I had my fifth and final class today – it is called Sustainable Tourism and it is a fascinating class about how people around the world are trying to make tourism as environmentally friendly as possible. I am very excited to see how this is going to play out for the rest of the semester, for as many of you know, I am a great lover of eco-friendliness.
What also will be interesting is my involvement in the class. As with any new class, we introduced ourselves, where we went to school, and what our major was. I was the second to last person to talk about myself. When it was my turn to speak, I said my name, the name of my school, and that I was a biology major. The whole class of twenty people, including the teacher, looked at me like I just confessed to burning down the Uffizi Museum (where priceless works of art by the greats are displayed and is still standing, perfectly intact) – pure and utter disbelief. I should add that everyone else was a hospitality or tourism major. The professor, trying to be friendly and helpful, added, “Well, you can ask any questions if you get lost”.
Okay, I understand that it is very bizarre to have a biology major in a course about tourism but I am concentrating in environmental studies. Just because I am not a tourism major, does not mean that I will not understand this course. I can see how I can use it in the future, when I graduate and potentially get a job as an environmental conservationist (one of my many career path choices). Eco-tourism is a very big part of this course and it impacts more than just the people who pay for them. I can find connections between this kind of tourism and how it will affect the natural world. How will trails be made for hiking? How can we inform the tourist about not stepping on the native vegetation? Will this type of tourism, even with its good intentions, still have negative consequences? So much to learn and many connections to make. So, even though my class may think so, my major might have a lot more to do with this subject than one thinks.
After that class and my Italian class (we learned that Ciao means hello to only people you are familiar with), I wandered around looking for phone sim chips and shoes with one of my roommates. We finished up the excursion with gelato. I got a chocolate cone and was a truly happy camper.
Going to an old Medici palace tomorrow, so keep checking back to hear all about it!
Ciao!
"The whole class of twenty people, including the teacher, looked at me like I just confessed to burning down the Uffizi Museum (where priceless works of art by the greats are displayed and is still standing, perfectly intact) – pure and utter disbelief."
ReplyDeleteyou should write a book. seriously.