It is time! Bags are packed, Rosetta Stone is loaded, and we are ready to go to France! My name is Ryan Kirchner and I am excited to say that this is my first post on my blog that will follow my journey to Cluny France, an opportunity I never dreamed of participating in. I remember hearing about this course in my microbiology lecture this past semester and thinking to myself just how amazing of an experience and learning opportunity this course must be. Months later, with the help of Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences study abroad office, I was ecstatic to learn that I would be able to fulfill my dream of traveling abroad while also learning about two of my favorite things, wine and cheese!
As a food science major, I am looking forward to the invaluable knowledge I will be able to take away from this two week program. Cluny, where we will be residing, is a perfect example of just how far reaching of an effect food and terrain can have on a given area’s culture, economy, history and vice versa. We will be able to experience firsthand just how important the production of cheese and wine (which has more production parameters than one person could imagine) has to Cluny as a whole while also learning the microbial processes behind it all. This program is most definitely going to be an opportunity for personal growth as it will be my first time navigating an airport, let alone another country, completely solo! (That is until I find my group).
Stay tuned for more updates on this weeks journey. But for now…. it’s time to turn on airplane mode. Au revoir!
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