"...and I think to myself: What a wonderful world...."

Call me crazy. (OK, so don't do that: it's just an idle expression; nobody ever really means it.  Not really.)

I happen to be one of those rare individuals who actually enjoys -- I mean really enjoys, not a whit of false hilarity or saccharine enthusiasm to be found -- looking at other people's travel photos. 

You can sit me down in front of a stack of photo albums, documenting other people's life-changing adventures, and I am a happy camper.   I even do all that "ooohhhhhhh-ing" and "aaaahhhhh-ing" that can turn a simple show-and-tell into an outright party.

Imagine, then, how delighted I was to receive a few (just a few) wonderful images from one of our students who is studying in Prague this summer.

(And just to be clear here, I think we all should be studying in Prague this summer.)

Her name is Emily Petrie, class of 2011. 

Emily is participating in the aptly named Prague Summer Program,  hosted through Western Michigan University.  In her words:

"It has been an adventure, and because designated towards MFA students and scholars, the multi-genre writing workshop has participants ranging from 19 (me being the youngest) to 52.   The 3 times weekly readings at a nearby theatre insure a packed house and exceptional work from published writers (Bret Lott, Michael Waters, and Alison Deming) to me and my outstanding classmates."

Here's what I see every day as I travel to work at Stephens College:

EDITOR'S NOTE: There used to be a photo here that shows up no fewer than four times when you go looking on google for "downtown Columbia."   Turns out it's a photo of a former version of downtown Columbia (who knew?....guess I should have noticed, but when I'm driving through downtown Columbia, I'm actually driving .... so didn't notice the differences....).  This afternoon, I went downtown WITH MY CAMERA and took an ACTUAL photo of what I see when I drive through downtown.  You guys are  such great readers! 

  

And here's what Emily sees every day as she rides the tram to Charles University's Faculty of the Arts:

As I was saying:

I do like looking at other people's pictures.

I do love living in Columbia.

And I do believe that we should all be studying in Prague this summer. With Emily. 

Because it truly is a wonderful world.

Comments

[Trent Rash]

Thanks for sharing, Dr. Lynch! Emily is one of my voice students over in Senior Hall, and I am happy to see some pictures of her summer adventures abroad.

[Pam Ellsworth-Smith]

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS AND EMILY AND THE SONG "What a Wonderful World".
THANK YOU!!