Students weigh in about their time abroad

Florence Italy

What do you think sets Florence apart from other programs? ?

Jeffrey Rozman: I’m not one to argue whose program is the best but on the weekends our house was always booked. There’s so much to do in the city. You can’t see Florence in a year. There’s so much history there I don’t know how you cannot be inspired by living where the Renaissance happened. It’s just magical. You feel like you’re Michelangelo. You authentically feel Italian.

We all know how much everyone raves about the food in Italy. What are your feelings?

Café Lib [where Florence students eat breakfast during the weekend] is essentially every single childhood fantasy come true. There is nothing better than coming back from Prague after 18 hours of traveling and waking up the next morning to Café Lib.

How was your staff?

The teachers are amazing. Giuliano is amazing. He’s my Facebook friend. Our director literally does more for our program and her students than any other program director. We got to see the pope and she got us soccer jerseys for our team.

How did your group interact with the community? ?

We were in a legitimate Florence soccer league. A lot of people wanted to beat us because we were the Americans but we held our ground. We had some really good ballers.

We did Big Brother-Big Sister which was a 2 hour hang out session where we would help them [Italian children] with their English skills through different games and we put on a big play. It was fun for us to see the kids and see some kind of American mentor in their lives.

We did Adopt-a-Family where usually two to three students go to one family. My family had us over for dinner weekly. It was also cool because we did stuff with them outside the Adopt-a-Family program. One time we went golfing.

How do you think Americans were received in Florence?

Honestly I felt they loved us. You can hear mixed reviews on that one but all the restaurants were so nice to us. Wherever we went out on the night everyone was so nice to us. Americans bring a kind of energy and Italians are already more outgoing so it worked.

What was living in the Villa like?

I had the smallest room. I lived in a 5×8 closet but it was so cozy and cool. The villa takes on a symbolic meaning of family. Villa Love. It just was really cool because you’re so cramped in there with 57 other students but it really helps you gain a sense of community. The whole villa is really a masterpiece in itself. It’s decorated with memorabilia from other programs so you really get a sense of the Pepperdine community that was there before you. It’s very warm and emotional and great. It used to be a hotel so it made the living a little bit better. We have our own chef so the food was amazing. The courtyard was really cool too. You could go out and see the stars at night. And the dogs were really nice. We had two dogs.

How do you think living in a city with so much history helped you apply what you learned in the classroom to your life?

It’s the coolest thing to read something in your humanities book and then go see it. There’s nothing like reading about a piece of art and then realizing what it took to make it. It’s really inspiring and so much better than seeing it dead in a book. It’s just awesome trying to put the whole idea of the Renaissance into your life. I wanted to create my own Renaissance in my life and I think that’s something you can only really get if you live in Florence.

What were some of the ways your group really bonded?

The difficulty of the academics really brought our house together and that sounds weird but literally when you’re up at two three in the morning cramming for a humanities final or having to write a 12-page paper everyone in the villa is doing that and helping each other out. But the way that our group bonded the most was the soccer team. The guys played and the girls came out [to watch]. Everyone just cheered for everyone. It didn’t matter if you were good or not. I didn’t get a goal the whole year but one time I got really close and everyone was so excited. I think that was the most excited our group got. Even our teachers came out to watch. We also had set meal times when everyone would just be there and that was when everyone got to talk. We just enjoyed the food and company.

How did your overseas experience change you in a way that might not have happened if you had stayed in Malibu?

I think everyone leaves Florence with a newfound appreciation of art and the humanities. As an advertising major it just gave me a new perspective. They way they were able to tell a story back in the 17th and 18th centuries with only pictures was amazing. Seeing the ideas they expressed religion politics literally in the city broadened your horizons. I feel like if I didn’t go to Europe I would have a narrow perspective. It’s very easy for us to be in our American bubble and not see what’s really going on in the world. Especially being over there during the elections was exciting. It was really exciting seeing how they were so interested in American politics. I think they knew more about American politics than most of the people in our house did.

Any advice for freshmen who are considering going to Florence next year?

