ISEP student Beatrice U. is a part of ISEP Voices Spring 2016. She is studying for a master’s in international relations at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, and is currently studying abroad at Eckerd College in Florida.
Nothing is better than a picture to capture the best moments of people’s lives, so I will share with you the awesome memories of my experience abroad through a photo essay. These pictures show a few of the moments from my first 15 days at Eckerd College in St. Peterburg, Florida.
This is my first stunning sunset at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg Florida. I grew up in Italy in a small city close to the seaside. Even though I have traveled a lot in the past, every time I am on the beach at sunset I feel like this place is my home away from home. At Eckerd College, whenever you think you need to take a break and relax, you can walk to the beach and enjoy the view. You might even have the chance to see dolphins!
College party on the beach for the Chinese New Year Lantern Festival. Eckerd College has students from all over the world, and they love supporting cultural diversity. We celebrated the Chinese Lantern Festival on campus on February 22. Everybody was invited to come to the beach to taste typical Chinese food, grab a bamboo plant that we can keep with us for good luck and see the performance of the annual dragon dance, put on by the Southeast Association of Chinese-Americans in Largo on February 13 this year. A DJ came to play some good music and we danced. So much fun!
Free bamboo plants for me and my Japanese friend for the Chinese New Year Lantern Festival.
Morning walks
New friends at the Triton’s Pub. The college has different dining possibilities. There are two cafès and a pub on campus. Sometimes when the cafè is closed, I go to the pub and I eat good hamburgers, wraps or fried chicken tenders. The food is pretty good. A lot of events take place at the pub but the funniest for me is the first Friday of each month, when, if you are 21, you can invite your professor to drink beer or sangria and talk!
Eckerd College’s Yellow Bike program lets you use a free bike and save the environment! The program supports a fleet of yellow bicycles that students, faculty and staff can use to get themselves around campus. This means fewer cars on campus, fewer unjustified car rides to class and fewer emissions overall.
Beautiful View from Armacost Library, Eckerd College. Studying can be boring, but at least when you are reading, you can enjoy the fantastic view of one of the main ponds. Some students told me there might be an alligator here, but unfortunately I have never seen him around. The library is huge, with a lot of big tables and comfortable armchairs and several study rooms.
Everything is labeled here at the Eckerd College bookstore. You can find t-shirts, sweatshirts, pants, cups, beach towels, all with the Eckerd College logo. I don’t know why, but this seems to be a really American thing to me. In Italy nobody cares about wearing university labeled clothing, but here everybody does. You feel like part of a community and that is the reason why you are going to buy at least one thing that reminds you of Eckerd College.
The Dalì Museum in St. Petersburg is one of the most interesting museums in town. It houses the largest collection of Dalì’s works outside Europe and good temporary exhibitions. For example, the current exhibition is “Disney and Dalì: Architects of the Imagination.” The standard price is $24 but after 5 p.m. on Thursday, College students pay only $10. A huge discount!
The Central Arts District is in downtown St. Petersburg. The first day I came here I was walking around to explore the city, and it was just a coincidence to find this awesome district. The Grand Central District was formed in 2001 and has since grown into the thriving source of culture that St. Petersburg boasts today. Home to a myriad of galleries and studios like Craftsman House, antique stores, restaurants and nightlife like 3 Daughters Brewery, unique shops and Haslam’s Book Store, Florida’s largest new and used book store.
Are you ready for your own adventure? See all of your study abroad options on the ISEP website.
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