Elsa and Rosso in Siena, Italy!

WHERE OH WHERE IS ROSSO?

Rosso's and Elsa's trip begins in Washington, D.C.

I started my journey on June 21^st and have officially checked off Siena Italy as a top place to visit. I had no idea how beautiful a city could be until I was living inside the walls of such powerful history that I understand why people don’t leave Siena very often.

I moved into a stunning fourth floor apartment where two Italian girls, Mariangela and Alessia, at Siena University’s are currently residing. These two girls have made my stay in Siena that much more enjoyable. I couldn’t have asked for a better hand on experience with the Italian language then being able to get dinner with them at local restaurants or just hanging around the apartment watching Italian reality TV shows. They truly are becoming lifelong friends, an experience I wasn’t expecting to find but am thankful for. 

Me, Katie, Mariangela, and Alessia, Piazza del Campo Siena Italy 

 

Our study abroad program consisted of learning spoken Italian, Italian Sign Language, and Italian Deaf Culture. Talk about incredible. Everyday I was encouraged to communicate in a new and foreign way. My perspectives on the world were constantly being changed due to the variety of languages I encountered here in Siena on a daily basis. 

Rosso and Elsa at the Siena School for Liberal Arts

Can you find Rosso?

Rosso taking a break from class and enjoying the view

Through our studies we were able to experience two different Italian Deaf communities. We visited the local ENS, Ente Nationale Sordomuti, which consisted of many older Italians who spoke more than they signed. We were fortunate enough to meet an older Deaf gentleman who had once walked the halls of the same school we attend today. I am still so fascinated by his stories from his time at the Siena school and wish I was able to learn more from him. 

Italian Deaf Gentleman, Siena School

We were also given the opportunity to visit Bologna, a city about two hours from Siena. We arrived and were greeted by two Deaf Italians who were gracious enough to show us both their city and their Deaf bar called Senza Nome. Through this experience we got to see individuals who were communicating through sign language, even the hearing individuals who didn’t know sign were required to order through sign language. A difference in the generations here in Italy made me appreciate their language that much more. I am still over the moon because of all the experiences that I have been given and both of these experiences will leave a place in my heart forever. 

Bar Senza Nome, Bologna Italy

 

Luckily our program overlapped with one of Siena’s biggest events, the Palio (a horse race). This tradition in Siena has been going on for centuries and includes much more history and pride than I had originally anticipated. Siena is separated into 17 Contrades, individually they each are represented by mascots and proudly show off their spirit with parading through the streets of Siena whenever they can. (Which can mean a rude awakening to the sounds of drumming in the middle of the night). The elephant Contrade recently won the Palio and as tradition says the Contrade that wins is born again, meaning this Contrade has been seen with pacifiers walking around the city. The race itself lasted about three total minutes but the buildup to the race lasted around four hours. People are allowed into the Piazza del Campo for free but must arrive early enough to get a good vantage point, some individuals lined up as early as five in the morning. The greatest moments come from finding the true spirit of what you see and luckily I was able to experience a great Palio race. 

Katie and me enjoying the crowds during the Palio de Siena 2015

Rosso's hideout during our time in Italy

Although my time here seems shorter as each day passes I have grown so much through this experience that I am unable to think of a better way to have spent my last three weeks.

La Dolce Vita

Elsa Sylvester & Rosso 

Deaf Studies Summer Study Program in Siena

Italy

Summer Study Abroad Map!

We've reached a transitional moment here at There Be Dragons: all our students studying abroad in the spring 2015 semester have finished their programs and are traveling onwards or heading home.  We're now shifting our focus to our students who are traveling on one of the several pre-approved summer study abroad programs!  We've already heard from Monique, Catherine, and Britney, who are all studying in Spain; Olivia, who just got back from Rome; and Zoe, who is still in Florence.  We'll hear from other students in programs in Italy and England in the coming months.  For a look at where our students are right now, check out the updated map below!  You can access the interactive version via this link, or under LIHC Links at the top right of the blog.

Even as our summer study abroad students are seeing the sights, our fall 2015 study abroad students are making their packing lists.  We'll start hearing from them in September, when we'll update the map once again!

