Kent State student-athletes traveled beyond
borders this summer as participants in the Kent State University Global
Education Study Abroad program. Rebecca Osmer, women's gymnastics, and
Bridget Wilhelm, women's volleyball, traveled to Florence, Italy for the 6-week
program where they stayed at the Kent State University Florence campus and
completed six hours of academic coursework.
Kent State offers a wide variety of study abroad
programs. The 6-week summer programs offer a unique experience to
student-athletes as they are often able to take advantage of the opportunity without
conflicting with team practice or competition schedules.
For more information on the Kent State
University Study Abroad programs, click HERE.
By Rebecca Osmer
I was very blessed
with all of my experiences in Florence. My roommates were the best and I made
so many new friends with students from Kent, Florence, and from all parts of
the United States. The first week in Florence was like a puzzle that you had to
piece together. I loved getting lost in the side alleyways and spending all day
after classes exploring new parts of Florence until I could find myself again.
I took many trips on the weekends. The first weekend we went to Sienna and had
the best tour from one of our professors, Rocky. He is one of those people who
you can tell has never worked a day in his life. His passion for art history
was infectious to all the students who had him on that day trip. He taught us
how to read the art that was made so many centuries ago, and how to interpret
the different symbolic meanings of people, animals, and objects. I’m not sure
if I’ve ever learned so much in one day, but it truly was all because of the
passion Rocky has for teaching a subject he loves. For a day, his passion
became our passion.
The next day my
roommate Allie and I traveled to Venice for a day trip. I always knew Venice
was the city on the water, but I guess I never truly grasped that concept until
I actually saw it all in person. We rode in on the train and as we got to the
outskirts of Venice there was a highway that led into the city that we could
see out of the window. Except it wasn’t a highway that you or I usually depict
with endless blacktop and miles of cars zooming by- it was a highway of
motorboats! It was a shock to me at first, but I had to remind myself that
there are no cars that travel around Venice because it’s on water. The first
thing we did when we got into the city was take a taxi ride… on a boat! Main Street
was water, the buses were just bigger boats that carried more people at once,
and the locals of Venice had their own private boats- just as normal as one of
us owning a car to get around. We were able to see a glassblowing demonstration
and see why Venice is famous for their glass! It was beautiful and an amazing
art to master. Afterward we went on a gondola ride around the streets of
Venice. It was very surreal to be floating along the streets of such a
beautiful city. We had a walking tour around Venice the rest of the day before
we had a few hours to go to the trade markets for souvenirs and head back to
Florence. Allie and I made so many friends on that trip that we would run into
very often in the next coming weeks.
The next day Allie
and I decided to go to a beach called Cinque Terre. There was a train strike
that day so instead of taking the train straight to the beach, we had the best
ferry ride ever, where we ran into friends from Venice the day before! With
this day trip there was an optional hike that we could take, or we could just
go straight to the beaches. I’m so thankful I went on the hike and saw some of
the most incredible views. I got a great leg workout in as well as some cardio!
And the pictures came out amazing! As I crossed over the top of the mountain I
could see the beach that would be my final destination for the day and I
immediately had to stop and take thousands of pictures. Even from so high up I
could see the rocks in the bottom of the ocean because the water was so clear.
It was a hot day so after a long hike I practically just walked straight into
the water to cool off. Swimming in the Mediterranean was another moment I had
to take in. The water was very salty and cold, but with the hot summer sun and
the two and a half hours of hiking I just did it was a very welcoming feeling.
It was the perfect day for everything- a ferry ride, a hike, and a beach.
The next weekend I
went to Rome with a group of Kent State students and a professor named Kristen.
If all roads lead to Rome then I want to start walking now. I’ve never been to
such an enchanting city where you can feel the history lived out around you.
Just in the name Rome there is so much love…no really, Roma spelled backward is
amor meaning love. It really is the eternal city of love and great miracles -
especially since there were fountains of free water in Italy! That was a
miracle in itself that I didn’t have to pay for consumption of water. Rome was
probably one of my favorite places to go.
I thought it was
amazing that the original bronze doors of the Pantheon were still there today.
I made sure to touch one on my way out, just in case there was a slight chance
I could be transported back in time like some sort of cinema magic.
