October 9, 2025 • 28 mins
In this episode of Dragon Talk, host, Ryan Record, once again dives into the HCC Study Abroad Program, but this time shifts focus to the faculty members who make the magic happen. Join him as he sits down with Professor Kling, Chef Milburn, and Dr. Bianchi to hear their unique perspectives on the value of global learning as they discuss the transformative power of teaching students in Bermuda, France, Italy, and Greece. If you're wondering what it takes to study abroad, this episode offers a rich, behind-the-scenes look that might just inspire you to pack your bags and change your life!
Sound and Music Attribution:
Splash, Jumping, C.wav by InspectorJ -- https://freesound.org/s/352099/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
200116_1025_FR_TraditionalMusic.wav by kevp888 -- https://freesound.org/s/502673/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
Italy Venice Square Day Amb with Live Music_yoh.wav by YOH -- https://freesound.org/s/169535/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:03):
[Music] Hello listeners and welcome to Dragon Talk, your award-winning student life podcast
covering all the amazing things happening here in Dragon Country. I'm your host, Ryan Record,
and today we are diving even deeper into one of the most transformative experiences our students
have here at HCC, our study abroad program. In a previous episode, we heard from several
(00:27):
students about the incredible adventures they had in the program. However, in this episode,
we are shifting our focus to the faculty who make these wonderful experiences possible and who
witness the impact of global learning firsthand. And joining me today are three esteemed members
of our faculty, each bringing their own unique perspectives and disciplines to the table. And let
(00:51):
me just say it's an absolute honor to have them share their experiences. We'll be hearing from
Professor Kling, Chef Milburn, and Dr. Bianchi about their respective journeys and insights.
[Music] I have the pleasure of sitting down with Professor Kling, who is a geology and oceanography
(01:15):
teacher here at the college. How are you doing today? It's a pleasure to have you. I'm doing
well. Thanks for having me. Oh, it's awesome to have you and speak on the wonderful study abroad
program we have. Yes. Yes. It's always a fun time to head overseas. So, what motivates you to lead
these study abroad trips? So, my study abroad trip goes to Bermuda. And one of the neat things
(01:36):
about going there is the fact that a lot of HCC students, that's one location they have not been
to. And many of the students that go actually haven't even been out of the state of Maryland.
And so I like to introduce the students not only to, you know, different culture, but also because
it gives them a sense of independence when they're there. And when you're abroad studying a topic,
(02:00):
so for our class, they're studying oceanography or they're studying geology, they get to actually
see the oceanography going on in person. So, you know, you can read about in the textbook,
you can watch it on a video, but then they actually put on a snorkel and face mask and they
get to snorkel around a coral reef. And so, they actually are able to identify the organisms there.
(02:20):
They're actually able to see them, you know, in their native environment. And so, that's pretty
cool. Yeah, that's far out. And as far as study abroad trips go, Bermuda is a little puddle jump.
It is. It is. It's a short little flight, less than two hours. It's faster to get to Bermuda than
it is to get to Florida or something like that. So, Very true. So it's an easy first trip for many
students. Absolutely. So what unique resources or opportunities does the destination of Bermuda
(02:46):
offer for your subject matter? Yeah. So when we go to Bermuda, we stay at BIOS, which is the Bermuda
Institute of Ocean Sciences, and it's actually a world famous oceanography research lab. And so we
have a lab setting there with dormitories and there are scientists coming from all over the
(03:08):
world to actually do research around Bermuda or to start cruises. It would be a research cruise,
not a not a party cruise, but start cruises from that location and go out. By going to Bermuda
and staying at the Oceanography Institute, the students are able to interact with other students,
graduate students from other countries, from other schools, and also researchers that are
(03:32):
coming to do research and everyone sits together at meal time. And so you get to learn about what
they're studying, what they're doing. And I've had students that then come back and
start emailing with researchers or other students they've met and they've actually gone and visited
their schools before and you know gotten involved with their research and things like that. So it's
(03:53):
kind of provided opportunities and expanded their horizons. So yeah, that's awesome. That
kind of collaboration is invaluable. It is. It is. It's something you would not get just by
staying in the classroom here, you know. No way. It opens up so many pathways as well for future
research endeavors, university opportunities and whatnot. So, and it also some students go
(04:15):
on the trip and they're just general education majors, you know, they don't or they haven't
decided what their major is going to be and then they see the possibilities and they're like, "Oh,
that's what I want to do." And so, it gives them a focus moving forward in their education. Yeah,
that's awesome. So, tell me about some of the biggest hurdles you face when planning this trip.
(04:35):
So, our trip's a little bit unique in that we spend a lot of our time in and around water. So,
one of the hurdles for our trip is that we have to know how comfortable all of our participants
are in water before we get there because we don't want to be on one of the research ships that we go
out on while we're there and be 10 miles off the coast and have someone jump in the water and sink
(04:57):
to the bottom. So, so you know for ours we have a series of orientations and a series of activities
that students have to do or the participants have to do before they go. One is a swim test. And it's
not that you necessarily have to be the strongest swimmer. You just have to prove to us that you're
comfortable in the water. And comfortable in the water may be that you need to wear a life vest,
(05:18):
but you're happy just chilling there in the water and you're fine. So if you want to go on the trip,
that gives you a goal of something to achieve before we go. And so then we make sure that
you're going to a pool, that you're practicing putting your head in the water, that you're
doing all of those things. So because thankfully with snorkeling, you're just kind of floating on
(05:39):
top. You are. You are. And we encourage everyone actually to wear an inflatable vest just because
it makes it easier and you can spend more time in the water. So I'm comfortable in the water,
but sometimes I'm like, I don't feel like doing a lot of work today. I'm just going to, you know,
put on the inflatable vest and I can just stick my head in and just watch all the fish go by. And
but another thing that we have to get students used to or the participants before they go on
(06:01):
the trip is that it's not a resort. We are not going to a tropical resort in Bermuda.
