C'est la vie #HogsAbroad in Denmark

Hi! My name is Rebekah Reynolds. I am a senior Interior Architecture student at the Fay Jones School of Architecture + Design with a minor in music. This summer I participated in the Danish Institute of Study Abroad (DIS) in Copenhagen, Denmark.

I have been studying in Denmark for almost two months now, and there is this phrase I have begun using quite a bit since arriving in Denmark, c’est la vie. Now you may be saying, “but that’s French, not danish!”, and yes that is true, but somehow it has become a saying that I now associate with Denmark… oh well. Another thing you may be thinking is “that’s not the most positive outlook” or maybe “what even does that mean?”. C’est la vie translates to “Such is life”, and I would argue that rather than a negative outlook on life, it is a way of stating that not everything in life is in your control, and that’s ok. This is something I have learned constantly in my journey abroad, starting all the way back to the application process. 

I first applied to DIS during the spring semester of 2020, with plans to travel that summer. Within 4 hours of receiving my letter of acceptance into the program, I received an email informing students that due to COVID-19, no UARK students would be studying abroad that summer… c’est la vie. This is how I ended up studying abroad the summer after my senior year, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Fast forward to arriving in Denmark. After many flight delays and stressful hours in the airport, I finally arrive in Copenhagen, only to be told that my luggage did not arrive with me. I spent my first week in Copenhagen with only my carry on bag, wearing the same two t-shirts and jeans, and you know what, I couldn’t find it in me to care! I thought “ why on earth should I be torn up about my lack of luggage when I’m in Denmark on a life changing journey?”, c’est la vie. And not to worry, I did eventually receive my luggage! (Pro tip- pack your carry on as if you will lose your luggage for a week). 

Moving on to the first time I actually heard someone say the words c’est la vie on this trip. When studying abroad through DIS, you go on a 1 week study tour in different countries (I went to Norway and Sweden), and it is basically a jam packed week of travel, meeting new people from other classes, and good times. What you can not expect is to feel well rested for the entirety of that week. After a particularly long day of travel (I’m pretty sure we were awake for 18 hrs), a professor used c’est la vie while discussing the trip and it caught on. I wish I could remember the context, but alas I was just a little tired. 

At this point in the trip I had realized that life going in an unexpected way had become a trend for me. This was something that a planner like myself usually did not enjoy, and yet every time life had taken an unexpected turn, amazing things came from allowing myself to let go and continue on. I came to Denmark without any close friends, and will be leaving with a group of friends that will be with me for life. I woke up each day with no specific plans, and let life decide what would happen. I branched out from my usual design habits in the studio and benefited greatly in the learning experience. I lived life to the fullest by not allowing myself to get caught in expectations but instead staying grounded in the now. C’est la vie.  

Now I have to come back to reality, and begin this new chapter of life as an official working adult. And though I am sad to end this chapter of  travel and school, I enter this new one with the wisdom that life isn’t in my control, but it’s better off that way. How else are you supposed to have fun? And so I leave Denmark with these parting words, c’est la vie.

Top Two Tips #HogsAbroad in Denmark

Hi all! My name is Avery Townsell, and I have just completed my 4th year at the Fay Jones School of Architecture + Design. I'm an Interior Design major currently studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark.

I'd like to take this post to share two of the things I have learned over the past five weeks. Most, if not all, of these things have helped me enjoy life a bit more, and I would like them to help you too!

1). Just do it! (not a Nike sponsor)

Studying abroad in a new country with a non-U of A program can be intimidating in multiple ways. Personally, one of the most nerve-wracking things was not having a dependable friend to explore with. I am relatively introverted, so the idea of "biting the bullet" or "just go do it" is what helped me kill two birds with one stone, I guess. It helped me push myself to leave my room and go to the common area, where there are always at least two to three people hanging out, to meet new people. And when there wasn't anybody around, it helped me learn to be comfortable and confident with exploring on my own. Basically, don't let anything keep you from experiencing something you might not get another chance to see. So go out, do, see, and try!

