AIFS Abroad - European Art and Culture: Study + Travel

This was an amazing program and I am infinitely grateful that I picked this program. Since I chose to participate in a May term program, I knew I would not have much time to plan my own trips within my study abroad experience, so a traveling program was perfect for me. I got to see all of the cities I have been dreaming about seeing for years. I made amazing friendships so quickly, and was exposed to many different cultures. Even though we were only in each city for a few days, I felt like I learned a good amount about each city. I got to see the most famous artwork in each city and it was fun learning how to use the public transportation in each city. We also had good guides for the tours in each city who knew a lot about the history of their cities. The program tour guide was awesome about helping us figure out public transportation, and I got a hang of how to do it myself by the time we left each city. My class's professor was amazing. She got us to really think and the class was very interactive. She was very educated on art history and the three hour class sessions went by quickly. The classes made me appreciate the museums and sites that we visited much more than I would have without the knowledge I gained. The places I wanted to see in each city were built into the program, and tickets were taken care of. I still had time during most days to work in my own activities and sightseeing, but all of the main places that I wanted to see were built in and we visited them as a full group. If I could change one thing, it would be to meet more locals or interact with business owners in the countries we visited through the program. The majority of the hotels were pretty nice; a couple of them were super nice. The only complaint I had was the location in a few of the cities, but it was very doable to get around. Breakfast was always covered which was great because we had to wake up fairly early most of the days. My group got a few surprises that were so awesome as well!

I was hanging out in my local comic and games store one night in December 2015 talking with some schoolmates, when the topic of travel came up. One woman, a history major, overheard me say that I had always wanted to visit Italy and told me about a faculty led trip to Florence every summer. I went home that evening and looked into it first thing. During my search for this program, however, I came across a listing for "European Art and Architecture" with American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) and found myself intrigued by the idea of not just studying abroad in one location, but several! In just four weeks during Summer of 2016, I would travel through London, Amsterdam, Bruges, Paris, Lucerne, Venice, Florence, and Rome and see up close and in person some of the most famous works of western art and historical artifacts from all over the world. A study and travel program is a bit different in structure and feel than a "traditional" study abroad experience. By traditional, I am referring to what many think of when the words 'study abroad' come up: placement in a single location, living in either a Homestay (with a host family) or dorm, and living fully immersed in a particular culture for a semester or year. On a study and travel program, there's an element of being both a student and tourist at the same time. AIFS has an incredible all-inclusive strategy in their program costs, from housing and some meals, to excursions and even an optional flight plan, so once I was there I didn't have to worry about anything but learning. I was in a different place in Europe every 4-5 days over the course of the month long excursion, so I didn't get to experience each location to the point where I could feel like a "local". We stayed in a range of housing situations, ranging from a 16th century Venetian palace-turned-hotel to an international student youth hostel that came with a host of challenges. Each housing situation, however, provided a unique look into an entirely different culture of its own. While I have traveled to a number of locations within the United States, prior to this trip I had yet to have ever set foot on an airplane. The methods of travel and expectations in lodging that I have always been accustomed to were irrelevant in this new atmosphere. One might not think that a hotel has a whole lot to teach about a culture, but there's definitely something to be said about it. A big part of being on a program like this one is learning personal responsibility and independence. Even though we were in a group setting for most of excursions, my classmates and I were in many situations where we were given free time to do as we wished with an expectation of being in the next location by a certain time. This left us with the freedom to explore parts of each city to our personal interests, but also challenged us to utilize local systems of travel and communication to manage our time wisely and responsibly. Despite being a group that was touring Europe's most iconic museums, the itinerary was far more than what could be expected from a vacation-tour package. Each day after breakfast we attended a lecture given by our phenomenal professor and guide, and then spent the afternoon in at least one museum or landmark historical site engaged in discussions and analyzation of masterwork western art and architecture. The content structure was well suited for all knowledge levels in art and art history, and the idea of being in several places where English was not the primary language was not as daunting as it seems. I was able to quickly learn the phrases that would assist me in utilizing public transportation and communicate my needs, but most of my best experiences came from just communicating with locals and connecting on a deeper level than words can describe. AIFS provides staff at every single one of their program locations to offer support and and guidance to students, so aside from our professor the group was also accompanied by a tour manager based out of the AIFS London office. Both faculty members on the trip had years of experience living, teaching, and learning from each of the locations we visited, so my classmates and I were able to get the inside scoop on embracing the local cultures. On the last day of class, we were given an opportunity to provide our own feedback that would aid in shaping the program for the coming years. Overall, I could not recommend AIFS enough for a fantastic study abroad experience.

I remember sitting outside at a cafe in the middle of Florence with my study abroad friends, drinking wine, eating the most amazing food, and just laughing until our stomachs hurt under the Italian sky. I wanted to get the most out of my time in Europe, and doing the multi-country tour was a great way to sample a bunch of different places and cultures. Plus, the art and architecture in Europe is absolutely amazing, so getting to study the different styles from London to Rome was such a cool, unique experience!