First off don’t be intimidated that it’s the most popular program. People won’t apply because they think they won’t get in but have confidence. If you know you want to go to Florence apply. You have to bring true passion for Florence to the table. Truly think about why you want to go. What do you want to see? The art? The history? Make a list of things you want to do ‘cause you’re only going to be able to do half of them. Even if you don’t get into Florence don’t worry because you’ll still have opportunities to go to another overseas program or Florence for the summer. Talk to people who have gone to Florence and why they love the city. Even if they weren’t in the program more than likely they visited so ask them what they loved about it.

Heidelberg Germany

This year’s group is leaving for Heidelberg today. How do you feel about that?

Cortney Maloney: I feel both extremely jealous and incredibly excited. I remember this day last year perfectly and I remember not knowing what I was getting myself into and had no idea what to expect.

I’m sure they’re just as anxious as I was but I know they can’t even fathom what amazing things this year will bring. I remember getting the list of the other program participants and knowing very few of them. The first day in the airport was really awkward.

Little did we know within a short time we’d be closer than we could ever have imagined.

What attracted you to Heidelberg over other IP programs?

To be honest I hardly knew anything about Germany. But I kept hearing time and time again how amazing the Heidelberg program was and how it always attracts a special group. I didn’t know a single German word and didn’t even know what countries bordered it but when I got there I found out it’s the most-bordered country in Europe.

That being said traveling from Germany is easier than in any of the other programs. I liked that it wasn’t in a huge metropolitan city. When we came back from the weekends we really felt like we were coming home to our community.

How were the dynamics of your house?

?First off one room really stood out to me. It was a room of four boys who were extremely different from one another and behind closed doors everyone wondered how in the wo
rld this would ever work out. One of them even referred to the other three as the “tri-fraternity spawns of Satan.”

But as time progressed and they spent more time together they became their own brotherhood even forming their own quartet.

So much happens in Moore Haus. I cannot tell you the countless nights of singing plays Club 20 iPod dance parties and movie-making that went on there.

In what ways did the Heidelberg group get involved with the community?

Once a month we cleaned up the path we walked on everyday. We went to Gemeinde Christi [Heidelberg’s Church of Christ] and they had potlucks sometimes where we would eat homemade German food and practice speaking our German. Some people had tandem partners— young Germans who wanted to practice their English with an American. These people met multiple times during the week and came and hung out at out house. One of the Germans even came and visited a boy from our program a few weeks ago.

Tell me about your awesome faculty.

Julie and David [Smith] who we came to know as Mom and Dad helped us through one of the most crucial years of our lives and showed us what it means to be family. Every other Thursday they made us family dinners normally Tex-Mex and we’d sit around for hours devouring the food and enjoying their company. The German professors Frau Wuttke and Frau Drehsel are two of the kindest and most sincere women you’ll ever meet. Herr Sattler and Herr Lerner on the other hand are characters in themselves. They were always outspoken and never failed to make us laugh during class. We have binders full of quotes from them from the year. Lastly our director Herr D. is who makes the program so amazing and incredibly well run. He really is there to make our year as amazing as possible and none of us will ever forget his amazing performance at our end-of-the-year talent show.

Germans have a reputation for being unwelcoming. Do you think this is an accurate description?

No I don’t. Germans are much more private than Americans and that can come off as being cold but in actually once you get to know them they’re some of the most hospitable and kind people. They are incredibly sincere. One boy described them as pizza pockets—hard on the outside but soft on the inside. Some of the people in our house were invited to local homes. They got to experience everyday German culture.

How do you feel you grew the most while overseas?

Well there are a couple. I learned how to live with 50 other people which really taught me patience. I really learned to appreciate my own bed and bedroom. When you get to Moore Haus you quickly discover the only place to be alone is in the two-by-three foot phone booth under the staircase. My perspective of the world was completely reformed. I saw and experienced things I could never even planned. At the time I thought some things were annoying and frustrating but looking back they were so influential in my growth. You go over as a cocky know-it-all-American and come back humbled by the amazing ideas and cultures other countries have to offer.

What was your favorite place in the city?

