Sitting in the airport waiting to board our flight I did not know what this trip would have in store for me. I sat at a small table working on my assignments and saw our plane being prepared for boarding. What would this trip feel like and what would Italy do for me?

Upon arriving here, it took time for me to adjust to the changes. The city is beautiful and full of culture and a wide range of faces. It is fascinating to me how the people who are native to here walk past these remarkable places each day. I wonder if they view their world the way that I observe it.

It has been somewhat of an overwhelming experience thing to take in everything that Italy has to offer me. It is a surreal experience to see things in person that until this point in my life I have only saw in pictures. I have had to tell myself to allow myself to be present within the moment. I have realized that in order to have the best experience here I cannot try to take in everything this beautiful country has to offer me all at once. Rather, in order to have the best experiences here that I have been looking forward to, I must try to only take in what is really in front of me during a moment.

St. Peters Basilica was that moment for me. I was able to separate myself from the crowd of people and hear the music being playing behind me. I was able to gaze around the room and make the connection between the present moment I was experiencing and the past world that I was existing within.