So many of my classes at Emory are based on acquiring knowledge and perhaps applying it. This trip taught me how to think. The class was rooted in much more history and art history than I expected. Even though I felt like I knew nothing and was grasping at nothing I began to realize I was learning so much. I learned factual knowledge about Italy’s founding myths, components of different art periods, and the components of a temple. These were things I had never learned before and was then able to apply them. One example was just yesterday in Amalfi when we walked by the Duomo and I felt an excitement to witness its beauty and then began making connections instead of just noticing and moving on.

Text by Paige Lesslauer, photo by TRACE