According to dictionary.com the definition of courage is the quality or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, without fear; bravery. The Joseph S. Bruno Auburn Abroad in Italy program exemplifies courage, and its meaning within so many different ways. Personally, I have never traveled outside of the country before especially by myself, so this was a huge leap of courage for me. As the first couple of weeks went by and we were having to finally submerge ourselves into the Italian culture, threw me into complete culture shock. It took a lot of courage for me, and then some to be able to feel the most “at home” as I could here in Ariccia.
One of the most memorable field trips for me personally that we have completed so far, was the papal audience. The papal audience, for those that do not know is a weekly gathering that the American Catholic Church in Rome holds and has prayers and blessings. It is not a Mass, but an opportunity to listen to the pope. This was the most “Italian” field trip we have had so far, and for someone like me not being of catholic religion, took a lot of courage to have an open mind and to be courteous to not only the Italians, but also many other ethnicities religion.
Pope Francis at the Papal Audience in the Vatican City (2018)
The Joseph S. Bruno Program is within the college of human sciences and my major is apparel merchandising, so I am honored to be able to have this opportunity to learn from the Italian culture and the way they “handle” fashion all the way over here. My favorite Italian word is salute` which means cheers… so salute` to our next 8 weeks in Italy!
–Taylor Shelton