Reflection #2 Wade

      During our time in Italy, I have noticed the ease of learning a language when fully immersed in it compared to attempting it in a classroom. The waiters and native speakers have been extremely helpful whenever a question has been asked about how to say a word and very patient when we attempt to explain something. I have been doing my best to practice my Italian whenever possible and just going to restaurants and grocery stores have taught me more in a week than I have learned taking a foreign language in a classroom for a month. 

       I have loved the abundance of history and culture in each of the cities we have visited. It seems that each building holds some importance at some point in time. One thing I contemplated on when we were visiting Venice was the preservation of such a historically and culturally important place, both from flooding and tourism. While I love the ability to go visit many of the important basilicas here in Italy, I have also noticed the way they are disrupted by tourism. Although it brings a lot of funding in for the preservation and upkeep of these huge buildings, the ability to hold mass and function like a regular church seems to be disrupted. 

       Lastly, I have noticed changes in my own energy levels and health due to the focus on food in the culture. Even after eating very large meals, I do not feel sluggish or sickly full. The lack of processing in their ingredients leads to a very healthy full feeling as well as a good amount of energy boost. Also portion sizes do tend to differ, but the actual amount of food seems very comparable to a meal in the U.S.