Keep your eyes on the blog for the next update!

William and Hangnail in Wales!

Cyfarchion pawb!

My dragon, Hangnail, and I spent the past four months in beautiful Carmarthen Wales! And, if I'm going to be completely honest, we both wish we were still there. The hill dotted landscapes, the gorgeously overcast sky, the cultural trips we took to castles, beaches, coal mines, and a little place called London!! This past semester has easily been one of the most fulfilling and wonderful experiences of my college career, possibly my entire life. I'm sure in this post I'll be echoing thoughts from my dear friends Rachael Bechtel, Amanda Neff, and Marissa Sarver; but bear with me because... why not? Could be fun.

 

Hangnail (and dinner!)

William

 

Actually, that last sentence sort of described the best parts of my experience. There's something about being a student studying abroad that releases your inhibitions and helps you ignore that part of your brain that says 'hey, maybe we should just stay in bed and do nothing all day.' And that doesn't require having a plan every night or an activity every moment of the day. In fact, some of my best memories were when I thought to myself 'I should just wander around Carmarthen and see what happens.' When I did so, I would meet people I recognized, even if I barely knew them, and we'd strike up a conversation. I was foreign, so they were naturally curious about me, and of course I wanted to get to know them. Even during Easter Break, when I wandered three of the biggest cities in Europe by myself (except Hangnail, who was with me through it all!), that attitude of 'let's try something new' gave me the fondest memories and most worthwhile experiences that I wouldn't trade for all the gold in the world! I ate a hot dog in a baguette in Paris, hiked the seven hills of Rome, sat in a Greek coffee shop reading plays, and spoke with some of the most interesting people I have ever met. Even the days when I got lost (and sometimes when I say days, I mean days) I was still discovering things about the cities I was in, the people who I was with, and more importantly myself.

 

 

 

And more important than the things that I did, were the people that I got to share my time with. Though I spent very little of my Easter Break with other people, I spent the majority of the semester surrounded by the most loving and caring individuals that one could ask for. Without question the highlight of my study abroad experience was the people that I shared it with. From my classmates, who were supportive and caring, to my teachers, who brought me new perspectives on my craft and career, to my flat-mates, all of whom were study abroad students as well. That last group especially was something that took my by surprise. As many of you, I have had roommates in the past and while I've always been fond of them, I never cared for them much more deeply than as a friend. I expected the same from my time in Wales. But there's something about studying abroad, and living with people who are also studying abroad, that makes people want to latch on to each other. By two or three weeks in I was genuinely shocked by how much I cared for these people and, even more surprisingly, how much they cared for me. We really became like a family, we even organized ourselves into what order we were as siblings! (I was the middle child, and it was startlingly accurate.) Our flat family studied together, partied together, celebrated birthdays together, and even had dinner together every Sunday! I got to know those seven people in four months better than I know some people I've been friends with for years! In all honesty, I consider them my sisters, I would drop everything if they asked me to. They are what kept me going all semester, them and the wonderful people I got to work with every day.

 

Good friends

Good travel companions

 

Now I'm not going to lie to you. Every day is not sunshine and rainbows. You're going to have bad days and good days. And for those of you who haven't studied abroad yet, I'm gonna spoil it and tell you what the two hardest days are. The day you arrive and the day you leave.

 

The day I got to Wales was exhausting to say the least. Eight hour flight, seven hour wait for the bus, five hour bus ride, and ultimately a very late arrival in a brand new place. To make matters worse, the outlets in my room didn't work, so my phone was dead and I had no way to contacting my loved ones other than a voicemail from the main office desk. 30 hours of no sleep, no way to communicate with family, and a brand new environment was enough to make even the boldest person scared, and I am not the boldest person. I was even contemplating how angry my family would be if I called them and asked for a plane ticket home! Needless to say, I'm thrilled that I didn't. But it was a rough night.

