Category | Arts & Living

Professor Shealy and the first meeting pre-departure

Published on March 11, 2008 by The Sentinel

    The Italian word for journey is ‘viaggio.”  My viaggio is composed
of small steps that culminate into ten weeks in Italy. Since I signed
up for the Fall 2008 program, my journey to Italy has been progressing
slowly. A couple weeks ago, the first official meeting for the program
was held.

    I arrived early to the meeting, eager to hear more about the program. Professors Howard Shealy and Joe Remillard, the directors of the program, began the meeting with a movie by Rick Steve’s called “Tuscany’s la dolce vita”. The movie followed Rick Steve all over Tuscany, ending in our destination town: Montepulciano.

    Professor Shealy said, “Within 48  hours you will know your way around the town. In two weeks you will know all the waiters and waitresses. And in five weeks you will be commenting on the ‘American tourists’ visiting ‘your town’.”

    After the film, Professor Shealy proceeded to show a PowerPoint about Study Abroad to Italy. The PowerPoint was an up-to-date presentation on Italian culture. Italian currency has changed from the Lira to the Euro. Another thing that is important to know when you are traveling abroad is that the electrical current is different. In other words, if you do not have a voltage converter or dual voltage appliances, your appliances will not work.

    Following the PowerPoint, Professor Remillard passed out the Class Schedule and Program Calendar for the semester. Besides listing class times for the whole ten weeks, the packet included an outlined format of the several field trips we will go on during our time in Italy. Half-day field trips are reserved for the cities of Florence, Rome, and Siena. Program participants will also go on long-weekend field trips to the cities of Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento and Venice.

    The professor proceeded to pass out other logistical information such as flight details, payment schedules, scholarship opportunities, and a list of hotels in Montepulciano for people who want to visit students during the trip.

    Professor Shealy concluded: “I know that they are going to learn about art and history in different dimensions…[but] I also hope that they will come to appreciate a new culture in new ways of looking at the world we all live in. I hope that each student finds Study Abroad experience something that helps them grow and develop as individuals.”