Italia
On New Years 2011, I left New York to take a Fine Arts course with students from my college in Italy. The course was led by the Talleys who met in Italy in their younger years and now take students on educational trips to learn about the world art in Italy. Six students from my college went on the trip that took us all over the country in a short two weeks. Our time spent over there had us taking trips to the Alps, Venice, Sienna and Rome. My time there gave me a different understanding of a completely different culture that you cannot fully grasp without knowing the language. I stuggled constantly trying to communicate with the Italians due to the language barrier. I was able to grasp certain parts of the culture from spending time in the homes of friends of my professor. Although short, my time in Italy was beneficial in growing my world view and understanding cultures different than my own.
Ethan Butler's portfolios
On July 19, 2010 I left my home in the United States to travel down under with thirty other American students to study in Australia. For four months we studied at Wesley Institute in Drummoyne, New South Whales. Together we developed friendships that many of us still retain today. Although we did not know each other before our trip, the experiences we shared together are memories that we will cherish for a lifetime. While studying at Wesley, we were able to learn about the Australian culture as well as the history of the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people. We also engrained ourselves into classes with other Australians where more friendships developed. To this day, I still remain in contact with many of my friends in the land down under. I went back and visited in the Summer of 2012 and the best part about was that even though we may be so far apart, our friendship felt the same as it did when we were together two years ago. When I reflect back on my time in Australia, I look at it as a major part of my growth as an individual. I learned the true meaning of hospitality and the true meaning of friendship.