Arrival

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26 February 2018


The flights were smooth and some shuteye achieved. My wonderful host, Dr. Monica Fedeli, a Professor of Teaching Methods and Organizational Development, picked me up at the Venice airport. The reason I am here of course can be blamed on Dr. Ed Taylor, recently retired from Penn State University and my classmate from LONG ago at the University of Georgia when we were working on our doctorates in adult education (I won’t say how long ago). Ed and Monica met at an adult education conference many years ago and recently married with Ed moving to Italy and consulting here, in between learning Italian. 

Last year, Monica was looking for a collaborator to work on a project that I will share in a forthcoming post. Briefly, our work focuses on transforming faculty teaching at the university level into an active, engaged process that equips learners to be effective collaborators in their future careers.  Ed recommended me when Monica was seeking a collaborator and I was delighted to discover that I have an Italian twin! Monica and I share a similar focus with our research: learning and leadership in organizations.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to the University of Padova last year as a visiting professor and had a chance to get introduced to the beautiful city of Padova (Padua in English) that is situated between Venice and Verona. Although Padova is not as heavily toured as its neighboring cities, it is worth a visit on your next trip to Italy. You will be charmed by its expansive pedestrian walkways, arcades, piazzas, markets, culinary delights, and people. The time here last spring afforded me a great introduction to the city and allowed me to find the perfect flat that is close to the city center and my office at the university. Attached are some photographs of Monica and Ed taken during 2017. The first is Monica tasting grappa on a trip to Bassano del Grappa in May 2017.



The next photo is one of Ed, Monica, and me taken by Mark when we visited a winery outside Padova in May 2017. 


Anyway, back to the arrival. Monica and Ed deposited me at my new beautiful flat that is on the 7th floor with a stunning view of Padova and mountains (The Dolomites) in the distance. Ed took me grocery shopping, I took a walk, and settled in to recover from jet lag.

Location: Padua, Province of Padua, Italy

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