• the , ....morlesin Students in Florence spend the semester receiving an education and exploring the countryside of Europe Junior Jennifer Riley holds a baby belonging to Sylvia,one of the staff mem– bers at HUF. Students at HUF in the summer of 2002 not only grew closer to each other, they also formed friendships with the teachers and staff. (Photo cour– tesy of HUF Program) Juniors Brian Walton, Neika Noble, Jana Baber, Alyson Kilgore and Brian Johns show off their Carnavale gear. Carnavale was a parade held in February 2002 in celebration of Florence's culture. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Jeff Hopper) • • 14 student life can Each semester, s tudents at– tending Harding University in Florence spent the semester in th e heart of the Tuscan hill s in a v illa called II Palazzaccio. Forty stu– dents played and fought like brothers and s isters in o ne g iant family for three months. "My favorite part of HUF is getting to know people on a more personal l evel:' junior Matt Fecteau said. "While Jiving w ith 39 others, one is g iven the oppor– tunity to form meaningful friend– ships. " Along w ith the new friend ships that HUF offered, students were also given the chance to see Italy and many other European countries through free travel. Several timesdur– ing the semester the students spent four to six days out of class, traveling and exploring the sights of Europe. "One of my most interesting days was when I went skiing for the very first time down a moun– tain in Switzerland where the Swiss Olympic team practices," sopho– more Grant Jackson said. HUF students, o r " h uffers," roamed around Europe, visiting Paris, Barcelona, Munich, Prague, London, Amsterdam, wherever wandering hearts desired. A few even ventured into less familiar areas such as Ljubljana, Slovenia. "I picked Slovenia beca use my best friend's parents are mission– aries there," junior Sharon Hall said. "It's a beautiful country and not many people go there for free travel." The students saw a lot of Ita ly and learned about Italian art and architecture through guided tours. Famous works they saw included s Michelangelo's David, the Sistine Chape l and the Colosseum in Rome. Every semester at HUF was dif– ferent because of the people. Each group had 40 different faces inter– acting with each oth er and grow– ing together. " I think what made the fall 2002 semester of HUF unique was our senses of humor," junior Danielle Rousseau said . "We a ll had an odd love for the marble that is known as carrara, the symbol of the rich and powerful Medici family and the non-conventional musical com– positions of several of the stu– dents." The HUF group made their own memories and shared laughter they remembered long after they left Italian soil. -Sarah West
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