But it was nothing compared to my last day. Saying goodbye to my classmates was hard, soul crushing in all honesty. But saying goodbye to my flat-mates, as well as the other Americans who were put in a different flat, was... well, many a manly tear were shed. These were people I came to think of as family, as people I could rely on even in the worst of circumstances. And I'm supposed to say goodbye (to all but four of them) possibly forever? It was a brutal day, and the next few days of being home were no picnic. Nearly every day I woke up in hot-as-hell, sunny-as-hell, sure-not-Wales North Carolina, I counted how many possessions I could sell to afford a plane ticket back. And even today, Hangnail and I miss our sheep-infested, cool, silver-skied homeland. Because it did become our home, and a place that we are determined to return to one day, as soon as we can!

 

 

 

Some of you heard all that and thought 'well jeez! That sounds emotionally exhausting! I can't handle that!' Well Ted, that would be just about the stupidest thing you could do with your college education. Yes it's hard, and yes it's emotional, and yes (depending on where you are) food is expensive, but those are all just tiny blemishes on the glorious, golden beauty that it studying abroad. Wherever you go, I promise you that you will find amazing people to befriend, experiences that you could never get here in <insert city> North Carolina, and (to use a ridiculous cliché) you will find yourself. Wales gave me a precious gift, confidence and pride in myself. I grew as a human being over there, emotionally, intellectually, maturity-ally, and it wasn't just me. Everyone I studied with left Wales as vastly different people than who came. Some gained perspective, some gained self-discipline, and most (like me) gained confidence and self-respect, two of the most important things every person needs to consider themselves an adult. So here's my advice to you: try as many things as you can, go as many places as you can, talk to as many people as you can, and if you ever feel like you're not good enough to do something or if you are afraid to try something then remember the words of the immortal Shia LaBeouf and just DO IT!

 

Intrepid travelers

 

 

William Yates

Trinity St. David

Carmarthen, Wales

Ashley in Scotland!

Hi, everybody! I’m currently writing this at the airport as I wait for my flight home, giving me the chance to really look back on the last five months of my study abroad experience in Glasgow, Scotland. Study abroad is so many things and since I’m writing this at the end of my experience I’m not even really sure where to start. In general, Scotland is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever been to (and thanks to study abroad I have been to a few now!). The natural scenic views you can get in Scotland by simply taking the bus or even looking out your window always surprised me, even up until the day I left. Also, people in Scotland are very friendly and especially so when they find out that you’re a foreigner. In general, they also have a sense of humor that while hard to describe or explain never the less always makes me laugh. My favorite place in Scotland is called Glencoe and it was one of the first places I went to when I arrived. It had recently snowed and the mountains were covered and the lochs glistened- it was truly magical. 

Glencoe, Scotland

However, what really made study abroad so great, and what is probably my favorite thing about study abroad, was spending it with all the amazing people I met, my flat mates in particular.  Obviously traveling and trying new things was amazing, but to be honest, some of my favorite memories of study abroad are hanging out in my flat with my amazing friends and flat mates. 

The famous Loch Ness

 

The ruins of Dunnottar Castle in Stonehaven

Study abroad also gave me the opportunity to travel to different parts of Ireland, Poland, and England which were all incredible experiences. I went to Ireland during the St. Paddy’s day festivities which was definitely an experience I will not soon forget, however I particularly loved the views from parts of Northern Ireland. 

The Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland

I went to Poland next and it was an interesting trip to say the least. There was a lot to see and do which was exciting, however it was the first time I went somewhere alone where almost no one spoke English. However, as nerve-wracking as it may have been at times it’s an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything because I learned so much about myself and another culture in just six days. 

King Sigismund's Column in Warsaw, Poland

My next trip outside of Scotland was England, which I loved. There is just so much to do and see and so much history to explore, which is right up my alley. 

Palace of Westminster and Big Ben in London

Stonehenge

Nonetheless, no place will be as special to me as Scotland, and Glasgow in particular. If study abroad has taught me anything it is that if you want to do something then you have to go for it- you can’t let fear stop you, and you have to learn to take things as they come. This is a concept that while it sounds good and obvious, I think it takes an experience such as study abroad to really help you learn it. I’m so grateful for my experience and the country I called home for five months. 

Ashley Hodges
Strathclyde University
Glasgow, Scotland

Catherine in Spain!

Hey from Spain! 

