The Iberian Peninsula

I cannot believe that this is my final week in Lisbon, Portugal before I return home to San Diego. My time here may have been short, but it was filled with such amazing experiences that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

You’re Never Too Old to Study Abroad

I’ve heard the saying many times, you’re never too old to go back to school. In 2014, I had the opportunity to return to school after a 30-year absence. After my initial doubt, I now believe the saying to be true.

Experiencing New Years in Rome

Hello from Rome, Italy! Our group of students from San Diego State arrived here on New Years Eve, and though we were unbelievably jet lagged and exhausted, we stayed awake and celebrated the holiday in a different country. We were lucky enough to witness fireworks over the Coliseum – a once in a lifetime experience. There were thousands of people around the Coliseum, and you could feel the excitement in the air as the New Year approached. People cheered and more fireworks went off once the countdown ended. This was more than a great start to our two-week faculty-led study abroad program.

Passing Judgement: Amazon Boat Rides, Cultures, Giant Moths and Cariacu

The second two places I visited had my mind working a million miles and hour and jumping around like an Amazonian spider.

Emergency Response in Germany

In the modern times of frequent shootings and terrorist attacks, many people are becoming more and more worried to travel.  While I understand their concerns, I also have to argue that bad things happen in the United States too.  The possibility of danger shouldn’t deter anyone from exploring the world, it should just make people more prepared to know how they would react and what their plan is in case of an emergency.

Five Reasons I’m Still Alive

Before I left for Ecuador, a good 90 percent of the people I told about my upcoming trip warned me that it was too dangerous, the country too unstable, that I was going to get sick, die in an earthquake, maimed, drugged, robbed, killed etc. The general consensus seemed to be “dude, why didn’t you just go to Europe?” and “I don’t think you thought this through.” Stubborn as I am, I took most of this advice with a grain of salt. And I’m glad that I did.

Enjoying the Simplicity of Spanish Life

For my study abroad class, our professor created our schedule in such a way we have all of our Fridays off – one of the numerous reasons why I adore this professor. He’s from the Imperial Valley Campus of SDSU, which is two hours away from the main campus I attend. I came into this study abroad trip blind, not knowing any of the other students and not knowing the professor. However, he and all of my peers far surpassed any expectation I previously set up for myself.

Arrivederci Italia!

Buongiorno Amici! Students in the Faculty-Led Study Abroad Program, Connecting Art and Science – The Cultural History of Art and Anatomy in Italy, have just completed the final component of their course.

Firenze!

Students in my Faculty -Led Study Abroad Program, Connecting Art and Science – The Cultural History of Art and Anatomy in Italy have spent the past four days in Florence, the Cradle of the Renaissance. When we departed Florence yesterday, the students nearly cried as if they were leaving a new love. In fact, that is what they were doing.

Ci Piace Roma!

Ciao da Roma! The SDSU Faculty-Led Study Abroad program I’m teaching, “Connecting Art and Science – The Cultural History of Art and Anatomy in Italy” convened in Rome last Sunday evening. Since then it’s been a whirlwind exploration of The Eternal City.