Erin Wilk, a health science major, spent the summer of 1999 studying in Central Europe with Bradley's Study Abroad Program.

Erin in the Austrian Alps

This past summer I was lucky enough to be able to participate in one of the greatest experiences of my life. The Bradley University European Summer Semester turned out to be more than I expected and a time of my life that I will never forget.

London
In London, where we stayed for two weeks, I took THE 131, and I was able to see seven shows while I was there…. There was great theatre; fabulous, but incredibly expensive shopping; and some of the neatest people I’ve ever met.…The history of London, as much as you prepare yourself for it, will blow you away. It is almost unbelievable, especially coming from a country where 200 years is old. My favorite church in London, St. Bartholomew’s the Great, was first built in the 1100s. It was then added onto in the 1400s and again in the 1700s.

Malta
After London we went to Malta, which is a small island country off the boot of Italy in the Mediterranean Sea. Talk about a culture shock! Malta was 90 degrees, every building was white, and the culture was much slower than that of London’s…. In Malta, people would stroll up and down the waterfront on these extremely narrow sidewalks, and you couldn’t get lunch in less than two hours…. I took U.S. Foreign Policy while I was there, which was a class I ended up loving.

Munich
I took my [Malta] tan with as we went to Germany. We were only in Munich for three days and because all the classes had scheduled their finals then, I didn’t see a whole lot of Munich. Living in this city was harder though for the simple reason of the language barrier.… I remember our first night there we eventually found “pizza” and ate there.

Igls
From Munich, we went to Igls, Austria, which was a breathtaking and relaxing environment to end our trip in…. Here I took my 300-level English course, and I was able to reflect back on the rest of my trip throughout my journal writing, which was one of the main components of the grade…

[One unique] experience of the trip is when we found out that Madeleine Albright, the U. S. Secretary of State, was staying in a hotel in Igls about 200 yards away. Our last day in Europe was the fourth of July, and even though I wasn’t in the country, I think it was one of the best Independence Days I have ever had. After dinner all 50 of us on the trip walked over to Madeleine Albright’s hotel. We got a little static walking onto the property from the secret service men; however, eventually they let us in. Out came Secretary Albright to stand 10 feet in front of us so that we could sing the Star Spangled Banner, and she sang with us! She then stood in the group for a photo opportunity, and later that evening we were able to watch fireworks that she had brought with her! … This was an incredible experience. … I would suggest this or any study abroad program to anyone—you’ll love it!