A Parent Writes - Case Studies - Art History Abroad - Art History Abroad

The parents of a student from a 2010 Summer Course wrote the following letter of thanks;

I am just writing to thank you and all the Art History Abroad team for my daughter's experience on the recent 2 week summer Holiday visit to Venice, Florence and Rome.

L was very nervous indeed about participating, though she was full of anticipation and excitement. But from the moment Luke welcomed L on arrival at Gatwick, by name, on sight (hugely impressive), we left her with all our doubts gone, already knowing she would be fine.

We offered L this holiday as her 18th birthday present - we wanted to give her something that she would always remember and which would last forever,which would feed her intellect and her spirit, something where value would not be measured just in monetary terms but in terms of her enrichment as a person.

You have more than succeeded on every count - just to have her texts saying " Bernini is my new hero", " I have developed a taste for Prosecco", "Saw Rigoletto last night- Awesome" was wonderful, and to hear subsequently of all that she had learned and done has been an absolute joy. The lecturers were outstanding - L adored them all, she has spoken especially of Luke, Helen, Tristan and Jess, and said that they were wonderful as teachers and wonderful as companions and how she has truly valued knowing them. I know that she is carefully choosing a postcard of thanks for each individual who taught her and will send them on to you to be forwarded.

But equally as important, L has learned she can join a group of 30 young people none of whom she knows, spend time with like minded individuals abroad, make wonderful new friends, and have lots of life experiences, almost all good but some challenging, and declare on her return that she just wanted to go straight back and be with her posse(lecturers and fellow students) and do it all over again. It will probably not surprise you at all to know that L now wants to read Art History, and that her trip with Art History Abroad has convinced her that this is right for the next part of her life. There must be many young people who embark on an Art History Abroad course and discover that this is what they want to pursue, just for the joy and fascination of it.

We are very grateful to you all for making this a truly wonderful experience for L. The planning and detail have been thought through so carefully, the choice of lecturers was perfect, and the creation of a series of life- long memories, the sowing of seeds which will very likely develop into passionate interests, is everything we had hoped for and more. L has returned to us more confident, more mature and certainly more expert than she was when she left - the most treasured memory for me id her call from Padua in which she told me she'd just seen the Arena Chapel and could hardly speak because she was so overcome by the wonder of it all.

With many thanks again, and very best wishes