ANNA MONICA / L’Observateur / August 30, 2000

A six-week trip to Europe recently turned to seven and a half weeks for 20-year-old Amanda Montegut, daughter of Dr. Christy and Linda Montegutof LaPlace. As part of the “LSU in Italy 2000” program, Amanda, an LSUjunior studying secondary education with an emphasis on social studies, was one of about 35 students from various universities who spent a semester abroad to study art and English. Departing from Baton Rouge, thegroup flew to Amsterdam and on to Venice, Italy, and what they felt were new and exciting experiences.

To qualify for this semester in Europe the students had to have a 3.0 GPA,and there was a waiting list. Amanda was chosen and plans were for 10days of free travel, three weeks in Venice, one week in Rome and two in Florence, experiencing the local culture as well as being immersed in history along with their studies.

In Venice, world-famous for its glass and where they had a classroom for English, Shakespeare was studied and each day they would read a play and take a trip somewhere. Whatever they studied, Amanda said, they went outto see. In reading “The Merchant of Venice” they went to the Jewish Ghettoand had to stay there from sun down until sun up.

Being especially interested in history, antiquities and the arts, Amanda also relished in reading “Othello” and saw the arsenals where the ships were built as well as the learning history of the ships. There, too, shelearned of the caution exercised for national security. One of the firstchallenges she faced, though, was learning to say “I would like a Coke with ice.”A favorite historic site, the coliseum in Rome, was the subject of many of Amanda’s pictures and impressed her the most. They saw the pope twice,the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican and were impressed that a mass they attended was repeated in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Italian.

The group stayed at monasteries and convents with lovely gardens, and two of the students did the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. Becauseof its beauty, Amanda said every year someone does the scene and everyone there comes to watch.

The Italian food, she said, was not what they expected even though they did get to eat at a McDonald’s and a Hard Rock Caf. Pizza was soldeverywhere and had to be eaten it with a knife and fork, and Amanda decided she would never eat pizza again. The gelato (ice cream), though,was good, she said, and cheap.

A hotel in Florence became home for a while and the students went off to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which is fenced off so no one can go in.

They did see the cables holding it up, and using their hands, had fun taking photos like they were holding it up. Big markets were a common sight inFlorence, especially the ones selling leather, which was very expensive, Amanda observed.

Taking advantage of 10 free days of travel, Amanda and several friends chose to go to Nice, where they enjoyed the beaches. Paris was Amanda’sfavorite place to have fun because the Eiffel Tower and nights there were special. It was certainly wet and cold in Paris, and at the Matterhorn inSwitzerland they were freezing. But in France they could wear shorts allthe time whereas in Italy they wore mostly skirts and pants and the shoulders had to be covered to go into churches, Amanda said.

Amanda had always wanted to go to Italy and has a special fondness for Roman and Greek mythology.

“It’s like stepping back into history,” she said of the places she visited.

Loving history, was easily able to picture herself in that era which she always did. Having to do a paper on a work of art she had seen in eachcity, Amanda did one on a painting, the Pieta by Titian in Venice. In Rome,her paper was on St. Clement, a 14th Century Church. Under it is an 11thcentury church and under that was a Roman apartment house which had a back room that was a Roman temple to the sun god.

Of her experience, Amanda said it was “kind of like a growing up experience because I was aware of other people in another country, which people I had never met before.”She also believes she learned to resolve conflicts and had to really know how to take care of herself. “I learned how to be a lot more responsible toeverything. You have to adjust over there in order to make it,” she said.Having a greater appreciation for her own country, Amanda was glad to get home to have breakfast again.

“I will never forget this,” she said. “You get all wrapped up into anotherpart of the world. It was definitely a growing experience.”Back to Top

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