There aren't going to be people with tropical beverages around and things like that. Instead,
we are going to an oceanographic institute that's been there for over a hundred years
and it's a tropical environment. So that means there's lots of bugs, lots of insects. You know,
(06:22):
you will find ants inside. Ants will find any sugar, any food, anything, any crumb that you
might bring into your bedroom. And so we have to prepare students for that. And also the fact that
there's not a lot of air conditioning there. So air conditioning takes a lot of resources. It's
very expensive. It's not 100°, but it's humid and warm there. And so you just kind of your body gets
(06:45):
used to it over the course of the week. But it is, you know, sometimes a little bit of a shock to the
students that there's not gonna be AC everywhere, right? Yeah. I mean, it is a luxury and we take it
for granted. Yeah. But it's manageable being on such a tiny island. Yeah. Crack the window open.
You get a nice breeze coming in and Yes. crack the window open and and go in the water. So,
and like you said, it's not a resort, but hearing from one of your students, it is comfortable
(07:08):
there. Oh, yes. Yes. It's a great place, and the food's excellent. It's a fun place to to be and
to experience the island from. You have to have your expectations in place before you arrive. So,
we're not going to the, you know, Ritz. So, so how do you prepare your students for the academic,
cultural, and logistical aspects of the trip before they leave? Yeah. So,
(07:32):
we do some of that as I was alluding to before in our orientations when we have the swim test,
when we talk about what the conditions are like when we're there and we talk about what you need
to bring. And then culturally, we also try to make sure that ahead of time people have expectations.
We take a lot of public transportation in Bermuda. They have a fantastic bus system there. And so,
(07:54):
we like to travel by bus. It is a British Commonwealth. And so when you're there, they're
very proper still. You know, you always greet someone, the bus driver, especially first when
you get on with a hello and you always thank them when you get off. And people are always giving up
their seats on the bus for people who may need them without being asked. And so just making
(08:16):
people be aware of their surroundings and aware of the situation before they get there. But we also
want to be good guests while we're there as well. As Americans, I mean, we could probably learn a
thing or two from them about being polite. Yeah, it's a good experience I think for everyone. So,
in your experience, what kind of unique teaching opportunities arise from being on location? Oh,
(08:37):
I love teaching in Bermuda. I mean, besides the fact that it's Bermuda, but we go out on research
vessels, as I mentioned before, and so I'll give a lecture from the front of a boat before we dive in
and look at a coral reef. We go to another park a little bit south of where we stay and there
are sinkholes and cave features in that area. And so we'll be talking about caves and then we'll go
(09:03):
swimming down into the cave. And so I can actually point out stelactites and stelagmites from inside
a cave versus on a PowerPoint. And then students can jump off the sides into the sink holes and so
they can see what the sink holes, you know, look like from from above and below. I think it's a
completely different thing when you know I talk about different sediment, carbonate sediment,
(09:25):
sand, this that and I can actually pick it up and pass it around to the students in that location.
They can see the differences between the various coral reefs that we go to. Yeah, that's far
out. Yeah. So, remind me again, stelagtite, it's from above and stalagmite comes from the bottom.
Fantastic. I was at Luray Caverns a month ago. So, Oh, yes. I love Luray. Stelagtite top. Remember,
(09:46):
tight top comes down from the top. Yep. So, you've got it. You can learn something new on
Dragon Talk. You can definitely. And Professor Cling, thank you so much again for taking time
out of your busy schedule to come through and do this today. Anytime. I appreciate it. [Music]
(10:17):
[Music]
All right. Hey, and we're back with Dragon Talk and I have the honor of sitting down
with David Milburn, chef here at HCC. David, how you doing today? I'm doing pretty good.
Doing pretty good. The work never stops when you're a chef, right? Oh, never stops. Never
stops. We're always doing something. Trying to be creative, trying to prove our skills, trying
to please the public with what we're making. So, yeah, it never stops. And, uh, as I understand,
(10:43):
you've led the study abroad program to France. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it was a great opportunity for
our students. I've had some students that's never been on an airplane or even been out of the state.
Wow. So, it was definitely life changing for them. Absolutely. But yeah, what motivates you to lead
the study abroad program as an instructor? It's one of the reasons why we teach is that light bulb
(11:09):
moment when you see a student change and doing a study abroad program accelerates that. you
really see changes in students. So for me, it's a personal gratification to reach a student to
change their life and uh and to plant that travel bug that they'll want to do something like this
again. That's awesome. So how do you integrate the study abroad experience into your curriculum?
(11:36):
So with my class, the program I should say, you can either take advanced pastry techniques or
you can take the study abroad program which is called passport to pastries. So they don't have
to do both. They can take one or the other. But if they take the passport to pastries one where
we go to France, it's a seven-week course and the students are meeting on campus, three days a week,
(12:01):
5 hours each day, and we're focusing on French pastries and French culture. So,
we're really diving into where many of the world's famous desserts have come from, but we're looking
at modern French desserts also and how the trends have changed and things like that. But, you know,
it's it's just there's so many French terms used in the baking world. They actually have
(12:28):
a vocabulary list of 100 French baking terms. Wow. So, we give this same quiz to brand new
students. It's not part of their grade. We're just seeing how how students are when they come in,
trying to gauge it where they're at. Exactly. And then I give the same test again exam. And
(12:49):
it's just amazing the radical change and they were able to use those terms while they're in France,
right? I mean, that's tangible growth, right? What unique resources or opportunities does the
destination offer for your subject matter? Well, Paris. So, patisseries. We went to a patissery.
