Schools

Prairie State College Summer Abroad Program Exposes Area Student to European Culture


CHICAGO HEIGHTS–(ENEWSPF)–September 4, 2014.  For Rachel Berlinski, history has always been a favorite subject. This summer, the Worth native, who was a student at Prairie State College (PSC), was able to see a whole new side of history when she studied European studies, history and German at Salzburg College in Austria during the summer study abroad program offered by PSC. Salzburg College is a small, private Austrian institution that specializes in study abroad programs.

Berlinski, who is studying history at North Park University this fall, is a 2012 graduate of Alan B. Shepard High School in Palos Heights.

Rachel Berlinski

“I always knew I wanted to study abroad,” Berlinski said. “I’ve stayed in this area my whole life, and it was great to travel to the other side of the world for a little while,” she said. “Since Austria is the center of Europe, it was a great opportunity.”

While there, she also traveled to the Czech Republic, Hungary and Germany with her fellow Salzburg College classmates. During her five-week stay, she lived with a host “mom” in an Austrian home.

The history buff, who hopes to work as a curator in a museum after graduation, says it was especially interesting to discuss World War II and see the war from the Austrian perspective.

“The Austrian Empire was all of Europe at one time,” she said.  “Now, a lot of people don’t think of Austria and its culture. Because the country has been through so many border and land size changes, it doesn’t really have its own culture,” she added. 

Among the other things Berlinski enjoyed during her travels were visits to iconic locations from the movie “Sound of Music,” which was filmed in Austria.

“That movie is a big tourist attraction in Salzburg,” she said. “And, the movie really helped me understand the landscape a little better.”

Among her stops were Mirabel Gardens, where the Von Trapp children were filmed singing and dancing to “Do-Re-Mi,” the gazebo from the famous “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” scene, and Nonnberg Abbey, at which “Maria” lived in the opening of the 1965 film.

She also attended several choir concerts in area churches, attended an opera in Vienna, and a concert put on by the Vienna Philharmonic.

She said the educational trip would not be her last visit to Europe.

“I would really like to study abroad again,” Berlinski said. “The summer term was perfect, because it was long enough to learn a lot, but short enough not to get homesick, but there is still a lot more to see.”

The PSC study abroad program is offered in association with the Illinois Consortium for International Studies and Programs (ICISP).  ICISP is a consortium of 40 community colleges and small liberal arts colleges that offers a semester-long summer study abroad program in several countries.

For more information on the study abroad programs offered at PSC, contact Teresa McCann, assistant professor/coordinator, study abroad, at (708) 709-3643 or [email protected].

Source: prairiestate.edu


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