Siena Italian Studies - Multi Destination Program

Hello everyone,

Thank you ❤️ for the trust and interest you have placed on our page. Things at Siena Italian Studies are evolving and our organization is ready to take a step towards a new identity. The SIS Intercultural Study Abroad page will follow the programs in Italy and all the news of Multi-Destination.

We invite you LIKE SIS Intercultural Study Abroad and check our new website if you want to continue to follow our adventures.
👉

SIS Study Abroad Welcome to SIS Intercultural Study Abroad, an organization based in Siena, Italy offering unique and high-impact study abroad programs designed for students that want to live their experience abroad to the fullest. Since 2004, SIS has been an innovator among full immersion and service-learning progr...

Have you ever been to hot springs or to a sophisticated spa resort⛲? Do you know where the word “Spa” comes from?
Well, the small town 🏡 that we usually visit in the Wallonia region boasts Europe's oldest health resort. Moreover, the very word "spa" in English comes from this Belgian town's name.
Nowadays, Spa attracts maybe less celebrities, but its bottled mineral water is still one of the major brands in the Benelux 🇧🇪

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/28/world/europe/belgium-migrants-coronavirus.html

‘I Could Be One of Them’: Belgians Help Migrants Amid Coronavirus Under strict lockdown measures, asylum seekers and migrants on the streets of Brussels increasingly rely on residents for survival.

Although our students did not get much time in Brussels this semester, one of the things they were able to see was this beautiful exposition by Alter Brussels in Halles Saint-Gery. What an immersive and lovey way to learn about the Brussels experience from so many perspectives.

The Spring 🌸 semester is the best if you want to visit the Royal Greenhouses of Brussels. In this period, the park is open to the public and visitors can admire beautiful and rare species of flowers.

Cameras 📷 are barely able to capture the beauty of these colors 🎨 , but in the meantime we can enjoy these pictures hoping to visit them again soon!

Hi, I’m Georgia (middle of photo)! I am a SUNY Geneseo Study Abroad student with the Siena/Brussels multidestination program this semester. My favorite part of the way SIS programs work was the emphasis placed on host families and immersion. I absolutely loved getting to know my host families in both Italy and Belgium (pictured). There is so much to learn about language, food, culture, and everything in between, and I know my experience was one hundred times more enriching for it. I can’t wait to go back and visit once it’s safe to travel again.

Here's one of our last walks we had around the streets of Molenbeek last Spring🌸. The house 🏘 the students are l👀king at is called "L’Espoir (Hope)" and it's an example of eco-friendly building and integration. It was built of ecologically ♻️ sustainable materials using a minimum of energy🔋and provides housing to 14 families of mainly refugees and immigrants.

Hopefully, we'll be able to explore Brussels 🇧🇪 again soon.

This is Kate in the office of COFACE in Brussels! Kate is one of our wonderful students/interns at our Siena/Brussels program this spring. However, due to the pandemic situation, our interns were unfortunately sent back to America prematurely to complete their work from home. Scroll down to read what Kate has to say about her internship placement and swipe to see her in her new makeshift home office in Rochester, NY. .
“I am interning with COFACE Families Europe, a non profit non governmental organization that lobbies for and spreads information about family issues. COFACE strives to help all families, which is why we advocate for the rights of migrants, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, and why we have been working to close the gender care gap. So far, I’ve mostly worked on communications projects for the organization. I learned how to use google analytics to gather data about their website and audience, helped develop strategies for the use of Instagram as a tools for advocacy, and researched web accessibility to create a document which I am now working with the disability officer to turn into a policy brief. I learned a lot from the COFACE staff during my time in Belgium, and while I’m still getting into the rhythm of working at home, I’m determined to keep helping this great organization and trying to learn everything I can along the way.” ~Kate Welch

These are hard times, but they also present us with the opportunity to grow our community closer, tighter and stronger. So many people all over Europe have come together to pitch in any way they can. How can you help?

[Coronavirus] Coronavirus crisis deepens, but solidarity booms Despite the horrific impact of the coronavirus on the EU's economy and daily life of its citizens, solidarity is spreading across communities in all member states - with offline and online initiatives.

Today we spent the morning learning about the history of the EU 🇪🇺.. and playing with some outfits 👒👜🕶️

All smiling 😁 after the first week of the program 🇧🇪🇪🇺

SUNY Geneseo Study Abroad
Siena Italian Studies

☔ Rainy orientation day with Georgia and Kate.
Welcome to Brussels girls! 🇧🇪