Boston College Athletics
Skold: Summer Abroad in Italy
July 27, 2015 | Volleyball
Anna Skold, a junior middle hitter on the volleyball team, recently returned from a summer trip abroad to study in Italy.
While volleyball takes up many hours during the fall and spring, Skold was one of many student-athletes who used the summer to study abroad, an experience that allows them foreign study without missing time on the court, field or ice.
Skold and her teammates -- as well as all of the Eagles' fall athletes -- are prepping to return to campus soon for preseason camp, but the Omaha, Neb., native took some time to write about her summer travels.
I had an amazing time in Italy! And, I must admit that it's hard not waking up to a delicious cappuccino in Florence! There's so much to tell and so many details I'd love to share. Here is an overview of my overseas experience.
I took a class called Art and Architecture of Renaissance Florence. This was a BC Summer Abroad program that lasted four weeks.
I was slightly apprehensive about taking an art history course given my limited previous knowledge, but I am so happy I did.
All of our classes were held "on-site" which meant we never met in a classroom. We met our professor at different churches, museums and monuments everyday. It was much easier and a far more interesting way to learn.
Visually seeing and studying a work of art while he taught made all the difference. It was surreal.
Our class also went on a field trip to Pisa and Sienna. Aside from the art history, we also took two cooking classes and wine tastings as a class.
My favorite, however, was studying The Sienna Cathedral, The Birth of Venus and Michelangelo's David. I felt that I got not only a grip on history of art, but Florence and Europe in general. I have gained so much more of an appreciation for art and the opportunity to travel.
My other favorite things we did in Florence was watching the sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo, the fireworks for Saint John the Baptist day along the river and visiting the Bardini Gardens (Medici family gardens).
We didn't have class Friday-Sunday so that's when we traveled! We usually left Thursday afternoon and got back on Sunday. We were free to do and go wherever we wanted. That might have been the hardest part of the overall experience. Coordinating with people, buying train/plane tickets and booking hostels/hotels was, at times, challenging.
Volleyball junior middle hitter Anna Skold just returned from a four-week study abroad program in Italy, one of many...
Posted by Boston College Athletics on Monday, July 27, 2015
I traveled to Venice, Rome, Barcelona, Amalfi Coast (Positano, Island of Capri and Pompeii). The first weekend was a little rough. We tried to squeeze in both Venice and Rome in the same weekend. Long story short, we missed our train to Rome, were stuck in Venice and had limited money and phone service. We learned to make the best of it and yet still had a great weekend even though it didn't go as planned.
After we all calmed down from the stress of missing the train and rebooking the trip, we ate delicious Nutella crepes asked ourselves, "What could be better that getting stuck in Venice?"
Luckily, the next couple of weekends we got the whole traveling thing down and things went much smoother.
This experience was a great way to meet other people. There were athletes and non-athletes in my class so I definitely feel I got to branch out and meet more BC students.
I began the trip not knowing anyone very well and left with friends I will have for a long time. The time we spent together, the things we experienced and went through is what bonded us so quickly. We have kept in contact since the trip and are looking forward to making Italian dinners together at BC and reminiscing on our many adventures.
My favorite thing had to be just sitting in class and realizing where I was, what I was learning and just feeling grateful for this amazing experience. It was incredible to see all of these works and learn about artists I've heard of throughout my life. It gave me such a better grasp of history and a different part of the world.
I also loved just walking around, seeing the beautiful architecture with either an iced cappuccino from ITIT (my favorite café) or gelato in hand (by the end of the trip we had discovered the best cafés and gelaterias in Florence.) And of course, the meals were a favorite daily activity.
It's tough to pick a favorite place! If I had to choose it would be Island of Capri. We road around the whole Island of Capri by boat. It looked just like it came directly from a movie.
Apparently Jurassic Park was inspired from it and I can see why. It was one of the most breathtaking places I have ever seen.
While we were there we also saw the Blue Grotto, which is one of the seven natural wonders of Europe.
On that day we also went on a chairlift, which brought us to the highest point on Anacapri. It was a "one person" chair lift. This was towards the end of the whole abroad trip and I just felt on top of the world. I was able to reflect on how amazing this opportunity was and how it was once in a lifetime experience. It was the most beautiful, break-taking view and I couldn't help but get chills. The memory of going up that chairlift will be something I will never forget.
I am so fortunate this was an opportunity available to me. Due to my restricting schedule, going abroad for a semester was out of the question. However, going overseas during my college experience was something very important to me.
The resources I have at Boston College made it available to me and I will forever be thankful for it. With a rigorous athletic schedule, I sometimes feel that I don't always get the full "college experience". This completely changed that for me.
I feel lucky to be a student-athlete but, at the same time, experience a trip abroad. I would recommend this opportunity to anyone who doesn't want to go abroad for a full semester or, like me, needs a different option. I feel like I got a "full abroad experience" even though it was for a shorter time.
