08):
present, soaked up every moment becauseyou know, I remember being there and
having those times of like this isall going to be over soon, Like
you know everything is going to beover, but right now I'm here in
this moment. You know, putyourself out there and make friends, go
have amazing trips away and experiences,and just savor it. Really, I
(39:30):
mean, like it's amazing how fastthe time has gone. But yet,
you know, if I think backto a very specific day or a very
specific event or thing we did.You know, I remember just being so
present and just soaking it all up. So just do it Number one and
two. Just enjoy it. Basically, it's amazing and you'll never have a
(39:52):
period of time like that in yourlife. Again, there's a reason why
people who go on study abroad neverstopped talking about study abroad. It truly
is such a unique and defining momentin your transition into adulthood and whatever you
do afterwards. And that's the otherthing. You never know what doors will
open through, what experiences you have. And I don't think I would be
(40:14):
here right now had I not goneon exchange, had I not gone to
Italy. And yeah, so foreveryone that's listening, Tyler finished her causing
you, and then she just waslike, I'm not going home. Yeah,
so she's currently doing the Schengen visatop around europarn't you? And yeah,
good for you, Tyler, it'samazing. Now, Tyler and Barbara,
(40:37):
if people want to reach out toyou with questions, because you know,
like I can imagine there's a fewpeople with questions out there about your
experience, would that be okay?And if so, how can they go
about doing that? Yeah, soabsolutely. I'm always happy to answer questions
and give out advice, especially whenit's related to Italy Exchange, living in
Milan and travel that sort of thing. So for me, the best place
(41:00):
to contact me would be through myInstagram so at Tyler Tyla JCG is my
handle and would love to help anyoneout with the experience of just going on
exchange and going to Italy. That'swhat I love about you. Tyler is
so open to new experiences and newpeople. It's and it's an absolute credit
to you, Barbara to be honestbecause she's delightful. Thank you, and
(41:23):
I will never forget that evening wewent around Rome on the vesper. It
was fun, wasn't it An absolutehighlight, an absolute highlight of my time
in Italy. So so special.Oh so Gratti, Mela, Tyler and
Barbara, thank you so much forcoming on the podcast today and sharing this
inspirational story. I do hope itinspires other people to just go, yes,
(41:45):
I'm going to Italy and have themost amazing times that you have.
Thank you, Katie, Thanks foreverything you do. Thank you, Katie.
Loved it. It's been so good. Gratzimla ch'a wow. What an
adventure. Tyler and her family comefrom a remote city in Australia, which
in a lot of respects could notbe more different than her experiences in Italy.
(42:09):
But as you heard, she's avery determined young woman. No doubt,
the study abroad experience in Milan hasbeen an absolute joy and an incredible
time for her, and one she'llnever forget. I recently read an article
by young woman who, unlike Tyler, did not seem to enjoy her study
abroad experience in Florence, and whatI noticed was that perhaps she didn't seem
(42:31):
to have a support network or theright research and plan to make the time
in Italy successful. If you knowfamilies considering this option, I would love
you to share this episode and theshow notes with them. Tyler and Barbara
have such a positive attitude and theywanted to share their story to help others
be more comfortable helping their own youngpeople have a similar experience. All the
(42:54):
sites and places that they mentioned arein the show notes at Untold Italy dot
com forwards one hundred and seventy eight, so you can find details of the
services that they mentioned there. Andthere's absolutely no doubt in my mind that
if my children want to study abroadwhen they're older, they'll get all my
support, especially if they decide tostudy in Italy. Now that would be
(43:15):
handy, wouldn't it. I wantedto end this episode by letting you know
how many doors the study abroad programhas opened for Tyler. Before she went
to Milan, Tyler was part ofthe Untold Italy team, helping to moderate
our Italy travel planning community on Facebook. Now she's taken a big step up
and he is looking after our socialand media accounts from Europe, where she's
(43:37):
maximizing her stay in Italy on theninety day Shangan visa and moving to non
Shangan countries as required. I'm sovery proud of her and absolutely respect her
determination to learn Italian, travel thecountry and meet new people and have an
open mind to new experiences. Brava, Tyler, You're it's such a wonderful
(43:58):
inspiration to many young people and myself. Thank you, Gratzia to all our
wonderful listeners for your ongoing support ofUntold Italy. I hope you enjoyed today's
show. If you did, thenit would be amazing if you gave us
a rating or review in your favoritepodcast app. If you're using Apple Podcasts,
then you need to go to theshow page for Untold Italy, not
(44:21):
the episode page, and scroll downuntil you see ratings and reviews. You
can leave your five star review andmessage there. We'll love to read them.
One next week's episode, we're talkingabout sparkling Italian wine, and I
don't mind telling you that's a favoritetopic of mine. But until then,
it's chow for now. The UntoldItaly podcast is an independent production podcast editing,
(44:45):
audio production and website development by MarkHatter, Production assistance and content writing
by the other kg Clark. Yesthere are two of us. For more
information about Untold Italy, please visitUntold Italy dot com. The movie
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