Walking up to go
into the Vatican was like walking on cloud nine. It was very surreal to be in
front of it, let alone about to go inside of it. The Vatican today functions as
both a museum of precious objects collected from around the world as well as a
showplace of its power and influence on the world. This is the site where many
Christians were martyred. The apostle Peter was thought to have been the one
who went on to find the church. Christ did say in scriptures that Peter would
be the rock of his church- not coincidentally Peter’s name means rock. The tomb
of Saint Peter is actually buried beneath the top of the dome, and the entire
Vatican City is built upon the rock of Peter. The museum represents the glory
of the Vatican, and glorious it definitely was. The gardens themselves, which
there were several, seemed as if they were their own little worlds- just like
the building of the Church of Saint Peter was meant to represent its own world.
This great city was built over decades. Early sculptures stood erected from the
Greek and Roman times, and there was a real sense of beauty surrounding me.
Beauty was important to citizens in Rome back then, and Popes founded many
great institutions and academies to celebrate faith, beauty, and religion.
As most people are
aware, Michelangelo played an important role with the art in the Vatican. He
lived such a long life well into his late 80’s or early 90’s. An interesting
fact I learn was that in the year 1564, Michelangelo dies but it was also the
year Galileo was born. To me it seems like it could have been the passing of
the baton from one genius to the other. Michelangelo is one of the most
interesting people to me as he was very well rounded. The television show ‘Glee’
was not the one who invented someone who could sing and be super athletic at
the same time. Michelangelo was an artist, but he was also a tough warrior who
could hold his own in a fight. Julius Cesar, who was a collector, spender, and
fiercely connected in the political world, sought Michelangelo out to paint the
Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel is very famous around the world for its
depiction of biblical stories that starts with the creation of the world and
the temptation of the Garden of Eden. Michelangelo was actually the genius that
invented scaffolding, and he painted the chapel ceiling while standing up an
arching his back. I hope they had chiropractors back then because my body hurt
just from walking around Rome all day, let alone looking up to paint a ceiling
for months at the same time.
Seeing the
paintings in real life was very enticing, and it was clear to me that
Michelangelo was obsessed with the art of the male body. I sat on the benches
and looked up at the ceiling trying to figure out the reason why. My best
conclusion, especially with the strong beliefs in God during that time period, was
that Michelangelo believed the male body was perfection. It was, after all
created by the God who is perfect and makes no mistakes. In his journals of his
time spent in Rome, it was evident that Michelangelo despised Rome and was
disgusted to be there during the summer. It definitely did not help his
impression of Rome when he came back to work on the Sistine Chapel only to find
his paintings covered by moss. This moss ruined his six months of hard work and
he was forced to start completely over, from a standing position and looking
straight up. He discovered later that the building had a leak in the ceiling so
when it rained the water would seep in and attach itself to the paintings on
the ceiling.
I
think Michelangelo did an amazing job considering how frustrating the process
of painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel could be. The stories depicted
from the bible came to life for me in a real sense as a believer. To see God
creating Adam with the touching of their fingers was a very spiritual moment
for me. Thanks to Rocky for touring us around in Siena and teaching us the
basic information of how to interpret art from that era, I was able to follow
the stories and interpret what the messages were. I ended up sitting down on
one of the many benches that lined the wall and looked up. My soul was on fire …
as well as the soles of my feet from walking twelve miles in one day. But
sitting there and depicting the history of the world and our beginnings was
very humbling and resting for my soul … and yes my feet too. I truly felt as if
I was being transported back in time through the paintings.
It
reminded me of when I went to the Palazzo Pitti in Florence for class the week
before leaving for Rome and was able to see the way the Medici family lived
after they proclaimed themselves the royal family. With all the furniture and
paintings left in their original places, I felt like I was the one who was out
of place.
The
Coliseum left me speechless and I’m still not even sure what to say about it.
We all know the great men who walked there, fought there and sometimes died
there … and I was able to be there too. This monument should be on everyone’s
bucket list.
The
next weekend was my favorite and very personal to me. I journeyed to Manchester
in the United Kingdom to visit my cousin. She is currently living in Scotland
to attend vet school. I made a promise
to her four years ago that I would figure out a way to come visit her. It was
such a surreal feeling seeing her when I arrived at the airport in Manchester.
I have not seen her in almost a year since last summer when we were both at
home in California. Even though she is my cousin, she could also pass as my
twin- but I can settle for her being the older sister I never had. She is so
inspirational to me and is someone I look up to as a person.