2). Don’t let anything get you down!

I do apologize for the cliche catchphrases, but I stand by them! This is potentially your only chance to study abroad, so don't let anything or anybody ruin it. My arrival in Copenhagen was a bit of a hassle that ended with me arriving hours after my original arrival time and with my luggage missing. As a chronic over-packer with a strong attachment to my things, you can imagine this was not fun for me. I was missing my luggage for eight days, with no clear information on where it was. It's been my dream to come to Europe for years, and the first few days, I couldn't even enjoy myself as I was too stressed out over my luggage. I pretty much had to mentally slap myself as a reminder of where I was and what I was lucky enough to be doing. I had to remind myself that the time I have is limited and to enjoy every second. I couldn't let myself waste time over something I couldn't control. And hey, I’ve learned what my essentials are of what I truly do and don’t need (haha).

Copenhagen is an amazing city! Being here has helped me develop more as a person, if only because this is the first time I've been alone. And being alone isn't always a bad thing. It helps you become more self-assured and settled in your skin.

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You can start planning your adventure abroad today! Dive in to our Explore page at https://studyabroad.uark.edu/explore/index.php, and start your program search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Slow it Down: The Truth About Travel, Stress, and Taking it All In #HogsAbroad in Roma

Hi! My name is Morgan Clupka. I’m a Fay Jones Interior Architecture major who studied Interior Architecture in Rome for five weeks this summer. I participated in the interior architecture summer program created by the University of Arkansas Rome Center, and am now blogging to share my experiences and what I have learned from them.

For me, as an interior architecture major, studying abroad is required to graduate. So, even though the thought of traveling without my family and leaving the country for the first time was quite nerve-wracking and scary, especially, with war and sickness as large topics in the world right now, I had to go abroad to earn my degree. In the end, this was actually a good thing for me because it got me out of my comfort zone. 

First Generation Experience

I never really was the type to fantasize about traveling the world or leaving the country. Mainly because my family has never had the means to do these things. As a first-generation college student, I have been the first in my family to experience a lot of things. All the way from the first to fill out the FASFA to the first to get a passport being a first-generation can be hard. Our families want to help us with these new experiences, but a lot of times they just don’t know how to help or even where to begin. Everything is a learning process. If studying abroad wasn’t required for my major I would have never been able to go because traveling abroad is not considered a financial priority for my family. I am very lucky to have had the opportunity to study in Rome this summer. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me that I will never forget. 

The Hard Truth

To be honest, not everything was sunshine and gelato. Living in an apartment with three other girls, trying new foods, figuring out transportation, struggling with the language, etc. can affect people. Stress can make people act completely differently than they normally act on a day-to-day basis. This is one thing that I wish I would have fully understood before studying abroad. They tell us during pre-departure meetings and orientations that studying abroad can affect your mental health, but I did not expect the drama that would ensue from the stress of being abroad. In my apartment, my roommates and I struggled largely with communication in times of stress from tasks like transportation to and from places to things as simple as agreeing on a restaurant. No one's study abroad experience will be 100% perfect. 

Soak It All In 

Studying abroad, in general, is A LOT. You’re living in a whole new country, learning the culture, learning the language, taking in all new views, and you’re doing all of this basically by yourself. You may be lucky enough to have a few school friends with you, but you still won’t have the same support system that you are used to having back at home. Studying abroad, when it’s only for five weeks, is also very fast-paced. Everything was go, go, go. We had little time to rest and even less time to do the required homework. Rome itself is also very fast-paced, it can be hard to take it all in. My advice would be to take it slow and try not to get overwhelmed. There is no need to walk fast in the streets. Try looking around, maybe stop in a shop to check it out, grab a coffee, or if you are in a rush make sure to take note of fun places you see and want to explore later. Keeping visual reminders of everything I experienced was very important to me. I would recommend that if you have a phone with low storage like me, then you should invest in a flash drive that connects to your phone and stores pictures. Pictures will QUICKLY take up A LOT of SPACE. When I went on excursions, I took pictures of everything, even the tiny little details. Just don’t forget to put the phone down and take it all in with your own eyes in between photo montages.

