Europe Semester Programs Spring Semester

Across the Tiber River in Rome

Submitted by Melissa Jerome on the 2016 spring semester program in Rome, Italy…

Buon Giorno from Roma! It’s been less than a week since I arrived in Rome, but I am already falling in love with this city. I’m studying at John Cabot University, an American university in an area called Trastevere (meaning across the Tiber). My apartment complex is in a residential area where I’m able to interact with locals and practice my Italian. I’m trying to use the language as much as possible, even though sometimes I need some help. The Italians I have met are so friendly and willing to help me learn. A waitress even wrote out a note with verb conjugations for me to keep! I’m hopeful that after four months here I will see a great improvement in my Italian.

I’m currently sitting in the university’s cafe, eating the most amazing caprese panino I’ve ever had from a shop around the corner. You would not believe the scent that fills the street when passing by this place. It’s a mix of fresh baked bread and sweet croissants. I think I’ve found my lunch spot already. The food and drinks here are much less expensive than I thought! I’ve tried some typical Roman dishes like “cacio e pepe” which is pasta with pecorino romano cheese and pepper…so simple and yet so incredibly delicious. The food here holds true to its Roman roots of being simple, inexpensive and fresh.

I’m about to leave for my second class of the day, International Marketing. The professors and faculty here want to encourage cross cultural understanding and communication. Not only between students, but also between students and members of the community. The university works with a refugee center in Rome where students volunteer and teach English. The faculty has already stated that as we experience what it is like to immigrate to a country (even if it’s only for 4 months), they hope we gain compassion for those that are also doing so, but under difficult circumstances. Okay it’s time for class, ciao!

Don’t Touch the Wildlife in Australia

Submitted by Rebekah Houser on the 2016 winter session program in Australia sponsored by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Mathematical Sciences…

This week afforded our first chance to really get outside the city for a bit. Much as I enjoy being in Melbourne, I was excited to see more of the country. As the bus pulled away from campus, our guide, quickly briefed us on animals in the areas we were visiting. These included the echidna, platypus, and koala. For each animal, he explained how it could hurt us, and concluded with “Don’t touch it.” Finally he just said, “Don’t touch anything. Australia is designed to kill you.” His statement summarized the impression given since our arrival, and emphasized on the program that this is a harsh and beautiful country.

Most of the time, the beautiful is more evident than the harsh. As we traveled the Great Ocean Road, I enjoyed stunning views of green-blue waves pounding the foot cliffs rising to tree covered slopes. When we stopped at the Twelve Apostles (famous limestone stacks near Port Campbell) we heard and saw the power of these waves more clearly. Our guide explained that the rock formations we saw are eroded two inches a year by the constant pounding, and that one stack has already fallen. The waves were at least as powerful as pretty.

Also, along the Great Ocean Road, we passed through the area damaged by forest fires in December. In particular, our guide noted the town of Lorne, where Christmas dinners were left half-eaten when people had to evacuate. Lorne was not burned, but outside of the town, charred trees and ash-covered ground provided a sobering reminder of the extent of the fires.

Despite our guide’s warning about Australian animals (or perhaps thanks to the respect he instilled in us) we had no threatening encounters with the wildlife. We saw many kangaroos, and several koalas, lots of cockatoos and other birds, and a few of us spotted a snake, but all these either ignored us, ran or flew away. The most threatening animals we met the entire time were the emus wandering through a picnic area. They skulked around like grounded seagulls while we ate, and one came right up to me, eyeing my banana. Since the emu stood about as tall as me, I found it rather intimidating, though I was excited to see it up close.

Finally, an ever-present reminder of the mixture of ruggedness with beauty was the sky itself. From stunning sunrises, to a brilliant blue dome all day, to starry panoramas, the sky often staged amazing views. Of course, during the day, the sun always dominated and threatened to scorch any exposed skin. One gentleman we met introduced us to the saying “Slip, Slap, Slop.” That is: slip on sunglasses, slap on a hat, and slop on sunscreen. These we did, but the intensity of the sun still tired me out by the end of the day.

Overall, the trip outside Melbourne was very full. We hiked mountains, stalked kangaroos, waded in the ocean and walked for miles. Images of imposing mountain ranges, starry skies, echoes of pounding surf, the sensation of cool breezes in my face and the strong Australian sun on my back: These are, I hope, etched forever in my memory as reminders of this harsh, beautiful country.

