I had an
intense learning experience up in Bologna, IT. We were only there for one day.
As soon as we arrived my Ph.D. buddy there, Sandro, picked us up in the train
station and took us to the Univ of Bologna (oldest European Uni in the world)
and toured us around until time for my lecture to commence.
Sandro is a
handsome weight lifter born in Bologna. He did his Ph.D. at Central FL, and we
first met in 2013 through another Ph.D. student from Brazil, F. Maghales.
What struck
me, and my three companions, was Sandro’s extraordinary kindness. I mentioned
to Brenda that Sandro was acting sort of like one of my own Ph.D. students.
When I had mentioned I would like to speak at Uni BO, Sandro immediately jumped
on it and set up a lecture with a bunch of Grad students and 4 profs in no
time.
It was fun
doing the lecture, and much to my surprise, one of the Italian students, Mattia
M., is a BIG Uof AL American football fan. He knew a surprisingly lot about the
team. After the talk, several students and one faculty came up and chatted for
a while, exploring some areas they apparently didn’t want to ask about during
the lengthy Q&A session.
When we were
all done at the Uni, Dr. Sandro B. took us out to a place near his parents’
home and bought our lunch--unabashed hospitality at its best. Later the guys
with me commented on Sandro’s noteworthy kindness and consideration.
There is a
certain joy in having kind friends scattered around the globe. Thanks Dr. Sandro B., for being such a
friend.
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