Journaling

One thing that worked well for me was using a sketchbook to journal, sketch, and scrapbook my experience. I brought one of my favorite sketchbooks from home, but you could easily buy one from anywhere you are studying. It was actually required for my studio class that we fill four pages worth of our sketchbook for every class that we had. This added to a lot of sketches, as we had studio almost every day. Trying to keep up with this was definitely stressful. I would recommend if you are required to do this make sure you stay on top of it and do the four sketches everyday. If you fall behind four turns into twenty and that is basically impossible to find the time to do. Also, I recommend that if your classes give you a syllabus with a schedule on it, make sure you keep that and check it every day to see what you’ll be doing, how to prepare, and to keep up with outside-of-class assignments. I am grateful that I journaled and sketched for my classes because it gave me an outlet, a place to put all the fun things I had learned and seen during my time in Rome. I placed ticket stubs, metro passes, and postcards in there too for safe keeping and memories. Studying abroad was an excellent academic experience for me. I loved seeing all of the art and design from art history in person, all things that I had learned in class previous to the trip. It was kind of like getting to meet your celebrity crush or famous mentor. Tears of joy were definitely shed when visiting places like the Uffizi Gallery, the Laurentian Library, and the Sistine Chapel.

Coping Resources

Another thing that I would like to add about journaling your experience is that journaling can also help you cope with the stress and overwhelming emotions you may be feeling while abroad. You can write about how you feel each day and why you feel that way. Writing out how you are feeling often helps you process and it will be nice to look back later and remember exactly what was going through your head while you were abroad. Another resource for coping while you are abroad in Rome to be specific would be the staff at the University of Arkansas Rome Center. These people are here to help and they care about you and your experience abroad. They are super nice and will listen to anything you may be going through and need help with! 

The Bottom Line

With COVID still around I wasn’t sure if I would get to study abroad or if the experience would be as enriching as it had been for others in past years. After getting to study abroad recently I can honestly say that studying abroad is one of the most enriching experiences of a lifetime, even with COVID in the world. The only things that were affected by COVID were transportation (with the requirement of an FFP2 mask) and some of the places that were allowed to travel to and visit as a large group. This blog really only skims the surface of the overall study abroad experience and how exciting and fulfilling it can be. I hope if you choose to study abroad yourself, you will take my advice and take it slow, soak it all in, document memories, and reach out if you need help!

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Interior Architecture major Morgan Clupka spent the Summer 2022 term in at the U of A Rome Center with support from the Office of Study Abroad Scholarship.

You can start planning your adventure abroad today! Dive in to our Explore page at https://studyabroad.uark.edu/explore/index.php, and start your program search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Mexico Surprised Me #HogsAbroad in Mexico

Casa Luis Barragan (Roof Top), Mexico City

My name is Claudia Contreras, I’m part of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design as a fifth-year architecture major with a minor in Interior Design. This past summer (summer 2018) I studied abroad in Mexico. I’ve been in Mexico several times due to having family to visit, but I have never experienced the beauty of Mexico until this summer. Mexico surprised me with its beautiful colors, its amazing architecture and its welcoming Mexican community that made us feel like home anywhere we went. 

Market in Mexico City

Zocalo, Mexico City

Our trip started and ended in Mexico City. We started our adventure two weeks after the spring semester ended and returned to reality on August 5th. Our study abroad consisted of introducing us to a complex new social and physical context through extensive travel research in different regions of the Mexican nation complimented by a design studio in Mexico City conducted in the annex and garden, designed by Luis Barragan, Mexico’s greatest 20th Century architect. While in Mexico City, we lived with Mexican families, and as we immersed ourselves in the culture by embracing the rhythms and experiences unique to urban life in the world’s most dynamic metropolis.