(13:15):
It's the oldest patissery in Paris. It dates back to 1730. Wow. And then we took him to another um
store that supplies equipment for chefs, the pots, the pans, the knives, that type of thing. Julia
Childs used to shop there. This store is over 200 years old. And just to go in and feel the history
(13:36):
of the store for a chef, it's like being in a candy store. You're just walking around going,
"Oh, I want this. I want this. I want that." You know, so it's really a great opportunity for them.
And then we head south to East Central where our students are enrolled in a pastry school. They're
enrolled for a week and they're being taught by their instructors. They just take it to another
(14:00):
level and they're just learning so much. They have 26 pastry instructors, 14 pastry kitchens.
Wow. And this tiny little village. It's amazing. So many of the students have inquired about going
back to that school. Yeah. Later to maybe do a few months at the school or something like that. So,
(14:22):
yeah. Incredible. So, what unique teaching opportunities arise from being on location?
When I'm teaching, I talk about the precision of a baker. If you're doing petite gateaus,
each one has to be like a little tin soldiers. They all have to look alike. And students hear
that, but they don't realize until they actually see it in France that every strawberry on each
(14:48):
dessert is cut exactly the same because, you know, we start to eat with our eyes first,
right? And so with that precision, the customer is going to start enjoying it before they even
take a bite. They're able to see that firsthand and uh really experience it. And and of course,
they're going to bring that back now, right? Yeah, because baking is a skill. You have to
(15:12):
develop those skills, right? And consistency is everything as you know. I am no baker. Yeah. When
when you can cook, you know, you can make some mistakes and compensate. But when you're baking,
you add an extra teaspoon too much to something or you don't cut that strawberry just right,
it's going to it's going to ruin the whole experience. It it can. Yeah, definitely. Y So,
what aspects of leading the study abroad trip do you find most rewarding? those students that never
(15:39):
really traveled before that they want to come back, that fear of traveling dissipates or they're
talking about, okay, well, we did this, where could we go next? Yeah. You know, and uh with our
students going to France, they're experiencing the French palette for desserts. They're experiencing
(16:00):
some flavors that we don't necessarily have here. You're going to see a lot of hazelnut desserts,
chestnut, now they have these new flavors that they can experiment with and things like that.
For some of them, it's life-changing. I had one particular student and she was so extremely quiet.
Awesome student, but by the end of this trip, she was friends with everybody and she just opened
(16:25):
up and blossomed and even her mother thanked me. Oh, for me that transformational seeing somebody
opening up and changing is very rewarding for me. Yeah. In real time. That's huge. Oh, it is. It is.
understate that impact. And last question for you. Is there a local contact, faculty member or guide
(16:49):
who makes a huge difference on these trips but rarely gets the spotlight? Oh, 100%. Jackie in the
international education office. The students love Jackie. She is so cool. I'll be honest with you, I
probably couldn't do this trip without her. Yeah, she is such a huge help. Yeah, Jackie, if you're
listening to this, you're the best. Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Chef Milburn, for coming
(17:13):
on the show. I know you have a busy schedule, taking the time out to share your experiences,
and it was a pleasure to have you on Dragon Talk. Thank you. Great. Thank you for having me. [Music]
(17:41):
and I have the honor of sitting in with Dr. Bianchi who has led the study abroad programs
in Italy and Greece. How you doing today? I'm doing great. I love talking about study
abroad so I'm excited. So, what motivates you to lead these trips? Well, for me, study abroad is
incredibly personal. I actually started off as a math major and then I did a year study abroad in
(18:06):
Austria. I was living in this like 13th century palace monastery and I lived in history and every
weekend I went to a different city, went to the historical sites, study abroad, just opened my
eyes to history. I always loved reading um history books, but it really made me want to major in
history. And so then when I started teaching at HCC um when I saw study abroad, I was like,
(18:31):
yeah, I want to do for other students what I experienced. I can bring people and not just
teach them history, but really live in history. And so it's it's incredibly personal for me,
but at the same time, I also I'm doing it for the students as well, right? So, what am I doing when
I'm going to the coliseum for the 10th time? I am not looking at the coliseum. I'm looking at
(18:55):
the students face. And so, I get excited when they get excited. This program is for you. I'm
doing everything in my capacity to make you have an incredible life-changing experience. And so,
that's what motivates me. It's it's like, I've been there. I've seen it. But now,
I just want to share it. And I want them to have that incredible experience that I had when I was
(19:16):
in undergrad. I love that. super wholesome. How do these experiences enrich your own teaching
and research? That's a great question because with history, I think that if you've not been
to the location, I don't know, it's not really authentic. Um, if I'm teaching ancient Greek
history and I've never been to Athens, I feel like I'm kind of making it up a little bit,
(19:39):
right? I I I don't have the full experience to share with my students. And the same thing,
you see the pictures in the textbook rather than be like, "Yeah, it's really breathtaking." You're
like, "No, I was there. It was breathtaking." And you show the pictures and the powerpoints
that are your pictures. So, obviously, this is a huge, huge improvement in my teaching
since I've done these study abroad programs and I've been able to travel to those locations. So,
(20:03):
how do you prepare your students for the academic, cultural, and logistical aspects of these trips?
So there isn't a lot of contact with the students until the week before we leave. And in that week
before we have four full days. It's like from like 9 to 100 p.m. I think. So we we spend at least 16
(20:24):
hours together before we leave. And the majority of that is the course. So I'm teaching them the
history. Okay? So if we're going to Greece, I'm teaching the history of Greece. Okay? So they're
walking there not as a stupid American, but they know all the background information. I have
students do presentations on all the major sites. So they know one site particularly well, but all
of the students have heard of the sites before there. So we get all that background information.
