Final evaluation of the of Living and Learning.

Coming to Italy has made me realize that yes Italy is a great place but I believe after being here for so long that people who you love are more important. I have always been interested in ancient history, old art, and Italy just for its culture. I thought that I would love every second of being here. Trust me I enjoyed my time in Italy a love that I have gotten to see what I have seen. Deep down I wish I was with people that I loved from home. That I could be sharing these amazing moments with the people back home and rather on my own. When my Dad got sick this summer I realized how much I am away from my family and friends and how I want to change that.

Things that I have learned being in Italy are that time is just a number and the world will go on weather you are late or not feeling well. That we have it in our minds that we have to push through and show up and keep working even when our bodies have told us that today is just not the day to work. Italians really understand that if you need space and time then you take it. Italy has made me want to start cooking again which I have not done in a few years because I went to University and I always thought I never had the time or I could worry about it later. The trust is we only have the moments that are right now and you have to decided to take care of your self now or there wont be a later. I do not know why but Italy has made me reflect a lot on who I am as a person and where I want to go. Things that I was not sure of before I am totally willing to jump into now. I do not know if the culture has made me realize that or the fact that I have been away from family and friends during a really hard time.

What has surprised me the most about being in Italy was how accomplished I feel.  I never thought that coming here would help me in school I actually thought it was going to be very difficult and almost undoable. I was extremely scared I did not know if I had made the biggest mistake of my life. I am surprised at the end of the trip to learn that I do not feel that way anymore. It was a enjoyable school semester. I had lots of experiences and learned a lot from them. I learned more Italian then I ever would have back at home in Canada. I learned how to sculpt and I’m proud of my final product. I have been somewhere that every single person in my family has never been to before. I feel that I have learned and grown a lot of a person and that is something I was not expected when coming here.

I think something important that I learned is that we are not just the only people on this planet. That not everyone on earth wants to live the way North Americans do. That things really are different on the other side of the world and that it is okay to miss home. I think that it is different from reading or hearing on the news what is happening on the other side of the world, that as North Americans we do not feel the issues that are not right in front of us. I believe in order to have good view of what the world is one has to travel and get to know and become educated with what is out there. It is sad when I think about politics and how little I know about them in Canada and how I really wish I was more informed.  I think I learned out to respect other people culture more and how to look at my own and really see the difference now. I learned that traveling is the best way to learn about new places, and really have an opinion.

I have always been a believer that seeing and experiencing things are the best way to always remember and learn from. I believe that it is really appropriate that I feel this way because of the class title and expectations.