This week has been a week of quiet, unlike the usual go, go, go, we are so used to here in Ariccia, Italy.  With our usual weeks laced with class lectures and field trips that take us to magical places and the occasional wine tasting, this week marks the time where we slow down to work on our journals.  A week dedicated to reading, writing, and printing off pictures.  A good amount of glue, scissors and working pens are all one needs to complete this journal.
Our journals are a collection of all the places we have gone, all the activities we have done and all the cherished moments we want to bring back to America, from the Pantheon in Rome to the aperitivo we hosted.  Because this semester abroad flies by, it is important to keep a detailed journal with facts, pictures, reflection essays and responses to everything that we have experienced.
When we first arrived in Italy, our teacher explained that our trip would be like trying to drink from a fire hydrant.  With so much coming at us in such a short period of time, our journals help us absorb so much more about the places we are visiting.  The journals allow for constant learning and growth while we are here. With the hope that in years to come we will be able to look back on our amazing experiences and bring them back to life by flipping through our thick, black journals.
–Carlyle MacPhail

Clare Harp getting creative on her journal pages.