A Broad in Venice: Facing your temptress overseas

The Accademia Museum in Venice is home to the paintings of many predominant art history figures, including Tintoretto, Tiepolo and Bellini, just to name a few.

The museum’s early works depict pre-modern landscapes and religious scenarios, all conforming to a standard formula of realism and subject matter. One of the primary attractions of the museum is “The Tempest” by Giorgione, an image of a nude woman breast-feeding a child while a shepherd looks upon her.

There are a great number of debated interpretations regarding the meaning of this painting and its suggestive title. Viewing it stirred up some discussion among me and my classmates when we toured the museum as part of our study abroad program. We have all been facing our own individual battles with the issue of indulgence and restraint and found that the balance between the two dictates the quality of every individual’s abroad experience.

The most obvious temptation faced while abroad is the desire to abuse your monetary budget. Not to exacerbate the stereotype, but let’s face it — we’re all starving college students here, and budgets are slim. Life is expensive abroad, particularly in Europe where a single euro is worth 1.4 American dollars.

My harmless 3 euro afternoon slice of pizza actually costs $4.33 after I consider the exchange rate and transaction fee. Getting 30 euro worth of groceries doesn’t seem too bad until you realize that you’ve actually just spent almost $50.

The same issue applies to shopping, probably my biggest personal temptress.

Massive colorful store windows flaunt the newest European fashions, Italian leather handbags and jackets, sparkling jewelry and shoes. I find myself falling in love every block and a half. “You’ll never find a better deal on Italian leather,” my temptress calls to me. “This handbag is only 65 euro.”

And I almost fall for it, until my good angel pops up on my left shoulder, calculator in hand, to counter the demon’s argument.

While the shopping demon might not seduce every student abroad, the grape goddess called Vino certainly lurks in the shadows of all of our minds. In Italy, we are in the land where wine flows like water from the hills of its decadent origin. Even the cheap stuff here is better than some of the more expensive bottles in the states.

My comrades and I have studied an extensive amount of religious iconography since arriving in Italy, it being the primary subject of most antiquated works of art. I’ve been in more ancient churches than I can count and have seen more gold-leafed Madonnas than in a Roman Catholic candle store. Hence, I have seen what happens to individuals when they give into temptation played out many times.

You don’t want to lose sight of the fact that you are actually studying abroad — you still have course work to complete and you are still under the rules and regulations of IU. Just because you are halfway across the world doesn’t mean your actions won’t have a devastating effect of your life back in the Hoosier State.

If you spend all your money on pizza, purses and Prosecco, your overdrawn account statement is still going to show up in your parents’ mailbox. And if you stumble into your professor while wobbling home with your new Italian stallion, it’s still McRobbie that you are going to have to ask for your spot back in the University.

Personally, I’m still a big fan of the motto “everything in moderation.” I’ve definitely indulged in my fair share of overpriced pizza slices, and I’m wearing my favorite new European pants.

But I have also rejected the temptress and maintained my professionalism as a student. When I return, I will still be financially stable and on good academic standing, but I will be a more worldly and cultured individual.

Take your abroad experience and make it everything that it possibly can be. Be prepared to face a whole different world of temptations, and indulge and restrain wisely. Remember your primary responsibility is to be a student, and $2 Tuesday will still be there when you get home.

(And it won’t actually cost $2.89.)