This was our first day trip. We began the day with a tour from Dr. Kreig of Lucca. On the tour we saw many different sites such as the Basilica di San Frediano and the Duomo di San Martino. We also had the opportunity to enjoy some shopping in Lucca.
When we were shopping in Lucca we saw people taking pictures with this man.
Pisa was our next stop. One of the first things we did when we arrived in Pisa a tour of the Piazza del Duomo. After we took turns taking pictures with the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Trying to take the perfect picture with the tower was tricky but so much fun. Next we went shopping and had some gelato. Gelato taste amazing!! It's so much better than ice cream.
We arrived in Rome Friday morning. From Rome we traveled with the other students to Tuscany. The closer that we traveled to Casa Cares the more of an opportunity we had to just enjoy the scenery of Tuscany. The country side in Tuscany is beautiful.
Saturday was the first day of seminars. The day began with a brief introduction to Italian history from Dr. Paul Kreig. Dr. Kreig received his PhD from the University of New Orleans and has lived in Italy for more than 35 years. After discussing Italy's history with us Dr. Kreig gave us a tour of Casa Cares. Before the tour, I did not realize how big Casa Cares is. Not only is it big but is extremely beautiful.
The next seminar was on "Wellness and Balance in Our Lives" by Dr. Pat Thomas of Old Dominion University. This seminar was very useful in reminding students the importance of self care. Dr. Thomas asked us to do two different exercises. One exercise was a self measure of our nutritional habits. The other exercise called for us to find a quiet place around Casa Cares and use our 5 senses to write down what we saw, heard, smelled, and etc. This exercise was really calming and peaceful. It allowed each individual time to just sit down, take in their surroundings, and have time to themselves.
The last seminar was a brief description of "The Italian School System" from Mrs. Nancy Bailey. Mrs. Bailey has been a school teacher in Italy for over 40 years. There are many differences between the Italian School System and the American School System. Mrs. Bailey continued her seminar by highlighting some important reasons why she believes the counseling profession would be useful to have in the Italian School System. This seminar was really interesting to hear from her point of view as a person who has taught in both school systems.
Later, we had an introduction to the Italian language given to us by Dr. Kreig. This introduction to Italian was really fun. As Dr. Kreig pointed out their are similarities between Italian, Spanish, and French. Therefore, if a person has training in Spanish or French it may make it easier for them to learn Italian. On day 3 we will be visiting Lucca and Pisa.
"A Counselor's view of Italy" is a study abroad program that allows for students from schools all across the U.S. to spend two weeks on a learning experience in Italy. Some of the schools participating in the program this year include: UAB, Old Dominion University, University of Montevallo, Auburn University, LSU, and the University of Florida. While in Italy students will be staying in the beautiful 14th century villa named Casa Cares. Casa Cares is located in Tuscany, Italy. This is an amazing opportunity for students to learn about counseling in Italy from both Italian mental health professionals and nationally known professors.
Along with this learning experience students will visit some of Italy's beautiful cities such as Florence, Pisa, Assisi, Siena, Luca, and Greve while on day trips. For me this seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity that I just had to be a part of. It will be the first time that I have traveled outside of the U.S. I am really excited and cannot wait to leave!
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