Throughout these past ten weeks, many different experiences have given me and others time to pause and reflect on ourselves. Within the College of Human Sciences, we are constantly taught to push ourselves to understand other cultures and not just appreciate what they can bring to the table but what brought them to this moment in time. I constantly am seeing this aspect intertwine itself within each and every one of my experiences and travel. Through our history classes with Marco, I have learned how different prominent moments in the past have shaped Europe and thus shaped their cultures and people.
Last night, we had class and dinner at Marco Antonini and Mary Lou Gray’s home. We spent the first two hours listening to Marco recount his personal experience with World War II and how history has shaped his life. Listening to the opposite side of the story opposed to how America experienced the war was fascinating. Not only did I find his account of history great, but really understanding how it brought Italy to be where it is today was helpful.
I constantly find the technique of compare-and-contrast helpful when I am trying to comprehend how different our cultures can be, yet how well we can work together too. Throughout these past weeks, I have found myself learning more about myself and how my ancestors were shaped by the situations they found themselves in and how those helped form me into the person I am.
Ciao,
Katie Bobo

The living Room of Marco’s home was a great place to gather and reflect after he spoke.