Wrap it all up!

I was unsure what to think about a class named “Smells and Bells” but I am very glad that I took this class. I had never taken a religion class in my entire life. I was somewhat scared going into a 300 level religion class with no knowledge, but I liked the connection that was offered through the class and I was intrigued to do it. I mean, who doesn’t like food? 

At first in this class, I didn’t enjoy it very much. The class size was very large and the classroom shape didn’t seem to work for the style of class that it was. With the large class size, I felt intimidated to speak up in class, which was something that I have never dealt with before in my life. The conversation also seemed to move too fast for me to handle. 

Everything changed after I presented, alongside some of my fellow classmates, in the smelling group. I had a lot of fun working with my classmates on the ideas for our presentation and I've also always liked presenting in class. In high school I did theatre and I know I am comfortable speaking in front of crowds. In our smell presentation, we showed how the sense of smell affects one's taste as well by having the entire class eat on a Hi-chew with their nose blocked and then eat one normally. Everyone said how they could tell the difference and it made me pretty excited that people liked our presentation. Unfortunately, that would be one of our final days of class together.

During spring break, we got the news that no one would be returning to campus for the rest of the term due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that all learning would be remote. This made me sad for obvious reasons, but also meant that there would be no more Smells and Bells in person. 

Once we got settled after a second week of spring break and got the online classes working, I had a pretty good time in class online. I felt that I had an equal opportunity to talk and that being part of the online chat room made it so I could speak up easier if I wanted to. 

In this class, I learned a lot. I learned so much about the six senses and the connectivity between them, I learned about certain religious rituals, I learned about other classmates and what their interests were, and I learned how to adapt to difficult situations. I read fascinating books, and saw interesting videos. I heard from guest speakers, and did self massage.

This class not only taught me facts and interesting new ideas, it also helped me grow as a person, I now have a better understanding of who I am because of this class. Smells and Bells is something that I will forever be grateful for, because it was much, much more than just a required class, it was a class I needed. Thank you to everyone who made it great, and have a wonderful summer!