Interview
Meet Veronica from Italy
Name: Veronica Gerini
Home Country and City: Italy, Treviso
Programme of Study: Master\'s programme in Immediate Architectural Intervention
Personal Interests: Drawing, photography, music, live concerts, travelling
Favourite thing about Umeå University: I love the stimulating and open environment inside the School of Architecture
Favourite Swedish word or custom: Ursäkta!
Three words to summarise your time in Umeå: School, weather, melting pot
What is your educational and professional background?
I graduated for my bachelor\'s degree in science of architecture at the University of Venice - IUAV. It’s indisputable that the academic environment and the city itself have affected deeply my educational background. I remember with pleasure every project in the following three years. The curriculum of each semester was based mainly on a design course and study of the history of architecture. Most of the time then I worked in team learning how to collaborate, to mediate and…make compromises!
I think I\'ve learned a lot in those years, but the time had come for me to seek out new ideas and new challenges.
Why did you choose to enrol in your degree programme at Umeå University?
At first, I decided to apply for the School of Architecture convinced that I wouldn’t have great opportunities…but then things took a different turn.
The School immediately fascinated me for the unusual choice of the proposed master’s programmes: Sustainable architecture and Immediate Intervention.
In my opinion, both the programmes sounded interesting and they aimed to improve the classical education in our field. They want to offer a new realistic vision of architecture today.
Besides the approach of teaching intrigued me because of its relationship between students and professors... and yes, even the position has been an added value: I’ve always charmed by the North!
What do you like most about your programme?
The first thing that I appreciate very much is the autonomy that teachers allow me. As I said earlier, the student - teacher’s relationship is completely equal so I have the opportunity to present and discuss my ideas openly with them, whenever I need it and I have the chance to experience whatever I want.
Then, the already multicultural environment I use to work in is enriched by public lectures held by architects from all over Europe. I appreciate very much the new stimuli they have been able to give me during these months, new points of view and sometimes those views go beyond the field of architecture, becoming even more stimulating.
What is the most interesting thing you learned in your programme or courses so far?
I think I\'ve learned to be always curious and open to every new opportunities to act within my field. It’s an important skill for an architect today, we must have the ability to foresee what we are designing, knowing how to operate on different levels and we need to be ready and immerse ourselves in the environment that we are going to manipulate.
What do you do when you are not studying?
Well, I spend most of my time in school because of I really love the environment and space there, my classmates and me have everything we need there – now we also have a bbq! Then, I go to the gym with a friend, there is a wide choice of courses and it\'s really fun! If the weather is fine, however, it often happens that I go for a ride across town or the lake.
What is your impression of Umeå and the surrounding areas?
The first contact with the city was weird because I remember the city seemed very relaxed and not congested at all. The landscape that I faced with was very different from what I was used to. Today I can say I really like it, there\'s everything you need and everything is easily accessible if you have a bike. In addition, I love the cultural climate of the city, throughout the year they organize events and festivals at Folket Hus, Norrlands Opera, etc. Particularly, I find exiting the music scene in Umeå, there are many famous original bands from here and however there are concerts and parties of all kinds… it’s important to know how to find them!
What do you find as the biggest cultural difference, both socially and educationally, from your country with Sweden?
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I didn’t find huge cultural differences living in Sweden. The people I met here are always well predisposed to help, even if at first it turned a bit difficult to gain the confidence of some of them.
Then there are uses that sometimes diverge a lot from mine and I found them weird: for instance, if you\'re having dinner with your Swedish friends never expect that they begin to fill the plate first or that someone wants to finish the last piece of pizza... that’s not gonna happen :)
What you would say or what advice would you give to another international student thinking of attending Umeå University?
My advice is always to embark into a new experience and study in Umeå will be full of surprises. Probably rhythms will change, you\'ll know a new reality made up of academic intense courses and motivated teachers, but outside classes student life will give you new opportunities to meet new people and have fun!
What are your career aspirations?
My aspiration is to find a job after my graduation and start an apprenticeship in order to test my skills. The experience abroad made me realize again that I would have the opportunity to work outside my country and being in touch with different cultures again. Then, it would be great to start a collective with some valuable friend architects and enter the labour market even if nowadays it\'s not so easy.