(20:50):
And then additionally each day spend about an hour just talking about the logistics of traveling. All
right. How do we pack? Um, one day we'll do basic language, just how to say hello, how to say um,
I speak English. Um, where is the uh, dove il banyo, where's the bathroom, you know, just
like simple simple stuff because that's a sign of respect. And then we'll do one day like kind of
(21:13):
just cultural things like um, what's the food, you know, because we're going to look at the menu and
it's going to be dishes that they're not familiar with. It's not going to be Olive Garden, you know,
it's going to be different. Italian food in Italy is different. It's actually very regional. So
there's no such thing as Italian food. Actually, there's Roman cuisine, right? There's Neapolitan
cuisine. It's completely different. Um, so they hit the ground running. They have us there,
(21:37):
but they also have a lot of information. And even though you tell it to them, it's not until you're
there that it starts clicking until they're I go to a couple restaurants and the confidence they
get from the first restaurant experience to the last restaurant experience is actually it's pretty
amazing. I give them the metro map and at first they're so confused and then at the end they're
just like they're walking in front of me like doing the uh the path through the metro stations
(22:00):
getting back and navigating it and telling me what part of the city they went to. So that's super
cool. Yeah, for sure. If you could please share a moment where like the learning clicked in an
unexpected way. One of my most favorite uh moments was on this last trip in Naples and we went to a
chapel that's known for its incredible artwork. The big thing that everybody comes through is a
(22:24):
statue called the veiled uh Jesus. But actually within that chapel there is another work of
art that you also have to check out. It's called Release from Deception. And it's a person covered
with a net. And the net is carved from a single piece of marble. And this person is escaping
this net and there's different things. There's knowledge, spiritual and secular, that's freeing
(22:47):
this person from their their passions, from their mental enslavement. And so I'm like talking with
this student about this work of art and our tour guide is there and this student is like,
I can't believe it. This is so cool. like he he turned to me and he was like this is the first
(23:07):
time I ever understood art and I think he was kind of joking. He's like I am going to get a tattoo of
this statue. I was like whoa. And it's actually the most amazing sculpture. It just blows away
anything that Michelangelo has done or Bernini like the technical aspect of this is the climax
(23:28):
of sculpture. But uh the first time a person has ever understood art, I'm there standing with the
person. I was also pretty moved by the statue as well cuz I hadn't been to this particular chapel
before. So I'm just like, "Wow, this is this is so cool. This is why I do it." Yeah. Art's a powerful
thing. What aspects of leading the study abroad trip do you find most rewarding? Sure. I think
(23:53):
it's the, you know, human relationships. Um it's really, really, really impressive.
There was one trip where we have like a feral dinner and it was just kind of like I don't know
what was particular about that group but everybody went around and was saying how they grew that
experience. I would say like 75% of the students were like crying and I was like nobody's cried at
(24:17):
the end of my face to face classes. Maybe they're crying tears of joy. I'm done with history. But I
mean the bond like wow we really bonded. we formed something. Um, so at that moment, particularly
those farewell dinners are incredibly rewarding. That's touching. And how have you seen students
(24:39):
transform throughout the program? Because you've been doing it for a long time now. So, yeah. Um,
definitely like, you know, personal growth and self-confidence is through the roof. That mastery
of just walking in to restaurants or ordering ice cream, gelato, um, navigating the stuff. We had a
student that had like a fear of of escalators to a certain extent and was like holding on to me
(25:02):
in Dulles and then like 3 days later we're like navigating the scary um subway system of Naples
like it's a maze and I just see her by herself and I just like smile and she gives me a big thumbs up
with a huge smile and I was like that's crazy. I mean we're thrown into some pretty chaotic cities
and they're just mastering it. They know when they come back like the incredible like, hey, I never
(25:26):
left Maryland. Now I travel to another country was just navigating these cities by myself. I
can do anything. Exactly. not just travel but just you know either going uh to a four-year school and
living in a dorm and stepping away from the family to have a stronger like vision of themselves which
I really think is the key to um the mental health crisis really where if they've got that foundation
(25:47):
a little bit and support system of our group an anxious situation and they overcome it we we threw
you a big challenge and you succeeded and so all this other stuff that's making me anxious I don't
need to worry about it um we detach them from like social media and their phones We detach them from
staying inside. We make them walk 10,000 steps. And being outside, just go out and go to a cafe,
(26:07):
go to get ice cream, go to grow a restaurant, go to the the water. Like, it's you can just
go out and and and walk. Like, it's such a beautiful thing. That's really a transformation
um for the students. And I think that's why they're sad. They leave. They know realize
they're going back to their regular life. But we're like, "Hey, you can travel on your own now.
Next time you don't need to go with HCC." Man, I wish I could go back in time and do this thing,
(26:29):
but Oh, sure. Come. you can come on our programs. Right on. Well, thank you so much
for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this today, Dr. Bianchi. Thank you. [Music]
And that brings us to the end of another insightful episode of Dragon Talk. It's my
(26:50):
hope that this deep dive into our faculty experience has given you an even richer
understanding of the incredible opportunities available through our study abroad program.
If you're a student considering studying abroad, or even if you just want to learn more,
be sure to visit Howard Community College's Office of International Education by the
library in CL113 or search study abroad on the HCC website. They have all the
(27:17):
information you'll need to start your own global adventure today. There are currently
four study abroad programs being offered to Greece, Ecuador, Kenya, and Taiwan.
Just keep in mind that all these programs are tentative based on the number of students who
apply. I have also been informed that both the study abroad application and the study abroad
(27:38):
scholarship application are up and live right now. It's important to apply soon because all
the applications are due by November 14th at 11:59 p.m. And be sure to join me on the podcast next
time to celebrate Cyber Security Month here at HCC. Until then, this is Ryan Record signing out.
