Every day was in itself a highlight and a privilege. Living in two different cities and environments
for the entire three months is quite a remarkable experience. The students
are forced to test and develop their adaptability and resilience in various challenging situations. Furthermore,
in order to optimize this situation, the students must fine tune their time-management skills: it is hard to prepare
for a midterm when the nightlife of Rome is calling.
What do you think the students got out of this program?
This was not a holiday, neither for the instructors nor for the students, and classes started on the Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. Clearly the students had selected to exist for three months in foreign climes: this is both exciting and demanding but provides a unique learning opportunity.
How was the experience of teaching in a new environment?
Both
cities
offered
the
instructors
challenges
with
the
teaching
environments:
small
boards;
not
enough
boards;
white-board
pens
drying
out
in
the
middle
of
a
lecture;
temperature
and
noise
and
constructions
issues.
Dealing
with
these
various
issues,
forced
the
instructors
to
become
role
models
for
the
students
as
we
were
being
observed
in
our
reactions
to,
for
example,
the
power
being
cut
off
in
the
middle
of
a
lecture.
I
think
that
there
was
a
great
benefit
to
the
students
watching
the
instructors'
reactions
when
unusual
(non-Waterloo)
situations
arose.
The
students
also
had
to
adapt
to
these
unusual
and
possibly
disruptive
scenarios,
and
they
did
very
well
in
dealing
with
them.
What would your advice to future participants be?
Pack
lightly,
selectively
and
intelligently.
Be
selective
in
what
you
purchase.
Try
to
do
some
advance
planning,
especially
concerning
any
travel
arrangements
and
just
general
knowledge
about
the
areas
where
we
will
be
staying.
Learning
a
little
French
and/or
Italian
in
advance
will
certainly
be
beneficial.
Please share a special story that you experienced on the trip.
I
liked
working
in
the
old
building
in
Trastevere
late
at
night
during
the
week.
Classes
would
finish
around
3
p.m.
and
a
group
of
5-10
students
would
regularly
work
in
the
building
until
almost
midnight,
popping
out
to
eat
either
back
at
the
residence
(10
mins
walk
away)
or
at
one
of
the
numerous
restaurants
in
the
area.
Francine
and
I
would
do
the
same,
especially
if
there
was
some
kind
of
test
the
next
day.
This
created
a
pleasant
atmosphere
of
camaraderie.
I
enjoyed
bumping
into
the
students
out
in
the
cities
and
sharing
in
their
delight
of
the
whole
experience.
Two
particular
incidents
stand
out:
I)
in
Barcelona
one
night,
Francine
were
having
dinner
at
around
11
p.m.
in
one
of
the
many
restaurants
near
the
port
(Barcelonneta)
and
a
group
of
5
students
entered
the
dinning
area
and
proceed
to
order
a
huge
Paella
which
they
shared,
they
were
having
a
wonderful
evening.
II)
There
are
many
famous
and
lovely
painting
in
the
Uffizi
gallery
in
Florence,
yet
my
favorite
pictures
are
some
of
the
lesser
known
still
life's
of
the
Dutch
and
Flemish
Masters.
I
saw
one
of
our
international
students
staring
in
absolute
wonder
at
one
such
small
picture,
and
we
shared
a
conversation
about
how
remarkable
we
both
though
it
was.
Contact Conrad.