Sunflower field between Urbino and Pesaro.

The hillside look like it was spattered with bright yellow paint. They were tall and stood with perfect posture, like soldiers at attention. Some were even as tall as me. The morning sunlight bathed us in a warm glow as we peered over the sunflower field. I inhaled their pollen and closed my eyes. Even behind my eyelids, their color lingered a few moments longer.

One of the iconic images of the Italian countryside is a hillside of sunflowers. Before I left for Urbino, I imagined fleeing to a land covered with rows upon rows of sunflowers — their heads perfectly aligned, all staring at the sun, like solar satellite dishes. Although I had been in Italy for a week before my arrival in Urbino, I had not seen one sunflower field. And so, when our instructor Jesse Garnier agreed to take a group of students to photograph one of the fields, I felt my excitement begin to bubble over.

Once at the sunflower field, I realized that this would be one of the most memorable moments I would have in Italy. Even as I write this blog entry two and a half weeks after I saw the sunflowers, the image is still very clear in my head.

Unfortunately, the field is somewhat different now. Last week, I passed by it once again and was shocked to see all the sunflowers hanging their heads, looking like they were depressed. Their depression was a little contagious as I thought of leaving this beautiful town that I have grown to love so much.

These past weeks have been memorable. Not only have my skills as a journalist improved, but also my skills as a citizen of an international community have perked up as well. This project took me out of my comfort zone and exposed me to so many different cultural perspectives. Even with the difficulties of a language barrier and the technical problems that arrive in editing, I cannot look back on this experience without feeling that wonder and amazement I felt that first time I saw the sunflower field. It will live in me forever. All I can say is “Thank you. Thank you for all of this.”