Oh, The Places We Went . . .

Cork, Ireland
Sarah Granlund
Staff Writer

Like many other students here, that was my opinion of the college before I went overseas to attend University College, Cork in Ireland. Now, I’ve decided that Albion isn’t so bad and was strangely happy to return here this semester.

In Ireland, I faced many problems, not from the Irish people or the different culture, but from the UCC faculty and staff.

I was in the English department at UCC. This particular department, and its professors, apparently looks down on student/faculty contact. Here at Albion, I can e-mail a professor and expect a response within 24 hours. In Cork, one of my professors didn’t even have her e-mail account activated. They weren’t professors to be friends with their students, or talk to them outside office hours (which usually consisted of less than two hours a week), but to lecture them a few times a week and no more. I once wanted to leave a note in the English department office for one of my professors, but I was informed it was “unsolicited” and I could not leave it. I’m positive that would never happen at Albion.

Several days before I left Ireland for Christmas, I was told that I had never been registered for classes. I went to their International Student Office to find out what the problem was. They told me I had never been registered for classes, but that it would be taken care of the next day. It was not.

At Albion, we register on-line, or we can go to the registrar’s office and sign up for classes in person. The registrar’s office is surprisingly helpful compared to others, both in Ireland and here in Michigan. If I’ve ever had a problem, the office has told me how to fix it or they’ve fixed it for me almost immediately. This is a luxury I sorely missed at UCC.

Other than the problems with the university, I had a generally good experience in Ireland. The natives were usually friendly and willing to help us find things, even though their directions consisted of “go straight, follow the road, you can’t miss it.” We missed it a lot. But after spending a few weeks in Cork, we learned our way around and could at least pretend we were natives, even though we obviously were not.

Traveling was also a big part of my experience in Ireland. There are lots of historic towns in Ireland, with castles and towers and all that “need to see” stuff. They were interesting, but once you’ve seen two castles in Ireland, you’ve seen them all. Most of our time was spent in Cork, going to plays, musical performances, and movies. And of course the pubs.

Some of the pubs were stereotypically Irish, complete with the old Irishman drinking in a darkened corner. Others were more like American bars, with pop music blaring in the background and the bartender hardly able to hear my order. It was in the bars and pubs that I met most of my Irish friends.

For the most part, I had a good time in Ireland. Not only did I meet several wonderful people that I plan on keeping in contact with, but I also gained a new and unexpected appreciation for my home university, Albion College.

Venice, Italy Emily Thompson
Staff Writer

I lived in Venice.

Sometimes I don’t even believe it, but it’s true. I lived in Venice.

And I loved it.

Honestly, I don’t even remember what made me choose the Venice program for my semester off-campus, but I’m sitting at my laptop right now listening to my Italian music cd and thanking myself for being so smart. It was the best time of my life.

Before I left for Italy, I was beyond nervous. How was I going to live in my own apartment in a country that I had never visited? I had never even lived in my own apartment in my own country. How was I going to pass my Italian class? Pretty much the only Italian words I had ever spoken were pizza and spaghetti. What if I fell in a canal? What if I hated every second, and I wanted to come home?

But I hid all my fears deep inside, and I boarded a plane (along with five other soon-to-be-close friends from Albion), and soon enough I was spitting out full sentences, full conversations even, in Italian. Soon enough, I had my favorite bar, my favorite restaurant, my favorite vegetable market, my favorite boutique, and my favorite sight in all of Venice.

Piazza San Marco at night, at 3 a.m. when the stars are out and bright, is hands down the most beautiful and breathtaking sight I have ever seen.

And soon enough I was traveling all around Italy. And then, all around Europe. Sometimes I catch myself saying things like, “Oh, I remember this one time when I was in Florence.” Or, “I bought this at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin.” And I just have to smile.

I’m sorry, but the fact that I can say stuff like that is just really, really cool.

The Venice gang and I visited other Albion friends in London. The London kids came to see us.

I went with one of my closest friends Raemy, who was studying in Athens, to visit our friend Emma in Abderdeen. I’ve kissed the Blarney Stone. I’ve seen DaVinci’s “The Last Supper” in Milan. I’ve seen famous Murano glass being blown. I’ve been to the Louvre in Paris, to the top of the Eiffel Tower, to Notre Dame. I’ve crossed the Bridge of Sighs at the Doge’s Palace in Venice.

I’ve felt the echoes of people come and gone. I feel now more than ever that I am truly a part of history.

And I’ve seen the little but oh so important things, too. I remember the first time I ordered lunch at Bar Salus in Venice, and how proud of myself I was. I actually spoke Italian!

I had a conversation with an eight year old Italian boy on a boat, on my way to class. I learned how Italians live, and how they view life. They taught me to take a breath, to slow down, to enjoy.

People ask me, what was my one favorite thing while I was there? And that’s just an impossible question to answer. Because it wasn’t just one thing that made life so wonderful for me. Just by going from day to day, whether I was in class, on a field trip, eating at a restaurant, on a train in Ireland, or at a bar with Isa, Tracey, Melissa, Sarah, and Jamelah, I changed my life. Italy changed my life. How could I not be different after all that I saw, tasted, and heard? I am more grown up, and I think I’m a little closer to understanding the meaning and the importance of life.

And plus, I got to ride a gondola. That was pretty awesome.