• . During t he summer HUF program, senior Katie Casey looks at the view from the Castle of Porciano on May 28 in the town of Stia, Italy. Students toured the early medieval castle and had a feast consisting of three courses in its banquet hall. -Courtesy of Lin nea Jordan Taking a break from hiking, junior Stephanie Watkins, senior Emily Woodroof, jun ior Michael White, aad seniors Amanda Royse and Katie Casey gaze at the Swiss Alps of Gimmelwald, Switzerland, on July 8 during their second free travel. HUF students were given three opportunities to travel Europe independently. -Courtesy of Linnea Jordan RESEEN .llIness breaks o ut among summe r HUF students Many people associate the phrase "the plague" with the outbreak of the bubonic plague carried chiefly by rodents in Europe during · the middle ages or the plagues God cast on Egypt during the time of the Israelites' capdvity. However, fo r the students of Harding University Florence's summer semester, the phrase (Oak on a new meaning. The "HUF-onic Plague," as dubbed by the students, began taking its toll on students about halfway through the semester. The cause of the virus was unknown. "The 'HUF-onic Plague' is a stomach virus," senior Kade Casey said. "I think about 35 of the 45 that went got it. I don't know when we gOt it, bm it started in Southern Italy; we started dropping like Aies." With so many students infected, many on the trip found it difficult to stay healthy. "The sick people sat in the front of the [tour] bus, and the ones trying not w get sick sat in the back," Casey said. Some students were only infected for a few days, like senior Laura BuUingwn , however, for others like junior Lauren Roberts, recovering from the illness (Oak almost twO weeks. "We were either on the bus or lying in bed," Roberts said. "We missed halfof the Southern Italy trip. If we weren't getting sick in the bathroom, we we re feeling sick and lying in bed feeling the after-effects." For Casey, going home a few days early was the ultimate solution. In trying to keep the illness under control, directOrs purchased over-the-counter vitamin shots, which were administered by several nursing students. "Nursing students who had never given shots before were giving us shots," Roben s said. "It was really interesting if you don't like needles, including myself, bur we trusted them and were miserable enough to let them give us the shots." Roberts, along with two other students, had to have the shot administered twice to treat the ill ness. Despite the plague, healthy students were still able to carry on with the tour. Those students, however, did nO( abandon cheir sick friends. "1found that we were one big family," Bullington said. "We were trying not to get sick, but everyone really helped and didn't th ink about it." Roberts said healthy students helped them find food their stomachs could keep down at the hOtel, which sent them on extensive searches for Sprite and crackers. According to Casey, despite the plague's negative effects, it did create one positive outcome: bringing the group closer together. "It's one thing w travel with people you don't know, bur it's another thing to travel with them and be ill," Casey said. "You really get to see rhe caring side of people." Even though the "H UF-onic Plague" took a toll on (he students in Southern Italy, the plague did nor end there. More students became ill upon rhe group's rerurn to Florence and several others were sick during the first week of free travel. Yet, Bullington said, everything turned out for the best. "Looking back on [the plague], i( was a time when we were struggling together and helping each other through," Bullington said. "It made our bond with each other stronger." -Lauren Mitchell hu - f1orence..cr,._ _
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