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2 and a half weeks after getting back, I am filled with many thoughts and emotions. Truthfully, there hasn't been a day since landing where I haven't missed Europe and the friendships I made while there. I find myself in class, or just in daily life, zoning out and being lost in extremely vivid and happy memories.
I remember the students I taught, the Torremaggiore community and their over-the-top efforts to make sure we felt welcomed and entertained, dancing with my friends, the mother and daughter in Austria who invited me to sit with them and eat dinner, the family I traveled to Salzburg with, my friend Frances who I celebrated New Years dancing and my last days in Vienna with, the Grassi family, and so many more people who made a meaningful impact on my experience in Europe. I remember feeling scared, alone, encouraged, inspired, happy, grateful, welcomed, and fulfilled. Each memory has a feeling associated with it, and with the memories I bring home I also bring these feelings which helped me grow into a more independent and empathetic person. I remember feeling like I never want to leave Europe. I remember missing my family and wishing that they could be there with me to see what I was seeing. Being back in America with them, I realize that while there will be time to back and see new places in Europe, my home lies in Buffalo and it is where I should be. Before leaving, I stated that my hope was to increase my pedagogical repertoire and empathy for ELL students, to learn about myself, and to have an impact on the lives of my future students in Torremaggiore. Through IPDS Italy, I was able to fulfill each of these hopes, as well as learn quite a bit about European culture and history. I can honestly say that my experiences across J-term 2020 were the greatest moments of my life, and greatly impactful on my view of education
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AuthorHello and welcome to my blog page! My name is Nicholas and I am a music education major with a minor in philosophy, my primary instrument is percussion, and my dream is to someday teach elementary general music. Through this program, I hope to increase my pedagogical repertoire and empathy when working with English language learners, to learn about myself as an individual, and to make an impact in the lives of the children in Torremaggiore, Italy. Feel free to browse through and return to my blog as I update it with my pedagogical and travel adventures! Archives
February 2020
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