Introducing Me

Ciao! My name is Grace and I am a freshman at Purdue University studying Animal Sciences with a concentration in Pre-Veterinary Medicine. Over spring break, I am traveling to Venice, Italy with the Honors College. I will be documenting my study abroad experience as well as posting assignments in this blog.

First, here is some background information on me and what I value as a person. I am extremely passionate about animals and the environment and am hoping to become more involved in conservation work. As a college student, I am relatively busy, but I enjoy using my free time to go rock climbing and participate in student organizations. I truly love spending time with my family and pets and will definitely miss them in Italy. One of my favorite activities is sleeping, which I try to do as much as I can. I also enjoy food and always believe there is room for another bite. Having grown up in Indiana, I am excited to see more of the world and experience a new culture. My past travel experiences include a week-long trip to see Niagara Falls in Canada, a cruise to Bermuda, and various spring-break trips to Florida.

During my time in Italy, I hope to gain a greater understanding of Italian culture and its influences on and differences from American culture. I have been practicing my Italian in an attempt to learn the language before my departure. However, despite my daily efforts, Duo Lingo informs me that I am only two percent fluent in Italian. So, I want to use my time in Italy to improve my elementary Italian and learn more of the language. By the end of the trip, my goal is to be able to communicate in Italian with the people in Venice and only use English when necessary. Regardless, I will continue to practice my Italian until I leave and hope to continue learning the language after I return.

Additionally, while in Italy I will focus on the material in the study abroad course and work to understand the influence of history and transformations on the human today. I am interested in examining and reflecting on the places we visit in Venice to grasp a better understanding of how they fit together to produce the Venetian culture. Furthermore, I am intrigued to discover how this culture influenced world-wide beliefs and ultimately how it contributed to the development of humans. Moreover, I want to use this opportunity to develop more as a person and mature as an adult. Traveling to a new country, I will undoubtedly encounter different perspectives and experience new adventures that change my views and help me assess everyday situations with a more global perspective.

I believe studying abroad is a valuable experience that all students should take advantage of and participate in during their studies. One comment that I often hear from upper-classmen or graduate students is that they wished they had gone abroad more during their time as an undergraduate. I am extremely thankful that I am able to participate in this study abroad as a freshman, and hope to spend more time abroad before I graduate. While studying abroad, I believe it is important for me to represent Purdue and the United States in a positive manner. I hope to use my time abroad to not only learn about Italy, but also to give Italians a progressive view of American students. To do this, I will put forth every effort to learn and understand Italian culture and history.

Last semester I read the novel Inferno by Dan Brown, which follows Robert Langdon’s symbol-guided journey through Italy to stop a deadly virus from being released. Throughout the book, Langdon describes the scenes around him in great detail, often emphasizing the history behind many prominent Italian features. Since many of my perceptions of Italy stem from Langdon’s descriptions, I will use Inferno as a comparison for the places I visit in Venice.

I hope you have an improved understanding of who I am as a person and how my values influence my perspectives, know that I will put all my effort into making this a rewarding and valuable trip to Italy. I am greatly looking forward to my study abroad experience in Venice. I leave very soon and am excited to be sharing my thoughts and experiences with you through this blog! I will do my best to post a daily entry and picture, but know that if I miss a day, it is because I am completely enthralled in my Venetian experience.