Kristen Plank is a senior majoring in agricultural communications and a student writer for the CAES.
Student Spotlight on Kristen Plank
By Kristen Plank
After spending two weeks of May abroad on a garden tour of Europe, I believe that one of the best ways to experience another country is to visit its gardens. Having never been outside the U.S. before, this experience can be both intimidating and exhilarating. After rounding up a passport, camera, warm clothes and tips from everyone and anyone who had been abroad before, I felt that I was well equipped to take on Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. There was, however, no way of preparing my senses to be slammed from all sides and my brain from going on a sensory overload.
Tim Smalley, a professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences for horticulture, started the program in 2001. He says this "grand tour" of Europe is different from simply visiting gardens in the U.S. because it increases cultural appreciation.
"There are different foods, languages and customs when you're abroad," Smalley says. "I think being exposed to a new place and fending for yourself helps the students become more flexible, develop confidence and adapt to new situations."
This held true for me in every way possible as we wandered through two to three gardens a day and stayed in a new city nearly every night. Few previous classes were needed in horticulture and gardening to make this trip pertinent, as everyone has the capacity to experience and appreciate another country's culture and gardens. Many students who aren't horticulture majors went and really made the most of it.
Erin Melville, a senior majoring in history and recently horticulture, said going abroad to see these older gardens was like "going to see George Washington." Her two favorite gardens on the trip were Iford Manor in Wales and Little Sparta in Scotland.
"I gained a greater appreciation for these gardens because they were taking something old, like Greek and Roman references, and reinventing it to become uniquely theirs," she said. "It's a seamless mesh of history and horticulture."
I wish I could say I understood the tiny intricacies of where the garden originators pulled their inspirations. And that's what makes this trip amazing. You are able to experience it on many different levels — artistically, historically and culturally.
Some of the best moments were those spent outside the gardens, when the professors told us to fend for ourselves for the night's entertainment. Imagine the possibilities! Dinner in Dublin, castle climbing in Blarney, hiking in the Highlands and roaming within the hubbub of London, all with students you've never met before.
This is what both professors Smalley and Marc van Iersel love seeing.
"Each time I go I learn more about garden history, but my favorite part of the trip is interacting with students and having them get to know me outside the classroom. They realize professors are people, too," van Iersel said.
For me, this trip has become a gateway into the world of travel, and I plan on seeing the rest of the world as soon as possible. Even after spending only two weeks with the group, I managed to make amazing friends, take a travel book's worth of pictures and learn more than I could ever have been taught in a textbook.