Religion and Chocolate in Greece

Submitted by Erin Ricciardi on the 2016 winter session program in Athens, Greece sponsored by the Department of English…

A Cross Between Religious Culture

This past week, my group and I spent time visiting a Jewish Synagogue, Greek Orthodox Church and a Monastery. I myself was excited for these visits as I was curious to see what religion was like here in Athens. Our first visit was to the Synagogue where we met a very welcoming and very young Rabbi. I was shocked to hear that the Jewish faith is only practiced by less than 4,000 residents of Athens. In comparison to my hometown, the Jewish faith here seems to be a rare form of faith.

I feel that the Greek Orthodox Church has a greater influence on the city of Athens, just by talking to locals and hearing from our tour guides. We had the opportunity to visit a Monastery in Delphi where my group and I were able to see the absolute beauty and history of faith in the nation of Greece.

These visits to religious sites allowed me to understand that the world is much greater than what I thought I knew. I was also intrigued by the roots that are grounded here in this Nation, there is always a tie to history that every Athenian seems to know about and tell you all about. I think it is wonderful that the love and passion for this city is so obvious!

Bate, Bate, Chocolate

One of our tour guides also happens to work in a local chocolate shop where she took us one afternoon. As we acclimated ourselves to the city of Athens, my friends and I decided to pay the shop another visit, in hopes of meeting up with our new friend and tour guide. She was pleased to see us through the shop windows and us the same! The culture here in Athens is to sit and talk, and talk, and talk, talk, talk! So we did exactly that over steaming cups of melted chocolate with milk – a delicious drink popular in Greece. This activity is our version of getting a cup of coffee with friends (which they do here too) but chocolate makes it so much better! I find this “sit down and have a cup of chocolate” unique to the Athens lifestyle, it makes the city more comfortable, more personal.

Contrasting Darjeeling and Delhi, India

Submitted by Nathaniel Borders on the 2016 winter session program in India sponsored by the Department of English…

As spotty as the Wifi is, as cold as the showers can be, as smelly as the cities are, every step you take on the streets of Delhi and Darjeeling brings something new to the Western eye. It can be incredibly overwhelming at times. While walking on the streets of Delhi you might run into protesters for some unknown cause, mongrel dogs skulking by the roadside and a multitude of different street vendors selling food you’d never imagined.

Even having been to only Darjeeling and Delhi one thing is clear: India is far from a monolithic country. The culture is as different between these two as it might be between any of the European countries. Delhi has a primarily Hindu and partially Islamic undertone that is all but absent in the heavily Tibetan Buddhist influenced Darjeeling. These places had evolved independently with limited interaction before the British conquest and resulting unification. Each had its own culture and history that stretched back thousands of years. The food is different; the languages are usually different; the people look and act differently. There has been and will be an entirely different feel in each leg of our journey, resulting in continuous novel experiences and culture to adapt to.

A month is simply too short to begin understand any one of these cultures in any kind of depth, let alone all of them. This is due in part to their innate complexity and intensely involved history, but also the culture I come from being fundamentally different. Even with the British influence creating a bridge between Eastern and Western culture, many things just don’t make sense. Even so, I’m enjoying the journey and at least getting a flavor for the places we visit. It has been quite an adventure so far and I can only see it getting better as I learn to go with the chaotic flow that is India.

Ranch in Argentina

Submitted by Tyler Nolley on the 2016 winter session program in Argentina sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…

This week my favorite part of the program was our visit to one of the traditional ranches left in Calafate. Here we had a great view of the Andes mountain range after hiking up a hill to the boulder in this picture.

We also got to see the sheep they had there, which they use for both their fur and meat. They let us bottle fed Rosita, which was one of their youngest lambs, and we got to watch them do their annual shearing of wool on another sheep. This excursion to say the least was amazing, the view although it looks amazing in pictures, the camera does not capture its essence in entirety.

Beautiful Xiamen, China

Submitted by Alex Stein on the 2016 winter session program in China sponsored by the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice..

Edging sideways down a narrow path, I wade my way through a cactus farm. The sand crunches under my shoes. I’ve been walking for several hours now. The water bottle in the side pocket of my backpack is nearly empty making the heat from the arid weather even more difficult to bear. I never thought during my month long abroad program to China would involve walking through an environment reminiscent of a landscape in Mexico, but here I was in the Xiamen Botanical Garden: A beautiful, yet exhausting trek through one of China’s national parks, located in Xiamen, a quiet little island off the coast of Southeastern China.

I was hundreds of miles away from Beijing and the bustling city life that encompassed it. A brief week break from the northern capital, Xiamen is a welcome surprise. Its environment akin to Florida, complete with palm trees, clusters of skyscrapers and beautiful beaches, Xiamen functions as a worthy vacation spot for many of China’s citizens.