My name is Catherine and I have been studying abroad for the past 3 weeks here in Madrid, Spain and I leave in less than a week. Although I've only been here a short time, I have truly had an amazing experience. Here I'm going to show you some of my favorite moments in Spain. I figured since pictures can tell a 1000 words, I would let pictures show you how I had an amazing time. 

This beautiful place above is Retiro Park. It's in the middle of the busy city of Madrid and it's the most peaceful and quaint park you will visit. You could spend hours here doing nothing but walking, looking, and having a great conversation with someone. 

Jamón is no joke here in Madrid. This man is cutting ham from the leg and serving it to us. It tastes so good. Jamon is usually a tapa here in Spain, which is equivalent to an appetizer in the States. Below is a picture of just a few kinds of Tapas. My favorite are jamon Serrano, tortilla espanola, and croquetas.

Chocolate con churros is no joke here in Madrid either. Every Sunday our host dad would take us to eat the best churros and hot chocolate one could ask for. You dip the churros in the melted milk chocolate and it is so delicious.

 

El rastro is a flea market in Madrid that happens every Sunday and holiday. A street in Madrid fills with venders wanting you to buy their clothes, shoes, purses, plates, etc. It's a fun Sunday morning activity. The best deal I got was a cup like the ones in the picture for 5 euros. 

 

In Spain, there are plazas where people can meet, where streets connect, and where entertainers perform their talent. One of my favorite plazas is Puerta de Sol. I enjoyed sitting here and people watching after class. Although there are lots of tourists, you still feel the Spanish vibe. 

Mercardos (market in Spanish) are my favorite. Picture a huge building with tons of venders selling fresh food. I had a sweet tooth so I bought a macaroon and other pastries common in Spain.

Walking around Spain, you fall in love with the architecture. Beautiful buildings and statues are everywhere. I have pictures of buildings on random streets that are just scenic. 

One night you have to go to Templo de Debod. It was a gift from Egypt to Spain and it is amazing. During sunset it is such a beautiful and peaceful place. 

Now I have never liked museums, but I always try my best to like them. When we visited El Prado I was of course going to try to force myself to enjoy it but it was different. There were many rooms of paintings and as someone who isn't into art I stuck to looking at 7 of the famous paintings and the temporary exhibit of Picasso. I think the reason why I enjoyed Prado so much was because there were summaries on the sides of each painting describing the painting. You could imagine what the painting meant, then see what the painter wanted to portray. Although I'm sure other museums do that, I simply loved all 7 of those paintings. Here are two of my favorite paintings. FYI this Mona Lisa was done by one of Da Vinci’s pupils.  

So when you think of Spain, what do you think of? Futbol and bullfights? I'm going to be honest I didn't experience these. I was too scared to see a bullfight (didn't want to see the bull bloody and being killed) and I am just not a follower of soccer. However there are lots of both in Madrid. I happen to visit Barcelona the day after they won the European champions league. Legend says if you drink from this fountain you will return to Barcelona.

Last but certainly not least, the churches and castles in Spain are magnificent. We made a lot of day trips or weekend trips to different cities in Spain: Segovia, Seville, Toledo, Granada, Merida, Barcelona, and Valencia. It was common for us to visit either a church or a castle that was beyond beautiful. My favorite has to be Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and the alcazar in Seville where the king and queen would stay. 

As every one of my friends on this trip will tell you, I love Barcelona. The city is beautiful; there is history and a beach, two of my favorite things about a city together. I could go on for hours about how Barcelona is just amazing, but I will just let the pictures tell you. 

So as you can tell, there is a lot to do in Spain. These are only some pictures of my currently out of storage iPhone. I love it here and yes of course it is studying abroad, and I am improving a ton in my Spanish, but it’s also about exploring another part of the world. Having the freedom to explore Madrid, and other cities and in return finding bits and pieces of yourself is very empowering. I have learned so much about myself, what type of person I want to be, more cultures and activities that I like, and don’t like.  I read someone somewhere said, “Travel far enough your meet yourself”. And that is what Spain has done to me.

Catherine Iszard
UNCG in Spain
Madrid, Spain