I Viaggi della Generalista (The Travels of the Generalist) - Continued

Fast forward back to that initial introduction to the Villa Maderni, and there I stood outside those castle like doors, scared, nervous, anxious, excited, confused…all emotions that were currently raging war on each other in my heart and mind. But as I entered the Villa, and minutes turned to hours, hours to days, days to weeks, and weeks to months those emotions transitioned to joy, reverence, tranquility, and anticipation for what adventure each day would bring.

And adventures, they would come…in many shapes, sizes, smells, and experiences. Adventures like a last minute Thanksgiving trip to Paris just because…well why not? 

(Paris and the Eiffel Tower)

Adventures of the more physical kind, like leading a group of students to the top of Monte Tamaro, getting stuck in a hail storm that later turned to a beautiful sunny May afternoon, yet still snow was nearly waist deep as we hiked towards the summit.

(Near the top of Monte Tamaro)

Adventures of the culinary kind, indulging in authentic Italian, Bavarian, and Spanish cuisine at different stops along the way. There were also adventures of the somber kind, like spending a few days in Berlin with students, and reflecting as a group on the atrocities that came with the persecution and genocide of thousands in the very place where we stood, yet at the same time, amazed and appreciative of the freedom that our small group of four enjoyed. 

Then there were the sometimes frustrating travel adventures, like a 28 hour travel day which included a nearly eight hour layover in the Moscow airport. Then there was the everyday adventure of living in a small Swiss town that sat at the foothills of two massive Alpine mountains, and the challenges and opportunities that came with something as simple as visiting the grocery store. 

(The town of Riva San Vitale, Switzerland)

Or the all-around learning adventure that came with visiting the likes of Copenhagen, Budapest, Vienna, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Venice, Palermo, Milan, Naples, Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Salzburg, Munich, Zurich, Lucerne, Brussels, and Munich amongst others. The whole process brought the adventure of new language, culture, food, sights and sounds on a daily basis.

Yes my life was brimming with adventure, learning, and growth unlike any I had experienced before, and for that I am immensely grateful. I certainly owe my gratitude to those people who had the faith in me that I would be able to navigate the role. But I think from a broader perspective, my gratitude is to my own development as an educator. Specifically, I’m grateful for being a generalist in my time in higher education and to those people who have placed me in a varying range of opportunities allowing me to cultivate a diverse portfolio. Having not focused in one specific area in my young career afforded me this opportunity from a credentials perspective but also from the perspective of having developed a diverse skill set and thought process that allowed me to be successful. Quite literally, being a generalist gave me the world.

It’s been over 15 months since I’ve left Switzerland, and I’m starting my second year in my current role as Assistant Director at the Illinois Leadership Center at the University of Illinois, yet still, as I write this sitting comfortably from the second floor of the Illini Union, the nostalgia of the experience washes over me. I’m brought back to the taste freshly grated parmesan cheese over a bed of spaghetti carbonara, the clamor of a German bierhaus, the cool breeze of the Swiss mountain air, and the smell of a Spanish market all surrounding me as if I left just yesterday. 

-Jeff

Jeff Yacup serves as an Assistant Director at the Illinois Leadership Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  He can be contacted at jtyacup@illinois.edu.