It is hard to believe that exactly one month ago, I was saying goodbye to my parents at the airport and boarding the plane for Italy. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and I was scared to death. As soon as I boarded that plane, my life was changed forever.
I can’t help but smile when I think back to that day. One month doesn’t seem like a long time, but I have grown more in the past month than I have in the past few years! This trip has provided such a hands-on learning experience that just can’t be achieved through textbooks. History has come alive for me as I stood in the Colosseum, walked through Pompeii, marveled at the works of Michelangelo and Raphael, and even toured the amazing Chigi Palace in which we are honored to live.
This trip is most certainly the adventure of a lifetime, and fortunately I am sharing this experience with 19 other amazing girls. It seems impossible that just a month ago we were basically strangers to each other, and now we are one big family. Together we are becoming stronger, more independent, and certainly more cultured. To sum it up, we are growing in so many different ways.
I am not the same girl that I was a month ago. I am learning to appreciate different cultures and lifestyles. I am developing a love for the arts and architecture that I used to take for granted. I am starting to stop and smell the roses, rather than constantly being in a hurry and not even noticing my own surroundings. I can’t wait to see what the next two months has in store for me!

War Eagle from Italy!
Brook Ladner