My name is Samantha Streisfeld and I am beginning my freshman year after the best month in Siena, Italy on the pre-freshman study abroad program. Studying abroad has always been a dream of mine, wanting to explore new cities and try new foods. However, what I did not expect was how I would feel afterwards. When I close my eyes I picture the familiar streets and shops in Siena, and I feel like a completely new person. My experience in Siena taught me that any goal or dream I have is possible because the world is filled with many different types of people and cultures who all share a sense of identity.
I grew up in Eugene, and I was worried that there would not be enough new people for me to meet at University of Oregon, but that could not be farther from the truth. When we first landed in the Florence, Italy airport, everyone on the trip was strangers to each other and instead of that being frightening, it was exciting. Within just a few hours, we learned each other's names and it felt like we had known each other forever. We spent the month laughing and learning together making lifelong friends and memories we will hold with us forever.
While in class, we learned about how intertwined Christianity is within the Italian government and society. We explored different churches and museums where we learned about the medieval tradition of the Palio. This is where the seventeen neighborhoods, known as contradas, of Siena compete in a horse race around the center plaza of the city. Within each contrada, they have a neighborhood museum and church displaying old jockey uniforms and each one holds a painting of every palio that has ever happened. The paintings illustrate the hierarchy of Italian culture, with the Virgin Mary typically painted at the top and the black and white government symbol of Siena at the bottom.
After a few weeks of learning all about the Palio, it was finally time to watch one. That weekend people from all over Italy came to Siena, the streets were filled with excited people all hours of the night with a lot of money bet between neighborhoods. The whole weekend, while I was participating in traditions it felt like college football but in Italy. There was competition between rivals, tailgates for days, and the Italian people cared very deeply who won and who lost.
There were cheers that each contrada chanted together, similar to “Shout” in the third quarter at a Ducks game. The energy and excitement of the Palio made me very excited for game days at school with familiar faces in the crowd from the friends I met in Siena. Even though the Italian people bet on horses and not college teams, the shared sense of friendly competition brings people together across different cultures and across continents.
Samantha Streisfeld