A view on the ocean in Campeche

Ruins of Palenque

With the study abroad program, at the University of Arkansas, I got to travel to places in Mexico that I would never imagine. I can now add Campeche, Palenque, Yaxchilan, Puebla, Veracruz, Tlacotalpan, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Cantona, San Miguel Allende, Mineral de Pozos, Guanajuato, Queretaro, and last but not least, Mexico City.

Santo Domingo Yanhuitlan

Hogs Abroad happy to admire Mexican Architecture

Teotihuacan

The sky is the limit (on top of the Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacan)

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Architecture & interior design student Claudia Contreras spent the summer 2018 term in Mexico with our U of A Faculty-Led: Latin America Urban Studio program in Puebla, Mexico, with the help of our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship.

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Il Calcio #HogsAbroad

Played soccer with some Americans and had a great time. And yes, I lent Daniel the West Ham jersey.
L. Rodney Cole McKenna
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Read more from Rodney at https://rockomckenna.wordpress.com/
Find out more about the USAC Italy: International Business, Architecture/Design/Art, and Italian Studies in Torino at http://usac.unr.edu/study-abroad-programs/italy/torino/
 

Bardonecchia #HogsAbroad

Went snowboarding this past weekend with a German and another American. Had a great time even though I spent 2 hours trying to find my way back across the French-Italian border unsuccessfully… ended up having to take a bus; it was a lot of fun though.
L. Rodney Cole McKenna
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Read more from Rodney at https://rockomckenna.wordpress.com/
Find out more about the USAC Italy: International Business, Architecture/Design/Art, and Italian Studies in Torino at http://usac.unr.edu/study-abroad-programs/italy/torino/
 

Susa #HogsAbroad

Went to Susa for €5. It was well worth it.

L. Rodney Cole McKenna

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Read more from Rodney at https://rockomckenna.wordpress.com/
Find out more about the USAC Italy: International Business, Architecture/Design/Art, and Italian Studies in Torino at http://usac.unr.edu/study-abroad-programs/italy/torino/

Day 1 in Torino #HogsAbroad

So, day one and the most surprising thing still is the weather. When we arrived it was somewhere near 13 C, which is like 40 F. Keep in mind this is where the winter Olympics where held in 2006. The other thing that is a surprise (and a pleasant one at that) is that so far we have been here and entire day walking around the city center and we have yet to see another tourist. On top of that, no one here speaks English to you to start, not until you have mutter back “capisco englisho”, pardon the spelling. This all makes me very excited to see how my semester will develop. And right now its 3:53 am and I’m just sitting here on my balcony enjoying the night, obviously not able to sleep. So to all of you back in America, have a good evening.

-Ld. Rodney Cole McKenna

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Read more from Rodney at https://rockomckenna.wordpress.com/
Find out more about the USAC Italy: International Business, Architecture/Design/Art, and Italian Studies in Torino at http://usac.unr.edu/study-abroad-programs/italy/torino/

Interior Design Student Winning in Rome #HogsAbroad

Everything in Kelly Walsh’s life has led her to where she is right now – studying in Rome, thanks to a prestigious $30,000 scholarship. With the help of great professors and an inspirational European trip, Walsh, a University of Arkansas interior design student, was able to use her talents to win the Senior Student Scholarship from the Angelo Donghia Foundation.

Students pose for a group shot with “Il Porcellino”, the bronze statue of a boar. Kelly Walsh says that
everyone loved Florence and thought it was “modern” in comparison to Rome.

Walsh was first introduced to the idea of design when she was 14, when her sister was studying art and design and showed her Photoshop, along with blogs and magazines.

“I started playing with graphic design right away. I taught myself how to write HTML and combined the two to create a Jonas Brothers fan page website,” Walsh said. “If I remember correctly, it looked pretty good.”

Because of the interconnectedness of the design world, she was able to continue discovering websites which eventually led her to interests in industrial design, architecture and, of course, interior design.
Walsh, who was raised in Arlington, Texas, instantly fell in love with Fayetteville, the people and the Fay Jones School’s architecture program. Now in her senior year, she said that it just felt so right to go to school in Arkansas.

