From 1982 to 2012, famous Italian sights like Florences cathedral, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Colosseum or Venices Grand Canal probably havent changed much. However, the person behind the lens in 1982 and 2012 will be different.
When Kent 91心頭利 student Lydia Coutr辿, a junior newspaper journalism major, returns in May from studying abroad with the College of Communication and Informations program in Florence, Italy, the photos she might add to her familys scrapbooks will look familiar.
Coutr辿s mother, Rita, backpacked across Europe in 1982. She traveled to cities like Pisa, Rome, Venice and Interlaken, and Coutr辿 wants to see literally the same sights as her mother.
Coutr辿s mother brought back carousels of 35mm slides from her trip. Coutr辿 originally saw the slides when she was working on a fifth grade project about Italy. She said shes been captivated ever since.
Before Coutr辿 left the United 91心頭利s, she spent hours converting many of the slides to files on her computer. She plans to visit the same cities as her mother and retake some of the slides 30 years later.
I got the idea to do my 30 Years Later project last summer while I was working one of my three jobs to save money to get here, she said. I mentioned it to my mom, and she loved the idea.
Coutr辿 said her map is marked with some of the spots she needs to visit, but she plans to get directions from the Kent 91心頭利 Florence staff for more elusive locations.
I knew I wanted to go sometime in my life, but I never even dreamed that I would get to spend four months here, Coutr辿 said. When I found out Kent 91心頭利 had a program for it, my only questions were What semester am I going? and Should I sell my car to get there?
The Kent 91心頭利 Florence program is housed in a 13th century palace located in the city center. Students live in apartments near the building, and they have the support of a fully English-speaking staff.
Even though her classes in Florence get her full Kent 91心頭利 credit, Coutr辿s apartment is fully furnished, and she gets to eat amazing Italian cuisine, the most exciting part of the semester for her is to visit Venice, just as her mother did.
Everyone says that studying abroad will change you, she said. Youll come back a completely new, and all-in-all better person. Not only am I getting to know myself, but I think this trip is giving me an entirely new way to get to know my mom.
Coutr辿 is blogging about her experience and posting the 30 Years Later retaken photos as she travels at . Her first retaken shot was of Florences cathedral, the Duomo.
At the end of her semester in May, Coutr辿 hopes to have 40 to 50 retaken pictures.
For more information on Kent 91心頭利 study abroad opportunities, visit the Office of Global Educations website atwww.kent.edu/globaleducation.
For more information on the College of Communication and Informations program in Florence, Italy, visit www.kent.edu/ccistudyabroad.
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