(28:05):
Thanks for tuning in. If you enjoyed what you just heard, we have a whole universe of
podcasts waiting for you. Simply search Dragon Podcasts wherever you get your podcasts. You can
also explore our full lineup and discover new shows at podbean.com/dragonpodcasts.
That's podbean.com/dragonpodcasts.
(28:31):
[Music]
[Music] Hello listeners and welcome to Dragon Talk, your award-winning student life podcast
covering all the amazing things happening here in Dragon Country. I'm your host, Ryan Record,
and today we are diving even deeper into one of the most transformative experiences our students
have here at HCC, our study abroad program. In a previous episode, we heard from several
(00:27):
students about the incredible adventures they had in the program. However, in this episode,
we are shifting our focus to the faculty who make these wonderful experiences possible and who
witness the impact of global learning firsthand. And joining me today are three esteemed members
of our faculty, each bringing their own unique perspectives and disciplines to the table. And let
(00:51):
me just say it's an absolute honor to have them share their experiences. We'll be hearing from
Professor Kling, Chef Milburn, and Dr. Bianchi about their respective journeys and insights.
[Music] I have the pleasure of sitting down with Professor Kling, who is a geology and oceanography
(01:15):
teacher here at the college. How are you doing today? It's a pleasure to have you. I'm doing
well. Thanks for having me. Oh, it's awesome to have you and speak on the wonderful study abroad
program we have. Yes. Yes. It's always a fun time to head overseas. So, what motivates you to lead
these study abroad trips? So, my study abroad trip goes to Bermuda. And one of the neat things
(01:36):
about going there is the fact that a lot of HCC students, that's one location they have not been
to. And many of the students that go actually haven't even been out of the state of Maryland.
And so I like to introduce the students not only to, you know, different culture, but also because
it gives them a sense of independence when they're there. And when you're abroad studying a topic,
(02:00):
so for our class, they're studying oceanography or they're studying geology, they get to actually
see the oceanography going on in person. So, you know, you can read about in the textbook,
you can watch it on a video, but then they actually put on a snorkel and face mask and they
get to snorkel around a coral reef. And so, they actually are able to identify the organisms there.
(02:20):
They're actually able to see them, you know, in their native environment. And so, that's pretty
cool. Yeah, that's far out. And as far as study abroad trips go, Bermuda is a little puddle jump.
It is. It is. It's a short little flight, less than two hours. It's faster to get to Bermuda than
it is to get to Florida or something like that. So, Very true. So it's an easy first trip for many
students. Absolutely. So what unique resources or opportunities does the destination of Bermuda
(02:46):
offer for your subject matter? Yeah. So when we go to Bermuda, we stay at BIOS, which is the Bermuda
Institute of Ocean Sciences, and it's actually a world famous oceanography research lab. And so we
have a lab setting there with dormitories and there are scientists coming from all over the
(03:08):
world to actually do research around Bermuda or to start cruises. It would be a research cruise,
not a not a party cruise, but start cruises from that location and go out. By going to Bermuda
and staying at the Oceanography Institute, the students are able to interact with other students,
graduate students from other countries, from other schools, and also researchers that are
(03:32):
coming to do research and everyone sits together at meal time. And so you get to learn about what
they're studying, what they're doing. And I've had students that then come back and
start emailing with researchers or other students they've met and they've actually gone and visited
their schools before and you know gotten involved with their research and things like that. So it's
(03:53):
kind of provided opportunities and expanded their horizons. So yeah, that's awesome. That
kind of collaboration is invaluable. It is. It is. It's something you would not get just by
staying in the classroom here, you know. No way. It opens up so many pathways as well for future
research endeavors, university opportunities and whatnot. So, and it also some students go
(04:15):
on the trip and they're just general education majors, you know, they don't or they haven't
decided what their major is going to be and then they see the possibilities and they're like, "Oh,
that's what I want to do." And so, it gives them a focus moving forward in their education. Yeah,
that's awesome. So, tell me about some of the biggest hurdles you face when planning this trip.
(04:35):
So, our trip's a little bit unique in that we spend a lot of our time in and around water. So,
one of the hurdles for our trip is that we have to know how comfortable all of our participants
are in water before we get there because we don't want to be on one of the research ships that we go
out on while we're there and be 10 miles off the coast and have someone jump in the water and sink
(04:57):
to the bottom. So, so you know for ours we have a series of orientations and a series of activities
that students have to do or the participants have to do before they go. One is a swim test. And it's
not that you necessarily have to be the strongest swimmer. You just have to prove to us that you're
comfortable in the water. And comfortable in the water may be that you need to wear a life vest,
(05:18):
but you're happy just chilling there in the water and you're fine. So if you want to go on the trip,
that gives you a goal of something to achieve before we go. And so then we make sure that
you're going to a pool, that you're practicing putting your head in the water, that you're
doing all of those things. So because thankfully with snorkeling, you're just kind of floating on
(05:39):
top. You are. You are. And we encourage everyone actually to wear an inflatable vest just because
it makes it easier and you can spend more time in the water. So I'm comfortable in the water,
but sometimes I'm like, I don't feel like doing a lot of work today. I'm just going to, you know,
put on the inflatable vest and I can just stick my head in and just watch all the fish go by. And
but another thing that we have to get students used to or the participants before they go on
(06:01):
the trip is that it's not a resort. We are not going to a tropical resort in Bermuda.
