Every year during Winter Term, DePauw offers students the opportunity to travel abroad. This Winter Term included destinations such as Italy, Africa and China. Here are some personal reflections students wrote about their experiences abroad.
Alex Moss, Junior- Italy (Film and Filmmaking)
The trip was eye opening. Rather than go to the major cities, we stayed in the Tuscan countryside in a city called Arezzo. We stayed on top of a hill just outside the downtown area, in a place called La Accademia dell’ Arte (that’s Art Academy in English). The building itself was about 500 years old, and Arezzo actually predated the Roman Empire.
It was authentically Italian, and certainly didn’t pander itself to American tourists, but that was one of the reasons it was so great. For two and a half weeks, we weren’t Americans in Italy, but instead Americans living as Italians. We didn’t go to fancy restaurants; we ate the food cooked at the house (which was delicious). Instead of driving everywhere, we walked. Rather than be tourists, we were travelers experiencing the culture at its roots.
Now, it wasn’t all fun and games. The trip also had a class devoted to studying Italian cinema throughout its history, and a film production unit attached to it. Altogether, I believe we watched 14 Italian films, and then screened the student made films (there were seven in total). As a film major, getting to make a short film in Italy was a little like an athlete getting to play in Yankee Stadium: a once in a lifetime experience. All in all, it was the best thing I’ve done at DePauw so far.
Maddie McIntyre, Sophomore - Italy (The Architecture of Sport: Soccer and Society in Italy)
This past Winter Term, I partook in the amazing DePauw tradition of international travel. It was not my first time out of the country, but it was absolutely a new experience. I was traveling without the comfort of my parents and for a full two weeks. The trip was led by Professor Dr. Pedar Foss.
Our course in Italy quickly and deeply covered many archeological, architectural, significant sites and historical accounts in the three cities of Rome, Perugia and Florence. In addition to the classwork, we were fortunate enough to compete in three international soccer matches against students of a similar age, as well as attend two professional matches.
Not only did I have the ability to travel across the globe to a country I had only before dreamed about, I was able to learn an extensive amount on why Italy is the way it is today along with it’s global impact. I did this all while playing a sport I had never played before, but I had quickly fell in love with it. This was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity that Winter Term is famous for and this article could never do justice.
I’m mostly thankful for the ability to learn more about myself by traveling to Italy. It reconfirmed my desires and capability to study abroad for a full semester. It taught me that I am more ready to live on my own than what I give myself credit for. Lastly, I gained a global perspective by connecting with the Italians I was able to talk with. It was an amazing experience to bond with people the same age over general topics even though we were raised an ocean apart.
I also feel the need to mention the amazing food, scenery, shopping and gelato. My advice to all students and even adults is if you ever have a chance to travel abroad, be prepared to learn about the culture, people and yourself.
And for everyone on the trip, “Francesco!”
Grant Potts, First-Year - Africa
Over winter term I had the privilege of participating in a faculty-led trip to South Africa. I went into the trip knowing that most freshmen stay on campus but I really believed there would be value in this trip for me and I was not disappointed.
Our course was entitled “Life After Mandela,” focusing on [Nelson Mandela's] impact and the racial tensions that occurred during apartheid and still occur today. I think I could write novel upon novel about my experiences there, but I will focus on one that was truly inspiring. During our first stop in Johannesburg, we visited a town on the outskirts called Soweto. Since apartheid, this traditionally black community has struggled with immense poverty. It was amazing to see it first hand.
As our group walked the streets, I experienced poverty like I have never experienced it before. Imagine uneven dirt streets with sewage running through them, “houses” that were more like tin shacks, and inadequate plumbing. However, despite all of this, I saw some of the happiest people I have ever seen. They never stopped smiling and showed our group, these foreign visitors walking through their streets, unconditional love. These people seemingly had nothing, but in reality they had absolutely everything. Soweto had a sense of community, love, and hope that some of the richest American neighborhoods lack.
With the memory of my South Africa trip, the incredible new friends I made on it, and a new sense of perspective, I start my second semester.
Hyeree Ellis, First-Year - China
As of today (Thursday, January 30th), it will be exactly one week since I’ve been back in the United States from my Winter Term trip to China. To say that I’ve gained invaluable experiences and memories is an understatement. But saying that, one particular memory will always stick out.
In one of the markets we visited in Shanghai, I met a vendor whose English accent was particularly good. I asked her where she learned to speak so well, and she gave me an answer I wasn’t expecting:
“Here, in the market.”
A little confused, I beckoned for more details and found a story that resonated with me.
The 25 year-old had been working at that exact market for around eight years where another vendor taught her English in order to increase sales. This would mean she would have had to start working there since she was 17 years-old—the peak age of high school.
But she shamelessly said, “High school isn’t for everyone, you know. Not all of us can go.”
At this point in our conversation, I was under the impression that she started working in the market instead of going to high school. I thought it was due to family responsibilities or economic reasons, but I was wrong.
I asked once more to confirm if she had been working for eight years, and she profusely shook her head and said, “No, no, no. Just here for eight years. Eighteen years all together in different markets or making…” Taking her words for truth, considering I had no reason not to, this would’ve meant she started working at the age of seven.
In the United States, this would be hard to believe and dismissed as a lie, but there, I saw so many children on the streets begging for money or even helping vendors attract foreigners. Because of her detail about markets and making, it’s easy to assume where her childhood was spent.
Breaking my trance, she repeated, “This is a good deal, you know. I gave you a good deal.”
I turned back, smiled and told her, “I know. It is a good deal. You gave me a lot.” And she did. She gave me a story that I hope to never forget and a new realization that while the world may be getting smaller and easier to access, it’s through human connections like these that I truly get to experience the world.