What amazes me the most is how varied the environments and locations in Xiamen are. During my week stay, I have walked on sandy beaches, strayed between tight streets flanked by European architecture on a picturesque island, admired the designs of a wealthy island estate decked out in gazebos and miniature ponds and gardens, climbed mountains to gaze over the city and trounced through forests covered in a misty haze surrounded by waterfalls and bridges. My month long program in China has amazed me and awed me to say the least and I still have nearly two weeks to go.

History in Dresden, Germany

Submitted by Dean Woodrow on the 2016 winter session program in Leipzig, Germany sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…

This past week, I was fortunate enough to visit the city of Dresden, Saxony. The city was firebombed by the British late in the Second World War as a means to break the spirit of the German people. It contained virtually no military or industrial targets of strategic importance. Unfortunately, a large portion of the historical and cultural landmarks were burned to the ground, and under the utilitarian rule of the Soviets, some of these buildings weren’t reconstructed until well after reunification. That being said, the city as it stands today is breathtaking, featuring some of the most fantastic Baroque architecture in Germany.
As we toured the city in the biting cold, I was struck by how much rich and fascinating history lurked around every corner. Every building seemed to have its own unique story. The Church of the Holy Trinity, for example, jumped out at me as being misplaced. I found it odd that a large Catholic church would be built in such a historically Protestant city. Our guide later explained that the then Elector Augustus the Strong of Saxony had it built in order to be King of Poland. Elector Augustus essentially felt like “King Augustus” had a much better ring to it, and thought he would try his hand at becoming the King of Poland, which at that time was an elected position. But the Poles were very Catholic, and the Saxons were very Protestant, so no crown for him, right? Well, around that time, Augustus had a mighty big change of heart and embraced the Catholic faith, and so ordered one of the churches of the city to be converted into a grand cathedral. So Augustus got to be King of Poland, and Dresden got a pretty Catholic church that almost no one used.
Dresden is full of these quirky stories, and to list all of the tales, I heard that day would take up more pages than most would care to read, but as a history buff, I was in heaven. I would be remiss though, if I didn’t mention the sandstone. If you just rolled your eyes at the thought of reading about a bunch of rocks in some city somewhere in Europe, I can empathize, but this is really cool, I promise.
Sandstone was what the Dresdner’s had available to build with at the time, and as it happens, sandstone is a really crappy thing to build with. While it’s very soft and can be easily carved (which they took full advantage of) it erodes very quickly. However, over time it develops a protective black coating due to chemical reactions in the stone. This generally makes most of the buildings look rather filthy, but the bright tan of freshly cut sandstone still shines through on some of the newer buildings rebuilt after they were destroyed in the war. These buildings, checkered with older black stones that were recovered from the rubble, serve as a stark visual reminder that Dresden is a rebuilt city, a city of old and new. Even though they tried to rebuild the grand churches and palaces exactly as they stood, the sandstone doesn’t lie, and the scars of war are still visible seventy years later. Eventually the sandstone will tarnish, and the old and new will blend together. But as they stand now, they serve both as a reminder of what the people of Dresden have endured, and a testament to what they have overcome.

Smooth Start to a Semester in Rome, Italy

Submitted by Danielle Leppo on the 2016 spring semester program in Rome, Italy…

It has been one week since I arrived in Rome, Italy and I can honestly say I am incredibly surprised with myself. For the few months prior to my departure I was stressing out to the max and my anxiety was at such high levels I almost convinced myself I didn’t want to go to Italy at all. I had so many concerns about the program; some were reasonable concerns and others were just ridiculous. At the time though, all my concerns were completely real and serious for me. I was going to a place where I did not know the language, I knew no one else going on the program and I was anxious about not being able to make friends. Perhaps, I did enough stressing out before my program that when I actually got here I was almost completely at ease. I immediately made a new friend, Sam, in the shuttle from the airport to our apartments. We got along so well that we spent almost that entire evening exploring the surrounding areas and eating our first real Italian cuisine.

Even though I only know about five basic words in Italian, I am getting along just fine. This is such an incredible city and the food is AMAZING. Having new friends to explore and cook with, wonderful roommates and learning about the surrounding areas quickly made my transition much smoother than I ever would have imagined possible. Before coming to Rome, I was positive I would be hit by culture shock super hard and I would fall into a deep depression and ache to return home. I cannot believe how wrong I was. My transition has been incredibly smooth and quick. I am excited for every opportunity I am presented with every day. If you are able to truly immerse yourself into the culture and explore with some great people, it really is possible to skip culture shock. I think this will be a lot more fun and perhaps easier to figure out than I originally thought.

