The months in Florence were a nightmare for Stacia Datskovska, as she writes in an essay. In the social media, she reaps scorn.
A romance in late-summer Florence, ice cream that “runs down your fingers in the heat and natural wine that goes wonderfully with good conversation and even better prosciutto”: US student Stacia Datskovska had imagined her semester abroad in the capital of Tuscany to be cliché-like beautiful – but in reality the six months in Europe became a “nightmare” for the young woman, as she wrote in an essay for “Insider”, which provides plenty of material for discussion on social networks.
At her home university, New York University (NYU), places to study abroad are offered all over the world – Abu Dhabi, Paris or Shanghai are just a few examples. Florence seems almost conservative – just right for Datskovska, who actually wanted to devote the semester far away from home to the intensive study of her two majors, journalism and international relations.
Unlike her seven roommates: “They had different daily routines,” the US student mocks, “some were regularly out until the early hours of the morning.” The essay says it was difficult to concentrate on studying.
“Excessive escapism” in Ibiza
Datskovska considers her fellow students’ weekend trips to the Oktoberfest in Munich, to Ibiza or to sex shows in Amsterdam to be “excessive escapism”. She herself has traveled very little and spent most weekends alone in the abandoned apartment – and lonely walks “didn’t exactly help me to find my optimism again.”
Datskovska doesn’t just take good care of her American fellow students, but also of the Italians themselves: There can be no question of hospitality and charm, they – dressed in Nikes and hoodies – were looked at condescendingly and with rolling eyes.
“When my semester in Florence ended, I despised the sights, hated the people, and couldn’t wait to return to my campus in New York,” she said.
The essay caused a shitstorm for the young woman in the constantly agitated social media. The tenor: Anyone who has the unique opportunity to complete a semester abroad – especially in such a beautiful place – should enjoy the time and refrain from criticizing the country and its people. “But I can’t be the only one for whom the semester abroad was a nightmare,” concludes Datskovska.