“Choosing the U of A was the single best decision I’ve ever made for myself. I can’t imagine being anywhere else. I don’t think I would be sitting on a train to Florence right now if I had,” Walsh said.

A snapshot of Kelly Walsh and Sam Shipp taken during a September school-led weekend trip in Florence.

A nighttime shot of the Colosseum, which is one of Walsh’s favorite views in Rome.
She’s taken fewer photos of Rome this time around.

Many components make the Fay Jones School an amazing program, and one of those is the faculty. Her professors, Marie Gentry and Jennifer Webb, helped Walsh achieve her dreams, along with Carl Matthews, head of the interior design department.

Walsh is the seventh Donghia Foundation Scholarship winner that Matthews has taught. The other student scholarship winners were from when he previously taught at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Architecture.

Walsh reflected on the 12 professors she has had in major-specific classes in the Fay Jones School and said that each of them has had something valuable to teach her and has helped shape her into the designer she is becoming.

“The best things about Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design are the resources that the school provides for the students. And as a design student, it’s really important to me to have access to things like our Design Shop and Woodshop so that I can actually create anything I think up,” Walsh said.
Inspiration can be discovered anywhere, but for Walsh, a lot of it has come from her experiences abroad and at home through guest lectures and professors.

As one might expect, emotions were high for Walsh when she learned she had won this life-changing scholarship.

“My mom called me and read the letter that the news came in to me while I was checking out at a grocery store, and I kind of freaked out. I was shaking really hard, and I couldn’t hide my tears of excitement from the cashier very well,” Walsh said.

Her excitement grew when Matthews brought up the possibility of taking a studio at the U of A Rome Center for the fall semester. Walsh had briefly studied abroad in Rome last summer, but she felt that her time was too short and that such a life-changing experience deserved a second round. She packed up her things and was able to finish what she started in Rome in 2014, and she said that she is enjoying her time there so far this semester.

Walsh visits Brussels, Belgium, with Joshua Powell, left, and Sam Shipp,
two architecture students she’s been friends with since her first year of school.

Students are encouraged to travel on their “open” three-day weekends, and here Joshua Powell and Kelly Walsh are shown in Brussels, Belgium. Walsh says they chose Brussels for the Belgium waffles (one of them shown), and it ended up being her favorite city to that point.

With such a significant scholarship to add to her resume, Walsh is feeling good about her post-graduation possibilities. She said that she feels a lot more confident about her abilities than she did before and that she worked extremely hard on the project.

Exhausted from a semester of her hardest work, Walsh sent in her submission with not a huge amount of hope. Seeing the amazing projects that had won before seemed daunting to the tired Walsh, but she knew that she did her absolute best work.

“When I received the news that I won, I was more excited about the fact that the judges thought I deserved the award more than the actual award itself. I learned that the adage ‘hard work pays off’ is true, and that makes me really excited for the future,” Walsh said.

Just like any other Razorback, the thought of letting go of an eventful four years filled with laughter, tears, all-nighters, Hog calls, game days, studio, hopelessness, faith and opportunities seems impossible. She knows, though, that the knowledge she has gained at the U of A has prepared her well for any adventure that the future holds.

After she dries her graduation tears, Walsh said that she plans to move back to Dallas to be near her family and to start finding her place in the “real world.” With an amazing team of professors on her side, as well as an impressive and talented background, Walsh won’t only find her place but she’ll likely inspire others for years to come.

A view from Brussels, Belgium.

By Leigha Van Sickle

Originally posted on the U of A Interior Design departmental blog

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To find out more about the U of A Rome Center semester program for Architecture, visit http://studyabroad.uark.edu/romecentersemester/ 

More Classes Offered at the U of A Rome Center

Nestled in the heart of Rome, the University of Arkansas’s Rome Center is the perfect study abroad opportunity, especially for rising sophomores. Anchoring this study abroad program is its rich curriculum. Established in 1989, the U of A Rome Center has been a haven for arts and architecture study, but last summer the University expanded the curriculum to feature a variety of U of A core class offerings as well as upper level electives in Italian culture, language, art, interior design and history.  With recent business core course additions of Principles of Macroeconomics and Principles of Microeconomics, this program is sure to have something to offer no matter what college you're in! To see a full course list and to apply for this summer, just visit http://studyabroad.uark.edu/romecampus.