There aren't going to be people with tropical beverages around and things like that. Instead,
we are going to an oceanographic institute that's been there for over a hundred years
and it's a tropical environment. So that means there's lots of bugs, lots of insects. You know,
(06:22):
you will find ants inside. Ants will find any sugar, any food, anything, any crumb that you
might bring into your bedroom. And so we have to prepare students for that. And also the fact that
there's not a lot of air conditioning there. So air conditioning takes a lot of resources. It's
very expensive. It's not 100°, but it's humid and warm there. And so you just kind of your body gets
(06:45):
used to it over the course of the week. But it is, you know, sometimes a little bit of a shock to the
students that there's not gonna be AC everywhere, right? Yeah. I mean, it is a luxury and we take it
for granted. Yeah. But it's manageable being on such a tiny island. Yeah. Crack the window open.
You get a nice breeze coming in and Yes. crack the window open and and go in the water. So,
and like you said, it's not a resort, but hearing from one of your students, it is comfortable
(07:08):
there. Oh, yes. Yes. It's a great place, and the food's excellent. It's a fun place to to be and
to experience the island from. You have to have your expectations in place before you arrive. So,
we're not going to the, you know, Ritz. So, so how do you prepare your students for the academic,
cultural, and logistical aspects of the trip before they leave? Yeah. So,
(07:32):
we do some of that as I was alluding to before in our orientations when we have the swim test,
when we talk about what the conditions are like when we're there and we talk about what you need
to bring. And then culturally, we also try to make sure that ahead of time people have expectations.
We take a lot of public transportation in Bermuda. They have a fantastic bus system there. And so,
(07:54):
we like to travel by bus. It is a British Commonwealth. And so when you're there, they're
very proper still. You know, you always greet someone, the bus driver, especially first when
you get on with a hello and you always thank them when you get off. And people are always giving up
their seats on the bus for people who may need them without being asked. And so just making
(08:16):
people be aware of their surroundings and aware of the situation before they get there. But we also
want to be good guests while we're there as well. As Americans, I mean, we could probably learn a
thing or two from them about being polite. Yeah, it's a good experience I think for everyone. So,
in your experience, what kind of unique teaching opportunities arise from being on location? Oh,
(08:37):
I love teaching in Bermuda. I mean, besides the fact that it's Bermuda, but we go out on research
vessels, as I mentioned before, and so I'll give a lecture from the front of a boat before we dive in
and look at a coral reef. We go to another park a little bit south of where we stay and there
are sinkholes and cave features in that area. And so we'll be talking about caves and then we'll go
(09:03):
swimming down into the cave. And so I can actually point out stelactites and stelagmites from inside
a cave versus on a PowerPoint. And then students can jump off the sides into the sink holes and so
they can see what the sink holes, you know, look like from from above and below. I think it's a
completely different thing when you know I talk about different sediment, carbonate sediment,
(09:25):
sand, this that and I can actually pick it up and pass it around to the students in that location.
They can see the differences between the various coral reefs that we go to. Yeah, that's far
out. Yeah. So, remind me again, stelagtite, it's from above and stalagmite comes from the bottom.
Fantastic. I was at Luray Caverns a month ago. So, Oh, yes. I love Luray. Stelagtite top. Remember,
(09:46):
tight top comes down from the top. Yep. So, you've got it. You can learn something new on
Dragon Talk. You can definitely. And Professor Cling, thank you so much again for taking time
out of your busy schedule to come through and do this today. Anytime. I appreciate it. [Music]
(10:17):
[Music]
All right. Hey, and we're back with Dragon Talk and I have the honor of sitting down
with David Milburn, chef here at HCC. David, how you doing today? I'm doing pretty good.
Doing pretty good. The work never stops when you're a chef, right? Oh, never stops. Never
stops. We're always doing something. Trying to be creative, trying to prove our skills, trying
to please the public with what we're making. So, yeah, it never stops. And, uh, as I understand,
(10:43):
you've led the study abroad program to France. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it was a great opportunity for
our students. I've had some students that's never been on an airplane or even been out of the state.
Wow. So, it was definitely life changing for them. Absolutely. But yeah, what motivates you to lead
the study abroad program as an instructor? It's one of the reasons why we teach is that light bulb
(11:09):
moment when you see a student change and doing a study abroad program accelerates that. you
really see changes in students. So for me, it's a personal gratification to reach a student to
change their life and uh and to plant that travel bug that they'll want to do something like this
again. That's awesome. So how do you integrate the study abroad experience into your curriculum?
(11:36):
So with my class, the program I should say, you can either take advanced pastry techniques or
you can take the study abroad program which is called passport to pastries. So they don't have
to do both. They can take one or the other. But if they take the passport to pastries one where
we go to France, it's a seven-week course and the students are meeting on campus, three days a week,
(12:01):
5 hours each day, and we're focusing on French pastries and French culture. So,
we're really diving into where many of the world's famous desserts have come from, but we're looking
at modern French desserts also and how the trends have changed and things like that. But, you know,
it's it's just there's so many French terms used in the baking world. They actually have
(12:28):
a vocabulary list of 100 French baking terms. Wow. So, we give this same quiz to brand new
students. It's not part of their grade. We're just seeing how how students are when they come in,
trying to gauge it where they're at. Exactly. And then I give the same test again exam. And
(12:49):
it's just amazing the radical change and they were able to use those terms while they're in France,
right? I mean, that's tangible growth, right? What unique resources or opportunities does the
destination offer for your subject matter? Well, Paris. So, patisseries. We went to a patissery.
(13:15):
It's the oldest patissery in Paris. It dates back to 1730. Wow. And then we took him to another um
store that supplies equipment for chefs, the pots, the pans, the knives, that type of thing. Julia
Childs used to shop there. This store is over 200 years old. And just to go in and feel the history
(13:36):
of the store for a chef, it's like being in a candy store. You're just walking around going,
"Oh, I want this. I want this. I want that." You know, so it's really a great opportunity for them.
