A telecommunications professor and 31 students went on a semester-long study-abroad program in Macerata, a small Italian city.
Last semester professor Dom Caristi and students from across the country worked on promotional videos to showcase Macerata to other European communities.
In addition to Ball State, students from Central Michigan, Indiana State and Washington State participated in the project. The students created promotional videos for local chambers of commerce, a hiking club and an elementary school.
While in Italy, the students were immersed in the culture. Macerata, a community of 50,000, had little to no English speaking residents, which forced the American students to learn the language and the culture in order to survive. The students were required to take a two-hour language course daily.
Kelly Griese, a Ball State senior from Santa Claus, Ind., said the language barrier was one of the hardest trials they had to overcome.
"It was difficult at first because I didn't speak the language," Griese said. "Then (when I could speak it) I only understood about half of what was going on in group discussions."
Another challenge the students faced was that many of them had no experience in video photography or editing. Caristi's students worked on taking a project from the beginning to end in order to satisfy someone else. He said this was a different aspect as mainly students do projects that please themselves.
Caristi said the best part of the trip was staying in Italy.
"The best part isn't seeing the sites, although they were great," Caristi said. "The biggest adventure is living there and integrating with the culture."
The Midwest Consortium sponsors this program. The consortium has other study abroad trips to Spain, Vienna and other countries. Any student that wishes to study abroad can get information at the Center for International Programs in the Student Center.
"I encourage every student to consider studying abroad," Caristi said. "When you do you see things in a way you never have before. Your college years are the time to do it."
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