Dream Come True in London, England

Submitted by Jonathan Weber on the 2016 winter session program in London, England sponsored by the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice…

Growing up, one of my biggest dreams was to attend an Arsenal game in London. On January 9th, 2016 I finally got to experience that dream. Arsenal’s stadium is called Emirates Stadium and it is located out of North London. Watching Arsenal every week in America has always been one of my favorite hobbies which is why when the opportunity to study abroad in London came about I was eager to go and finally see what going to a soccer game is like. Arsenal games in the States usually occur on Saturday mornings and it is a challenge to wake up at early times to watch the games, but it is definitely worth it. On television, you can tell that the atmosphere is electric because throughout home games you can hear the many Arsenal chants being sung every single game. The morning of January 9th came around and we were assigned to go on a walking tour to learn about how modern surgery began in London. The tour was very fascinating, but all I could look ahead to was going to Emirates Stadium and finally living out a dream. The tour ended and we immediately took the train to the Arsenal stop which was conveniently called Arsenal. The train was filled with Arsenal fans and people were dressed in jerseys, scarves and hats and the train ride in was full of cheering fans who were just as eager as I was to get to the game. When we arrived at our seats prior to kickoff, the stadium was absolutely electric. Fans were singing Arsenal’s song “and it’s Arsenal, Arsenal FC…. We are the greatest team, the world has ever seen.” I was completely enamored with how electric this stadium was and was excited for the wonderful journey I was about to embark on. The game progressed and fans were loud even after Arsenal fell to a 1-0 disadvantage. Fans were singing consistently throughout the game and after attending each of the major sporting events in the United States this was certainly the best of them all. Arsenal went on to win the game (3-1) and the entire event flew by and this was one of the greatest days of my life. A couple of days later, Arsenal had another game against Liverpool and I decided to wear my Arsenal hat and scarf to class in London. As i was leaving for class, a few Liverpool fans happened to walk by me and yelled “Gunners Suck, Common Liverpool.” The comment was all in good faith and I had a huge laugh. After a while, I thought about what happened and I became perplexed by the situation. Liverpool play their games in Manchester while Arsenal play in London. The experience to me is comparable to if a Boston Red Sox fan came to New York City and started yelling the Yankees suck to a Yankees fan. The passion for soccer here is undeniable and it is definitely one of my favorite parts of Europe so far.

Independence in Italy

Submitted by Danielle Karacsony on the 2016 winter session program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Linguistics and Cognitive Science…

I partly chose my study abroad program because I knew that I would have the opportunity to see many of the artworks and architectural feats that I have studied in my art history classes over the past few years. As an art history minor, seeing these masterpieces has been my top priority when sightseeing. However, while the other members of my study abroad program are interested in seeing the major architectural feats of each Italian city, particularly the ones on planned tours, they are not as interested in visiting the multiple museums and churches on their own that I have been dreaming about for months. At first, I was worried that I would not get to see everything I had on my list because no one would want to go with me. But last week, I talked to my professor’s wife, the grandmother of our trip, about my disappointment, and she encouraged me to venture on my own! I hadn’t ever thought about doing things by myself. I was in a foreign country, where I don’t speak the language and where I don’t know my way around! But that’s not exactly true. I have a good sense of direction, I can read a map and most of the people working at the tourist attractions in Italy can speak English.

Emboldened by my surrogate grandmother’s words, I proceeded out on my own. My first solo adventure was to the Siena Cathedral. I walked with part of my group through Siena to the cathedral. Once we reached my destination, they left to go shopping, while I went in to buy my ticket. I was nervous, but once the woman spoke English to me, I felt more comfortable. After our discussion, I wasn’t nervous to ask anyone else a question if I was unsure of something. The complex, which includes the cathedral, baptistery, crypt and a museum, is incredible. I got to watch the sun set from the overlook on top of the museum, which was a gorgeous sight.

Since arriving in Florence, I have also made solo visits to the Florence Cathedral complex and the Palazzo Vecchio, the former palace of the Medici family during their rule of Florence. One of my professors, who has never been to northern Italy before, shares my interests and has joined me on my excursions to the Uffizi Gallery, the Church of San Lorenzo, and the Medici Chapel. Don’t worry though, I’ve had a lot of time to get to know the other students on my program. Although they are not as interested as I am in the history and the art of the cities we have visited, they are still fun to spend time with.