Some classes aren't really over after the semester ends. This summer, Ball State professors have taken students abroad so they can experience the cities and cultures they spent the semester studying.
English professor Elizabeth Dalton took a group of 14 students to Rome and Florence, Italy for two weeks in May. The trip was part of a colloquium class in the spring that covered the history and cultural significance of the two cities through poetry, fiction and nonfiction writings. .
“We sort of immerse them in those cities before we ever go,” Dalton said. “It’s a lot of fun to watch [students] change when they’re overseas. You can talk about literature, you can look at photographs of the art in the classroom, but until the student actually sees that work of art in the museum or in the Basilica, until they actually see the cities, I don’t think they get the full impression.”
Dalton said it is wonderful to travel with new people and to see the city through the students’ eyes, especially since she has gone on the trip before.
“The Ussizi Museum in Florence houses one of the greatest collections of European art in the world … I think that is a treasure box, that museum,” Dalton said. "It’s a large museum and it can be overwhelming, but I also think it can be transformative too. To see all the work that we’ve been reading about … it’s right there in front of you and you can look at it and talk about it.”
Anna Hawkins, a sophomore mathematics and computer science major, said the trip was surreal.
“It didn't feel like we were actually there. Rome is old, and we got to walk through civilizations that existed so long ago. It didn't feel real,” Hawkins said. “Being in Rome and Florence helped me realize what we value in society. Especially in Rome, there's a huge emphasis on mortality. There's a constant reminder that death will happen to all of us, and that life is short. We don't really see that here, because we always try to be perceived as young and immortal in the United States.”
Despite everyone in the class having to choose a specific place in Rome and another one in Florence to research prior to trip, there were still some surprises.
Hawkins was surprised by the forcefulness of street vendors, particularly the ones who sold selfie sticks. A classmate of hers ordered tripe, thinking it was a fish. It ended up being the lining of a stomach.
A more pleasant surprise was seeing Pope Francis.
“Every Wednesday, they hold a Papal Audience in the Vatican, [so] a group of us went to see him,” Hawkins said. “He paraded around prior to the audience, and we got to see him up close and personal. A few of us were standing beside a Seminarian from the U.S., and he translated all of the Pope's words from Italian into English for us.”
Senior English Education major Erin Moreno also traveled abroad to two different European countries, England and France as part of her English 347 class.
“England was very strange in that I really didn't feel too far away from home. It was certainly more diverse than the Midwest and the accents were fun to hear, but otherwise I didn't feel very out of place. France was a completely different story,” Moreno said. “I had very little background knowledge of French as a language and it really didn't hit me how much I rely on others to know English in my day to day communication. Overall it was a truly incredible experience that left me feeling like I couldn't wait to explore other cultures different than Western ones.”
Her favorite memory from the trip was climbing over 600 steps in the Eiffel Tower before taking an elevator to the top, where her and other members of the group saw the sunset and city lights come on after dark.
“When we were staring at all the lights at the top of the Eiffel Tower, one of my friends and I talked a lot about how surreal it was that we were spending any amount of time in a foreign country at 20 or 22 years old. So many others aren't even lucky enough to leave their hometown for years,” Moreno said. “It's a really humbling experience to realize just how small you are in the world … I think seeing and experiencing how other's live and interact with the world is a truly rewarding experience that leaves everyone involved a little more humble and a lot more understanding of other cultures and lifestyles.”
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