It was a nice
break to be in England and away from the Italian culture shock. I noticed I
felt more relaxed with the atmosphere in England because I fit in better. When
it came to the culture I could speak the language; I dressed, walked and
socialized in very similar manners. I could even sound like them with my fake
British accent if I wanted to … which I wanted to. I thought it was hilarious
that it didn’t matter what time of day it was, it was always beer-thirty to the
English. We went to breakfast the first morning and chaps were downing beer
like it was their orange juice or coffee. They drink their beer at all times of
the day.
After tearful
goodbyes the next day, I left my cousin and headed back to Italy. On the way
back my roommate, Allie, and I decided to stop in Pisa to take the famous
picture with the leaning tower of Pisa. My expectations were lower than low
since I had many people already inform me how unpleasant the surrounding area
of Pisa is and how the only thing there is the tower itself. I’m really glad I
didn’t let negative talk stop me from going because it was actually quite a
beautiful field in which the tower, church, and baptistery sat on. The tower
actually leaned way more than I expected and it was quite shocking to see it
still standing that way. I laughed hysterically at all the people standing in
front of the monument with their hands in the air holding up the tower in their
own pictures. They looked so ridiculous yet at the same time I couldn’t wait to
join in and be a part of the fun. I was highly tempted to run through the crowd
and give high fives to everyone.
Allie and I had so
much fun trying to take pictures that were not the same as everyone else.
Obviously we wanted to create the illusion that we were also somehow holding up
the leaning tower, so there were only so many ways in which we could be
creative. Allie decided to lie down and hold the tower up with her feel like
she was just relaxing in that position. I had so much fun taking the pictures
and feeling like a worldwide acclaimed photographer, but I was excited to try
out my idea. Being a gymnast, it is customary to take a handstand picture
wherever you go (i.e. the Coliseum photo). I thought there would be no better
time than that to live out the tradition in front of the tower. We ended up
getting the perfect shot as I am in a handstand and a split upside down,
holding the tower up just the by the bottom of my foot.
It was hilarious
of the after effect. An Asian gentleman came up to me immediately after getting
the perfect shot and asked to see the photo in his language. He gave me the
universal “that was awesome” sign with a huge thumbs up and walked away. Not
even thirty seconds later he was attempting the same picture but with less
success. He ended up falling straight to his head and rolling over and
laughing, as did a few others who were around and saw the whole thing.
Everywhere we looked there were others trying to do a handstand in front of the
tower. I don’t think they realized that it is my profession to be good and
being upside down, and they assumed it would be an easy task. I ended up filming
one gentleman who seemed like he just could not give up until he got his
picture. The constant up and down finally took its toll after five minutes of
failed attempts because he plopped to the ground in defeat and exhaustion.
The
last weekend we had as travelers came up way to fast. Since Allie had
accompanied me to see my cousin in England, I told her I would go with her to her
must-see trip to the Amalfi Coast…and I am so grateful she dragged me along. We
had to leave the trip a whole day early because we were leaving that Sunday to
fly home to the States. The time we did spend in the Amalfi Coast made the
whole trip worthwhile. It was a long eight-hour bus ride to get there, but
Allie and I had our own room together in a hostel. We took a boat tour around
the island and we were just awestruck. The water was all kinds of blue- all the
way from a teal/aqua color to a dark, passion, royal blue. It looked like we
added filters our photos, but they were untouched and natural beautiful. This
became my favorite beach trip of my life, and I am most certainly heading back
to the Amalfi Coast within the next year or two. The sand there was black! And
the closer you got to the water, the more the sand turned into rocks and
pebbles. The water was so clear I could
see the bottom of the ocean. The farther out you swam the more it turned into a
cobalt blue. We took pictures in front of all the colorful houses on the
mountain, and I ended up swimming down the beach to a nice cliff diving area.
It was my first time every jumping from rocks into water, but I had a blast
doing it. Allie and I had to leave by the end of that day, but we very much
enjoyed our time getting a Mediterranean tan before we headed home.
I’m so blessed and
so thankful for the opportunities I have had by being given the chance to come
to Italy. They say when you study abroad it’s a life changing experience, and
they are right. I came back after one month in Florence completely renewed,
refreshed, and recharged. I’ve grown so much as a person for society, a leader
for my team, and follower of Christ. I am forever changed and transformed by
this experience. I am now more in love with Italy than ever before. I feel like
I have gained more of a sense of myself through the history of the Roman Empire
and the history of this world.
