Oh, the places we'll go! Fourth in a five part series: Europe and Middle East

Mollie Lurey, sophomore
Fellowship of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy
Tel Aviv, Israel

"I visited Israel to study how a democratic society defends [itself] against terrorism while preserving its democratic values. A lot of people didn't want me to go at first because it might be dangerous. I was a bit afraid, yes, but I felt like terrorists shouldn't be stopping me from visiting. Not going would just prove the legitimacy of terrorism and aid its victory.

We had incredible access to the borders of Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. We spoke to a survivor of a terrorist attack and Israeli Prime Minister Sharon's senior advisors, learning that the government received over 100 calls a day of possible suicide bombings. Four to seven were stopped each day--and these incidents weren't even in high escalation when I went.

A normally-packed mall I went to was almost empty the night of a bombing--the one that broke the cease-fire. That's how unstable terrorism makes the nation's economy. That's how quickly my sense of security was shattered.

I was nervous to go places, but this is the fear that the Israelis experience everyday. It was difficult for me to see that Israel needed such a strong army presence. Israel looked very similar to the U.S., but in front of every shop was a guard checking for bombs. People's hearts race at the sound of an ambulance, because it might have been a suicide bombing, and children worry about their parents taking the public bus home."

Melissa Berman, junior
Performed a full-scale production of Don Giovanni
Oberlin College Immersion Program
Urbania, Italy

"The students were all there to sing opera, and it was nice to be around people who shared my interests. People also came from all over to take Italian and immerse themselves in it. In the morning I would have five hours of Italian and then reheasals. I was there for a month, and over that time period, people [who are] supposed to be famed opera singers came and gave master classes. We worked with American teachers and Italian ones. With each person you worked with, you had to try different techniques in singing.

I stayed in an apartment you would imagine a typical Italian villa to look like. My neighbor, a middle-aged bald guy, sometimes invited me to have wine and talk. Not only was it a good chance to practice Italian, but also, I saw how much home and family meant to the natives. Most of these people lived right next to, if not with, their parents. There's this small-town mentality; the women are of a cookie-cutter mold, and they don't seem to have been affected by feminism at all. This one guy I talked to had no desire to see the world and was very content. I couldn't imagine that."

Julia Cormano, senior
Backpacking
Italy, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Amsterdam and Germany

"During our four weeks of traveling to see all these countries, [my friend Paul Lisi and I] ate the cheapest way possible on Nutella, wine, bread, salami, and of course, beer. One night though, we decided to go to a restaurant to get a taste for the local atmosphere. It was obviously not for tourists because the menu was in Italian. We tried to order oysters with our hand gestures in Spanish since neither one of us knew much Italian, but ended up with mushrooms instead.

On Paul's 21st birthday, we were in Venice and it was the only place where we couldn't find a place to stay because all the hostels were booked. So, we tried to cover as much skin as possible--as we slept outside the train station with bums-- and [got] bitten to death by mosquitos.

Before heading for England to start the six-week University Scholars program, we stopped in Amsterdam, which is one of the most liberal places in Europe. We were offered every drug you can think of, in every language that exists, just because we walked down a street in the redlight zone. And of course, about three streets over was the house Anne Frank stayed in--which put us in a comparatively more somber mood. The best experience though was being in Berlin for the Love Parade, where basically 600,000 to 700,000 people of all sexual orientations get obliterated and rave to techno. Somebody even tried to purchase me from Paul for 20 euros, and Paul bargained to 30 euros before declining. I don't think the guy knew Paul was kidding."

Ashley Carlson, junior
Theater school
London, England

"For six weeks, we had two theater classes a day--one for acting and one about play analysis. Every evening, we would see plays at famous English theaters like the Globe and put on by experienced theatrical groups like the Royal Shakespeare Company. One of the first shows we saw was the Lion King, and we got a behind-the-scenes look at the huge puppets they used in a backstage tour.

The director of The Lion King, along with the musical director of Les Miserables, held a musical theater workshop that we all attended. Part of the workshop was participating in a mock audition, where the directors picked out the things you did wrong or right that might help you land a 'role.' It was great being coached by these professionals."