The U of A Rome Center is conveniently located in one of the most important palaces in Rome – Palazzo Taverna.  Not far from Piazza Navona, Palazzo Taverna first belonged to the Orsini Family, and in 1328 the site took the name of Mount Giordano, in tribute to Giordano Orsini a Roman Senator in 1341. The palace was referred to by Dante in his literary masterpiece The Divine Comedy (Inferno, Canto XVIII). In 1688, after five hundred years of uninterrupted ownership, Flavio Orsini, burdened by debts, was obliged to sell the property to the Gabrielli Family, a very old and noble Roman family. Since 1888, however, the Earls Taverna of Milan have owned the palazzo.  

Today, the buildings in the Palazzo house many different activities from private residential apartments to banqueting halls, diplomatic residences and artist studios.  Palazzo Taverna has a Baroque wing and an Empire wing -- each featuring frescoes from the turn of the 19^th century by painter Coccetti. The U of A Rome Center is housed in the Empire wing of the Palazzo where the most important architects of the 20^th century met to discuss their ideas.

It is in this prestigious setting that the U of A Rome Center offers classes during the first summer session. This five-week terms closely aligns with Fayetteville’s summer session. Faculty members from the Fayetteville campus join with Italian instructors, who have extensive knowledge of Italian language, art, business, interior design, architecture, and culture. Students enroll in two U of A courses, for a total of six credit hours.

The U of A Rome Center offers an educational experience that replaces the traditional classroom with a didactic, hands-on approach. The ‘Roman Razorbacks’ use this ancient city as a laboratory to examine historical and contemporary Rome through numerous local site visits and museum tours.  Students see the Colosseum, Vatican City and its Sistine Chapel as well as the works of Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Bernini, and Borromini which are scattered throughout the city.

Regional site visits make the program more dynamic. To that end, students take day trips to the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Villa Adriana, the home and governmental seat of 2^nd century Roman Emperor Hadrian. Additionally, students visit Villa d’Este which is famous for its captivating fountains and gardens as well as for being the final resting place for many of the ruins of Villa Adriana.  Students also explore Villa Farnese in Caprarola and Villa Lante in Bagnaia, two magnificent Renaissance villas in the area.  A weekend trip to Florence, the jewel of Renaissance Italy, is another unique highlight of this program.

“Everything about the program flows well together. Classes were Monday through Thursday, and Friday to Sunday was always different. There were mandatory site trips, free weekends, and optional out of town trips. The teaching method was very different, because we were able to go to the site that we studied. This rarity is what made the study abroad so special. My ‘textbook’ was not pages bound together. It was churches that were hundreds of years old, villas that belonged to important families, and important public architecture. Even our school, Palazzo Taverna, has a rich history behind it. Being able to experience the architecture and then learn from our experience with it made learning not only fun, but also tangible,” said one student.

Students are housed in apartments which are located in traditional, well-established neighborhoods either within walking distance of the U of A Rome Center or conveniently located next to public transit routes for easy access to the Center.  

“I like the simplicity of Italy; I didn’t realize how diverse & beautiful the land and people of Italy are….I learned I can navigate a huge city all on my own,” said one student. 

This summer, students have the opportunity to take U of A courses like Basic Art Lecture, U.S. History, Italian Language, Principles of Macroeconomics, Principles of Microeconomics, Art and Culture in Italy, Living in Rome – From Antiquity to Modern Life, Drawing, Power through Art, and Western European History….all from an Italian perspective and with Rome as a backdrop. For more information and to apply, visit http://studyabroad.uark.edu/romecampus but hurry, space is filling quickly!