And then we head south to East Central where our students are enrolled in a pastry school. They're
enrolled for a week and they're being taught by their instructors. They just take it to another
(14:00):
level and they're just learning so much. They have 26 pastry instructors, 14 pastry kitchens.
Wow. And this tiny little village. It's amazing. So many of the students have inquired about going
back to that school. Yeah. Later to maybe do a few months at the school or something like that. So,
(14:22):
yeah. Incredible. So, what unique teaching opportunities arise from being on location?
When I'm teaching, I talk about the precision of a baker. If you're doing petite gateaus,
each one has to be like a little tin soldiers. They all have to look alike. And students hear
that, but they don't realize until they actually see it in France that every strawberry on each
(14:48):
dessert is cut exactly the same because, you know, we start to eat with our eyes first,
right? And so with that precision, the customer is going to start enjoying it before they even
take a bite. They're able to see that firsthand and uh really experience it. And and of course,
they're going to bring that back now, right? Yeah, because baking is a skill. You have to
(15:12):
develop those skills, right? And consistency is everything as you know. I am no baker. Yeah. When
when you can cook, you know, you can make some mistakes and compensate. But when you're baking,
you add an extra teaspoon too much to something or you don't cut that strawberry just right,
it's going to it's going to ruin the whole experience. It it can. Yeah, definitely. Y So,
what aspects of leading the study abroad trip do you find most rewarding? those students that never
(15:39):
really traveled before that they want to come back, that fear of traveling dissipates or they're
talking about, okay, well, we did this, where could we go next? Yeah. You know, and uh with our
students going to France, they're experiencing the French palette for desserts. They're experiencing
(16:00):
some flavors that we don't necessarily have here. You're going to see a lot of hazelnut desserts,
chestnut, now they have these new flavors that they can experiment with and things like that.
For some of them, it's life-changing. I had one particular student and she was so extremely quiet.
Awesome student, but by the end of this trip, she was friends with everybody and she just opened
(16:25):
up and blossomed and even her mother thanked me. Oh, for me that transformational seeing somebody
opening up and changing is very rewarding for me. Yeah. In real time. That's huge. Oh, it is. It is.
understate that impact. And last question for you. Is there a local contact, faculty member or guide
(16:49):
who makes a huge difference on these trips but rarely gets the spotlight? Oh, 100%. Jackie in the
international education office. The students love Jackie. She is so cool. I'll be honest with you, I
probably couldn't do this trip without her. Yeah, she is such a huge help. Yeah, Jackie, if you're
listening to this, you're the best. Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Chef Milburn, for coming
(17:13):
on the show. I know you have a busy schedule, taking the time out to share your experiences,
and it was a pleasure to have you on Dragon Talk. Thank you. Great. Thank you for having me. [Music]
(17:41):
and I have the honor of sitting in with Dr. Bianchi who has led the study abroad programs
in Italy and Greece. How you doing today? I'm doing great. I love talking about study
abroad so I'm excited. So, what motivates you to lead these trips? Well, for me, study abroad is
incredibly personal. I actually started off as a math major and then I did a year study abroad in
(18:06):
Austria. I was living in this like 13th century palace monastery and I lived in history and every
weekend I went to a different city, went to the historical sites, study abroad, just opened my
eyes to history. I always loved reading um history books, but it really made me want to major in
history. And so then when I started teaching at HCC um when I saw study abroad, I was like,
(18:31):
yeah, I want to do for other students what I experienced. I can bring people and not just
teach them history, but really live in history. And so it's it's incredibly personal for me,
but at the same time, I also I'm doing it for the students as well, right? So, what am I doing when
I'm going to the coliseum for the 10th time? I am not looking at the coliseum. I'm looking at
(18:55):
the students face. And so, I get excited when they get excited. This program is for you. I'm
doing everything in my capacity to make you have an incredible life-changing experience. And so,
that's what motivates me. It's it's like, I've been there. I've seen it. But now,
I just want to share it. And I want them to have that incredible experience that I had when I was
(19:16):
in undergrad. I love that. super wholesome. How do these experiences enrich your own teaching
and research? That's a great question because with history, I think that if you've not been
to the location, I don't know, it's not really authentic. Um, if I'm teaching ancient Greek
history and I've never been to Athens, I feel like I'm kind of making it up a little bit,
(19:39):
right? I I I don't have the full experience to share with my students. And the same thing,
you see the pictures in the textbook rather than be like, "Yeah, it's really breathtaking." You're
like, "No, I was there. It was breathtaking." And you show the pictures and the powerpoints
that are your pictures. So, obviously, this is a huge, huge improvement in my teaching
since I've done these study abroad programs and I've been able to travel to those locations. So,
(20:03):
how do you prepare your students for the academic, cultural, and logistical aspects of these trips?
So there isn't a lot of contact with the students until the week before we leave. And in that week
before we have four full days. It's like from like 9 to 100 p.m. I think. So we we spend at least 16
(20:24):
hours together before we leave. And the majority of that is the course. So I'm teaching them the
history. Okay? So if we're going to Greece, I'm teaching the history of Greece. Okay? So they're
walking there not as a stupid American, but they know all the background information. I have
students do presentations on all the major sites. So they know one site particularly well, but all
of the students have heard of the sites before there. So we get all that background information.
