"To decide, to be at the level of choice, is to take responsibility for your life and to be in control of your life," Abbie M. Dale said. This quote sums up the attitude of the Event and Technology Management on the French Riviera study abroad program.
As I studied abroad in the South of France for the first summer session, I realized that experience enhances what we can gain in the classroom. Throughout the program we took two classes in HTM and IS, as well as attended very interesting lectures put on by a variety of professionals. However, these classes just provided us with a foundation for going out in a new culture and applying our new experience to what we study back at Virginia Tech. We went to events like the Cannes Film Festival and the Grand Prix with the freedom to walk around and explore on our own. We would then take back what we found to discuss it in terms of event planning and information systems in the classroom.
The French Riviera Program definitely had a structure of giving us new opportunities to explore the whole culture, but gave us the freedom to explore it on our own. The professors of the program were great in supporting the students to be more independent and responsible. Together, they saw my potential and pushed me to do everything I could to immerse myself in this culture while I was here, so I could get the most out of this once in a lifetime experience.
Of course, as a group, we bonded very quickly. In the beginning of the trip, we went to the Island of Port Cros for the weekend. There, we were secluded on an island and helped each other experience snorkeling, scuba diving, hiking, and so much more. Later on the trip, we also did a zip lining obstacle course where we helped each other climb, zip line, balance, and figure out the best way to finish the obstacle course through the tops of trees, being rewarded with countless thrills of zip lining over rivers and trees. There were plenty of included group dinners, including a couple lunches on the beach. It was easy to find a group to go on our free travel weekend, since everyone wanted to do everything and we were all so close. The free travel weekend was perfect to go on your own anywhere you wanted, with a partner, of course. Half of the group chose to go to Paris, while my group chose to go to Dublin Ireland, but the opportunities are endless.
The location of our apartments was perfect. It was easy to walk to the bus, train, market, nightlife and the beautiful beaches. It did help that the apartment complex had a pool and plenty of room for four people with an amazing view of the port. Many nights we found ourselves on the balcony drinking wine and recapping our adventures before experiencing the nightlife of Antibes.
This is definitely an opportunity of a lifetime and will change your perspective of the world and different cultures. I feel much more knowledgeable about the world and have a newfound confidence of independence and responsibility. If you are interested in this amazing opportunity to study abroad with this program, you can find more information at www.international.pamplin.vt.edu/studyabroad/frenchriviera or e-mail pcouture@vt.edu