“only when they spread their wings are they wakers of a wind”
When I heard Maria Louisa’s voice coming from my roommate’s computer, I couldn’t believe it. I know my generation is supposed to be wildly techno-savvy, but the idea of video conferencing over the internet with friends halfway around the world still seems like science fiction to me. Maria Louisa, one of the Colombian students who joined us on the Orvieto study abroad semester, is one seriously funny girl, and hearing from her last Sunday made my entire week at least five times better. She’s in her first year of college and loves it. In Melagine, where she lives, it’s 80 degrees and the college students are in the midst of their long break from school. She had a webcam, so although she couldn’t see us, clustered around Elena’s computer in our on-campus apartment avoiding the cold, we could get a mini-tour of her grandparents’ study and garden. We could even hear birds singing outside!
Oh, it made me miss the people I studied with. Immediately afterwards, my roommates and I watched clips from our favorite Italian movie, even though we didn’t have subtitles. And shed a few tears.
But, as Dr. John Skillen, the director of our program, keeps urging us — don’t give in to nostalgia! The past is important, but it’s most important as it affects the way we make our future. What matters is how we take those experiences and actively use them to continually enrich our lives and work.
Dr. Skillen came to campus this week to do an informational meeting about the Orvieto semester, too, and graciously agreed to go out to dinner with us on Thursday. Talking to him about adjusting and about the Orvieto program’s evolution was really wonderful. We we took him out to enjoy some Japanese food at Tokyo Diner (there are actually a lot of good sushi places only 15-20 minutes from campus, and Tokyo Diner is one of them). Dr. Skillen led us by the hand through the difficult first few days in Orvieto, and I missed having his guidance and parenthetical lecture style during the transition back to the United States.
Dr. Skillen is also treating us more like adults now that we’re alumni of the program! Calling him John seemed absurd at first, but I like the thought that soon we’re going to be adults.
We’re going to be adults soon? If video-phone-calling via the internet seems like science fiction, so does the idea that we’ll be grown-ups soon! I feel ready for it, certainly, thanks to college. I just also remember very clearly being nine years old and hiding under my stuffed animals at night so that if my nightmares came true the aliens would take them first and leave me alone.
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