(20:50):
And then additionally each day spend about an hour just talking about the logistics of traveling. All
right. How do we pack? Um, one day we'll do basic language, just how to say hello, how to say um,
I speak English. Um, where is the uh, dove il banyo, where's the bathroom, you know, just
like simple simple stuff because that's a sign of respect. And then we'll do one day like kind of
(21:13):
just cultural things like um, what's the food, you know, because we're going to look at the menu and
it's going to be dishes that they're not familiar with. It's not going to be Olive Garden, you know,
it's going to be different. Italian food in Italy is different. It's actually very regional. So
there's no such thing as Italian food. Actually, there's Roman cuisine, right? There's Neapolitan
cuisine. It's completely different. Um, so they hit the ground running. They have us there,
(21:37):
but they also have a lot of information. And even though you tell it to them, it's not until you're
there that it starts clicking until they're I go to a couple restaurants and the confidence they
get from the first restaurant experience to the last restaurant experience is actually it's pretty
amazing. I give them the metro map and at first they're so confused and then at the end they're
just like they're walking in front of me like doing the uh the path through the metro stations
(22:00):
getting back and navigating it and telling me what part of the city they went to. So that's super
cool. Yeah, for sure. If you could please share a moment where like the learning clicked in an
unexpected way. One of my most favorite uh moments was on this last trip in Naples and we went to a
chapel that's known for its incredible artwork. The big thing that everybody comes through is a
(22:24):
statue called the veiled uh Jesus. But actually within that chapel there is another work of
art that you also have to check out. It's called Release from Deception. And it's a person covered
with a net. And the net is carved from a single piece of marble. And this person is escaping
this net and there's different things. There's knowledge, spiritual and secular, that's freeing
(22:47):
this person from their their passions, from their mental enslavement. And so I'm like talking with
this student about this work of art and our tour guide is there and this student is like,
I can't believe it. This is so cool. like he he turned to me and he was like this is the first
(23:07):
time I ever understood art and I think he was kind of joking. He's like I am going to get a tattoo of
this statue. I was like whoa. And it's actually the most amazing sculpture. It just blows away
anything that Michelangelo has done or Bernini like the technical aspect of this is the climax
(23:28):
of sculpture. But uh the first time a person has ever understood art, I'm there standing with the
person. I was also pretty moved by the statue as well cuz I hadn't been to this particular chapel
before. So I'm just like, "Wow, this is this is so cool. This is why I do it." Yeah. Art's a powerful
thing. What aspects of leading the study abroad trip do you find most rewarding? Sure. I think
(23:53):
it's the, you know, human relationships. Um it's really, really, really impressive.
There was one trip where we have like a feral dinner and it was just kind of like I don't know
what was particular about that group but everybody went around and was saying how they grew that
experience. I would say like 75% of the students were like crying and I was like nobody's cried at
(24:17):
the end of my face to face classes. Maybe they're crying tears of joy. I'm done with history. But I
mean the bond like wow we really bonded. we formed something. Um, so at that moment, particularly
those farewell dinners are incredibly rewarding. That's touching. And how have you seen students
(24:39):
transform throughout the program? Because you've been doing it for a long time now. So, yeah. Um,
definitely like, you know, personal growth and self-confidence is through the roof. That mastery
of just walking in to restaurants or ordering ice cream, gelato, um, navigating the stuff. We had a
student that had like a fear of of escalators to a certain extent and was like holding on to me
(25:02):
in Dulles and then like 3 days later we're like navigating the scary um subway system of Naples
like it's a maze and I just see her by herself and I just like smile and she gives me a big thumbs up
with a huge smile and I was like that's crazy. I mean we're thrown into some pretty chaotic cities
and they're just mastering it. They know when they come back like the incredible like, hey, I never
(25:26):
left Maryland. Now I travel to another country was just navigating these cities by myself. I
can do anything. Exactly. not just travel but just you know either going uh to a four-year school and
living in a dorm and stepping away from the family to have a stronger like vision of themselves which
I really think is the key to um the mental health crisis really where if they've got that foundation
(25:47):
a little bit and support system of our group an anxious situation and they overcome it we we threw
you a big challenge and you succeeded and so all this other stuff that's making me anxious I don't
need to worry about it um we detach them from like social media and their phones We detach them from
staying inside. We make them walk 10,000 steps. And being outside, just go out and go to a cafe,
(26:07):
go to get ice cream, go to grow a restaurant, go to the the water. Like, it's you can just
go out and and and walk. Like, it's such a beautiful thing. That's really a transformation
um for the students. And I think that's why they're sad. They leave. They know realize
they're going back to their regular life. But we're like, "Hey, you can travel on your own now.
Next time you don't need to go with HCC." Man, I wish I could go back in time and do this thing,
(26:29):
but Oh, sure. Come. you can come on our programs. Right on. Well, thank you so much
for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this today, Dr. Bianchi. Thank you. [Music]
And that brings us to the end of another insightful episode of Dragon Talk. It's my
(26:50):
hope that this deep dive into our faculty experience has given you an even richer
understanding of the incredible opportunities available through our study abroad program.
If you're a student considering studying abroad, or even if you just want to learn more,
be sure to visit Howard Community College's Office of International Education by the
library in CL113 or search study abroad on the HCC website. They have all the
(27:17):
information you'll need to start your own global adventure today. There are currently
four study abroad programs being offered to Greece, Ecuador, Kenya, and Taiwan.
Just keep in mind that all these programs are tentative based on the number of students who
apply. I have also been informed that both the study abroad application and the study abroad
(27:38):
scholarship application are up and live right now. It's important to apply soon because all
the applications are due by November 14th at 11:59 p.m. And be sure to join me on the podcast next
time to celebrate Cyber Security Month here at HCC. Until then, this is Ryan Record signing out.
(28:05):
Thanks for tuning in. If you enjoyed what you just heard, we have a whole universe of
podcasts waiting for you. Simply search Dragon Podcasts wherever you get your podcasts. You can
also explore our full lineup and discover new shows at podbean.com/dragonpodcasts.
That's podbean.com/dragonpodcasts.
(28:31):
[Music]
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.