This summer, hundreds of students will look down from airplane windows and see the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, the Adriatic and Black seas, steep mountains, rolling hills and, as they land, the scenery of unfamiliar towns. They will get off their respective planes and, having traveled for hours and hours, they will get their passports stamped by airport officials in Spain, England, Australia, Costa Rica and Egypt, to name a few.

And while some students work, take summer courses in Raleigh or spend their summer days relaxing, these students will be exploring foreign countries, experiencing various cultures and experimenting with different languages — all while adding up to six credit hours to their transcripts.

Five hundred students are studying abroad this summer in both University and non-University sponsored programs, according to Kelly Kirkwood, at assistant director at the Study Abroad Office. Thirty-one of these programs are faculty-led, and Kirkland said there are many more study abroad opportunities for students during the academic year. These programs are for students who wish to spend one to two semesters as an exchange student abroad.

Students participating in the University’s summer programs, however, generally spend a few weeks completing classes specific to the countries in which they are studying, such as Czech film in Prague and Ghanaian Culture and Society in Ghana, according to the Study Abroad Office Web site.

One such program, located in Perugia, Italy, is lead by Anna Rita Bonaduce-Dresler, an Italian professor and the program’s founder and director. From June 28 to July 31, for the second time since its establishment, a group of 20 students will fly into and spend five days in Rome before leaving for Perugia, a small town near Tuscany.

“The land in Perugia is so beautiful, as it is in Tuscany, but not as expensive,” Bonaduce-Dresler said. “Perugia is also small — beautiful and wonderful — but small. It is possible to walk from one side of the town to the other.”

Students in the program will have private apartments in downtown Perugia, according to Bonaduce-Dresler. Close by is the University of Perugia, where the students will take Italian language, civilization and culture, literature and economy classes.

“Students spend time at the university, and then they have the evening free — they can do whatever the city offers,” Bonaduce-Dresler said.

During two of the five weekends the students are in Italy, the program offers excursions to Venice, Naples, Capri and Pompeii.

“It is an experience that really opens your mind. It makes your vision brighter,” Bonaduce-Dresler said.

The program offers two scholarships, one through the University and one through the Italian Club. This year, the Italian Club sold T-shirts to raise money for its scholarship, which gives $300 to one student.

“What I’m trying to give [the students] are quality courses that are well done and accessible,” Bonaduce-Dresler said. “I’m doing all I can to help the students.”

While in Italy, it is Bonaduce-Dresler’s role to help students — there, she is more than a supervisor.

“I am their professor, mother, friend — you have to be it all. It is my country — I know how to move, I know where to go. I can really support [the students] 100 percent,” Bonaduce-Dresler said.

Laura Kennedy, a freshman in anthropology, is headed to Australia this summer to take one six-credit-hour course about Australian culture and the impact of ecotourism on Australia. Though the program’s primary location will be in Cairns, Queensland, the group will travel across Australian terrain to visit the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree World Heritage Area, a tropical rainforest.

“We’re going to go snorkeling, to a rainforest, camping in the desert, and I’m going to capture a platypus and import it home. I think they call that platypus importation,” Kennedy said.

The summer program, sponsored by the University, is open to all college students — not just those who attend NCSU. According to the Study Abroad Office Web site, the program lasts from May 13 to June 7, and during that time students will spend the first week and last weeks taking classes at the James Cook University in Cairns. During the two weeks in between, students will explore the coastal areas, national parks and off-shore islands of Northern Queensland.

“I am really looking forward to going. This is really cliche, but I think it will expand my cultural horizons,” Kennedy said.

Amy Furches, a sophomore in science education, is also studying abroad this summer, but through a UNC-Chapel Hill-sponsored program.

“I’ve never really left the U.S., so I thought it’d be a really productive way to spend my summer,” Furches said.

Furches said she expects Greece will be very hot, but said she picked Greece to travel to for a different reason.

“I just always pictured the people in Greece to be very friendly and welcoming,” Furches said.

However, according to Bonaduce-Dresler, students should be open-minded about the different culture they will encounter while abroad because many will be faced with different languages, rules and norms upon arrival.

“Don’t go and think you will find another USA. It’s a whole different experience — you’ll get a cultural shock,” Bonaduce-Dresler said.