You’re going to make me choose between the castle Schnitzelhaus [a restaurant dedicated to over 100 kinds of schnitzel] Baren-treff [a gummy bear store] O’Reily’s [an Irish karaoke bar] Regie’s [a café] the alte brucke [old bridge] philosphenweg [Philosopher’s Way] the banks of the Neckar River Vetter’s [Heidelberg’s very own brewery] iPunkt [a club] the hauptstrasse [main street] and endless coffee shops? I don’t know if I can do that. To be honest I don’t know if anything can beat having a 13th century castle just a few minutes walk from the Moore Haus steps.

What was your favorite thing to eat in Heidelberg?

?Besides gummy bears hands down schnitzel from Schnitzelhaus. But when I was lazy and didn’t want to walk into town to eat I’d order in from Supan’s [a Thai restaurant] every Heidelberger’s God-send. They delivered right up to your doorstep. I specifically remember one night during finals they delivered to our house nine separate times. Each delivery probably had about ten orders of pad thai.

What were some well-liked past times of the group?

?People liked to hike the hills around our house and across the river. Walking around the castle grounds late at night was always nice even when it was cold out. Our weekly worship sessions. Going to fussball [soccer] games and Oktoberfest.

What advice would you give to freshmen who are considering going to Heidelberg next year?

?Don’t buy your Eurail until you get there. Don’t forget to explore your own country. Go out of your comfort zone. Don’t be surprised if you’re making plans the day before the weekend starts. It all works out. Usually [laughs].

Lausanne Switzerland

What made you choose Lausanne over other programs?

Shannon Kirkpatrick: Well I was really interested in the Swiss culture because it was something I didn’t really know anything about and I heard Switzerland was really beautiful and serene. And I really wanted to learn French.

Did you still like French after you started learning it?

Well I think I learned a lot about myself through having to learn a different language because it really forced me to choose my words carefully and also forced me to focus on communication.

How did the Swiss respond to your attempts at speaking French with them?

Generally the Swiss were very kind and helpful. Sometimes I got laughed at. But that encouraged me to work on my accent and be a better French-speaker because I wanted to be able to communicate with the people I lived in the city with.

How do you feel the ’08-’09 Lausanne group interacted with the locals?

Generally Swiss people keep to themselves so unless they were selling kabobs or something…

What was your biggest lifestyle change from living on campus in Malibu to living in an IP house?

It’s just really easy to bond with the people in my house because you do everything with them as opposed to living in Mailbu and having my own schedule.

You plan trips with them and travel together which you might not have the chance to do if you stay in Malibu. It lets you get to know people on a completely different level.

How do you think being a part of one of the bigger programs (56 students) affected your IP experience?

I think it just let me get to know more people. I got to meet different kinds of people that I might not otherwise have gotten to meet if I was just going to school in Malibu.

So it allowed me to get to know who I’ll be friends with for a really long time. It was a big program but I still feel like we were able to get pretty close with everybody.

What is your favorite Swiss item you brought back to the states with you?

Mmm. That would be the chocolate. Specifically the Callier dark truffon. Heaven.

What was the strangest flavor of chocolate you ate in Switzerland?

I never tried the chili
one but the pear-caramel chocolate was definitely unique. It was also really really tasty.

What did your house do best as a group?

Make music. That was like our thing. Every time we got together someone would end up busting out a guitar or playing the piano or singing or appreciating music.

So if you can’t do anything musical you can at least appreciate the music?

I would hope so. Especially Rob Shogry and Karee Maxson. If you can’t appreciate them you can’t appreciate anything.

What would you encourage the ‘09-‘10 Lausanne group to do to get the most from their IP experience?

I guess I would say try every kind of food you possibly can and take long meals because that’s one of the best ways to experience a culture. And always put other people first.

Are there any secret hiding places in La Croisee with a time-capsule?

Ha. No. Not that I know of. We did leave stuff for the Greek groups and stuff though. There are some scary nooks and crannies in the -2 basement of the house. I’ll let you discover those for yourself.

What do you think of Garrett Reim’s smile?

I think he uses Crest.