Yesterday was our last day of class! (in Italy, anyways.) Going in to these two courses, I barely had much of an understanding on either of the subjects at all. However, nearing the end of them I feel that I have learned so much about each of them. I had absolutely no idea what to expect for IR. It was a lot more political than I expected, which looking back I don’t know why I would expect anything else. I have a new perspective about how important intricate aspects are, and also how complex international relations are.

I also like the World Religions course a lot, as well. One of my favorite things about the course is how it was taught in a way that related the numerous religions back to each other, and I feel that that is so important. I would have liked to have more time for the course, but I do think that I would like to continue to learn about it on my own time.

After class and a bit of down time, we got to go shopping for a bit! Surprisingly, I was able to make myself bold enough to get some prices down! You can see the difference in the Italian culture through the markets, and the types/styles of clothing. It’s definitely more interesting than the US! Also, we were able to see international relations in the shopping. The little markets — that were probably illegal — with people from different countries in combination with the question of legal taxes on product being paid, or not paid, and such.

Finally, we got to see the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel! I still find it absolutely ridiculous that it would take 12 years to look at every single thing for just a minute. One thing that was really cool was that we were able to see more than just one religion in this museum. We could see things from Rome before Christianity, and we could see how that affected the art and their perception of themselves. This also adds to how the rise in Christianity may have changed their perception of themselves. Otherwise, the museum was overwhelming in the best way. I was able to see even more things that I had just learned about in a textbook the previous semester. It was also incredibly humbling. It brought into perspective how much these historical people accomplished. I would absolutely love to come back to this country, and if I should, I would love to visit this museum again and take out another few hours from those 12 years I’m gonna need.