Italian Study Abroad Story

Honors student, Noah Blower, traveled to Italy in the summer of 2016. Below is a statement from Noah about his trip as well as his favorite photos. Thank you for sharing your experience with us, Noah!

“Over the Summer 2016 semester, I traveled to Italy. I was fortunate enough to travel to Germany 6 years ago, and because of that previous experience I have held the view that there are many things you have to experience to believe. Regardless of who you are, you are influenced by the ideals and values of the society you love in, and traveling is the only true way to experience how those ideals and values are just a small portion of those held by the greater world population. I have always been fascinated by the history and culture of other nations, and have therefore spent a little bit of extra time studying them. However, this trip clearly showed me that you cannot truly experience a culture through a book. Traveling to Italy and speaking with some Italians showed me how we hold both similar and dissimilar views over a multitude of topics, from politics to social interaction to careers. I found that some Italian political views were not dissimilar from our own, while their concept of time and its value couldn’t have been more different. Aside from experiencing a new culture in this way, I was also able to immerse myself in the rich history present in cities like Rome and Florence through things like the inspiring architecture of the Colosseum and the beautiful artwork housed in the Uffizi Gallery. I feel that this experience helped me to learn about world culture in a much more profound manner than simply learning in a classroom, and would like to thank the honors office and staff for helping make this trip possible by presenting me with travel funds.”

 

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