My Education of the Gothic

I have really enjoyed learning about the Gothic on this study abroad course and I have been especially interested in how it influences our modern culture. I was surprised at how much I learned throughout this course; I thought I had a fairly solid background in Gothic literature, but I am now surprised to see how much this class has built upon my original foundation. I feel like I have learned so much because I have experienced the Gothic firsthand. There is only so much that a person can gain through a book or picture, but to actually be there, seeing and feeling what may have been in that book, is an entirely different experience. For instance, when we visited the Ossuary in Kutna Hora I was overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions; wonder, disturb, and the feeling of the sublime all flooded me at once while I viewed the vast amounts of bones. I saw pictures of the Ossuary before actually visiting, and I had never felt the tidal wave of emotions until I saw it for myself. I think that that is the most important separation of learning back home and learning abroad. Here, in our travels throughout Europe I have not only read the Gothic, but I have felt the Gothic. In the past month I have gained more than I ever possibly could through a book alone. This trip has left an impression on me that will last forever; I have gained knowledge about cultures that were once totally foreign to me, I have a stronger background in not only identifying, but analyzing the Gothic in literature and in modern culture, and last but certainly not least, I have gained a new found appreciation for my own culture and homeland.