Dr. Patrick Blaine is no stranger to living abroad and he is sharing his experiences and knowledge with Morningside students first hand next semester.

Morningside College is offering a study abroad semester in Italy for the 2016 spring semester and Dr. Blaine, as a member of the study abroad committee, will be going along with the students.

The group will be gone for the whole spring semester. Dr. Blaine will be visiting home for a couple weeks in February for the birth of his first child.

Dr. Blaine’s experiences include living in Chile for three years and Spain for one year as well as several other countries that he has visited. Through his studying and travel, Blaine has become fully bilingual in English and Spanish and is familiar with French, Italian, and Portuguese.

Dr. Blaine values international education and loves living abroad. The semester in Italy allows him to experience both of these things while still having a job and a family. Dr. Blaine stated, “if I get an opportunity to do something fun – I do it”, thus only adding to the list of reasons for him participating on the trip.

According to Dr. Blaine, the Italian language is related to the Spanish language. So, this trip and Blaine’s fluency in Spanish will help him build on his knowledge of speaking Italian.

As a student, Dr. Blaine did not think he would be doing what he is doing now. After making the decision to try studying abroad, he quickly fell in love with it. His passion for and knowledge on international learning is greatly appreciated by Morningside College.